4. The Weight He Carried

...Chapter 4 — The Weight He Carried...

The following days passed quietly.

Too quietly.

And Riven hated it.

Because after what happened that night, silence felt more dangerous than noise.

At least noise warned you.

Silence made you wait.

And waiting was exhausting.

---

The alarm rang at six in the morning.

Riven opened his eyes immediately.

Another day.

Another shift.

Another bill.

Another responsibility.

Nothing new.

Yet everything felt different.

---

The apartment was small.

Old.

Cramped.

But it was home.

And for now, that was enough.

Riven walked into the kitchen and found Eli already awake.

Which was unusual.

Very unusual.

Eli was normally impossible to wake up before eight.

"Why are you awake?" Riven asked.

Eli looked up from a stack of papers.

"I was waiting for you."

Riven frowned slightly.

"For what?"

Eli scratched the back of his neck.

And suddenly looked guilty.

A bad sign.

---

"What happened?"

Eli sighed.

"My college fee deadline got moved forward."

Silence.

Riven's expression didn't change.

But something tightened inside him.

"How much?"

Eli quietly pushed the paper toward him.

Riven looked down.

Then looked again.

The number felt larger than it should have.

---

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The room suddenly felt smaller.

The air heavier.

---

"We'll handle it," Riven finally said.

Simple.

Calm.

Like always.

---

Eli shook his head.

"No."

Riven looked at him.

"No?"

"I mean it, Riven."

Eli's voice became serious.

"You can't keep doing this alone."

---

Riven already knew where this conversation was going.

And he hated it.

---

"I can get a part-time job."

"No."

"I can help."

"No."

"Riven—"

"I said no."

---

The answer came sharper than intended.

The room fell silent.

---

Eli looked away first.

Not angry.

Just frustrated.

And somehow that felt worse.

---

"You always do this."

Riven didn't reply.

---

"You treat me like a child."

Still no answer.

---

"You don't have to carry everything alone."

That one hit harder.

Because it was true.

---

But Riven had spent years convincing himself otherwise.

Because if he stopped carrying everything...

Who would?

---

A few minutes later Eli grabbed his bag.

"I'm leaving."

Riven nodded.

Neither apologized.

Neither wanted to continue the argument.

---

The door closed.

And suddenly the apartment felt empty.

---

Riven looked at the fee paper again.

Then at the rent notice.

Then at the electricity bill.

One after another.

Like a lineup of problems waiting for him.

---

He laughed once.

A short, humorless laugh.

---

"Great."

---

The rest of the day passed in a blur.

Work wasn't enough anymore.

He already knew that.

Even with extra shifts.

Even with overtime.

The numbers didn't add up.

And reality didn't care how hard he worked.

---

That evening, while closing the store, someone called his name.

"Riven!"

---

He turned.

A familiar face was jogging toward him.

His friend, Mason.

One of the few people he actually trusted.

---

"You look terrible," Mason said immediately.

"Thanks."

"I'm serious."

"I know."

---

Mason studied him for a moment.

Then his expression changed.

---

"You're still looking for extra money, right?"

Riven's attention sharpened immediately.

"What do you mean?"

---

Mason glanced around before lowering his voice.

---

"I heard about something."

---

Riven crossed his arms.

"What kind of something?"

---

"A fighting tournament."

---

Silence.

---

Riven blinked once.

Then frowned.

"A tournament?"

---

"Underground."

---

That single word changed everything.

---

Mason quickly continued.

---

"Nothing illegal."

He paused.

"Well... mostly."

---

Riven rolled his eyes.

"That doesn't sound reassuring."

---

"The winner gets paid."

---

Now that got his attention.

---

"How much?"

---

Mason named the amount.

---

For the first time all day...

Riven stopped breathing for a second.

---

Because the prize money wasn't small.

Not even close.

---

It was enough to solve several of his immediate problems.

Maybe not permanently.

But long enough to breathe again.

---

Riven looked away.

Thinking.

Calculating.

Considering.

---

Danger.

Risk.

Injury.

Money.

---

Everything mixed together.

---

Mason watched him carefully.

"I knew you'd think about it."

---

Riven didn't answer.

Because he already was.

---

Later that night...

After returning home...

After Eli had fallen asleep...

After the city grew quiet...

Riven sat alone near the window.

---

The paper with the tournament information rested in his hand.

---

His eyes stayed fixed on it.

---

Maybe this was stupid.

Maybe it wasn't.

---

But for the first time in weeks...

A solution existed.

Even if it came wrapped in danger.

---

Far across the city...

Inside a dark office...

A man stood beside a floor-to-ceiling window.

The city lights reflected in his eyes.

---

Someone entered the room.

---

"The boy is considering it."

---

A brief silence followed.

---

Then the man spoke.

Calm.

Certain.

Unmoved.

---

"Good."

---

Only one word.

Yet somehow...

It sounded like the first move of a much larger game.

...To Be Continued......

🖤 Thank you for reading my first novel. Your support means a lot to me.

Do you think Riven should enter the tournament... or stay away from it? 👀

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