RHEIN'S POINT OF VIEW
After lunch, I accompanied my cousin, Audrey, to the royal cemetery, where she quietly placed fresh lilies on her mother's resting place.
We lingered there in silence, the air thick with reverence, until Sister Rona came to fetch us. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she challenged us to a sparring session.
"Come on," she said, tugging us both away. "Let's train."
By late afternoon, we stood on the wide open field, the golden light of the setting sun spilling over the grass. Forelody and Natre sat perched on a nearby branch, their eyes glimmering with interest as though the three of us were putting on a private show.
We had barely taken our stances when Audrey broke the silence with a giggle. "You know, Sister Rona," she said with an innocent tilt of her head, "Sister Rhein already has a boyfriend."
I blinked, caught off guard. "What are you talking about?"
"Brother Dylan," she answered bluntly. "It's obvious."
Heat flared across my cheeks. "That's not true!"
"Oh, this I have to see." Sister Rona's smirk widened. "Let's make it a bet, then. If you lose, you confess the truth. But if you win, we'll believe your 'no.'"
I clenched my fists around the glow already forming in my palms. "Fine. But don't cry later when I beat you both."
And just like that—the duel began.
"It's two against one," Sister Rona announced, her hand already glowing with light.
I nodded, adjusting my stance. Audrey, despite her age, crossed her arms with smug confidence.
It began suddenly.
Twin light-swords flared to life in my hands, their radiance humming with raw energy. Sister Rona answered with a spinning light blade that whirled through the air like a boomerang, forcing me to duck as it sliced overhead. Audrey smirked and vanished from sight, teleporting with a crackle of dark energy.
A black orb shot toward me from behind. I twisted, raising a shimmering light shield just in time—the impact crackled against it, spraying sparks of shadow.
I retaliated with a burst of light chains that lashed outward, striking the ground where she'd been a heartbeat ago. Audrey reappeared behind me, releasing another dark energy ball, only to have Sister Rona intercept it with a sphere of light. The explosion of energy thundered across the field, sending dust flying.
"Not fair," I muttered, tightening my grip on the swords.
Sister Rona dashed forward, blade raised. Our swords clashed in a blinding burst, each strike ringing like chimes of war. Audrey used the opening to hurl another orb at my back. I spun, letting one sword dissolve into a whip of pure light, its tendrils smacking the orb aside before it could hit.
The fight blurred into motion—sword against blade, shield against chain, orb against orb. My lungs burned, but adrenaline kept me alive in the rhythm of combat. Sister pressed me hard, her strikes calculated, precise, while Audrey darted like a shadow, her teleportation throwing me off balance.
But I wasn't so easily cornered.
Channeling my hwiztamnarill, I slammed my swords into the earth, releasing a wave of blinding radiance that forced both of them to stumble back. My opening. I lunged forward, knocking Sister Rona's weapon aside, then swerved, aiming a slash at Audrey. She disappeared just in time, reappearing several feet away, panting, but grinning.
It was close. But I had the upper hand.
Finally, with a surge of power, I disarmed Sister Rona, light chains wrapping around her wrist until her blade dissolved into harmless sparks. Audrey tried to come at me again, but I sidestepped her attack, sword pressed near her chest.
"I win." My voice was steady, breathless.
I turned, lowering my blades, victory warming me from the inside out. But before I could take two steps, pain shot across my back.
Chains of shadow whipped around me, yanking me down. Audrey's small but fierce hands pressed into my shoulders, pinning me with surprising force. Her laughter echoed as the dark chains slithered around my arms, locking them tight.
"Now, tell us the truth." Sister Rona's smirk was merciless as she approached, brushing dust from her clothes. "There's something between you and Dylan, isn't there?"
I froze. My throat clenched.
Their eyes bore into me, expectant, teasing.
I turned my head aside, refusing to meet their gaze. I didn't deny it. But I didn't say yes either. Because… what was there to say?
After that kiss, Dylan and I had returned to normal, friends, nothing more. No promises. No explanations. No clear answers.
The truth is... I don't know what we are.
DYLAN'S POINT OF VIEW
From the shadows of a distant oak, I leaned against the trunk, arms crossed. Tyler's on my shoulder. Beside me, Justin crouched casually, a grin already plastered on his face.
We're both drenched in sweat after our training with the knights.
"You're watching her again," he teased, voice low enough not to carry.
I didn't answer. My eyes never left Rhein, her movements swift, precise, almost luminous as she fought. She was holding her own against Rona and Audrey—two against one—and she still didn't back down.
Fierce. Stubborn. Beautiful.
Justin followed my gaze, his grin widening. "Relax. I'm not here to steal her from you. Obviously, she likes you. But you—" He tilted his head, studying me with sharp eyes. "What exactly is your deal with her, Dylan?"
My jaw tightened. I didn't reply.
Justin chuckled, folding his arms. "That's the bet they're making right now. If she loses, she has to confess the truth. If she wins, her sisters drop it. Either way, it's you they're fishing about. And honestly—you didn't make things clear with her, did you?"
I exhaled slowly, the weight of his words sinking into me. There was an uncomfortable twist in my chest.
We both turned our attention back to the field just as Rhein gained the upper hand, disarming Rona and forcing Audrey back. Triumph flashed in her eyes—until Audrey, quick and merciless, trapped her in chains of shadow from behind.
Rhein cried out softly as the dark energy coiled around her, forcing her to her knees.
"Now, tell us the truth," Rona said smugly, stepping closer. "There's something between you and Dylan, right?"
From my hiding place, I swallowed hard.
Rhein turned her head away, silent. Not a denial. Not an admission.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair, the knot in my chest tightening.
I wasn't sure what my answer would be either.