The warmth from the Festival of Firelights still lingered in the air the next morning. Paper lanterns swayed gently from rooftops and trees, and the villagers moved with lightness in their steps with laughter and conversation filling the streets.
Kenzo stretched his arms with a yawn as he stepped outside, still feeling a glow from the night before. Everything about the festival had been a success. Unity had formed, hope had sparked and perhaps most notably…
[Bond Update: Rina – Level MAX]
Kenzo blinked as the notification pulsed across his vision. His eyes slowly trailed over to the figure kneeling in the garden nearby — Rina, carefully trimming a few flower vines near the front of the home, a soft smile on her face.
He felt his heartbeat shift.
A Quiet Conversation
Later that day, while Akina was out helping Marella with lumber organization, Kenzo sat on the edge of the garden where Rina still worked. She turned to him, cheeks slightly flushed.
"You've been staring," she said, not accusingly but shyly.
"I have," Kenzo admitted. "I just… I've been thinking about how far you've come. You're not the same girl I found being whipped in the capital. You're strong. Gentle. Bright."
Rina tucked her brown hair behind her ear. "I was… so lost back then. You gave me a home when no one else would. You looked at me like I mattered, and I've fallen for you so deeply that… it hurts, sometimes."
Kenzo reached out, gently taking her hand. "Rina… your bond with me has reached its peak. And I want to ask you, properly now."
He brought out his Devotion Sigil, glowing faintly in his palm.
"Will you be mine? Fully? Not just my girlfriend, but someone truly bound to me, someone I swear I'll protect, cherish, and never abandon?"
Her breath caught in her throat. She nodded slowly. "Yes. Kenzo. I want to be yours. All of me already is."
The sigil shone with a sudden golden flare, and a warm light enveloped Rina's chest. The crest of Devotion etched itself softly over her skin as a delicate, glowing mark on the side of her left collarbone near her shoulder, like a radiant seal.
[Rina has been Marked: Eternal Devotion Activated]
[Wife Status Pending: Soul-Seal Bonding Rite Now Possible]
Rina gasped as warmth surged through her, her eyes glimmering with both joy and tears. Kenzo held her close, resting his forehead gently against hers.
"You'll never be alone again."
New Visitors
That evening, as the celebration's echoes faded, a small group of riders approached the outer edge of Velmira's newly finished wall.
Marella called out to Kenzo from the watch tower. "We've got guests! Four travelers, well-armed and official looking."
Kenzo, Akina, and Rina approached as the gates were opened. A tall woman in armor stepped forward as she looked to be in her mid-twenties, with silver-streaked raven hair and sharp amber eyes.
"Forgive the sudden arrival," she said. "I'm Captain Velra of the Crescent Pass Patrol. We've heard rumors of a village reborn that fended off beasts, built new walls, and hosted a light festival so bright it was seen from the capital."
She studied Kenzo with a sharp, appraising gaze. "I wanted to see for myself… who was behind it."
Kenzo smiled, though he stood tall. "I'm Kenzo. Just trying to build something worth living for."
Velra's lips curled faintly. "You may have done more than that. We weren't the only ones who noticed. Nobles. Mercenaries. Even foreign scouts may soon come sniffing around."
Akina whispered, "So it begins…"
Kenzo nodded, glancing at Rina who stood proudly beside him with her mark still softly glowing beneath her tunic.
"We'll be ready."