"You put your life on the line so much that you nearly killed yourself," she said, getting up and walking toward his head. She looked him right in the eye. He couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. He wanted to look away so badly, but he stopped himself.
"I was wrong about you. You aren’t disgusting," she said.
"Uhm, thank you, but all this hasn’t really told me why you are in my room," Riven said.
"Isn’t that obvious? You are my fiancé," she said.
Riven choked on air when he heard her say that. ’What the hell? Who just says something like that out of the blue?’ he wondered. But then it clicked—he recalled that despite how real this world was, these characters were still written fiction.
And Sophia—she was a complex yet very simple being. In the novel, she despised all men, seeing them as disgusting and predators.
But when she fell for Lance, she turned into an obsessive person. Her obsession didn’t show through crazy acts, but it showed—in different ways.
’Wait, is she? No, that’s not possible. She can’t be,’ Riven thought. He looked into her eyes. She was staring right back at him. He swallowed hard.
"Uhm, can I get some space?" he asked.
"No, sorry," she replied, not even budging.
’What the hell do you mean no? I just need some space to breathe. You smell like flowers and I can feel your body heat. It’s making my blood boil. What the fuck do you mean no? I’m still a teenager, dammit,’ Riven complained in his mind.
"Sophia, why did you call me your fiancé? Didn’t you dislike that?" he asked.
"I dislike all men, but I understand that I’ll have to marry one day, and I don’t see myself liking anyone.
Then there is you—another male, and this time one that my grandfather tied me to. And now I’ve discovered that you are a good male. I’m not willing to go searching for another good male, so I’ll take you," she said.
’She makes it sound like I’m some sort of last choice. Sigh, if not for the fact that I know what her character is like...’
"I understand you, and we can talk about it later. But for now, can you get Miss Ariel? Tell her that I’m awake," he said.
"Alright, I’ll be back," she said and walked away.
That was easier than I thought it would be. Something tells me my charisma has been playing a role here. Speculation, but it looks probable, Riven thought. He leaned back into the bed, staring at the ceiling.
He recalled when he was in that trance and all he could think about was cutting. That was when the voice had come to him.
’That voice told me I speak as if I know something is coming—and indeed something is. But I thought it was the demons and their war to take over the world, not something beyond that.
And all of it is my fault, for being in this world that isn’t mine. Everyone is living and walking now, not knowing that a kid somewhere is bringing ruin to their entire world,* Riven thought.’
His heart was heavy as he thought about it. He was the harbinger of destruction to this world. He finally understood that title he got—the one loved by chaos. It finally made sense.
’I just have to get stronger faster. If I do, I’ll be able to stop it before it starts.’ He clenched his fist thinking about it.
Footsteps approached his bed, and Ariel showed up, a bright smile on her face. Sophia followed behind and walked to the side of his bed.
"It’s nice to see you are finally up. It’s been two whole days since you passed out," Ariel said.
"Two days? Then that means..."
"Yes, the academy resolved the issue, so you do not have to worry about it. Though we lost over twenty first years in the attacks and five second years," Ariel said.
"Honestly, that number seems remarkably low for what happened," Riven said. He didn’t say it to sound bad or something, but he had been at the center of it all. He knew what happened and how terrifying it had been.
"If they had managed to set their barrier before the fourth years returned, then it would have been far worse. The fourth years basically took care of the entire situation," Ariel said. She walked beside Riven and placed her hand on his chest.
A soft green glow came from her hand and it immediately made him feel relaxed and a whole lot better.
"You really did a lot. You might not know it, but the time you bought at the library was so pivotal in the survival of everyone," she said.
"I just did what anyone in my place would do," he responded.
"That’s anything but true. A normal first-year student would run at the sight. You might not accept it, but you stood in the gap. I don’t know what you were thinking at the moment, but you saved hundreds of lives.
Not everyone can place their life on the line like you did, especially not a kid like you," she said, finally taking her hand off. She looked at him.
"Don’t downplay what you did at all. Being overly modest might come off as pride," she said.
"I understand," Riven replied.
"Good. You can leave today, if you think you can walk. But do not put your body under heavy stress, because it needs a lot more time to rest," she said and made to leave.
"Miss Ariel, wait—what about Sapphire?" he asked.
"Sapphire publicly announced that they are against the goddess Lumis and they are part of the demon continent from now. The announcement came a few hours after Vermilion announced war against them.
Sapphire is at the edge of the continent and their ports are massive. With that, they can bring demons through their lands.
Our wars might soon be shifting from demonized to actual demons. But that’s not something for you to worry about now," she said and walked out.