The journey back toward the forest continued for two more days after Arin revealed the truth about the armour and earrings.
The atmosphere within the group had changed since then.
Not darker exactly.
Just quieter.
Because now everyone finally understood the scale of the war waiting ahead… and the weight Arin had been carrying across lifetimes.
Still—
despite everything—
they kept moving together.
The forests slowly became more familiar as they traveled farther south. The mountains faded behind them while rivers and old paths from their childhoods slowly returned into view again. Even the air felt different here. Warmer. Softer. Like home itself was calling them back.
By the time evening arrived on the second day, the group stopped beside a calm lake hidden deep within the forest.
The water reflected the orange colors of sunset perfectly while soft winds moved through the trees surrounding the clearing. It was peaceful enough that for a little while… the coming war almost didn't feel real.
Almost.
A small fire burned near the edge of the lake while everyone settled around it after dinner.
And slowly—
the tension that had followed them for days finally began easing.
Because tonight felt different somehow.
Not like warriors preparing for battle.
Just seven people sitting together beneath the stars.
And naturally—
the romantic tension inside the group finally became impossible to ignore anymore.
Selene sat beside Darin near the fire while pretending not to notice how close their shoulders were. Darin looked completely aware of it but wisely chose not to say anything that would make her move away.
Kael and Aira meanwhile kept occasionally glancing toward Riven before immediately looking somewhere else every single time.
Riven himself looked deeply confused by existence.
"…I still don't understand this situation."
Kael sighed softly.
"You've said that six times already."
"Because it keeps getting more confusing."
Aira quietly looked away afterward while trying not to smile.
Riven pointed dramatically between both girls afterward.
"You both know the other likes me."
"…yes," Kael answered calmly.
"And neither of you are fighting about it."
"…correct."
Riven looked genuinely distressed.
"That's terrifying."
Selene immediately laughed quietly under her breath.
"You would've died if they started fighting."
"That's not the point."
Riven pointed toward them again.
"The point is I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Kael crossed her arms afterward.
"Maybe start by breathing normally whenever we talk to you."
"That's difficult."
Aira finally spoke softly afterward.
"You're acting like we confessed while standing in the middle of a battlefield."
"I would honestly handle that better."
Everyone laughed this time.
Even Arin.
And somehow that alone surprised the group slightly.
Because after everything that happened recently, seeing him relax again felt strangely reassuring.
Arin sat slightly farther from the fire beneath one of the massive trees surrounding the clearing. Liora rested comfortably in his lap while leaning fully against his chest, her head beneath his chin while his arm rested loosely around her shoulders.
The position looked completely natural between them now.
Too natural.
Riven stared at them afterward in complete disbelief.
"How are you two doing that without getting embarrassed?"
Liora looked up slightly afterward.
"…doing what?"
"THAT."
He pointed dramatically again.
"You're sitting on his lap like you've been married for twenty years."
"…maybe because I like being here?" Liora answered calmly before resting back against Arin again.
Riven looked even more disturbed somehow.
"That shouldn't be possible."
Arin quietly looked toward him afterward.
"You're overthinking relationships."
"Easy for YOU to say."
Riven pointed accusingly now.
"You two act like ancient soulmates from another lifetime."
A long silence followed afterward.
Then slowly—
Arin looked down toward Liora briefly before answering completely seriously.
"…we technically are."
The entire group froze.
Then Kael sighed heavily afterward.
"You walked into that one."
Liora quietly laughed against Arin's chest afterward while he rested his chin lightly against the top of her head.
And honestly—
watching them together felt strangely calming now.
Not dramatic.
Not overwhelming.
Just peaceful.
Like after countless lifetimes and endless suffering, they finally found a moment where they could simply exist beside each other quietly.
Selene eventually narrowed her eyes toward Arin afterward.
"You're way too calm about all this."
Arin blinked once.
"…about what?"
"Romance."
Riven immediately nodded aggressively.
"Exactly."
Arin looked genuinely confused now.
"…should I not be?"
"Yes," everyone except Liora answered instantly.
Liora smiled softly afterward without opening her eyes.
"I think he's fine."
"That's because you're part of the problem," Kael muttered.
Arin quietly exhaled afterward before looking toward the others again.
"Do you remember how I married Vrushali and Supriya?"
The atmosphere shifted slightly again afterward.
Because unlike before—
now everyone actually knew those names.
Vrushali.
Supriya.
Karna's wives.
Liora slowly looked upward toward him quietly while the others listened carefully too.
Arin's gaze drifted toward the lake afterward while old memories surfaced again.
"Vrushali's marriage was simple."
His voice became softer now somehow.
"Arranged. Peaceful."
Fragments of ancient sunlight and laughter crossed his mind briefly.
"She was calm. Gentle."
A faint smile appeared briefly afterward.
"She understood me better than most people ever did."
The group listened quietly.
Then Arin continued,
"Supriya was different."
Riven immediately leaned forward.
"Here comes the complicated part."
"It always becomes complicated with him," Selene muttered.
Arin ignored both of them completely.
"Duryodhana was the reason I met her."
The memory became clearer.
A royal court.
Laughter.
His closest friend grinning proudly beside him.
"He practically forced the marriage into existence."
Liora quietly smiled slightly afterward because Mira remembered that too.
Arin shook his head faintly afterward.
"I genuinely thought both of them were going to kill me."
That immediately earned several confused looks.
"…why?" Aira asked carefully.
Arin looked completely serious.
"Because I somehow ended up with two wives."
Riven immediately pointed toward him.
"See? Finally. A normal reaction."
Arin actually laughed softly this time.
"I spent months expecting constant arguments."
"And?" Kael asked.
"…they got along frighteningly well."
Liora quietly hid her smile afterward while the others stared at him.
Arin looked upward thoughtfully afterward.
"It confused me almost as much as Riven is confused right now."
That immediately caused everyone to laugh again while Riven looked betrayed.
"So this is karma?"
"No," Selene answered immediately.
"This is entertainment."
The peaceful atmosphere continued deep into the night afterward.
The stars reflected softly across the lake while quiet conversations slowly split between everyone around the fire.
And for a little while—
they forgot about war.
Forgot about the Entity.
Forgot about endless cycles and battles waiting ahead.
They were just young people sitting beneath the stars together.
Laughing.
Teasing each other.
Falling in love quietly while pretending not to notice it happening.
And resting beneath the tree near the edge of the lake—
Liora slowly closed her eyes while listening to Arin's heartbeat beneath her cheek.
Steady. Calm. Warm.
For someone who had lived through countless deaths and lifetimes…
it felt strangely comforting.
Then softly—
"…promise me something."
Arin looked down toward her slightly.
"What?"
Liora stayed quiet briefly before answering.
"…come back after the war."
The laughter near the fire continued quietly in the distance while the wind moved softly across the lake.
Arin looked toward the stars overhead afterward.
Then finally—
"…I will."