At some point, exhaustion dragged me under again, but my sleep was restless. When I finally stirred, the first rays of morning sunlight peeked through my curtains, bathing my room in a soft, golden glow.
My head ached. My body felt sluggish, like I had been awake all night.
I stared at the ceiling for a long moment before forcing myself to sit up.
For a second, I debated pretending last night never happened.
But as soon as I looked down at my arm, at the Ancient Rune still tingling faintly against my skin, I knew I couldn't.
Something was happening to me.
And I had no idea what it meant.
After getting ready for the day, I made my way downstairs, the scent of celestial chai and freshly made crepes drifting from the kitchen. My stomach twisted, torn between hunger and the unease still lingering from last night.
As I reached the bottom of the stairs, voices filtered into the hallway.
Sharp, heated, cutting through the morning silence like a blade.
One of them was Lara.
I paused, listening.
She sounded normal.
Too normal.
Like last night never happened.
Like she hadn't stumbled in, drunk and disoriented.
As I stepped into the kitchen, both voices cut off abruptly.
Lara sat at the island, stirring her chai, her expression light, casual, like she was not just in the middle of an argument.
And across from her: Riven.
I stopped short.
Of all the people I expected to find in my kitchen this morning, he wasn't one of them.
He leaned back in his chair, a cup of celestial chai resting loosely in his grip, his gaze flicking lazily to mine the second I entered.
"Morning." His voice was as unreadable as ever.
But his posture was too casual.
And Lara?
Lara looked too perfect, too put together, too damn normal.
They were both pretending. Feigning indifference to their earlier dispute.
Pretending last night hadn't happened.
Something snapped inside me.
I pulled out a chair, gripping the back of it tightly. "What the hell is going on?"
Lara raised an eyebrow. "Athena, relax. You look like you've seen a ghost."
I laughed, but it wasn't amused. It was hollow. "Oh, I don't know, Lara. Maybe it's because I spent all night worrying about you while you were off getting wasted and muttering about some mystery guy before passing out. And now, here you are, fresh as ever, acting like none of it even happened."
She sighed dramatically, setting her spoon down. "Athens, you're being overdramatic. I was just out with some friends. I drank too much. It happens. No need for the theatrics."
My fingers tightened on the chair.
"Where. Were. You?"
Lara rolled her eyes. "I just told you. Out at a club, having fun. You're seriously making this into..."
"Bullshit!" I slammed my palm against the kitchen island, the force of it rattling the glass in front of her.
Lara flinched.
So did Riven.
I pointed a shaking finger at her. "You were missing, Lara. Missing. Not answering your comm crystal and not where you were supposed to be. Riven and I searched for you all damn afternoon. I called you a hundred times, and you ignored every single one."
Her face hardened, her lips pressing into a thin line. "I didn't ignore you."
"Then what did you do?" I demanded. "Because you sure as hell didn't answer me!"
Lara took a slow breath, then exhaled through her nose. "I forgot to text you, okay? I got caught up. It's not that deep, Athens."
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "Not that deep?"
"Yeah." She tilted her head, voice suddenly coated in mock concern. "Athena, maybe you should relax a little. You get so… intense about things. It's like you always need to be in control of everything."
The words cut.
She knew exactly what she was doing. Exactly what to say to wound me.
And for the first time, I saw it: not my best friend, not the girl I trusted more than anyone, but a stranger sitting in her skin, looking at me like I was the problem.
My throat tightened.
"You're lying." My voice was raw now, quieter, but no less sharp. "I can tell. So just stop, Lara. Stop lying to me and just fucking tell me where you were. Who were you with?"
She stiffened.
Not much. Barely at all. But enough.
I saw it.
My blood ran cold.
I stepped closer, my hands trembling as I gritted out, "Who is the 'man of your dreams' you were talking about?"
Her expression faltered for a fraction of a second.
Then, just as quickly, she let out a forced laugh, shaking her head like I was the one being ridiculous.
"Athena, please. You're losing it. Stop making a fool of yourself, babe. Just sit and have some breakfast."
That was it.
That was the breaking point.
The moment I realized that no matter what I said, no matter how much I pushed, Lara wasn't going to tell me the truth.
