The ranking tournament had fallen into a heavy, expectant silence after the dust of the last bout settled. The results were satisfied yet harsh, leaving an ache in the atmosphere that even the cheers of the crowd couldn't drown out.
Lifat stood at the edge of the courtyard, her shadow stretching long across the stone. She had been waiting for a long time. Finally, the sound of rhythmic footsteps approached. Arin is coming with Siho and Lily, they are carrying arin.He was heavily bandaged, his movements stiff from the injuries sustained in the match against his uncle, but his gaze was steady.
Arin stopped directly in front of Lifat.
Her eyes, usually sharp and guarded, were filled with tears. She looked at him—really looked at him—remembering the first day they had met after his return. She had said so many harsh things then, lashing out with words that bit like cold steel. Arin hadn't answered her then; he had remained quiet, observing her with a patience that felt like a shield. He had even held Siho and Lily back, stopping them from arguing with her. The reason was obvious, even if he never spoke it: Lifat was the one who had been there since he was a little kid. She was his childhood friend, the only piece of his past that hadn't been erased by the "New Era."
The Promise of the Dark
"You've grown a lot," Lifat said, her voice trembling. "The Arin I knew was such a coward. A crybaby who complained about everything. Do you remember, Arin? The day you lost your mother... you cried all night. I was there the whole time. I promised you that you'd find me when everything got dark. When you felt like you couldn't take anything anymore. You were such a child then..."
Lifat kept talking, her words a frantic bridge to a past they both shared. Suddenly, she hold arin and hugged him so that he can't be alone anymore. Arin met her halfway, holding her hands with a gentle, grounding touch.
"Dear Arin, you are big and strong now," she whispered, her voice turning calm as she reached up to pet his head. "Don't you see? There are people waiting for you. The people who left will come back—those who fell to the bottom of the abyss, to the end of the sea. I will be there among them, too."
Arin kept his throat tight, fighting the swell of emotion. Eventually, he spoke.
"Lifat... when I saw you with your newest boyfriend, I thought I had lost you forever. After they took me as a slave... after they sold me from house to house... I thought I would never see you again."
He looked at her, ten years of trauma and survival reflecting in his eyes. "When I finally saw you again after ten years, I was traumatized and amazed at the same time."
The Truth of the Sun
Lifat looked down, her voice a mere breath. "Arin... the person I claimed was my newest boyfriend... He is actually my brother. Do you hate me for the lie? Do you hate me for the things I said?"
Arin didn't hesitate. "I could never hate you. With or without the regrets I carry, you are like the sun to me. You are the lightning that strikes through my darkness."
Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around Arin from behind. Siho pulled him back, hugging him tightly, her face set with a fierce, sudden resolve. The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"She might have been your sun once," Siho said, her voice ringing out so clearly that even Lily jumped. "But even if you are lost, I shall become the newest sun to myself—to guide you, to love you."
The silence that followed was absolute. Arin, Lifat, and Lily were frozen, staring at Siho. The Class Rep, usually so composed and focused on the rules, had just issued a proposal in the middle of a crowded walkway.
Siho didn't pull away. She looked at Lifat and then at Arin, her grip firm. In that moment, the air didn't feel like it belonged to the Pillars or the Emperors. It belonged to them.
They stood there together—the student, the childhood friend, the healer, and the representative—linked by a new promise. They wouldn't just reach a destination; they would become strong enough to carry each other.
The walk to the house was thick with a tension that felt heavier than the arena's air. Siho walked with her head high, her arms crossed, occasionally glancing sideways at the "Past Sun."
"Hey, Past Sun," Siho said, her voice dripping with a mock-sweetness. "Where is your stupid brother? I thought he was such a big shot. But in the tournament, he got one-shot by a single fragile magic spell. Some 'Judge of Kings' he turned out to be."
Lifat didn't even flinch. She adjusted her hair, a smirk playing on her lips. "Don't you worry, Class Rep. He's gone back to his house to nurse his pride. But I see you've been busy, my dear 'Newest Sun'..." Lifat mocked the title back at her, her eyes glimmering with a hardcore jealousy that made the air between them crackle.
They arrived at the house—a gift left to Lily and Arin by Nyria before she vanished. It was a place of sanctuary, a wedding gift of sorts that stood as a silent promise of a life beyond the war.
Lily, acting with a sudden, quiet authority, took Arin into his room and tucked him into bed. He was exhausted, his body still mending from Kaelic's blades. Once he was asleep, Lily stepped back into the hall where Siho and Lifat were waiting like two predators guarding the same territory.
The Villainous Smile
Lily leaned against the doorframe, a dark, playful smile spreading across her face. "Now," she said, her voice dropping into a feline purr. "Tell me... who does he belong to? Is it you, Siho? Or you, with the pretty face, Lifat?"
She paused, letting the silence stretch.
"Not that I actually care," Lily laughed, a sharp, villainous sound that echoed through the hallway. "I am the only one who is going to live here with Ari. That's my name for him now. Ari. So, you two... go back to your own homes. This house is full."
Siho and Lifat exchanged a rare, telepathic look of understanding. They both knew that if they left now, Lily would win the "war" for Arin's heart before the sun even rose. They had to pivot.
The Shogi Gambit
"Hey, Lily," Siho said wisely, her eyes narrowing. "Are you really smart enough to train him alone? Can you do the training, the healing, and the cooking all at the same time?"
Lifat answer, "Yeah, can you handle the domestic life and the warrior life? I am a healer, a mage, and I can run a household better than both of you combined!"
"Fine," Siho said, a trap snapping shut in her mind. "Then let's settle this with a match. Simple rules: the winners get to claim anything they want from the loser. Do you accept, or are you a coward?"
Lily, blinded by her own arrogance, laughed. "I accept! I'll win and kick you both out forever!"
They sat down at the low table in the center of the hall. The game was Shogi. Lily was confident in her magic and her intellect, but she had forgotten one crucial detail: Siho was the Academy President and a Grandmaster-level Shogi player.
The game was a slaughter.
Siho moved her pieces with a cold, mathematical precision, trapping Lily's King in a corner within minutes. Every time Lily tried to use a creative maneuver, Siho was three steps ahead, shutting down the board until the final, crushing move.
"Checkmate," Siho said, leaning back with a satisfied smirk.
The New Housemates
Lily sat staring at the board, her face turning a bright, humiliated red. "I... I lost? How?"
"You're a great healer, Lily," Lifat said, walking over to stand beside Siho. "But you're a terrible strategist."
Siho stood up, looking around the house as if she already owned it. "As the winners, our claim is simple. Both Lifat and I are staying here. In this house. With Ari."
Lily looked like she wanted to scream, but a deal was a deal. Her pride wouldn't let her break her word. She had no choice but to let them stay.
And so, the quiet house of Ari and Lily was suddenly very loud. Four powerful hearts under one roof, all promised to grow strong enough to protect each other—and all competing for the same man.