Riven had stopped sleeping.
For seven years, sleep had meant the same thing.
Darkness.
Twelve voices.
Footsteps behind him.
And Kael’s face appearing where it shouldn’t.
So when the Council summoned him at dawn, he wasn’t surprised.
He was relieved.
At least someone else was finally afraid.
The doors to the Council chamber opened.
Riven stepped inside.
Nine seats surrounded the circular room.
Eight were occupied.
The ninth remained empty.
He noticed it immediately.
Councilor Maeron Voss sat at the center.
The black lens covering his left eye caught the light.
His scar disappeared beneath it and continued toward the corner of his mouth.
“You’re late,” Voss said.
Riven looked at the clock.
“I’m exactly on time.” “You were instructed to arrive fifteen minutes early.” “Then your instructions were unclear.” Silence.
One of the Councilors shifted in his seat.
Voss didn’t react.
“Sit.” Riven remained standing.
“I’d rather not.” Voss studied him.
“You’ve been difficult since you returned.” “I returned alone.” That ended the small argument before it began.
Voss leaned back.
“You claim Expedition Seven was not attacked.” “It wasn’t.” “You claim the twelve members were taken.” “Yes.” “You claim Kael was alive when you last saw him.” Riven’s jaw tightened.
“Yes.” A Councilor on the far side of the room spoke.
“Then why did you tell the recovery team that everyone was dead?” Riven looked at him.
“Because I was told to.” “By whom?” Riven smiled without humor.
“You already know.” The room went quiet.
Voss placed a file on the table.
The cover was marked: **EXPEDITION 07** He opened it.
“Tell us what happened after the separation.” Riven stared at the file.
“You’ve had seven years to ask.” “We are asking now.” “No.” Voss raised an eyebrow.
“No?” “You’re not asking because you want the truth.” Riven stepped closer to the table.
“You’re asking because Kael is back.” Several Councilors exchanged glances.
Voss remained still.
Riven noticed.
“You knew.” “We suspected.” “That’s a nicer word for hiding it.” Voss closed the file.
“Riven.” The single word carried enough authority to silence the room.
“You survived because you followed instructions.” Riven laughed.
“No.” His voice became colder.
“I survived because something let me.” Nobody moved.
Riven looked around the chamber.
“You keep calling me the survivor.” He pointed toward the file.
“I wasn’t the survivor.” He pointed at the empty chair.
“I was the one it returned.” Voss’s expression changed slightly.
That was the first reaction Riven had managed to get from him.
“Explain.” Riven leaned against the table.
“When we entered the Abyss, we were twelve.” Voss nodded.
“You know that.” “We reached the second camp.” “Yes.” “We saw Kael.” One Councilor interrupted.
“Kael was not part of the expedition.” Riven looked at him.
“You’re still using that lie?” The Councilor stiffened.
Voss raised a hand.
“Continue.” Riven nodded.
“Kael appeared in the forest.” “You said that already.” “No.” Riven’s eyes hardened.
“I said something wearing Kael’s face appeared in the forest.” Voss said nothing.
“It knew our names.” “It knew our mission.” “It knew things none of us had told anyone.” Riven swallowed.
“Then it said something.” “What?” Riven looked directly at Voss.
“It asked where K-07 was.” The chamber fell silent.
Voss slowly closed the file.
“Continue.” “We ran.” Riven’s voice became quieter.
“That’s when the Abyss separated us.” “How?” “I don’t know.” “Try.” Riven’s eyes narrowed.
“You’ve been studying this place for seven years and you still think every answer has to come from me.” Voss didn’t respond.
Riven continued.
“One disappeared through the floor.” Another through a wall.
Another simply wasn’t there anymore when we turned around.
“They weren’t killed.” “How do you know?” “Because I heard them.” A Councilor leaned forward.
“After they disappeared?” “Yes.” “What did they say?” Riven looked down.
“They were calling each other’s names.” The room remained silent.
“I followed the voices.” Riven’s hands tightened.
“I found Darian first.” Voss looked up.
“Darian Vale?” “Yes.” “Alive?” Riven hesitated.
“Yes.” That answer seemed to disturb the room more than anything else.
“What happened to him?” Riven stared at the floor.
“He wasn’t himself.” “How?” “He knew things.” Voss’s voice was calm.
“What things?” “Everything.” Riven looked up.
“He knew what we’d done before entering the Abyss.” “He knew what the Council had ordered.” “He knew about K-07.” “And he knew something about Kael.” Voss leaned forward.
“What?” Riven shook his head.
“I don’t know.” Voss stared at him.
Riven continued.
“Darian told me to run.” “So you did.” “Yes.” “You abandoned him.” Riven’s expression hardened.
“He wasn’t Darian anymore.” Nobody spoke.
Riven looked around the room.
“You want to know why I survived?” He pointed toward the door.
“Because I stopped trying to save people who were already gone.” His voice cracked slightly.
“I heard all twelve of them.” A long silence followed.
“Every night.” Voss looked at the file again.
Then he asked the question Riven had been expecting.
“Did Kael know?” Riven didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, he said, “Yes.” Voss looked up.
“Know what?” “That they were being taken.” “Then why didn’t he stop it?” Riven’s eyes hardened.
“Because he was trying to stop something worse.” The Council remained silent.
Riven pushed himself away from the table.
“That’s everything.” Voss closed the file.
“No.” Riven stopped.
“You’re forgetting one thing.” “What?” Voss looked directly at him.
“You said Kael is alive.” “Yes.” “Then where is he?” Riven smiled faintly.
“For the first time in seven years…” He turned toward the doors.
“I think he’s exactly where he needs to be.” Riven left the chamber.
The doors closed behind him.
Nobody spoke.
Then one Councilor broke the silence.
“We should send a recovery team.” Voss shook his head.
“No.” “Then what do we do?” Voss looked at the sealed Expedition Seven file.
“Open the old facility.” The Councilor stared at him.
“That facility was shut down.” “I know.” “After the K-07 incident.” “I know.” “Councilor, that place has been abandoned for seven years.” Voss stood.
“Then it has been waiting for seven years.” He picked up the file.
“We are going back to where K-07 began.” CREATORS’ THOUGHTS Okikiayo_Fadiji Riven has spent seven years being called the survivor.
But surviving and being saved are not always the same thing.
For the first time, the Council has been forced to admit that Expedition Seven wasn’t simply a failed expedition.
And now they’re going back to the facility where K-07 began