The temple bells of Raizen-Hoshin Valley tolled before sunrise — deep, echoing, and heavy with fate.
The soldiers who had fought the night before now stood side by side, bruised but alive.
The demons had been vanquished, but something darker loomed: peace decreed by those who never held a sword.
At the temple's center, beneath a roof carved with dragons and lotus vines, stood the Oracle of the Celestial Mirror.
Her eyes were veiled, her voice soft as falling snow.
"The Heavens have spoken.
To end the hatred between water and flame,
The heirs of Raizen and Hoshin shall be bound in sacred union.
Their blood will seal the curse that has poisoned both clans."
Whispers rippled through the hall.
Yuri's hands clenched at her sides. Kamin's expression didn't change — but his jaw tightened.
Their fathers bowed deeply, pretending to be noble, though triumph gleamed in their eyes.
Neither cared for love, nor choice — only power, only peace written on their terms.
The Oracle raised her staff. "The wedding shall be held within three nights. Refusal will bring divine wrath."
Yuri's heart pounded so loudly she could barely hear the rest.
Marry Kamin Raizen — her rival, her enemy, her unwanted savior?
She wanted to laugh, but the sound would've broken into pieces.
When the gathering ended, she turned sharply and strode out of the temple courtyard, her crimson robe billowing like flame.
But someone followed.
Kamin's voice, calm but low, cut through the air. "Hoshin Flame."
She stopped, not looking back. "Don't call me that."
He came closer, his footsteps quiet on the stone. "You looked ready to set the Oracle on fire."
"I might have," Yuri muttered, "if I thought it would change anything."
He studied her — the frustration in her shoulders, the tremor in her hands. "You hate it too."
"Of course I do." She turned to him now, eyes burning. "They treat us like weapons. Like chess pieces to move where they please."
Kamin's gaze flickered. "You're not wrong."
Yuri stepped closer, lowering her voice. "If we're nothing more than pawns… then maybe we shouldn't play their game."
His brow arched slightly. "What are you suggesting?"
"A plan." Her lips curled in a daring smile. "We make them think we'll agree — just long enough to ruin the marriage ourselves."
Kamin crossed his arms, intrigued despite himself. "Ruin it how?"
"Simple," Yuri said. "We make them believe we're completely incompatible. Impossible to wed."
"Shouldn't be difficult," he murmured dryly.
She shot him a glare. "You'll have to help me convince them."
"I'm helping you because I agree," Kamin said. "Not because I enjoy your company."
"Good," she said, though a flicker of amusement glimmered in her eyes.
For the first time, silence stretched between them — not the silence of enemies, but of two souls equally trapped by duty.
A breeze drifted through the courtyard, carrying the faint scent of ash and river mist — fire and water meeting again.
Kamin looked up at the moon, half-veiled by dawn. "Yuri," he said quietly, testing her name for the first time, "if this plan fails, there will be consequences."
She smiled, soft but fierce. "Then we'll burn and drown together."
Kamin huffed — half a laugh, half a sigh. "You really don't value your safety, do you?"
"Not when it's being sold," she replied.
Their eyes met again — rivals, partners, prisoners of peace.
Neither knew that their alliance to end their marriage would become the very reason they'd fall into something far more dangerous.
Written by-
Shreyashi Singh