Shattered Sanity

(Meanwhile, House Argent First Year Dormitories)

Riven had barely finished settling into his new dormitory when several firm knocks suddenly came from the wooden door behind him.

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"My Lord, may I come in?"

An unfamiliar voice called from outside, as Riven glanced away from the wardrobe his servants had arranged for him and towards the source of the sound.

"Come in."

He replied.

The door slowly opened, revealing a thin boy standing outside whose appearance immediately caused Riven to wonder who exactly had come looking for him.

The boy appeared roughly his age, although his narrow shoulders and unusually lean frame made him seem considerably smaller, while his slightly pale complexion suggested that physical training had never been particularly kind towards him.

Riven did not recognize him.

Still, rather than questioning why an unfamiliar First Year had suddenly appeared outside his quarters, Riven simply gestured towards the empty chair positioned beside his bunk.

"Come inside."

He said calmly.

The boy entered before carefully closing the door behind himself, although rather than immediately accepting the offered seat, he stopped several steps before Riven and offered him a respectful bow.

"My Lord, my name is Circuit Miles."

He introduced himself.

"I was House Argent’s fifty-third-round selection during today’s Draft, and I’ve come here because I would like to propose an alliance with you."

Riven’s eyebrow immediately rose.

That was certainly more interesting than whatever conversation he had expected when opening the door.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Circuit."

Riven replied, as he gestured towards the chair once again.

"Please, have a seat. Let’s hear more about this alliance of yours."

"Thank you, my Lord."

Circuit replied, as he finally accepted the invitation and lowered himself into the chair.

Riven returned to the edge of his bunk opposite him, studying Circuit considerably more carefully now than he had upon first seeing him.

A fifty-third-round selection approaching the first-round pick and proposing an alliance within hours of entering the House was certainly ambitious, although Riven found the confidence considerably more intriguing than offensive.

At the very least, Circuit had earned enough of his curiosity to be heard.

"My Lord, sometime within the next several hours, House Lord Cedric will most likely inform you that you are going to fight Gary Ironveil."

Riven’s expression immediately changed at the news, however, Circuit continued before he could interrupt.

"Officially, there will probably be some story regarding an irreconcilable disagreement between the two of you over who deserved to become the first overall selection, or between East or West, which territory is better governed."

He explained.

"Perhaps Gary will insult you, perhaps you will insult him, or perhaps the House leadership will manufacture some other excuse convincing enough to make the challenge appear genuine."

Circuit paused briefly.

"Whatever explanation they eventually choose, it will be false."

Riven stared at him.

"The actual purpose of the fight is considerably simpler."

Circuit continued.

"House Argent and House Aureate intend to exploit the attention already surrounding the two of you by turning your rivalry into a spectacle. Students who wish to watch will be required to surrender food, Books of Knowledge or resources of equivalent value for entry."

Circuit paused before continuing.

"The proceeds will then be divided between Argent and Aureate, allowing both Houses to acquire additional resources at the expense of Sable, Viridian and anyone else willing to pay."

For several seconds, Riven said absolutely nothing, as he recalled the conversation he had shared with Cedric only a few hours earlier.

’Gary Ironveil...’

His eyes narrowed slightly as he began connecting the pieces, realizing that Circuit’s information was far more believable than it had initially sounded.

After all, Riven had explicitly told Cedric that if House Argent required him to fight for its interests, he would gladly participate regardless of who stood opposite him.

Cedric had even questioned how many times Riven would be willing to fight before eventually dismissing him with the suspicious promise that he would remember those words.

Apparently, the House Lord had wasted very little time finding a way to use them.

Still, there was something about Circuit’s revelation that Riven found considerably more interesting than the prospect of fighting Gary itself.

"And how exactly did you learn about this before I did?"

Riven asked, as his attention returned completely towards Circuit.

"You were selected in the fifty-third round, yet somehow you know the details of a conversation between the leadership of two different Houses before one of the individuals actually participating in this supposed fight has even been informed..."

Riven paused briefly, as his eyes studied the sickly boy sitting before him with considerably greater interest than before.

"I find that rather incredible."

He muttered, as Circuit let out a deep breath before nodding calmly in response.

If he wanted to, Circuit could have given Riven a satisfactory explanation regarding exactly how he had obtained the information, but he deliberately chose not to.

Instead, he simply looked into Riven’s eyes, maintaining the same calm expression he had carried throughout their conversation.

"My Lord, I don’t want to bore you with the details of exactly how I obtained that information."

Circuit replied, as Riven raised an intrigued eyebrow.

"But there is one thing you should understand about me. I am remarkably good at getting my hands on information that most people believe nobody else possesses."

Circuit paused briefly before leaning slightly forward.

"So if we eventually become allies, I suggest you become accustomed to conversations like this, because this will not be the last time I walk into your room and tell you something you were never supposed to know until much later.

Whether it be the location for the mid term tests, or what questions are most likely to appear on the paper, I can analyse it all.

You can consider it to be one of my many vibrant qualities."

Circuit declared, as whatever casual curiosity Riven had initially regarded him with gradually disappeared, replaced instead by considerably more serious interest.

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