(Inspired by Solo Leveling.)
At world's end and all that is left is the shadow swallowing it whole - but in my mind, I know... that it isn't my end. It is yours.
"With all the commotion you'd wonder if the best way to get to the top is putting yourself through the worst shit imaginable," she lifts her hand, I grab it and she pulls me in to give me a firm hug. "You are the single hardest man to kill in this entire place."
"Is that with the kind of eyes you look at me, huh? Riven?"
She shakes her head at me. "Not to kill you, definitely not, but let's just say I respect you more than some of the people here."
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"Let's hope I keep it up then," we break apart. "How's the others?"
"They're good. Just the lot of them are either busy or would rather catch you at a later time because this isn't their scene." She turns around to look at the people filling up the old hang-out. "Some of the faces here don't fit, so I don't blame them, but then again they'd rather talk to you without having to fight for your attention."
"Saying you'd fight for it?" I ask her. "I'm heartbroken."
"You are lucky I caught you walking away from one conversation because I would have stepped in there to say my piece, and then leave like a sour lover." She crosses her arms as she expresses. "So? Who did it?"
I shake my head. "I can't tell you."
"Can't or Won't?"
"Mostly can't."
She nods slowly. "I'll pretend that I understand, I have my suspicions, all of us did. But if you need someone to do the dirty work for you," she glances at me with that same sinister glare I have been throwing Troy, "He'll die slowly."
"Thanks for having my back, but I don't need it, I am already working my way around it."
She nods. "Good. He deserves it, whoever he is." She twists in place and then faces me fully. "Sorry... I know this is sudden but can spring something on you?" I turn to her fully to see a serious stare.
"What's up?"
"A date, this weekend. You and me."
I blink twice, her seriousness doesn't match up at all with the words coming out of her mouth. "Come again?"
"I want to borrow you, for the weekend. I have no idea how else you want me to say this, (Y/N)."
I chuckle as I shake my head at her, "Rvien..." I watch her for a moment. She looks very serious as if she needs me for something, but maybe just using the word date to cover it up to keep things hidden for now? This isn't a romantic advance, or maybe this is her way? I don't know.
I nod. "Tell me when, and I'll be there."
Her serious expression relaxes as she nods at me. "Okay... I'll see you then. Sorry that I have to love and leave you all of a sudden but I only came for you in the first place, tell the rest that I'll be back after they kick out the people that shouldn't be here."
"Who are they? I'll get rid of them right now."
"Trying to keep me here?" she scoffs as she walks away. "Thanks, but save it for when I see you again."
I walk back into the crowd to the rest where I was initially headed towards before I was stolen. The rest of the night goes on as you'd expect, trying to catch up, trying to talk as much as I can about what happened and catching up with the past.
But among all these people are new faces, new names, new teams... this world moves so slowly in comparison to the Void. My sister made friends with a bunch of people and a lot of them wanted to meet me because of that, even some that would have avoided me or hated me once decided to greet me and welcome me back.
The world moves on.
But in the back of it all? People that are just here to watch, to see what would happen next. Others hoped something bad would happen, others that probably hoped something would go wrong that would break into a fight... others didn't want to see me, and others hoped I had died.
And one, too scared to look me in the eye, and another, knowing what I would say the moment I found her. I have a lot of choice words for Erica, words that I will say in front of the bastard Troy but now wouldn't be the time to do it.
It would just make it obvious, I have to just play dumb, as if my trauma blocked that memory. As if what I went through messed it all up for me... only those I trust will know who did it, for now I'll play the enemy maybe turned friend.
