"A phoenix!" Astra blurted suddenly, eyes lighting up. Kaen closed his mouth, a corner of his lip twitching upward. Seiya dropped his cloth he was using to wipe his nose and pointed at Astra, half-offended, half-bewildered. "How did you guess that?!"
Astra shrugged coolly, dusting her sleeve. "It was too obvious. You're not only bad at answering riddles, you're even worse at framing them."
Shion elbowed Seiya, glaring. "Told you! You should've made it more complex—at least make it sound like a riddle and not a bedtime story." Seiya grumbled under his breath while pressing the cloth to his nose again.
Astra smirked, turning to Kaen. "It's our turn. Kaen, you go this time."
Kaen, still seated with his arms folded and an untouched slice of apple resting beside him, closed his eyes briefly. Then he spoke, his voice calm and measured.
"I am born where no eye can see, A century's breath cradles me gently. I carry the echo of laughter and tears, But only my owner's lips may unlock my years. What am I?"
Shion blinked. "…Is it some kind of enchanted echo stone?"
Seiya groaned. "No, no… maybe a… memory jar? Or… a soul mirror?" He clutched his nose tighter as another drop of blood trailed down. "Ugh… this is torture! I'm getting angry!"
They both fell silent, visibly straining, until suddenly Seiya's head shot up. His eyes widened in triumph, despite the growing crimson under his nose. He pointed, "It's the Pearl Kiss! Or—wait—what's it called… the Ashen Pearl's Kiss!"
Everyone froze.
Even Seirou, half-asleep beneath his oversized leaf, cracked one eye open.
Astra blinked. "What?"
Kaen paused mid-bite of his apple, raising a brow, mildly impressed. "Correct."
Astra turned to Seiya, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Wait a second… how do you know that? Even I've never heard of it."
Seiya grinned, proud and bleeding. "I overheard Ryoma talking about it with Kaen once. It just fit the riddle, so I guessed."
Astra crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Mm-hm. Knew it. No way you came up with 'Pearl Kiss' on your own."
Seiya waved a hand dismissively. "Who cares? Still counts! I got it right!"
The match continued. Each riddle grew more complex as time passed. Astra and Kaen worked smoothly as a team, Astra's intuition leading, Kaen with his calm logic answering them, all while he casually munched on slices of apple.
Shion, on the other side, effortlessly answered every question thrown at him with a half-smile, while Seiya began to suffer visibly. With each new riddle, his face twisted in frustration.
Later Kaen glanced between both teams and set his half-eaten apple aside. "Both teams are answering every riddle. The points are even."
Seiya blinked, nose still faintly pink. "You mean it's a tie?" Kaen gave a quiet nod. "At this rate, yes. So why not settle it with a tie-breaker?"
Everyone paused. Then, slowly, they all nodded in agreement. Shion stretched his arms behind his head lazily. "Alright then, what's the tie-breaker?"
Kaen opened his mouth to speak, but before a word left his lips, a voice drifted from the side,
"Let the teams choose one member from the other side to ask and answer," Seirou said, not even removing the leaf over his face. "Each will be faced with the most difficult riddle their opponents can think of. They'll have to answer within a time limit. Without their partner's help."
The others exchanged glances.
Kaen gave a small nod. "Fair. Let's do it like he said."
Shion leaned toward Seiya, whispering under his breath, "They're going to pick you. If you can't answer, at least make sure your riddle is impossible. We're not losing it at any cost." Then Shion straightened, wearing a sly grin. "We've decided...we choose Astra."
Astra raised a brow, lips curling into a smirk. "Good. Because we choose Shion."
Shion's eyes flicked toward Seiya in surprise. Seiya blinked. "Wait, Shion?"
Shion clicked his tongue, quickly masking his surprise with a smirk. "Are you sure? Might be the worst mistake you've made today."
Astra shrugged, unbothered. "Maybe. Or maybe it's yours."
The air grew still, charged with sudden anticipation. Kaen folded his arms. Seirou, though still under his leaf, had a faint smile on his lips.
Astra leaned forward, her gaze steady on Shion. "Alright, listen closely."
Her voice lowered, weaving the riddle like a spell:
"I was born from no mother, yet I am found in many. I am the keeper of silence, yet I carry a storm. I bind kings and beggars alike, And when I am broken, I can never be mended. What am I?"
Shion's playful grin faded. His fingers tapped slowly against his leg.
Seiya tilted his head whispering. "Uh… a vow? A soul?"
"Shh," Shion muttered, eyes narrowing. "It's not that simple."
Astra crossed her arms and began counting her fingers slowly. "One… two… three…"
Seiya fidgeted. "Oh no. We're going to lose to her."
