Chapter 58: New Objective: Form a Party

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[NEW OBJECTIVE: FORM A PARTY]

[DESCRIPTION: Solo rifting is inefficient and dangerous. A party will allow you to clear higher-ranked rifts, earn greater rewards, and accelerate your growth.]

[REWARD: ACCESS TO HIGHER-RANK RIFTS, SHARED EXPERIENCE, GUILD CREDITS, REPUTATION GROWTH]

[SYSTEM NOTE: CHOOSE YOUR PARTY WISELY. TRUST MUST BE EARNED. BUT YOU CANNOT DO THIS ALONE.]

---

He closed the notification.

He looked down at her. Still sleeping safely in his arms.

He would protect her. Whatever it took. But he couldn’t do it alone. Not anymore.

Tomorrow, he would start looking for a party .

He closed his eyes, but sleep his mind wouldn’t shut down.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[EMOTIONAL STATE: UNSTABLE]

[RECOMMENDATION: REST. RECOVERY. PROCESS THE EVENTS OF THE DAY.]

He dismissed the notification.

He didn’t need the system to tell him what he already knew.

He was changing. The man who had gotten married to Isolde was slowly becoming someone else.

But it didn’t matter to him. He would walk any path to protect her even if it meant losing a part of himself.

The hours passed. The moon crossed the sky. The first hints of dawn crept through the curtains.

He watched the light shift. From silver to grey. From grey to gold.

She stirred in his arms. Her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at him.

"You didn’t sleep."

"I couldn’t."

She reached up, touching his face.

"The nightmares?"

"Something like that."

She studied him for a few seconds, noting the tension in his jaw.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

She nodded and didn’t push. Just held him.

They lay together as the sun rose and somehow, he could finally close his eyes.

# Chapter 14: A Day in Her Life

Afternoon light filtered through the curtains, a signature golden reflection pushing through the curtains.

Isolde woke slowly. She had held him to sleep but she had no idea it would work this well.

The first thing she noticed was the warmth on her skin, not from the sun. It was warm and pressed against her entire body.

Emeric.

He was still asleep. His arm was draped across her waist, his chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm. His face was relaxed in a way she rarely saw when he was awake. The tension that lived in his jaw, the shadow that haunted his eyes—both were gone. He looked younger. Softer.

She watched him for a long moment.

Then she reached up and touched his face.

His eyes opened.

"Morning," he said.

"Afternoon." She corrected, teasing him a little bit.

He kissed her in a soft and slow manner. His hand found her cheek, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw.

"You slept," she said.

"Some."

"Did you have the dreams again?"

He didn’t answer. Which was an answer.

She didn’t push, she just kissed him again.

"Help me up," she said.

He helped her off the bed.

His arms were steady. His movements were practiced. He had learned her body—what it could do, what it couldn’t. He knew how to lift her without causing pain. How to support her without making her feel helpless.

She hated needing help. But with him, it felt different. He never made her feel like a burden. He just... helped. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He carried her to her chair. Settled her in. Kissed her forehead.

"Lunch?"

"Please."

She watched him move around the kitchen.

He was different now. Not just physically—though he was that too. Broader. Stronger. The training and the rifts had changed his body. But it was more than that.

He carried himself differently. There was a confidence in his movements that hadn’t been there before. A certainty. The timid man who had stumbled through their first dinner, apologizing for burnt vegetables, was gone.

In his place was someone else. Someone who was trying his hardest to be here. Someone who had survived.

Someone who looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered.

She felt her cheeks warm.

She looked away.

After lunch, he went to the window.

She watched him from her chair.

He stood there, staring at nothing. His lips moved—just slightly, barely perceptible. His eyes were focused on something she couldn’t see.

This happened a lot.

She had noticed it weeks ago. The way he would drift off mid-conversation. The way his gaze would fix on empty space. The way he would mutter under his breath, responding to questions no one had asked.

She didn’t know what it was.

She had her suspicions. Something to do with his Awakening. Something to do with the power he had gained. But she never asked. He never volunteered.

Whatever it was, it was his. His secret. His burden.

She just wished he would share it.

He turned from the window.

"I have to go out," he said. "I need to collect some things."

"What things?"

"Rewards. From the rift." He paused. "And I need to look into something."

She didn’t ask what. He didn’t offer.

He crossed to her. Kissed her forehead.

"I’ll be back later."

"Be careful."

"Always. And Nyxie can stay here with you." He said, nuzzling the voidling’s head. He liked to keep her with his wife now. This way he would know if she was in danger or anything like that.

Isolde watched him leave, turning her focus on Nyxie.

"Guess it’s just us two now." She said to Nyxie who was on the table.

---

Tatia arrived an hour later.

She was profusely apologizing for being late as soon as she walked in through the door.

She had an emergency.

Isolde blushed a little bit, seeing how it all worked out. They would have still been in bed had she been as early as usual.

She let herself in, as she always did. Her bag hung from her shoulder. Her dress was neat and practical. Her eyes swept the room before settling on Isolde.

"Good afternoon, dear."

"Afternoon."

She went over to Nyxie and gently played with her.

Nyxie was used to Tatia now.