Because she didn't want to.
Because she was hiding something.
The betrayal hit me all at once, a crushing, suffocating weight that made my throat tighten, my chest ache.
I had been worried sick about her. Searching for her. Ready to tear the world apart to make sure she was okay.
And she was just sitting here, laughing it off.
Like none of it mattered.
Like I didn't matter.
Something inside me cracked.
"You know what, Lara?" My voice was quiet now, eerily calm. "If lying to me is easier than trusting me, then maybe I never knew you at all."
She blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift.
I didn't give her the chance to recover.
I turned on my heel and walked away.
The moment the front door closed behind me, the tears spilled freely
I sucked in a breath, shaking, raw, my body moving before my mind could catch up.
The cool morning air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it as my legs carried me toward the forest, my steps quick, uneven.
I needed distance. Needed to escape.
Before I even realized it, I was running.
The trees blurred around me, the wind whipping against my face, strands of hair sticking to my damp cheeks, but I didn't stop.
I couldn't.
I charged forward, unseeing, my fists clenched so hard my nails bit into my skin, the sharp sting barely registering through the chaos in my mind.
I needed to get away.
From Lara. From the lies. From Riven.
From the burning ache in my chest that refused to fade.
The forest swallowed me whole, the towering trees stretching overhead, their branches rustling like hushed voices. The damp earth softened beneath my pounding footsteps, the scent of morning dew thick in the air.
But I was oblivious to it all. I just kept running.
My breath came in shattered gasps, each inhale barely enough to keep me moving. My legs throbbed with every step, muscles screaming for relief, but I refused to slow down.
The pressure in my chest grew tighter, constricting, suffocating.
Then I heard it: footsteps.
Heavy. Steady. Chasing.
I knew instantly it was him. Riven.
I pumped my arms harder, driving my legs forward with everything I had.
I didn't want to hear him. Didn't want to see him.
I was so done with him and his secrets.
"Athena!"
I gritted my teeth, my vision blurring from the mix of tears and exhaustion, my heartbeat an erratic drum in my ears.
I didn't turn. Didn't slow down.
Didn't give him the satisfaction of acknowledging him.
But he was closing in.
The air shifted.
And then, a hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me back with brutal force.
I screamed, twisting hard, my body slamming into his with the force of my own momentum.
"Let me go!"
I fought him, shoving against his chest, yanking my arm, trying to tear myself free.
But Riven didn't let go.
He locked his arms around me, a steady force against my struggle.
I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.
And I hated him for it.
"Athena, stop!" His voice was strained, torn at the edges, like he was holding something back.
But I didn't stop.
I shoved harder, my legs kicking against the dirt, thrashing like I could tear myself out of this, out of everything.
My breath came in sharp, broken sobs, my body trembling from the force of my own grief, my own anger, my own exhaustion.
"I hate you!" The words tore from my throat, furious, fractured, a lie and a truth all at once. "I hate you, Riven! Let me go!"
He didn't back down. If anything, he held on even tighter.
And that's when it broke me.
A sob tore through me, raw and shattering. My body, still straining against his, suddenly buckled.
My fists, which had been pounding against him, weakened, fingers curling into his jacket instead.
My breath came out in uneven gasps, the fight draining from my limbs, leaving me exposed, trembling, undone.
"Why won't you just let me go?"
The words slipped out, not a demand, but a plea.
A wound ripped open in the space between us.
Riven's grip loosened, but he didn't step away.
Didn't move. Didn't let me run.
His breathing was ragged, his hands still resting on my arms, not restraining anymore, but steadying.
"I tried." His voice was low, strained, like the words physically hurt him. "I tried to push you away. To make you stop caring. To make it easier for both of us."
I let out a hollow laugh, tears still clinging to my lashes. "Well, congratulations, Riven. You did it. You called me pathetic. A pity case. Made it clear that I was nothing more to you. So, what now? Are you finally happy?"
His eyes darkened, something flickering beneath the storm in them.
"You think that made me happy?" His jaw tensed, his fingers curling slightly like he was holding something back.
