They didn't cuff him.
That made it worse.
Riven walked between two silent security officers through the central spine of the academy's Tribunal Wing. Not a word. Not a glance. Their armor shimmered faintly with null-aura coils — enough to suppress magic, enough to fracture simulation reality.
But not enough to touch what pulsed inside him now.
The golden shard was quiet.
But not silent.
It watched.
---
The Tribunal Hall wasn't designed for justice. It was built for control.
White walls. Black glass. Tiered seating where instructors and department heads observed from behind translucent masks. No faces. Just designations:
> E. Vex – Combat Engineering
> D. Kael – History of Conflict
> Juno – Biometric Research
> A12-Observer – External Oversight
(Unknown)
Lyra stood in the viewing gallery, her hands pressed to the glass. She hadn't spoken since the incident. Hadn't left Riven's side until the guards arrived. She looked pale. Not afraid of him.
Afraid for him.
---
Riven stood in the center of the ring.
Alone.
---
A voice echoed, synthesized and emotionless.
"Riven Thorne, Candidate 271-C, Sector Aether. Simulation Tower 4 — breach of containment protocol. Emotional destabilization. Unknown energetic burst resulting in internal facility damage and suppression field failure."
A pause.
"You are not on trial. This is a review."
He said nothing.
---
Juno leaned forward.
"You've shown no signs of instability before this week. No flagged diagnostics. But three incidents in five days? That's no longer coincidence."
Riven looked up at her. "It wasn't instability."
"Then what was it?"
A longer silence.
"I don't know."
---
Vex stepped into the light. "The breach. The Sorrowborn. The way it responded to you. The crystal. The mirrors. And now emotional-based field manipulation? That's not normal for an unawakened candidate."
"Then maybe I'm not unawakened," he said.
---
That shook them.
Some shifted. One instructor removed his mask and leaned forward, murmuring to another.
Kael said nothing.
He just stared.
---
The synthesized voice returned. "Candidate Thorne. Based on faculty input, emotional anomalies, and unexplained environmental reactions, the committee recommends one of three disciplinary pathways."
> [Option One: Suspension]
> [Option Two: Suppression Implant]
> [Option Three: Voluntary Transfer to Offworld Study]
---
Riven's gaze sharpened.
Suspension meant isolation — away from the shard, from the arena, from the truth.
Suppression meant a literal lock in his chest — forced emotional dampening.
Offworld Transfer? A permanent removal from Aether. A way to make problems disappear under the name of "opportunity."
---
"I choose none," he said quietly.
The voice paused.
"There is no fourth option."
---
"Then make one."
---
A ripple passed through the panel.
Kael finally stood.
"I propose observation."
Murmurs.
Vex narrowed her eyes. "You're serious?"
"He's not unstable. He's evolving. I've seen this before — when forgotten power begins to remember itself. It's not a threat if guided."
"Or if it's lying dormant."
Kael shrugged. "Then give him reason not to lie."
---
A silent vote passed.
Majority: Observation Protocol Approved.
---
Later, they handed Riven a black cuff. Unsealed. No implant. Just a tracker. A sign of mistrust without full punishment.
He stepped out into the hallway.
Lyra was waiting.
---
She looked at the band on his wrist.
Then at his face.
"They're afraid of you."
"I know."
"Are you?"
He paused.
"…No."
---
A chime rang again on his wrist.
Encrypted.
Sender: O.A.
Message: "You're not alone. Step carefully. The watchers aren't all wearing masks."
---
He closed the message.
For the first time in days, he looked up at the stars.
And one of them blinked.
Not twinkled.
Blink.
Like an eye.