The battle between Toms Zano and the Terax raged on, a titanic clash of muscle, steel, and primal power. Dust clouds billowed into the sky as the ground cracked beneath their feet. Every blow from Zano's weapons was matched by the Terax's savage claws and monstrous strength. Yamino stood back, sweat pouring down his face, heart pounding in awe and fear.
He could hardly believe it. For the first time in his life, he had power—real, terrifying, overwhelming power. But so did his enemy.
The girl stood nearby, her face tense as she watched the two forces tear the forest apart. Her gaze occasionally flicked to Yamino, filled with suspicion and disbelief. This stranger had summoned a beastman powerful enough to match her Terax. That wasn't normal. That wasn't human.
Suddenly, the air grew colder.
Without warning, the clouds above began to swirl, and the wind picked up sharply. A deep rumble echoed through the forest, low and heavy, like the growl of a world waking from slumber.
Both Zano and the Terax halted, sensing something unnatural. They instinctively backed away from each other, heads snapping toward the source of the disturbance.
BOOM.
The trees ahead split apart like twigs.
From the shattered woods stepped a giant—a Titan, nearly three times the height of the Terax. Its body was armored in thick, ancient stone-like skin, glowing with faint runes. Its eyes burned with silent authority. And riding on its shoulder were two figures: a man and a woman, both in their fifties, cloaked in long robes, their eyes sharp and commanding.
Yamino's eyes widened in disbelief.
"…What the hell…?" he muttered, recognizing them.
They were the same guests who had been sitting silently in his house earlier that morning. The ones he had ignored.
But they weren't alone.
Walking at the Titan's side, calm and steady, was his father.
"Dad?" Yamino breathed, taking a step forward.
The girl and her Terax also turned to face the new arrivals, their bodies tensed and alert. This wasn't just a surprise—this was something else entirely. Something ancient, something powerful.
And then… silence.
The battlefield stilled, every beast, every person, even the wind, as if the world itself held its breath.
Yamino stood frozen, eyes darting between the giant titan, the robed guests, and his father. The battlefield was quiet, save for the soft crunch of the titan's footsteps as it knelt, lowering the man and woman gently to the ground.
The older man stepped forward, his sharp gaze fixed on Yamino. "You're awake. Good. We were starting to wonder if the river took your common sense along with your body."
Yamino blinked. "You… were in my house. Who are you?"
The woman smiled softly, though there was a gleam of strictness behind her eyes. "You may call me Madam Rika. This is my husband, Elder Kazuo. And yes… we were at your home this morning."
His father walked up beside them, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "I was going to tell you, but… well, things escalated."
Yamino narrowed his eyes. "Tell me what?"
Before his father could respond, the girl with the Terax crossed her arms and huffed. "That I'm your fiancée, apparently."
"…What?"
The word hit Yamino like a hammer to the chest.
His father sighed. "We arranged it years ago. Before everything. You were both too young to remember."
"I don't remember agreeing to this!" Yamino snapped.
Rika raised an eyebrow. "Of course you didn't. Children rarely do. But an oath is an oath, especially one blessed by the Eidolon Pact system itself. It seems fate… brought you two back together."
Yamino looked at the girl, who was glaring at him like he was a particularly annoying pebble in her shoe. She didn't look thrilled either.
"This is ridiculous," he muttered. "I don't even know her name."
"Aiyana," the girl said firmly. "And believe me, I'm not happy about this either. You ran from my Terax like a child."
"You tried to feed me to it!"
"Because I thought you were an assassin!"
Kazuo cleared his throat, voice low but commanding. "Enough. The two of you were chosen long before you understood the world. Now that you've awakened your pact, Yamino, your bond with Aiyana will strengthen both of you—whether you like it or not."
Aiyana glared. Yamino groaned. The Terax snorted.
And somewhere deep inside, the throne mark on Yamino's hand pulsed with light, as if amused by the absurd twist his life had just taken.
The awkward silence that followed the announcement of their engagement felt heavier than a mountain. Yamino and Aiyana stood stiffly, glaring at each other like two cats forced into the same cage. The towering titan behind them remained still, as if sensing the tension.
Then, Yamino's father suddenly chuckled. "Alright, alright. We've spied on you kids long enough."
"What?" Yamino turned to him, confused.
His father crossed his arms, looking far too amused. "You two clearly need time to… talk. Alone. Don't worry, no fighting."
Kazuo stepped beside his wife. "That would be counterproductive."
Aiyana rolled her eyes. "I'm not a child."
"No, but you're impulsive," her mother said sharply. Then, before anyone could react, she clapped her hands once—softly, almost like a whisper—and a shimmering sigil bloomed in the air.
A cold wind swirled around them. A misty shape slithered from the ether—a ghostly figure in ceremonial robes, its face hidden beneath a white mask. The air grew tense. With a wave of its sleeve, it pointed a bony hand toward Yamino and Aiyana.
Clink.
A metallic sound echoed as something materialized. Heavy, ancient-looking handcuffs wrapped around Yamino and Aiyana's wrists, chaining their hands together. A pulse of energy spread from the cuffs, and both of them gasped.
Yamino blinked, trying to summon his power—Toms Zano, anything—but nothing answered.
Aiyana scowled, her hand glowing faintly before the light flickered out. "You sealed our powers?"
Her mother gave a serene nod. "The Spirit Bond Cuffs. They disable access to Eidolon gifts and spirit abilities. No power, no conflict."
"This is abuse," Yamino muttered, shaking the chain between them.
"No," Kazuo said, walking away with a faint smirk. "It's called parenting."
With that, the three adults—and the titan—vanished through a glowing portal of mist, leaving only the whisper of wind and the sound of a distant Terax snorting in amusement.
Now truly alone, Yamino and Aiyana stood there in silence. Bound together. Powerless. And more irritated than ever.
"Great," Yamino muttered. "Now we're literally stuck together."
"Say one more word," Aiyana warned, "and I will figure out how to choke you with a spirit bond."
Yamino gritted his teeth, glaring at the ghostly cuffs with growing irritation. "Ah, what the hell is this?" he growled, shaking his bound wrist.
Aiyana snapped, "Stop moving! You're going to make it worse—"
But Yamino's eyes gleamed with a sudden idea. A sly grin crept across his face. "Worse, huh? Let's test that."
Without warning, he yanked hard on the cuffs, pulling her hand forward.
Aiyana lost her balance with a startled yelp, and the next second—thud—she crashed right into him.
Her face was inches from his. One of her hands braced against his chest, the other still caught in the magical cuff. Yamino stared into her wide eyes, his breath caught. Her lips parted slightly, a flush of red rising to her cheeks.
A long, frozen moment passed.
"Y-You idiot!" she shouted, shoving him back.
They both stumbled awkwardly, nearly falling again.
"Serves you right for threatening to sic a dinosaur on me," Yamino muttered.
She fumed, turning her back with a dramatic toss of her hair. "Don't get used to this closeness. The moment these cuffs are off, I'm feeding you to my Terax."
"Oh, please," Yamino scoffed, brushing dust from his shirt. "You liked it."
"I—did not! You're impossible."
Their argument echoed through the forest clearing, two unwilling fiancés tied together by fate, power, and one very annoying pair of glowing cuffs.