---
The morning fog hadn't yet lifted when Riven led me deep into the mansion's west wing—a section I'd never been allowed to enter before.
"I wasn't lying when I said the Order controls more than people," he said as we descended a spiral staircase lit only by the flickering light of torches. "They control bloodlines. Legacies. They rewrite history to suit their beliefs."
The air grew colder as we moved downward, and I noticed the change in the walls—old stone, worn by time, and carved with runes I couldn't read.
At the end of the stairs, a massive iron door stood waiting.
Riven placed his palm on it. The sigil on his chest pulsed—and with a groan, the door creaked open.
Inside was a hidden library.
---
Tomes bound in black leather, scrolls sealed with crimson wax, and ancient weapons mounted on the walls greeted us.
Riven pulled one book from the center shelf: "Heirs of Ruin."
He opened it to a specific page, revealing a hand-drawn portrait of a man with silver hair and eyes that mirrored Riven's.
Me:
"Who is he?"
Riven (quietly):
"Cassian—my great-uncle. The first heir to reject the Order."
---
Cassian's story unfolded through the brittle pages.
He had been trained, much like Riven, to succeed the Order's throne. Cold. Ruthless. Bound by duty.
Until he fell in love—with a commoner. A man whose name had been erased from the records.
But Cassian defied the Order. He broke the Pact and tried to flee with his lover. They were caught. Cassian was forced to watch his love executed before the Council, and then he was imprisoned in this very mansion—his magic sealed, his heart shattered.
Riven:
"They say his last words were, 'If love is sin, then let me burn for it.'"
---
I looked up at Riven. "And now history's repeating itself."
He didn't deny it.
Riven:
"The Order believes blood is fate. That it carries loyalty like poison in the veins. But maybe… maybe what's in our blood isn't just chains."
He closed the book, eyes burning.
Riven:
"Maybe it's rebellion too."
---
As we stood in that hidden sanctuary of forbidden history, something changed between us.
Riven wasn't just protecting me anymore. He was standing beside me.
Fighting beside me.
And in that moment, he leaned in—not out of desperation, but trust.
His lips brushed mine, softer than a whisper, but it left my heart roaring in my chest.
---
Suddenly, a deep crack split the silence. One of the runes on the wall glowed blood-red.
Riven's eyes narrowed.
Riven:
"They've found the sanctuary."
Me:
"What do we do?"
Riven:
"We do what Cassian couldn't—we survive. Together."
---
[End of Chapter 28]
---