Zara looked down at the mark on her finger, eyes narrowing as she noticed a new detail—within the red ring, a faint tattoo shimred: the image of a slashing sword etched in glowing ink.
"What is this...?" she muttered. Then her lips curled slightly."Well... to be honest, it does look kind of cool."
She turned and walked toward Lilith, expecting her usual calm or teasing smile. But instead—
Lilith’s face was cold.
Brows drawn together, silver eyes sharp, arms crossed tightly over her chest—angry.
Zara blinked."Wait... why is she mad? I won, didn’t I? Did she... want to lose?"
Confused, she stepped closer and asked softly, tilting her head,"Lilith, why are you making that angry face?"
Lilith t her eyes, but didn’t answer. Instead, she lifted a hand and pointed—directly at Zara’s finger.
Zara followed her gaze.
The mark. Again.
"Lilith, you don’t like it? But I think it’s kinda—"
Her voice trailed off as she saw the flicker of frustration on Lilith’s face.
Lilith’s voice ca out low, sharp, and strained.
"You think it’s cool, dear beauty?"
Zara shivered slightly. That tone—it sent a chill down her spine.
Lilith stepped closer, her gaze intense.
"You just won a duel bound by blood oath," she said, voice tight with emotion."That mark? That’s not just a tattoo. That’s a binding. You’re now Grace’s wife.""And I’m still just... your lover."
Zara’s heart dropped.
Her eyes widened as she looked back at the mark, now seeming far less "cool."
She slowly turned to look at Grace across the field.
The short red-haired girl stood silently, still clutching her hand. A similar red mark glowed faintly on her finger—but instead of a sword, hers held the image of a dagger.
Zara’s mind spun.
Wife? Bound?
Zara looked into Lilith’s silver eyes, searching for even a hint of a joke.
"You’re... joking, right? Haha—ha..." Her laugh ca out awkward, thin, and broke mid-chuckle as she noticed Lilith’s arms still firmly crossed, face unmoving.
Uh-oh. Not a joke.
Before she could say more, Nyssa suddenly appeared between them, resting a hand firmly on Zara’s shoulder with a motherly—but slightly mischievous—smile.
"Well then, congratulations, dear. You’re now both my daughters’ wife and lover," she said sweetly."So you better treat them very well."
Zara froze. "H-Huh?! Two daughters?!"
Lilith narrowed her eyes but said nothing, simply looking away with a huff.
Zara let out a choked laugh, scratching the back of her head."Shouldn’t we at least ask Grace first? I an... maybe she doesn’t want to be my wife—"
Nyssa interrupted with a snort and a wave of her hand.
"Don’t worry about Grace. That girl only respects one thing—strength and beauty. She’s unbeatable with a sword, and the only people who’ve bested her before were old mummies with bad knees." She smirked and pointed over her shoulder with her thumb."Look at her now."
Zara turned her head slowly.
Grace stood several paces away, staring directly at her mark—eyes wide, cheeks flushed, mouth stretched in a grin that was far too intense to be normal.
Her fingers were trembling—not with fear, but with excitent—as she traced the glowing dagger on her skin over and over.
When she looked up at Zara, her gaze sparkled like a predator finding prey.
Zara felt a cold chill rush down her spine. Goosebumps rose instantly.
"Oh gods... what have I done?"
Lilith silently walked up to Zara, took her hand, and tugged her along without a word.
Zara followed obediently, a bit confused as they entered their room. Lilith let go of her hand and sat on the bed with a quiet huff.
Zara hesitated before sitting beside her, gently reaching out and holding her hand again.
"Lilith, I didn’t know, okay? Nobody told anything about this weird mark or... marriage stuff."
Lilith turned to look at her with a pout.
"You have a wife now. And I’m... just your lover."Her tone was full of sulking, her lower lip sticking out slightly.
A giant question mark practically popped above Zara’s head.
She scratched her cheek, puzzled."A-Are you unhappy because... I got a wife? Or because it’s Grace?"
Lilith frowned a little deeper, her silver eyes flickering with conflicted emotion.
"Well... I didn’t want to share you," she muttered, avoiding eye contact. "But... it’s normal to have multiple wives, no? and why would i be mad if it is Grace"
Zara blinked."N-Normal? What do you an normal?"
She stared at Lilith in disbelief, her thoughts going haywire.Normal? My mom would literally kill my dad if he thought about another wife! And she’s just sitting here saying it’s normal?!
Her internal monologue scread while on the outside she just gave a nervous laugh and kept holding Lilith’s hand tighter, unsure if she should cry, laugh, or run.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elarion World – Gorvanna Continent
Inside a quiet dorm room, Selena stood in front of a woman seated elegantly with her legs crossed. The soft light from the window cast gentle shadows across the floor.
"Mom... did you find Zara?" Selena asked, her voice tinged with unease. "She didn’t show up at the academy. and mia also dint know anything"
Ishara, her mother, sat calmly. Her violet eyes—usually hidden beneath a blindfold—were uncovered and glowing faintly with power. She remained silent for a mont, as though searching the fabric of reality itself.
