The silence after Kiara's question hung over the valley for a long moment. Neither she nor Scarlett tried to move. The golden chain connecting their wrists shimmered softly in the afternoon light. It didn't tighten or loosen — it simply existed, as if it had always been there.
Every Spirit Warrior present had seen strange things before, but none had ever seen a divine artifact bind two unrelated people together against their will. Even the Leon soldiers, who had started to relax after the fight, now exchanged uneasy glances. Their princess was no longer just standing next to a mysterious foreigner. She was literally connected to her.
Diran floated awkwardly between the two women, scratching his cheek and avoiding their eyes.
The cheerful confidence he showed earlier had completely disappeared. He now looked like someone who had just realized he had created a very troublesome situation.
"Well…" he began carefully. "There is… something I forgot to mention."
