---
We ran until dawn.
Through the dense woods behind the estate, through rivers and thorns, until the towering silhouettes of the Crimson Council's stronghold vanished behind the mist.
Riven kept checking over his shoulder, his grip on my wrist firm but trembling.
Me:
"You're hurt."
Riven (short breath):
"Not enough to stop."
But I could see the blood trailing down his side. His shirt was soaked through, his steps slower now.
When he stumbled, I caught him.
---
We found shelter in a dilapidated church, long abandoned and overgrown. Ivy curled around broken stained glass windows. Dust blanketed the altar.
We collapsed onto the stone floor, hearts racing. For a moment, the world went still.
Then I looked at him—and the weight of everything hit me at once.
The fight. The betrayal. The war we'd just declared.
Me (softly):
"They'll come after us."
Riven (eyes closed):
"They already are."
---
I cleaned his wounds with what little water we had. He hissed when I touched the bruise on his ribs.
Riven (gritting teeth):
"Council blades are laced with siphoning runes. My magic's blocked. I'll recover, but not quickly."
I swallowed hard.
Me:
"You saved me."
Riven:
"I'd do it again. Every time."
---
He looked away then, silent. I saw something else in his expression—fear. Not of pain, or death, but something far more fragile.
Me:
"What are you thinking?"
Riven (quietly):
"That I'm terrified of losing you."
The words hit harder than any magic could. He wasn't the ice-hearted heir anymore. He was just… Riven.
And I was just the boy who'd been dragged into a war he never asked for—but chose to stay in because of him.
---
I reached out and laced my fingers through his.
Me:
"You won't."
His eyes met mine, wide and uncertain.
So I kissed him.
Not out of desperation. Not out of fear.
But because I wanted to reached out and laced my fingers through his.
Me:
"You won't."
His eyes met mine, wide and uncertain.
So I kissed him.
Not out of desperation. Not out of fear.
But because I wanted to.
Because I needed to.
And for once, he didn't pull away.
---
His lips were warm, trembling slightly from exhaustion or emotion—I couldn't tell. His fingers gripped mine tighter, like I was the only thing keeping him grounded.
When we finally pulled apart, neither of us said a word.
But silence had never felt so loud.
---
Riven (whispering):
"You shouldn't love someone like me."
Me:
"I don't love the part of you that kills. I love the part that protects."
He blinked. Then nodded slowly—like he was silently promising to become more of that person.
---
Later, I made a makeshift bed out of torn tapestries and old choir robes.
Riven insisted I rest first. But I stayed awake, watching his chest rise and fall, listening to every sound in the distance.
Then—midnight footsteps.
My heart raced.
I reached for the dagger we'd taken from the estate and crept toward the door.
It creaked open before I could get there.
And in walked a stranger cloaked in moonlight, face hidden beneath a hood.
He lifted it slowly.
---
Stranger:
"You must be the boy."
His voice was smooth, laced with something unreadable. His eyes glowed the same dull crimson as the Council's—but they lacked malice.
Stranger:
"Riven sent a message before the breach. I'm here to help."
Riven stirred, sitting up with a groan.
Riven:
"Lucen… I thought you were dead."
Lucen (shrugging):
"Death's boring. And I owe you one."
---
Lucen, it turned out, was an exile—a former Crimson elite who defected after uncovering the Council's true goal: to rewrite the bloodlines, to erase those with forbidden magic.
And Riven… was the key to stopping them.
---
Lucen:
"The Council has declared you both traitors. There's a bounty on your heads. Every warlock, shade, and relic hunter will be after you."
Me (dryly):
"Great. More friends."
Lucen smirked.
Lucen:
"I'll take you to someone who can hide you. For now."
---
We packed quickly. Riven slipped the ancient book into his cloak.
Before we stepped into the misty forest again, he looked back at the ruined church.
Riven (to me):
"I want to build a place like this someday. Not to hide. But to start over."
Me:
"Then we'll build it. Brick by brick."
---
As we vanished into the woods, the first rays of morning broke through the leaves.
For the first time in weeks… we weren't running alone.
We were choosing the path ourselves.
Together.
---
[End of Chapter 30]