A bit of a longer one since I'm a bit behind on my writing schedule.
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Soft voices filled the living room, spreading warmth that the mansion normally lacked but had an abundance of in the last four months.
And it was all thanks to these two, Aria and Nyra. They had changed Rivens' monotonous life, infusing it with a much-needed breath of humanity into his dull shell.
Even now, as they chatted animatedly about school, he was doing something he never would've done if he were still just acting normal: planning for a trip.
It may seem simple, but when taking into account that he could be halfway around the world in seconds, or instantly with his full strength, packing bags, and all the other stuff, kinda seems like a waste of time.
Nevertheless, taking into consideration the last time he prepared for a normal trip, which wouldn't involve swords or adventures, was a long time ago, he had to make sure everything was perfect, and that he did, as he scribbled a small note to himself at the bottom of the paper.
'Relax a little,' he wrote, setting down his pencil. Stretching lightly, he rose from his chair, walking closer to Aria and Nyra.
Since it was the weekend and neither of them had plans with their friends, they had been staying inside on their phones. Normally, Sera would have been sitting right next to them with a radiant smile stretched across her face, but she'd been busy since the opening of her cafe two days ago on the first.
Leaving him here to watch over the girls, well, he and Lazaria, but she was also with the girls, so she didn't count as much.
And with that being the case, and him having finished what was keeping him inside, there was no way he was going to let them sit inside all day on their phones.
Though he would let them stay inside if they wanted, just not on their phones the whole time, after all, there was plenty to do in the mansion, like a game room, the gym, and other training rooms, and so much more.
But of course, he had something else in mind. "Hey Aria, Nyra, would you guys like to visit my company?"
"Your company?" Aria replied, looking away from her phone, her brow raised high.
"Yeah, I thought I'd show you around, so if you ever needed to visit, no one would stop you. I mean, they shouldn't anyway with Lazaria around, but you never know."
"Hmm, alright, that sounds fun." Nyra nodded. Standing from where she sat, she stretched lightly before looking at Aria.
Aria rose to her feet, a slow nod crossing her face. "Alright, yeah, let's go."
"Great, let's meet at the door once everyone is ready."
A few minutes later, Riven leaned against the wall near the door, his eyes closed as he mentally counted the seconds till they arrived. '306, 307, 308.'
It wasn't that he was impatient; he was just doing it to pass the time. Only a few minutes had truly passed since they separated, and he would only feel impatient if it were a whole hour that had passed.
But he wouldn't need to count much longer as the sound of footsteps echoed into the room. With deliberate slowness, his eyelids fluttered open. He lifted his head, the faint light catching his gaze as he peered down the long hallway at them, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
"You didn't have to dress formally," he whispered, pushing himself off the wall and walking closer to them.
Aria wore dark, tapered jeans paired with a black, fitted turtleneck that hugged her body closely. Over this, she draped a long beige coat that hung loosely, concealing her figure. She accessorized with fingerless gloves, adding a touch of flair to her outfit.
Nyra wore a cream turtleneck sweater, elegantly tucked into a high-waisted gray wool skirt. She completed her outfit with a long ivory belted coat and a knit scarf around her neck. Brown knee-high boots finished her look.
Though both of their outfits looked great, they blended well with his and Lazaria's usual suited look. It felt like something was missing, something to add a bit of unity to their contrasting personalities.
And he felt like he had the perfect thing.
"Wait here, I'll be back. I just need to get something." Not waiting for their response, he ran down the hall. Only speeding up once he was out of view.
He moved swiftly through the winding halls, his black dress shoes barely touching the ground with each step as he advanced.
In front of him, a dead end came into view. Not slowing down, he slammed straight into the wall, passing through seamlessly, entering a dimmer part of the mansion, one he had kept hidden.
This was the part of the mansion that contained the truths masked behind his myriad of lies that filled the other side. It was a cold and brutal place, filled with a mixture of details from the many worlds and universes he had visited.
And deep within this place lay one of his many treasure mounds, which he placed throughout this universe.
As he approached the room, he skidded to a stop in front of the large, imposing doors to the treasure mound. And without a moment's hesitation, he walked through the doors. Once inside, he quickly grabbed the items before swiftly retreating down the hall.
And as quickly as he left, he was already back, standing in front of the twins. "Here," he said, holding out two necklaces.
The necklaces were simple twin pendants, each containing half a tree sealed in a jewel. One half was barren, and the other full of leaves. A symbol of balance, of cycles that fed one another. He doubted either of them would understand that yet, but one day, they would.
"What's this for?" Aria questioned as she took one. Within it was the half full of leaves and life.
"It looks nice," Nyra commented, holding hers up to her eye. Hers contained the barren half.
He looked at them, examining the necklaces with a soft smile. "It's said that twins often grow to be opposites, some even believing they represent a duality of nature, like the sun and moon."
"And you two are no different." Aria and Nyra looked at each other, smiling. "When I got these pendants, the original owner told me I would one day end up giving them to two twins, representing life and death."
"Really?" Nyra questioned him, scanning his face for any signs of dishonesty.
Riven nodded. "Yep, she told me, the pendant of life would fall into the hands of the one who mirrors death, and the pendant of death would fall to the one who embodies life."
"You could've just made that up." Aria pointed out, her eyes narrowing.
"Well, I didn't believe her at first and even forgot about it, but seeing how you chose the pendants with me directly giving a certain one to the other makes it more true. But if you still don't believe me, you can ask Dutch for confirmation, he was with me."
"We'll believe you for now." She said after a moment.
"Ahem, my lord, we should get going lest what you have planned go awry." Lazaria cut in.