Then, slowly, she reached for the blindfold and slid it back over her eyes.
"I couldn’t find her anywhere in Elarion," Ishara said softly. "That either ans she’s dead... or she’s no longer in this realm."
Her voice was calm, but the weight of her words was anything but.
Selena’s eyes widened, and her breath hitched. Though her face remained composed, her hands trembled by her sides.
Ishara sighed and rose from her seat. Despite her serene expression, there was a flicker of concern as she moved closer and gently wrapped her arms around her daughter’s shoulders.
"Don’t worry, dear," she whispered. "It’s fate... these things are beyond our control. You mustn’t let sadness consu you."
Selena gave a small, shaky nod, but her body still trembled slightly in her mother’s arms.
In a training hall, the sound of arrows slicing through the air echoed rhythmically. An elf woman stood poised, her green hair flowing freely with each graceful movent. She loosed arrow after arrow, each one striking the center of the targets with effortless precision.
Beside her, Carl—a black-haired boy—was struggling. Not a single arrow he fired hit the target. He let out a frustrated groan and turned to glare at her.
"Ugh, Mabel, why are you forcing to train with a bow and arrow? I don’t even want to do this," he complained.
Mabel turned slightly, glancing at him with a hint of amusent in her erald eyes. A small smile tugged at her lips, though she quickly masked it.
"What do you an ’don’t want to’? It’s good for you to learn. Just keep practicing," she said, drawing another arrow.
Carl muttered under his breath, clearly annoyed.
"I’m good at magic. Why do I need this primitive stuff?"
Still grumbling, he placed his hand on his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous idea forming in his mind.
Maybe I should just make a spell to guide the arrows perfectly... that’d show her.
A sly grin appeared on his face as he looked at Mabel again, his thoughts drifting.
anwhile, Mabel, drawing her bow once more, was lost in her own thoughts.
Wow... I didn’t think I’d make a human friend this quickly. Well, I guess he was the one who approached first...
She smiled softly to herself, her eyes flicking briefly toward Carl, then back to her target.
Carl fired another arrow... and once again, missed the target completely. Letting out a sigh, he placed the bow on the ground and leaned on it with one hand.
Well, at least this body has good spell-crafting affinity. I can create custom spells pretty easily—but still, it takes days to make even one properly. Still better than spending years trying to master low-level junk...
After a bit more half-hearted practice, Carl turned to Mabel and called out,
"I’m heading out now, Mabel. Bye!"
He gave a quick wave and ran off before she could reply.
Mabel watched him go, a smile tugging at her lips. She shook her head gently, amused.
"Such energy," she murmured softly, returning to her training.
anwhile, Carl had darted behind a tree just outside the training hall. He looked around carefully—no one in sight. Satisfied, he cast a quick incantation under his breath, and in a shimr of light, vanished from the spot.
In the blink of an eye, he reappeared inside a large, sleek office, lounging in a plush boss chair. The room was slightly modern type a stark contrast to the dieval fantasy outside. Carl spun the chair a bit before leaning over the desk and pulling out a glowing blueprint.
"Alright... new project prototype," he muttered, reaching for his sketching tools. His fingers moved quickly, drawing intricate designs and jotting down arcane equations only he could understand.
A few monts later, the door creaked open. A tall woman walked in, wearing a stylish business suit—an original design by Carl himself for his company’s employees. She held a book and looked surprised to see him already there.
Carl leaned back in his chair with an arrogant smirk, pointing dramatically at himself.
"Katherine, behold! Witness genius in its purest form! Our new product—" he jabbed a finger toward the blueprint on his desk, "—will launch this week!"
Katherine stepped inside, letting out a tired sigh at his theatrics.
"Boss, I already know you’re a genius. You don’t have to keep announcing it every five minutes."
She walked over to the desk and peered down at the glowing blueprint. Her brow furrowed as she tried to make sense of the scribbled mana circuits and incomprehensible technical terms. A wry smile curled at her lips.
"You’ve got to stop writing these like you’re speaking ancient dragon tongue..."
Carl’s smirk only grew wider as he tapped the drawing with a flourish.
"wow i wanted to see Dragons but first Let educate you, dear Katherine. This," he said, pausing for dramatic effect, "is called a bicycle. But this isn’t just any ordinary contraption. Infuse it with mana, and it’ll go faster than your average local carriage. No beasts needed."
Katherine blinked, eyes widening in genuine surprise.
"Wait... seriously? A mana-powered Carriage that doesn’t need enchantnts or beasts?"
Carl nodded proudly, arms crossed.
"Self-sustaining with minimal mana drain. Lightweight, easy to produce, and perfect for city travel. We’re going to revolutionize Elarion’s transportation system."
Katherine looked at the design again, now with new interest.
"If this works... we’ll be printing gold. But you do realize the carriage guilds and beast breeders will co after us, right? we already got Beer sellers behind our back"
Carl’s grin didn’t falter for a second.
"Let them co. Let the old world cry while we build the new one."
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