Part 4: Quiet Recognition
Location: Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters – Front Courtyard
Time: Morning
The X-Jet touched down just as the early sun cast long golden streaks across the grounds. Riven stepped out first, his black tactical suit now swapped for a simple, tight black t-shirt and dark jeans—clean, but doing nothing to hide the bruises and healing cuts stretched across his arms. His expression remained unreadable, sharp eyes scanning the wide green lawn and elegant building ahead.
He didn't look like a student. He didn't look like a teacher either. He looked like someone who had walked out of a battlefield and never quite left it.
Students loitered near the courtyard fountain, some chatting before their first classes, others reading or laughing. The moment Riven stepped onto the stone pathway, a hush swept over the area. Heads turned slowly, eyes narrowing or widening as they took in the stranger.
Rogue leaned against the brick railing of the staircase, arms crossed. Her gaze locked on Riven the moment he appeared. She didn't say anything—but she didn't look away either.
Standing beside her, Bobby Drake squinted toward the jet and then at Rogue. "He's taller than I expected…" he mumbled, then added under his breath with a flicker of insecurity, "and a bit bigger too."
Rogue didn't answer.
From across the courtyard, a small voice called out.
"Riven?"
He turned.
A boy—no older than ten—with short brown hair and nervous hands took a few steps forward from the crowd. Another child, a girl with cropped curly hair and wide eyes, stood beside him. They both looked stunned.
"You… you were there," the girl said, voice trembling. "You broke the doors. You screamed at them. You carried us out."
More students turned now. The courtyard's quiet had thickened into a silence weighted with something reverent.
Riven's posture tensed. His hands curled slightly at his sides.
The boy ran forward and threw his arms around Riven's waist.
"You saved us."
Riven didn't move for a moment. Then he placed a hand gently on the boy's back, unsure. The hug ended quickly, but it left something raw in the air.
Other children stared. The rescued ones, scattered among the school's younger residents, were slowly approaching. Some didn't speak. Some whispered his name. One or two just stood frozen, overwhelmed by recognition.
Jean and Logan stayed a few steps back. Jean watched with a soft gaze that held both pride and sympathy. Logan just exhaled through his nose, arms crossed, eyes scanning the crowd protectively.
Bobby's jaw flexed slightly. He looked at Rogue again, then at Riven, then looked away.
The school had seen its share of unusual arrivals. But none quite like this.
And Riven—bloodied, rebuilt, and unknown—had walked right into their world.