"Yeah, we should." He said, turning to face her before looking back at the twins, "Do you guys need help putting those on?"
They shook their heads before eagerly assisting one another in fastening the shimmering necklaces around their necks. Stepping back to admire one another's ensembles, they exchanged nods of approval before following Riven and Lazaria outside.
***
"Welcome to Exodus Enterprises, where our goal is to leap humanity into the future," Riven said as they walked into the lobby, using the same spiel he tells journalists and the media.
Once more, everyone in the lobby stopped what they were doing upon seeing the company founder, though if it was just him, they wouldn't have stopped for long, knowing Jessica would appear shortly after. It was the woman behind him who caused them to remain still.
One of the elusive company heads, Lazaria, the head of Epitaph Memorial Group. It wasn't every day they got a chance to see one of the heads up close, even more so the head of Epitaph, who rarely makes an appearance.
Though their wonder would be short-lived, as in their stupor, they didn't hear the elevator ding or its sequential opening.
"Though we are generous with your salary and overtime pay, I would like to strictly remind you all, I can and will dock your pay if this happens again," Jessica said calmly, her heels' rhythmic tap against the floor a silent countdown rushing them to resume working.
With a burst of energy, everyone sprang into action, skillfully dodging Jessica's impending fury.
As the lobby gradually settled back into its usual rhythm, a contented smile spread across her face. She took a moment to absorb the familiar ambiance before gracefully making her way over.
"Well done, Jessica." Riven cheered, softly clapping his hands.
Jessica let out a soft sigh, shaking her head slightly. "Can't you, for once, take the other entrance if you know you're going to disturb the workflow?"
"I could've, but as I said earlier, when I called, I have two special guests with me. And a proper tour begins with the lobby."
At his words, Jessica glanced behind him, nodding toward Aria and Nyra, who returned her greeting with nods of their own.
She leaned in closer, whispering, "We'll talk about this later. For now."
With an inviting smile that radiated professionalism, she extended her hand, encouraging them to follow. "Let's begin the tour. We'll show you some of our state-of-the-art machines and technologies, as well as let you sit in on a simple meeting."
Slowly over the course of two hours, Jessica led the girls through the building, introducing different parts of the company while also sharing little tidbits of information not commonly disclosed to the public, such as company black sites, proposed borderline illegal acts, and more.
One place she discussed in more detail was the subterranean level of the company, which the girls were unfortunately not allowed to access yet. However, Riven assured them that only seven people were permitted down there.
After completing the tour, they attended a brief meeting about price and revenue adjustments in one of their owned businesses.
Once the meeting was over, the girls and Riven sat comfortably in his office. The afternoon sun poured through the windows, casting playful, abstract shadows that danced across the furniture.
"So how did you guys enjoy the tour?" Riven asked, quickly typing something into his computer.
Nyra said, taking a small sip of her tea. "Yes, it was really fun seeing all the different operations."
"That's good to hear. What about you, Aria?"
"It was fun but… why?" she questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"Why bring us here? Why show and tell us all these things? I understand the whole idea of just showing us, but this is more than that, and I feel a bit skeptical about your intentions."
A wide grin blossomed on Riven's face. Rising from his chair, a sense of purpose washed over him. He approached the window. The sunlight's soft rays cast a warm glow that highlighted the contours of his face.
"I can't have kids," he said suddenly, his arms folded behind his back.
"...What?" Nyra gasped.
"During my travels, I went to many dangerous locations, one such location permanently damaged my reproductive system, making my chances of having children nearly impossible."
"But not impossible," Aria said slowly, letting the information sink in.
He shook his head, a hollow chuckle leaving his lips. "I'd have a better chance of winning the lottery."
Nyra's eyes sharpened into keen slits as she said. "So, telling us all this stuff about your company, showing us around, it was all to…"
He nodded. "Yep, it was to introduce you both to the company you may one day own. I hope."
"I... don't even know what to say," Aria said, shaking her head.
"Well, as I said, I hoped, but I don't want to leave you both with a company you have no interest in. If you two or April don't want it, I can always just give it to Jessica to pass down."
"You say all of this as if you're going somewhere far away or something."
"No one knows what the future may hold, if I could–" In an instant, the office door swung wide open, and Jessica stormed in, her hurried steps echoing her urgent presence.
"Jessica? What's wrong?" Riven questioned with a frown.
Leaning in, she whispered in a voice only he could hear, "The police are here, they want to ask you some questions."
"I see." He nodded before turning his attention back to the twins. "Something urgent has come up, Jessica will take you to Lazaria, who will take you…"
He glanced down at his watch, "Your mother, she should be on lunch break and is probably dying to talk to you both." He said as he beckoned them through the door.
Aria nodded slowly, a thoughtful crease forming on her forehead. "Um, alright, we'll see you later, Mr. Riven."
"Yep," he nodded, his eyes remaining on them as they disappeared down the hall. As he closed his office door, a deep sigh escaped his lips.
Walking over to his desk, pressed the intercom connecting to the front desk. "You may bring them up. I'm ready."
Saying that. He leaned back in his chair, waiting patiently for their arrival. He didn't have to wait long as a knock sounded on the door. "Come in."
A woman entered the room in plainclothes—dark slacks, a crisp shirt, and a badge clipped to her hip. Nothing fancy, just practical.
"Riven Damocles." She questioned.
He didn't respond. He just looked at her, expression flat. Who else would he be? There isn't a second person on Earth who even comes close.
"It's just a formality." She said with a sigh. In which he nodded, confirming his identity.
The detective's voice dropped to a hard edge. "Good, you're under arrest for the suspicion of murder!"