---
The text message from Riven was short.
"Meet me at the old warehouse. Midnight."
No context.
No explanations.
Just those six words.
I should've ignored it.
I should've put the phone down, walked away, erased every trace of him from my life.
But I couldn't.
I knew it.
Deep down, I knew it.
I was already too far gone.
I texted back.
"I'm coming."
---
The streets were quiet when I arrived.
The air was thick with fog, the kind that made every sound feel muffled — as though the city was holding its breath.
The warehouse loomed ahead, its rusted metal walls gleaming dully in the moonlight.
No signs of life.
No guards.
But something about the place felt... alive.
As if it was waiting for something.
For me.
I stepped through the large, cracked doors and into the dimly lit interior.
There, standing near the back wall, was Riven.
He didn't look at me at first.
His back was to me, hands casually tucked in his pockets.
He seemed to be waiting for something.
For someone.
I hesitated.
"You're late," he said, his voice low, but it carried the weight of command.
I swallowed hard and stepped forward.
"Why here?" I asked, my voice betraying the curiosity that gnawed at me.
Riven turned slowly, his gaze cold and calculating.
"Because this is where we make deals," he replied.
His eyes darkened.
"And you're going to make one."
---
I didn't understand.
"Make a deal?" I repeated.
"What are you talking about?"
Riven stepped closer, his movements slow, deliberate.
He was all controlled power.
A predator, waiting to strike.
"Do you want power?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Do you want control?
To never feel weak again?"
I froze.
His words sliced through me, hitting something deep inside.
"Yes," I said before I could stop myself.
"I want it."
---
He studied me for a long moment, eyes scanning my face as if he could see through every mask I wore.
"Good," he murmured.
Then, without warning, he stepped even closer — his body just inches from mine, heat radiating off of him.
I could feel his breath on my skin, warm and dangerous.
"But power comes at a price," he said softly, his hand sliding into my hair, threading through the strands with a possessiveness that made my heart skip.
"Are you willing to pay it?"
---
I didn't know how to answer.
I didn't know what the price would be.
All I knew was that I couldn't back out now.
"I'll pay any price," I breathed, my voice barely above a whisper.
Riven's lips curled into a slow, predatory smile.
"Good boy."
---
He leaned down, his lips brushing against my ear.
I shivered involuntarily.
"Lesson four," he whispered.
"Trust me."
---
I didn't understand.
But that was before the door to the warehouse slammed open, and two men stepped inside.
One was tall, broad-shouldered, and completely devoid of expression — his eyes flat, like a soldier trained to kill without remorse.
The other was smaller, wiry, his face sharp and feral.
Both of them were armed.
Riven didn't flinch.
He didn't look away.
"These are your new instructors," he said, his tone casual as if introducing them to a dinner guest.
"You'll be learning from them."
---
I felt a knot of unease tighten in my stomach.
"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice rising slightly.
Riven smiled, but it was a cold, empty thing.
"You're going to need more than just physical training if you're going to survive in this world.
These two are here to teach you something... different."
---
The taller man stepped forward, his eyes never leaving mine.
He handed me a small box — metal, heavy in my hands.
I opened it slowly.
Inside was a gun.
A simple handgun, but its weight felt like a promise — a dark, dangerous one.
Riven watched me, his gaze steady.
"Self-defense isn't enough anymore," he said, voice low.
"To survive in this game, you need to end things.
Not just fight them off.
If you hesitate... you die."
---
My fingers trembled as I picked up the gun.
The cold steel felt foreign in my hand.
I looked up at Riven, who was watching me with an unreadable expression.
"You'll need it," he said softly.
"But it's not the only thing I'll teach you."
---
He nodded to the two men, who stepped aside.
The smaller one, the feral one, grinned at me.
"Follow me," he said, his voice low and full of menace.
"Time for lesson five."
---
I followed him through the warehouse, my heart pounding in my chest.
He stopped in front of a heavy steel door.
"Inside," he growled.
I stepped forward, my hand still clutching the gun.
The door opened with a groan of metal.
Inside, there was a single chair.
And a man — bound and gagged, lying on the floor.
I didn't understand.
"Lesson five," the smaller man said, voice almost gleeful.
"Learn the difference between pain and fear."
---
Before I could react, the man pulled out a knife.
He sliced open the prisoner's shirt, revealing a network of bruises, cuts, and scars beneath.
I stared, stomach churning.
He looked at me, eyes dark with amusement.
"Make him scream," he said simply.
I froze.
"Make him beg," the man continued, his voice silky.
"That's the only way to learn."
---
The air around me felt thick — suffocating.
I looked at Riven, who was standing behind me now, his presence like a shadow looming over everything.
His voice came from just behind me, cold and soft.
"Do you want to become strong?" he asked.
I nodded, though I wasn't sure what I was agreeing to.
"Then do what needs to be done," he said, voice almost gentle.
---
My heart was hammering in my chest.
I felt sick.
Torn.
But somehow... I couldn't look away.
I couldn't stop.
I stepped forward.
---
The man at my feet looked up at me, eyes wide with fear.
His hands trembled as he reached out.
His breath came in ragged gasps.
I stood there, frozen, the gun heavy in my hand.
The room was so still, so silent.
Until it wasn't.
---
I closed my eyes for a moment.
The weight of what I was being asked to do pressing down on me.
When I opened them again, I saw Riven's eyes on me — steady.
Unwavering.
I raised the gun.
---
[End of Chapter 5]
---