Transmigrated into Fractured Dawn as the Awakened Cinder

They both didn't say anything for a while after he slayed the knight.

Riven sat by a crumbling arch, the dust still settling from the fight, his blade rested across his lap, streaked with mud and dry blood.

The mark on his arm pulsed slowly beneath his shirt, still faint, but warm from the absorption.

He didn't regret the last strike, but he didn't feel quite proud of it either—just felt hollow inside... like an echo of a bell long since silenced.

Veyla stood nearby, her back turned, staring off toward the edge of the ruins. She crossed her arms over her chest.

The wind adjusted her cloak, stirring the dead grass at her feet. She hadn't congratulated him on his first win. She hadn't said anything at all, which made her silence louder.

Eventually, he spoke out, "You've been quiet, Veyla."

She didn't say anything or even flinch, just stood there.

He tried again, softer this time. "Say it, Veyla. Say what you've been holding in."

Veyla shifted, but didn't look at him. "You want to hear it from me?" Her voice slightly annoyed.

"I want you to stop acting like I'm some kind of monster."