The night grew quieter as the hours passed.
The fire near the lake burned softer now, its golden light reflecting across the calm water while cold winds drifted gently through the forest around them. Above the trees, countless stars stretched endlessly across the sky.
For once—
nobody wanted to sleep yet.
Because moments like this had become rare.
Peaceful.
Warm.
Untouched by war.
And slowly, as the tension faded completely from the group, everyone finally stopped pretending they didn't notice each other anymore.
Selene had been sitting beside Darin the entire evening, though at some point the distance between them disappeared completely. Neither of them even seemed aware of it anymore until Darin casually rested his arm across her shoulders while continuing a conversation with Riven.
Selene froze for half a second afterward.
Then instead of moving away—
she relaxed slightly against him.
Kael noticed immediately and smirked.
"Well, that finally happened."
Selene instantly looked away.
"Shut up."
Darin looked surprisingly calm about it.
"…what? It's comfortable."
"That's somehow worse," Selene muttered quietly while trying to hide the fact she was smiling.
Meanwhile—
Riven was suffering.
Deeply.
Because sometime during the last hour, both Kael and Aira had slowly leaned against him while talking, eventually ending with one resting against each shoulder naturally.
And now the poor man looked like his soul was leaving his body.
His posture remained completely stiff while his face turned increasingly red every few minutes.
Liora finally noticed and laughed softly from Arin's lap.
"Well…"
Everyone looked toward her.
"…now you guys are finally getting somewhere."
Riven looked absolutely betrayed afterward.
"How are you saying that so calmly?"
Liora blinked once.
"Because it's obvious?"
"That does not help me."
Kael quietly rolled her eyes afterward while resting comfortably against his shoulder.
"You act like we're torturing you."
"I'm emotionally overwhelmed."
Aira softly laughed under her breath.
"You're impossible."
Riven immediately pointed toward Arin afterward like a man searching for salvation.
"No, HE is impossible."
Everyone turned toward Arin now.
Riven looked genuinely exhausted.
"He had TWO women love him across one lifetime."
Arin blinked once.
"…yes?"
"And somehow both marriages worked."
"…more or less."
Riven stared at him dramatically afterward.
"How?"
The atmosphere around the fire immediately shifted again afterward while everyone became interested now.
Even Selene looked curious.
Riven continued muttering while gesturing helplessly toward Kael and Aira.
"I'm already having trouble processing TWO people liking me."
Kael smirked faintly.
"You say that like it's a disease."
"It feels like one."
Then Riven looked directly toward Arin again.
"So explain yourself."
Arin actually looked thoughtful for a moment afterward.
"…that's a complicated question."
"Good. Answer it anyway."
Liora quietly smiled while adjusting slightly against Arin's chest.
"This should be interesting."
Arin looked toward the stars briefly afterward before speaking.
"First…"
His voice remained calm.
"…having two wives wasn't something I planned."
"That makes sense," Darin admitted.
"Vrushali came first."
The memory softened his expression slightly again.
"She was peace."
Everyone stayed quiet while he spoke.
"After years of being insulted, looked down on, and treated like I didn't belong anywhere…"
A faint breeze moved through the clearing softly.
"…she made life feel normal."
Liora listened carefully now too.
Not as Mira this time.
But as herself.
Arin continued quietly,
"She never cared about status. Never cared what people called me."
A small smile appeared faintly afterward.
"She only cared whether I came home safely."
The fire crackled softly between them.
"Being with her felt easy."
Selene rested slightly more against Darin afterward unconsciously while listening.
Then Arin continued.
"Supriya was different."
Riven immediately nodded dramatically.
"There's always a second phase."
Kael sighed.
"You make relationships sound like military campaigns."
"They ARE military campaigns."
Aira covered part of her face while laughing quietly.
Arin ignored all of them again.
"When Duryodhana introduced us…"
The memory became clearer inside his mind.
"…I thought she hated me."
Liora immediately laughed softly.
"She absolutely did at first."
Arin looked down toward her slightly.
"…you remember that?"
"Unfortunately."
Everyone immediately looked interested again.
Riven leaned forward dramatically.
"Oh this keeps getting better."
Liora smiled faintly afterward.
"Supriya thought Karna was arrogant."
Arin looked genuinely offended.
"I was not arrogant."
"You absolutely were."
"No."
"Yes."
The group immediately started laughing while Arin looked betrayed now instead.
Liora continued calmly afterward.
"You used to walk around acting like nothing in the world could bother you."
"That was confidence."
"That was ego."
"That was survival."
Liora paused afterward.
Then softly—
"…that too."
The atmosphere softened again afterward.
Riven quickly interrupted before emotions became dangerous.
"Alright but HOW did you make it work?"
Arin exhaled quietly afterward.
Then finally—
"…honesty."
The answer surprised everyone slightly.
Riven blinked.
"That's it?"
"No."
Arin looked toward him carefully now.
"But it's the most important part."
The firelight reflected faintly in his eyes afterward while ancient memories surfaced quietly behind them.
"I never lied to either of them."
Silence followed briefly.
"If something bothered Vrushali, I listened."
His voice remained calm.
"If Supriya was angry, I dealt with it directly."
Riven looked horrified.
"That sounds terrifying."
"It was."
That answer immediately made everyone laugh again.
Even Arin smiled faintly afterward.
Then he continued more seriously.
"But relationships fail when people stop understanding each other."
The wind moved softly across the lake behind them.
"You don't need to choose every answer immediately."
Riven listened quietly now.
Arin looked toward Kael and Aira briefly afterward.
"They already understand each other."
Both girls blinked slightly.
"That matters more than you realize."
Kael slowly looked toward Aira beside her afterward while Aira quietly smiled faintly in return.
Arin continued,
"If they were jealous or trying to hurt each other…"
He shook his head slightly.
"…this wouldn't work at all."
Riven slowly looked between both girls again afterward.
Then quietly—
"…you two are weirdly calm about this."
Kael smirked faintly.
"We talked already."
"You WHAT?"
Aira nodded softly afterward.
"A while ago."
Riven genuinely looked like he stopped functioning.
"You had secret meetings about me?"
"That sounds far more dramatic than it actually was," Kael answered immediately.
Selene sighed softly afterward.
"Honestly, I think he's the problem here."
"I AM trying my best."
"No you aren't," everyone answered instantly.
Riven looked devastated afterward while the entire group laughed again beneath the stars.
The peaceful atmosphere continued quietly after that.
Conversations shifted naturally between teasing, memories, and laughter while the fire slowly burned lower beside the lake.
And resting comfortably against Arin's chest—
Liora quietly realized something important.
For people carrying the weight of wars, gods, cycles, and countless deaths…
they looked strangely normal right now.
Just seven young people laughing beneath the stars together.
And maybe that was what made the moment precious.
Because deep down—
all of them understood peace like this wouldn't last forever anymore.