While Kaiya wandered the sun-drenched boulevards, her eyes alight with visions of marble estates and sprawling gardens fit for Set's rising empire, his other lover found herself ensnared in a web of familial expectation.
Far from the clamor of major cities, nestled atop a mist-shrouded plateau that commanded the horizon like a sovereign's crown, stood the Sunbelt Mansion. From a bird's eye view, it dwarfed even the White House in grandeur—an opulent labyrinth of ivory spires, gilded arches, and courtyards where fountains sang in crystalline harmony. Maids in starched uniforms glided like ghosts through manicured hedges; butlers in tailored black darted with silver trays; gardeners coaxed roses that bloomed in impossible hues. The estate pulsed with life, a self-contained kingdom where every footstep echoed power.
Deep within, in a throne room that could swallow cathedrals, two figures sat upon seats carved from ancient dragon-bone and cushioned in velvet the color of midnight.
Felix Sunbelt, Patriarch and considered a living legend, lounged with the effortless poise of a scholar-king. His short black hair framed a face etched with quiet authority; along with his simple brown eyes that held unimaginable weight. A simple silk robe draped his frame, yet it shimmered with subtle enchantments that whispered of battles won before breakfast. Beside him, Helene—his wife, his equal, his mirror in grace—radiated a beauty that made the chandeliers dim in envy. Her long blonde hair cascaded like liquid sunlight; her sky-blue eyes cut through pretense like winter wind. Elise was like spitting image, but Helene was the original masterpiece, her figure was something any MILF would die for.
"Dustin…" Felix's voice rolled out, smooth as aged whiskey, as he lifted a porcelain teacup to his lips.
The shadows in the room rippled. They coalesced, thickened, and birthed a kneeling figure—Dustin Sunbelt, firstborn and heir. He was Felix reborn in sharper lines: short black hair, lean muscle coiled like a panther, brown eyes that burned with ambition barely contained. At twenty-eight, he teetered on the precipice of Epic Rank, a feat that would make lesser families weep with pride.
"Father. Mother." His voice was steady, but reverence trembled beneath it.
Felix set the cup into its throne-arm cradle with a delicate clink. Pride flickered in his gaze—fleeting, but real. Dustin's ascent was a marvel. It was known that cores were not infinite; the Sunbelt vaults held F through S-rank in limited supply, that was being rationed across thousands. To funnel enough into one son to breach Epic was a gamble few dared. Set, with his solo slaughter of nine S-rank worlds, was an anomaly—a lucky bastard who amassed millions of cores, because he got them after every kill.
But praise could wait. Duty called.
"In the last two months," Helene began, her voice a velvet blade, "nine S-rank Gates were erased. Your father and I spoke with Elise—she returned with… news. We tasked you with unearthing this 'Set.' What did you find?"
Dustin straightened, shadows clinging to his shoulders like loyal hounds. "Little, but what I found was… strange." His brow furrowed, unease creeping into his tone. "He awakened the same week the Gates fell. Witnesses place him with Elise—and two others. At first, I dismissed it. A week to conquer S-rank worlds? Impossible."
Felix's teacup paused mid-air. Helene's fingers tightened imperceptibly on her armrest.
'One week?' Felix's mind raced. 'To clear nine of those Gates solo…'
"Where is he now?" The question cracked like a whip.
"Gone. A ghost since the final Gate. I watched his apartment—nothing. Only a woman comes and goes. Kaiya Mose. Records show no family for him. Girlfriend, I assume?"
BANG!
The throne room doors exploded inward, hinges screaming in protest. Every shadow in the room flinched. Framed in the archway stood a vision that stole breath—Elise Sunbelt, radiant and furious. Her long blonde hair shimmered like molten gold under the crystal lights; her skin glowed with an otherworldly purity, as if Aphrodite's kiss still lingered. Her piercing blue eyes blazed, and her petite, curvaceous frame trembled with barely contained emotion.
"Elise," Helene murmured, a smile softening her lips—though her eyes sharpened, catching the storm.
Elise nodded curtly, but her gaze locked on Dustin like a predator. "Brother," she said, voice deceptively sweet, "did you say girlfriend?" A subtle twitch at her eye—jealousy, raw and electric.
Dustin blinked, oblivious. "Uh, yes, little sister. She's the only one in his apartment. No family on record—so, plausible, right?"
Felix nodded, missing the undercurrent entirely. "Good you're out of seclusion. And to step into Epic Rank this early—your time away bore fruit." His voice warmed with fatherly pride.
Elise's cheeks flushed crimson as his words caused flashbacks to enter her mind. Set's hands on her skin… his voice in her ear… The memory hit like lightning. Helene saw it—the blush, the flicker of possessive fire—but she chose not to speak on that right now.
Felix pressed on, tone shifting to iron. "You're both here. Good. Bring the woman—Kaiya—to me. If Set revealed Gate secrets… if he spoke of other worlds… that knowledge dies with him. We cannot risk exposure."
His eyes burned. "'They' arrive soon. When they do, our status must be unassailable. Your marriages are already arranged. Elise—you will wed their Prince. Dustin—their Princess. Your paths will be paved in stars, your cultivation unchained."
Dustin's smile was eager, dreams of imperial glory dancing in his eyes.
Elise said nothing. Her silence was a blade. Because beneath her silence her mind was on one thing—and that was seeing this Kaiya.
Orders given, the siblings rose. Dustin vanished into shadow. Elise swept out, her footsteps echoing like thunder in her heart.
The throne room doors closed with a solemn boom.