The path twisted through broken stone and thorned vines, each step echoing in the hot air as Liam led the way. Dust clung to his boots, the ground dry and cracked beneath his feet. But it wasn't the terrain that weighed on him.
It was the tension behind him.
Six wives followed... and none of them were happy.
Rena walked closest, her sword unstrapped but clenched tight in her grip. She hadn't said a word since they'd left the last bond trial, her silence heavier than steel.
Sarya moved further back, arms crossed, her usual smirk absent. Her eyes flicked constantly to the others, to Elyra especially, like she was calculating the odds of a fight and whether Liam would stop it in time.
Kaelyn moved without sound, always near but never at ease. One dagger twirled slowly in her hand, eyes sharp, tracking everyone's steps.
Vexa didn't bother hiding her mood. Her steps were loud, deliberate, her muscular frame tense. Her eyes stayed locked on Elyra, every breath like a challenge.
Elyra stayed near Liam, closer than the others dared. She walked with slow grace, hips swaying slightly, her hand occasionally brushing Liam's arm. The glow in her silver eyes never faded.
Ice Queen brought up the rear, silent and regal. Frost followed her every step, and her cold gaze never left the group, especially Elyra.
Elyra broke the silence.
"You walk like a warlord," she said, voice soft, sultry. "But even warlords need rest... someone to make it worth the blood."
Vexa growled.
"You offering to polish his sword?"
Elyra turned, smile faint.
"I already have."
Rena stepped forward, eyes blazing.
"You don't speak for him."
Kaelyn's dagger stopped spinning.
"Maybe someone should."
Sarya stepped in.
"This isn't a bond. It's a bomb waiting to explode."
Ice Queen's voice cut the air.
"Then control yourselves."
Elyra glanced back at her.
"You don't command me, frost queen."
The temperature dropped instantly. Frost spread from Ice Queen's feet, creeping toward Elyra.
"Then melt," Ice Queen said.
Liam turned, hand raised.
"Enough."
They stopped, tension thick.
"You fought for your place. All of you. You think I'll let one bond destroy everything we've built?"
Elyra smiled.
"I think you'll choose who matters."
Rena's voice was low.
"We already did."
The system pulsed, sharp and urgent.
> [System Alert]
Bond Sync Unstable – 54% Loyalty
Conflict Detected: Elyra vs Rena / Vexa / Ice Queen
Risk: Power Loss – Bond Abilities At Risk
Recommendation: Reassert Control
Alert: New Bond Target Approaching – Duelist Class
Status: Hostile, Claim Intent
Liam stepped forward.
"You follow me, or you walk."
Rena looked away, jaw clenched.
Sarya cursed softly, pulling her crossbow from her back.
Kaelyn said nothing, but her dagger vanished.
Vexa cracked her knuckles.
"I don't follow weakness."
Liam faced her.
"Then keep up."
Elyra stepped closer to him, fingers brushing his chest.
"Make me stay."
Before Liam could answer, a roar echoed ahead... wild, fierce, and human.
They all turned.
A figure approached through the dust, fast, armed.
Kaelyn muttered.
"She's here."
Kaelith the woman... attacked.
Her blades were a blur, slashing and twisting through the air, each strike aimed to break Liam's guard and his rhythm. Her speed was relentless. Her control... absolute.
Liam blocked, parried, barely keeping up. Her eyes never left his, not even when steel scraped across his shoulder, drawing a shallow line of blood.
Behind him, none of his wives moved.
Rena's eyes followed every motion, her knuckles white around her sword hilt.
Vexa's stance widened, arms tense, ready to jump in.
Ice Queen stood still, but frost licked out beneath her boots.
Sarya cursed low.
Kaelyn just watched.
Elyra smiled.
"This is entertaining," she purred.
Kaelith pressed forward, forcing Liam to the edge of the clearing. She grinned.
"Come on, Overlord. You going to pant and dodge forever?"
Liam didn't answer.
He drove forward, sweeping her off balance with a low kick. She twisted mid-air, landing lightly. Her hair snapped behind her, braid whipping the air.
She charged again.
He blocked high, then low, but she was too close now, too fast. Her knee drove into his side. Pain flared.
He dropped his sword.
She shoved him back, pinning him against a broken stone wall, both blades crossed at his neck.
Her breath was hot on his skin, eyes burning into his.
"Submit," she whispered.
Liam's hands snapped up.
He grabbed her wrists, forced them apart, slammed her back into the stone.
"No."
Her eyes widened.
Then she smiled.
"There he is."
> [System Alert]
Trial Status: Domination Imminent
Bond Sync Threshold: Passed
Verbal Claim Required – Buff Available
Name: Kaelith, Blade Mistress
Reward: Blade Mastery (+Critical Strike, +Reflex)
Total Bonds: 7 / 99
Liam's grip tightened.
"You follow me. No conditions."
Kaelith's voice was low, breathless.
"Then make me."
He held her pinned, the group watching.
Rena stepped forward.
"This is insane."
Vexa growled.
"She wanted a fight. She got it."
Ice Queen's voice echoed.
"He either binds her or loses us all."
Elyra's smile sharpened.
"I wonder which one he'll choose."
Liam leaned close.
"I choose power."
Kaelith's breath caught.
"Then take it."
> [System Confirmed]
Bond Sealed – Loyalty: Wild
Loyalty Sync: 64%
System Warning: Bond Limit Approaching – Internal Conflict Rising
Kaelith stepped back, smirking.
"Overlord, huh? Let's see if you can keep me."
Liam turned to the group.
"We move. Zone Nine."
None of them moved.
Rena's voice broke the silence.
"Not until we know where we stand."
Liam's eyes narrowed.
"You stand with me."
They didn't move.
Liam stood in the center of the clearing, seven bonds sealed, but the air felt heavier than before.
Kaelith stood at his side now, arms crossed, her expression sharp and amused.
"I expected more celebration," she said, looking at the others.
No one answered.
Rena's glare could have cut stone.
Vexa paced like a caged beast.
Sarya loaded a bolt into her crossbow.
Kaelyn cleaned her blade... slowly, deliberately.
Elyra stepped close to Liam, brushing his arm again.
"You've taken seven," she said, voice low. "How many more before one of us breaks?"
Frost coiled at the edge of the clearing.
Ice Queen watched it all, silent.
The system pulsed, harder than before.
> [System Alert]
Loyalty Sync Unstable – 59%
Warning: Bond Integrity at Risk
Ultimatum Issued – Stabilize Group or Power Reduction Will Occur
Time Remaining: 72 Hours
Upcoming Threat: Zone Nine Raid – Enemy Overlord Detected
Liam read the alert twice.
The silence behind him deepened.
He turned slowly.
"I claimed power. Now I hold it."
His eyes swept over them.
"All of you. With me. Or not at all."
Rena's voice cracked the silence.
"Then show us why."