Right… this might be a problem.
Riven remained standing there for a moment, looking down at the girl in front of him. Leyla didn't say anything yet, but her wide eyes made it painfully obvious she had been waiting for something.
The souvenir.
He hadn't even thought about it once while he was gone.
For a brief second he considered just pretending he forgot entirely. But the way she was staring up at him made that option feel… unpleasant.
Riven extended his senses toward the ring hanging from his chest.
Since he hadn't prepared anything he'd have to use something he already had.
And the best he could come up with was something the Knight's Order girls from back then had kept.
His awareness brushed past folded clothes, small trinkets, and a few pieces of jewelry before stopping on something small.
A hairpin.
Silver.
Simple but elegant, shaped like a small flower with thin petals curling outward.
This works.
Riven cleared his throat slightly.
"…Come here for a second."
Leyla tilted her head but stepped closer without hesitation, stopping just in front of him.
He reached into his pocket, as he withdrew it from the ring summoning it into his hand.
When he pulled his hand out again and opened it to show Leyla, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Is that for me?"
"Hold still," Riven said.
He crouched slightly so he could reach her head more easily. Leyla obediently leaned forward a little, clearly curious as he carefully slid the silver hairpin into her dark hair.
It held surprisingly well.
When he pulled his hand back, the small flower-shaped ornament caught the afternoon light faintly.
Leyla's hands immediately went up to touch it.
Her eyes widened.
"How does it look?"
Riven straightened again, his mind briefly overlapping her with his own sister again.
"Very pretty."
Even though I can't see it with your hands in the way...
She looked up at him again, smiling brightly.
"Thank you, br—"
She stopped herself halfway through the word.
"…Alric."
Riven blinked slightly.
The first few days after he arrived she had said it constantly.
But thinking about it now… she hadn't called him brother for quite a while.
Of course he wasn't her real brother, but still it was weird.
Before he could think about it further, Leyla suddenly spun around and began running back toward the mansion.
"I have to show Sarah!"
Her voice carried through the courtyard as she waved over her shoulder.
That was her maid.
They seemed to have a close bond.
"Thank you!"
Riven watched her disappear toward the main building for a moment.
Then he exhaled quietly.
…That worked better than expected.
His hand brushed lightly against the ring.
Keeping all that stuff really was useful sometimes.
Riven swept the thought aside and finally stepped through the mansion gates.
The courtyard looked mostly the same as when he had left. Servants moved about quietly, some carrying baskets, others tending to small tasks around the estate. Most of them glanced toward him and smiled as he passed.
For a brief moment he considered going to see the manor lord. It would probably be expected after returning from several days away.
But after a second he dismissed the idea.
The guards at the gate would report his return anyway.
Instead, Riven turned toward the inner parts of the estate.
There was something else he wanted to check first.
Or rather someone.
Alric.
The young master had said he would be leaving around the same time Riven did, but that didn't necessarily mean he would still be gone now.
Riven walked through the familiar halls of the mansion without slowing, heading toward the room Alric had been using.
When he reached the door, he paused for a moment before pushing it open.
Empty.
The room looked undisturbed.
The bed was neatly made, the desk cleared except for a few scattered papers, and none of the items Riven remembered seeing before had been moved.
No signs that someone had returned recently.
Riven stepped inside briefly, glancing around once more just to be sure.
Still nothing.
"…Right."
He closed the door again.
Riven walked back into the hallway.
He'd have to wait until Alric returned to shed some light onto his questions.
The map.
The trial.
The missing arm.
But standing here wouldn't give him any answers.
For now there wasn't much he could do about it.
With a quiet sigh, Riven turned and headed toward his own room.
If Alric returned, he would find out eventually.
Riven returned to his room without encountering anyone else.
Once the door closed behind him, the quiet of the space settled in immediately. For a moment he simply stood there, letting the calm replace the constant alertness that had followed him through the cave and the journey back.
Then his hand moved toward the beast pouch at his waist.
He tapped it lightly and sent a strand of soul force into it.
The connection formed instantly.
Through the faint bond he could feel the spider inside.
Still there.
Still curled up.
The strange pulses he had felt earlier were still present as well, slow and steady, passing through the bond like a distant heartbeat.
But aside from that—
Nothing had changed.
No sudden surge of power.
No clear sign of what the transformation would become.
Riven tilted his head slightly.
"…Taking your time, huh."
The spider didn't respond, of course.
The pulses continued quietly within the pouch.
"Fine."
He moved toward the center of the room.
If the spider needed time, he might as well use it productively.
Vaern's Basic Martial Arts.
That was where his focus remained.
The technique itself wasn't complicated.
Keeping it active while channeling other skills was.
Riven was already at major mastery with the technique. Activating it had long since become second nature. The moment he focused, the familiar adjustments flowed through his body—his posture straightening, weight shifting more efficiently, qi and muscles aligning with each movement in ways that made every action smoother.
But that wasn't the final stage.
Perfection required something more.
The technique had to remain active while performing other martial skills.
Not switching between them.
Not activating one and then the other.
Both at the same time.
Riven stepped into position.
He exhaled slowly and let the familiar martial flow settle across his body.
His stance adjusted automatically.
Balance.
Breathing.
Weight distribution.
Everything aligned.
Then—
He kicked forward.
Falconburst Kick.
His body twisted into the motion, the explosive burst of power traveling through his leg as the technique released.
The moment it did—
The flow broke.
Riven lowered his leg slowly.
Again.
He could maintain Vaern's Basic Martial Arts as long as he focused entirely on it. But the moment he used another technique, his body instinctively redirected the qi flow in favor of executing the strike.
Switching.
Not layering.
That was the problem.
Riven reset his stance.
Once more the technique spread through his body.
He held it there, concentrating on the feeling of the alignment it created.
Then he moved again.
Falconburst Kick.
For a fraction of a second it almost worked.
The qi flow remained present longer than before, the kick forming without completely breaking the balance.
Then—
Gone.
The flow collapsed again as his concentration was spent on creating the Falconburst qi flow.
Riven clicked his tongue quietly.
"Tch."
He stepped back and rubbed the back of his neck.
Hours passed with the same result.
Each attempt came close.
Each one failed at the final moment.
Something was always slightly wrong.
The technique kept slipping away.
Eventually Riven stopped moving and leaned against the wall, as he stared across the room.
The more he practiced, the more obvious it became that he was missing something fundamental.
But he couldn't figure out what.
He considered switching to something else for a while.
Cultivation.
Improving his Falconburst Kick.
Something hopefully easier.
Then a knock sounded on the door.
Riven straightened slightly.
"Come in."
The door opened and a familiar servant stepped inside.
Evan.
He bowed lightly before speaking.
"Young Master, the manor lord asked me to inform you of something."
Riven raised an eyebrow.
"What is it?"
Evan hesitated for a brief moment.
"In two days, the young master of the Azurelake Manor will be hosting a banquet in the city."
He looked up again.
"You have received an invitation."
"And the manor lord wants you to go."
Riven frowned slightly.