It was a peaceful afternoon in the Verdant Ridges, with the sky painted a soft orange as the sun began to set behind the horizon. Kael, Hana, Tetsu, and Eri had decided to take a relaxing walk along the crystal stream near their new base. The birds chirped above, the breeze was gentle, and for once—it felt like they could truly enjoy life without danger looming around every corner.
Kael walked beside Hana, their arms brushing slightly from time to time, both pretending not to notice. Tetsu and Eri walked a few steps ahead, laughing about something Eri had said—likely teasing, as usual.
"Feels strange not having to look over our shoulders," Kael said, glancing around. "It's almost too quiet."
"You say that like you're expecting something to go wrong," Hana smiled up at him.
Before Kael could answer, the ground trembled slightly. Birds scattered from the treetops—and in an instant, two massive beasts leapt out from the shadows.
One charged straight for Kael, claws glowing with corrupted Will energy, while the other lunged toward Hana with wild, bloodthirsty eyes.
"Split!" Tetsu yelled, drawing his blade.
But Kael was already moving.
In a flash of Voidstep, Kael disappeared and reappeared in front of his attacker. Without hesitation, he drove his palm into its chest, unleashing a surge of shadow energy that disintegrated the beast on impact.
The moment the first beast fell, Kael turned his head sharply—his eyes locking onto Hana, who was backing away from the second creature.
"No one—touches—my girlfriend," Kael growled as his body blurred with another Voidstep. He appeared between Hana and the beast, his arm extending with a shadow-forged blade that cleaved the creature clean in half.
Silence followed. The remains of both beasts crumbled into ash as Kael stood with his back to Hana, his shoulders slowly relaxing.
"Kael…" Hana's voice was soft behind him.
He turned around, his expression shifting from serious to concerned. "Are you okay?"
Hana nodded slowly, still trying to process everything. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine. But… Kael…"
He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Her cheeks turned red. "What… what did you just call me?"
Kael blinked, completely thrown off. "What do you mean?"
"Y-You said—'no one touches my girlfriend'…"
Just as Kael's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to try and explain, a voice cut in.
"HANAAAAA!" Eri popped up between them like a firework. "You gotta come see this! It's like—totally weird—a rainbow crystal tree that sings when you poke it!"
Hana looked torn between the awkward tension and her sister's chaotic energy. "W-Wait, Eri—"
"No time! Come on!" Eri grinned and dragged her by the arm, already halfway across the field. "You can flirt later!"
Kael stood there, hand still halfway up, face completely red as he muttered under his breath, "...Great timing, Eri."
Tetsu walked up beside him, chuckling. "So… girlfriend, huh?"
Kael sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "It just… slipped out."
Tetsu smirked. "Did it, though?"
Kael gave him a side-eye. "You want to be the third beast I take down today?"
Tetsu raised his hands. "Hey, I'm just happy for you, man."
As the sun dipped lower and the air cooled, Kael stood in the fading light, watching Hana and Eri in the distance.
The word had been said. Now there was no going back.