Shion closed his eyes, his breath slow. "No mother… but found in many… carries a storm… binds all…"
Kaen watched in silence, apple still in hand.
Astra smirked. "See? I picked you for a reason...so I could make you lose to me." Shion didn't respond. Seconds ticked by.
"Seven… eight…" Astra said, her fingers curling smugly. But just before the final count—
"Trust!"
Shion's eyes flew open and he answered right in time.
A pause.
Astra blinked, surprise flickering across her face. "…Correct," she admitted, voice quiet.
Seiya jumped up. "YES! You saved me from becoming her slave for a day!" But Kaen, still calm, spoke before Seiya could cheer any louder.
"Not yet."
They all turned. Kaen bit into his apple. "Shion still has to ask his riddle. The result depends on whether Astra can answer it."
Astra's smirk returned, slower this time. "Bring it on." Shion stretched his fingers, the weight of the moment building between them.
Suddenly Shion fell silent, eyes half-lidded, as if listening to something only he could hear. Then, without looking away from Astra, he spoke his voice low, barely louder than a breath, yet sharp enough to cut the air,
"Born not of flesh, yet thirsts like men. Crowned in silence, beneath earth's den. I was sealed before the skies were named, I was sealed when the lotus turned its face. My name is lost, my crown is flame….But still they whisper I'll rise again. Who am I?… Who am I, with no resting place?"
The moment the final word fell, something unseen shifted.
The breeze stilled, The shadows deepened and The air thickened, heavy like rain on the cusp of falling.
Astra's breath caught in her throat. Her limbs locked in place. her throat tightening, words caught behind the weight pressing into her chest. Her fingers trembled slightly, Something about those words….made her feel trapped.
Seirou, once dozing in the shade, snapped upright his leaf falling from his face as his eyes widened. The calm that always cloaked him shattered in an instant not expecting it. Seiya blinked, the riddle's meaning lost on him, but the tension wasn't. "Wait… what happened?"
Meanwhile, Kaen's jaw tightened, and for the first time, a flicker of visible anger crossed his usually calm face.
"Shion!"
He shouted, his voice sharp and filled with frustration, the tension in the air crackling. He rose abruptly, his presence more imposing than usual. Astra blinked, startled by the sudden outburst, her eyes widening in confusion.
Shion's expression shifted instantly, the unknown glint in his eyes dimming as he slowly rose to his feet, joining the others in a heavy moment of silence.
Kaen's voice rang out again, louder this time, sharp as steel. "Except Shion… everyone leave. Now." His gaze never wavered from Shion, cold and unblinking.
Astra stepped back, confused. "Wait….what about the riddle—"
"Just do what I said!" Kaen snapped, his voice laced with urgency and something darker beneath.
Startled, Astra froze mid-breath. Her lips parted to protest again, but before the words could form, Seirou moved. He was suddenly beside her, firm but gentle, started dragging her away without explanation.
Seiya, still stunned, didn't waste a second more. He scrambled after them, a trail of confusion and unease following every hurried step.
The surrounding fell into a thick, unnatural silence once the others had gone. Only the soft rustle of leaves filled the air, a breeze fluttering through the trees.
Kaen and Shion stood face to face, unmoving neither speaking, neither blinking. The weight of tension between them growing.
Kaen's voice finally broke the silence, low but sharp.
"Just what were you trying to do… asking that riddle?"
Shion's brows furrowed, his voice hesitant. "I—I don't know. I swear I was thinking of something else. I had a different riddle in mind, but when I opened my mouth, those words just… came out." He paused, swallowing hard. "It was like… like something pulled it out of me."
Kaen's jaw clenched. "You expect me to believe that? Knowing that topic should never be raised in our family. Not in jest. Not in riddle. Never."
"I didn't mean to," Shion insisted, stepping forward. "I wasn't thinking of that. I didn't choose it….Kaen, it just happened. I couldn't stop it. The words were already forming before I even realized what they were."
Kaen turned away, hands tightening at his sides. "Don't lie to me."
"I'm not," Shion said firmly now, a flicker of desperation in his voice. "I wouldn't lie about this."
A tense beat passed.
Then Kaen sighed heavily, raising one hand to rub at the chain that hung around his forehead. His fingers lingered there, as if drawing clarity from its cool touch. He dragged his hand down slowly, pressing it to his forehead as the tension bled from his expression.
"…Uta," he murmured, voice low, "Try to stay in control. Stay in your senses."
Shion lowered his gaze, nodding quietly.
Kaen's voice softened, but its weight remained. "Never let that happen again. I'll speak to Ryoma about this." Then, almost to himself, he whispered, "After all these years… why is everything starting to return now?"