The day had been a fucking marathon, and honestly, Riven was so fucking over it all. Like seriously, what the hell does a guy who died and got reincarnated into some other kid's body have to do to catch a break around here, huh?
He dragged his tired ass back to his room the moment the last lesson ended, already feeling the weight of exhaustion pressing down on him.
At this point, even the thought of dinner made him want to crawl under the bed and hide.
As he pushed the door open, he spotted Vaelorian sitting on the edge of his bed, looking all calm and collected. Fucking asshole! He and those older guys practically drained every ounce of energy from everyone's soul with their stupid schedule.
"Oh hey, your Highness!" Riven drew out his greetings, voice thick with sarcasm. Without hesitation, he flopped onto the bed, collapsing face-first with a groan. The bed creaked under his weight, and he just lay there for a moment, contemplating how he'd survive the next twenty-four hours of this torture, let alone the rest of the year.
Was Vaelorian displeased that Riven called him 'your highness?' Sure, maybe. But was he going to do anything about it? Absolutely not. Nope. Instead, the guy just sat there, unbothered, probably making a mental note to get back at Riven later—because that's what Vaelorian did next, after all.
"Riven?"
Vaelorian called out, his tone laced with that quiet authority he always had. Riven groaned again, not really in the mood to talk.
"Yes, your highness?" Riven replied lazily, still face-down. He could almost hear Vaelorian rolling his eyes.
Vaelorian ignored Riven's sass and continued, "I have something to say."
Riven finally shifted, lifting his head just enough to squint at him.
"Well, say it then. Do you need my permission first, or what?"
Vaelorian's expression remained stoic, but Riven could sense a hint of annoyance.
"Aside from your daily schedule, you will set some time apart for one-on-one training with me."
Riven blinked. "Huh? Why would I do that?"
Pure confusion flickered across his face as he sat up, eyeing Vaelorian with suspicion.
It wasn't a huge deal, but damn, Vaelorian felt a hundred times better when Riven looked at him directly.
"Because," Vaelorian said casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets, "it's been decided I'll be your personal trainer for the time being."
Riven's eyes widened. "What the fuck? Why would I want a personal trainer? Others don't have personal trainers..."
"Exactly," Vaelorian interrupted, raising an eyebrow. "That's why you should count yourself lucky I'm even doing this. Besides, others don't have second hidden gifts."
Riven's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "What the fuck, dude! You knew?" he yelled running to the older boy, his voice echoing through the room.
Vaelorian's expression turned stern, and he stepped back. "You're not denying it, this will make things much easier then."
Riven's mind was racing. "But how did you find out? I haven't told anyone about having a second gift."
Vaelorian's eyes locked onto Riven's, his voice low and serious. "You're only allowed to say anything about your gift when you're with me, got it?"
Riven's anger flared up. "It's not like I told you about it either, dude."
Vaelorian nodded, his expression unreadable.
"Good, let's keep it that way. Now, go to the bathroom."
Riven's confusion turned to annoyance.
"Eww! Why?"
Vaelorian's sigh was exasperated. "Just go!" he snapped.
Riven grumbled but obeyed, muttering under his breath about how his Highness was being a pain in his ass. Still, he headed to the bathroom, feeling the weight of the day pressing down on him even harder than ever.
When he finally emerged, Vaelorian was waiting, looking observant.
"Did you notice anything different?" he asked.
Riven shot him a glare. "I get that you're used to bossing people around, your Highness! But, I'm not in the mood to be messed with. If you tell me to go back into that bathroom again without explaining why, I swear—"
He paused, eyes widening in realization. Without thinking, he sprinted back into the bathroom, then came rushing out again.
"Dude, the wall! It's fixed! It's spotless!" Riven exclaimed, eyes wide with disbelief.
Vaelorian smirked. "What else have you noticed?" he asked, voice calm but expectent.
Riven hesitated. "Huh? That's pretty much it. The wall's fixed, right?"
Vaelorian sighed, shaking his head. God, this kid is so insufferable and cute at the same time. How's that even possible?
"What about your hand?" Vaelorian asked.
Riven's mind was racing. "What about my hand?" he blurted out. "I mean, I punched through the wall last night, and it hurt like hell. But it doesn't anymore." He unwrapped the bandage, eyes widening in shock. "My hand's totally fine! Was that just a dream I had about everything?"
Vaelorian's expression stayed calm. "It wasn't a dream. You're not that creative to have such dreams." Then, casually, he added, "I healed it—just like I fixed the bathroom wall. Now, can we get back to your training?"
He healed it?
He fixed the wall? With his gift?
Riven stared, a whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his head. His mind was doing cartwheels trying to process everything. No matter how hard he tried to understand, it was like trying to read a foreign language. The owner of this body might've been a genius—or whatever—but Riven? He dropped out of school because he couldn't understand what the teachers were saying. Now, there was all this brainwork, and he was drowning.
He clenched his fists, determined not to let it get to him. "Fuck it all," he muttered. "I'm not going to let this shit break me."
He shifted gears, trying to get back on track. "So, about my training," he began, voice rough. "Aside from my daily schedule, I only have two hours outside of meals and nighttime."
Vaelorian nodded. "That's correct."
Riven scoffed. "Dude, you're not asking me to spend my free time training with you, right?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Vaelorian said, voice steady.
Riven's eyes narrowed. "You can't be serious. I don't want to spend my limited time doing that!"
"But you're going to do it," Vaelorian replied, unyielding.
Riven's frustration boiled over. "You can't do this! Don't I get a say in this?"
"No!" Vaelorian said simply, shrugging.
Riven took a step back, voice rising. "You're trying to suck the life out of me, and I'm not gonna let you. I'm gonna talk to the Commander about this!"
Vaelorian smirked, unfazed. "Go ahead. And while you're at it, maybe discuss your second gift with him too, alright?"
"You can't blackmail me!" Riven snapped, fists clenched.
"Why don't you run to the commander first and see if I'm blackmailing you or not?" Vaelorian challenged, then turned for the door. "Oh, and by the way, we start training tomorrow." before closing the door behind him.
Riven's head spun. Before he could stop himself, he almost punched at the wall—then remembered what happened last night. He stopped, stomping his feet like a kid throwing a tantrum, punching the air in frustration.
Then suddenly he paused, taking a deep breath. Vaelorian! The guy screams all shades of shady. He talks without moving his mouth, healed Riven's hand—what the hell was he anyway?
Riven's lips curled into a wicked grin. He wasn't about to lose anything by letting Vaelorian train him. Hell, he might even learn a thing or two. And who knows? Maybe he'd find out what secrets Vaelorian was hiding—and make him regret ever signing up for this.
With a devilish chuckle, he thought, this is just perfect.
Let the games begin.