"I don't know, Riven. I can't tell what's real with you anymore," I bit out, my voice sharp, cutting through the cold air between us. "One minute, you look at me like..." I cut myself off, shaking my head. "And the next, you say things that tear me apart. So tell me, what's the truth? Who the hell are you to me?"
His breathing hitched, just barely, but I caught it.
I took a step back, arms wrapping around myself, like I could hold myself together through the ache in my chest.
"You don't get to do this, Riven. You don't get to break me and then act like you care."
Silence.
Thick. Heavy.
Then, his voice, low and gutted, replied.
"I do care."
I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head. "Right. You care so much you teamed up with Lara to keep secrets from me. Because that's what people who care do, right? Lie to me? Hide things? Make me feel like a complete idiot?"
His eyes snapped to mine, sharp, dangerous. "It's not like that."
I scoffed. "Then what is it like, Riven? Please, enlighten me, because I'm so fucking tired of people deciding what I can and can't know. You and Lara are both acting like I'm too weak to handle the truth, and it's driving me insane!"
His hands flexed at his sides, his entire body wired tight, like he was at war with himself.
Then, finally, he spoke.
"I am just trying to protect you."
The words should have meant something.
Should have eased the tightness in my chest.
But they didn't.
They made it worse.
"Protect me?" My voice was cold, hollow. "From what?"
Riven didn't answer right away.
He looked away, his jaw tightening. "Lara's not telling you everything."
I stiffened.
"Yeah, no shit, Riven."
His gaze snapped back to mine, a flicker of frustration cutting through his expression. "There's more to this than you think. More to..." He hesitated. "More to her… disappearing last night."
A shiver ran down my spine.
Something in his voice: the hesitation, the edge of warning, made my pulse stutter.
"You know exactly what happened to her." The realization hit me like a stone.
He didn't say anything.
Didn't confirm. Didn't deny.
"Riven."
His hands curled into fists at his sides. "She wasn't out with friends."
My stomach dropped.
"Then where was she?"
Silence.
He didn't answer.
He just looked at me, like he wanted to tell me, but couldn't.
The anger surged back up my throat.
"God, I hate you!" The words tore out of me, unrestrained, sharp, full of exhaustion. "You can't just stand there and act like you care and then refuse to tell me the truth! You don't get to have it both ways, Riven!"
His expression cracked, the controlled mask slipping just enough for me to see it.
The frustration. The conflict. The way his eyes screamed something his mouth refused to say.
But before I could push him further, before I could demand the truth, the Rune on my arm burned.
A searing heat, stronger than before, tearing through my skin.
I gasped, clutching it, my vision blurring from the intensity.
Riven's eyes snapped to it immediately.
Something flickered across his face: recognition. Fear.
"Athena..."
The world lurched.
A force tore through me, yanking me from the present like I had stepped through a door I wasn't meant to open.
Everything vanished.
I was somewhere else.
The air pulsed, heavy with power, thick with whispers.
The ground beneath me cracked and burned, veins of light cutting through shadow, splitting the earth apart.
A battle raged: gold against fire, light against darkness.
Figures moved like streaks of lightning, swords clashing, flames roaring, the very sky fracturing under the weight of their war.
One warrior stood against two.
A blade of pure energy met a storm of fire and shadow, the impact sending waves of destruction through the battlefield.
A presence just beyond the chaos.
Hidden. Watching. Power surging, unseen but felt.
Not a weapon. Not an enemy.
A force binding to the warrior, threading through the battlefield like an unseen chain.
Then, a pair of eyes locked onto mine.
Cold. Knowing. Not meant to see me.
The shadows rushed toward me.
Everything collapsed.
I gasped, my body jerking violently as I was ripped back into reality.
The forest spun around me, my vision hazy, my lungs dragging in air like I had just surfaced from deep water.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
My knees buckled.
Strong hands caught me, steadying me before I collapsed.
"Breathe."
The voice was low, firm. Urgent.
Riven.
His grip was tight, grounding, his expression just raw concern.
Because for a moment, I hadn't been breathing.
I blinked, my body still trembling, the weight of the vision pressing down on my chest like something heavy, something unshakable.
Riven didn't say anything.
He just held onto me, like he wasn't sure if I'd fall again.