Morning light filtered weakly through the tall windows of the Everhart estate, but inside the great hall, the air was heavy. The grand chamber, with its polished marble floors and banners of lineage, no longer felt like a place of pride. It felt like a cage.
Nia stood at Andy's side, their hands brushing faintly, rings hidden beneath their sleeves. Their battle scars were barely concealed; Andy's eyes still glowed faint gold in the torchlight, and the faint shimmer of Nia's aura clung stubbornly to her frame. No matter how they tried to mask it, the nobles saw what they had become.
Murmurs filled the chamber.
"Impossible… a commoner wielding the Dragonblood to that degree…"
"She stood against a goddess herself. Has Everhart turned traitor to the gods?"
"No, look at them—their bond is unnatural. Dangerous."
Lord Everhart sat at the high dais, his expression unreadable, but his knuckles white against the armrest betrayed his fury. At his right, Andrew stood silent, his eyes narrowed—not with awe, but with calculation.
"Enough," Lord Everhart's voice cut through the noise. The hall silenced instantly. He rose, his cloak pooling like a shadow. His gaze swept over the gathered nobles, then fixed on Andy.
"You bring destruction wherever you walk. Gardens in ruin, gods provoked, nobles in fear. Tell me, outsider… why should this house suffer your presence?"
Andy met his gaze, jaw tight. He wanted to snarl, to bare his fire—but Nia's hand pressed gently to his arm. He glanced at her. Her silver eyes calmed him, urging restraint.
She stepped forward, her voice clear, resonant. "Because without him, we would all be ash. The corrupted goddess came for me. For this family. And it was Andy who stood between her and the rest of us."
A ripple went through the hall. Some murmured agreement, others disbelief.
Andrew finally spoke, his tone sharp. "Or perhaps he provoked her. Have you forgotten? The gods do not descend unprovoked. Why now, if not because of him?" His eyes cut toward Andy, filled with venomous envy disguised as reason. "A man no one knew, suddenly blessed with dragon power and… chained to my sister."
Andy's fists clenched. Heat rippled around him, the Dragon Domain stirring in response. Several nobles flinched as the air warped.
The System chimed in Andy's ear:
*Warning: Emotional instability detected.*
*Dragon Domain resonance rising.*
*Bond Progression fluctuating… 25% → 23%.*
Nia stepped in front of him, her staff tapping lightly against the marble. Her voice cut sharp as steel, though her hand never left Andy's. "That's enough, Andrew. Without him, we would not be standing here. You wouldn't either."
Andrew's jaw tightened, but he smirked faintly, stepping back as though satisfied to plant the seed of doubt.
Lord Everhart's voice thundered once more. "Be it salvation or curse, the bond between you two has become undeniable. The nobles see it. The city whispers it. The gods themselves may soon act upon it. And I will not allow Everhart to be undone by reckless love."
The hall erupted again, voices clashing—fear, awe, suspicion. Andy's fire trembled, Nia's light flared. For a moment, it felt as if politics might break into another battlefield.
Then the System pulsed between their rings, a gentle reminder only they could hear:
*Shared Soul Vision active.*
*Synchronization recommended: maintain harmony.*
Andy inhaled deeply, his fire steadying. Nia's light dimmed to calm silver. Together, they stood tall, hand in hand, no longer shaken.
Andy spoke, voice low but carrying. "You can argue, doubt, whisper all you want. But when the goddess returns—and she will—you'll thank that we stood as one."
The hall fell silent at his words. Even Lord Everhart's glare flickered.
The scene closed not in resolution, but in tension—threads of politics winding tighter, envy festering, whispers spreading. Yet amid it all, Andy and Nia's bond pulsed steady, their rings glowing faintly under their sleeves, a quiet defiance against the storm to come.
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