An Extra's POV: My Three Fiancees Hate Me-Chapter 161: Call on me

The inside of the cabin was quite spacious, with two sleeping sections, one for the boys and one for the girls. Inside, there were bunk beds that could accommodate all of them. There was a kitchen and two toilets and bathrooms.

As soon as everyone got in, they found a bed. One after the other, they started collapsing on the bed and falling asleep.

Riven, on the other hand, made his way outside the cabin and sat down on the veranda of the cabin. He stared at the forest, an empty look in his eyes.

Noel walked out of the cabin. He looked around and spotted Riven sitting there. He knew his brother by now, and he could already tell that there was something on his mind.

Noel walked to him and sat beside him. He looked at the forest for a bit, taking in the scenery. He took a deep breath, allowing the cool air to fill his lungs, tilting his head and placing his hands on his lap.

"The air is nice here," he spoke.

"Yeah, it’s pretty cool," Riven replied.

"So what’s up?" Noel asked, cutting straight to the point.

Riven heard the question. He let out a small chuckle, slightly ashamed at how easily Noel noticed that there was something wrong with him.

He leaned back, placing his hand on the floor, his head tilted up slightly. "Have you ever felt like you didn’t have purpose or a goal? Like you are just bland, a caricature trying to fit in?" Riven asked.

The question stunned Noel. He paused, looked at Riven, then opened his mouth and asked a question. "What was your goal when you were in your real world?"

Riven was not expecting that question, so he froze, his mind immediately working overdrive. What was something he aspired for back on Earth?

After a few seconds of thinking, he turned to look at Noel, a tear dropping from the side of his eye. "The only dream I ever had as a kid was to be happy. I could never have happiness, not when I saw a black eye on my mother every day.

Not when my mind was forced to believe I was useless because of my father repeating it over and over," Riven said. He cleaned the tear and flashed a smile, but the smile seemed so fake that Noel could tell.

"This was the smile I carried all my life then. Hopeless, no dreams, just a wish to be alive, and when I mean alive, I mean not just survive but to thrive.

There was only one thing that gave me some sort of happiness. The books I read. There was something about seeing people live their best life that made me a tad bit happier," Riven said. He looked at Noel again. "But you haven’t answered my question, have you ever felt you didn’t have purpose?" Riven asked.

Noel looked at him for a few seconds and then looked at the forest again. "Yeah, the short period you came, I felt like you were overshadowing me, and that I would actually have nothing to show for all the sacrifice that I’ve done.

I had mixed feelings—depression, anger, rage, jealousy—I felt all of it. But at one point I finally realized that rather than chasing after you in rage and anger, I could chase with the belief I could go ahead of you one day.

The reason I asked about your life in the past and your real goal is because I wanted to know what drove you then, and from what you said, you simply wanted a world where you had some sort of control over your own life, not tossed around by whatever," Noel said. He paused for a moment, then placed his hand on Riven.

"I’m sure your desperation for a better life is what brought you here. You have the opportunity to be the baddest around, so be the baddest around.

Because right now, you are a steaming pile of hot confusion. It’s like you second-guess everything you do. But even beyond that, there is a part of you that shines through all the mess, the part that made me see you as someone to chase after.

Back in the labyrinth, you saved me. Back in the first stage of the entrance exam, you risked yourself. Back in the lizardman dungeon, you also put yourself on the line.

When everything went to shit in the academy, you put your neck out and fought the demonized with everything that you had and fought those demonized.

So what shines out about you is the fact that you are always standing firm in a fight and protecting those that are behind you. You lay your life on the ground for people," Noel said.

’No, that’s not true. I’m simply trying to control the situation the best I can,’ Riven thought.

"You might disagree with it, but a part of you knows it’s true, and that’s who you are," Noel said.

"Noel, that’s not true. I do what I do to control the situation because I’m scared that if I let go, it will spiral out of my control," Riven finally said what was on his mind.

Noel paused and looked at him. Riven got nervous, thinking that Noel now saw him as a disgusting human, but what Noel said next shocked him.

"To control the situation? You almost died on multiple occasions just to control the situation? If that’s the case, then little brother, keep striving to control the situation. Because in doing so, you have saved lives and you have gained respect," Noel said and got on his feet.

"I know you feel that if you let go, the world will spiral out of your control and you’ll lose everything, but you should also remember that two heads are better than one. Your elder brother is always willing and ready to help.

Even a hero needs to be saved sometimes, so when it’s going out of control, call on me and I’ll drop all to help you," Noel said and walked back in.

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