The atmosphere in Nora's room, which moments ago had been charged with tension and heat, shattered with a loud knock at the door.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

The sound echoed like thunder, startling both Charles and Nora.

Their naked bodies, still close to each other, tensed, and for a moment, they exchanged confused glances, as if trying to process what had just happened.

The spark that had been building between them fizzled out, replaced by a mix of embarrassment and alertness.

Charles, his heart still racing, grabbed his tunic from the floor and threw it on haphazardly, covering his wet body as best he could.

Nora, still sitting on the floor, looked lost, her eyes wide and cheeks red, unsure what to do.

Before either could speak, a commanding male voice boomed from the other side of the door.

"Rian!" the voice shouted, and Charles winced, recognizing it instantly.

It was Kain, his half-brother, and his bossy tone didn't bode well.

"You in there?"

Charles sighed, glancing at Nora, who remained frozen, her face a mix of confusion and nervousness.

"Yeah, I'm here," he said, adjusting the damp tunic clinging to his skin. "What's up?"

Kain's voice grew more irritated.

"Where the hell have you been all day?" he demanded, his tone making it clear he wasn't in the mood. "I've been looking for you, and now I find you here. What are you doing?"

Charles frowned, puzzled by the aggression in his voice.

"And why were you looking for me?" he replied, keeping his tone casual despite the knot in his stomach. "What's so urgent?"

Kain snorted, clearly exasperated.

"You dodging my question?" he said, sounding on the verge of losing patience. "You've got five seconds to come out and talk face-to-face. There's something I need to ask you, and I'm not waiting any longer."

Charles's pulse quickened again.

He looked at Nora, still naked on the floor, her expression bewildered.

He didn't want to leave her like this, but he couldn't ignore Kain either.

Adjusting his tunic as best he could, he opened the room's door and stepped into the corridor, closing it behind him to shield Nora from Kain's view.

Kain's piercing glare met him immediately.

His blue eyes burned with a mix of anger and suspicion, and when he noticed Charles's disheveled, wet hair and poorly fitted tunic, his expression hardened further.

"What the hell are you doing in this room?" Kain said, crossing his arms. "This isn't yours, is it?"

Charles laughed, trying to keep things light.

"Visiting a friend," he said, shrugging.

Kain raised an eyebrow, clearly thrown by the response.

For a second, he looked baffled, then let out a sarcastic laugh.

"A friend?" he said, his tone mocking. "What, now that you've got some fame from your fights, you're gonna start strolling into clan girls' rooms? That it?"

Charles frowned, annoyed by the jab.

"And what's your problem with that?" he shot back, his tone firmer than intended. "You got an issue with me having friends?"

Kain smirked, but it was laced with anger.

He stepped toward Charles, as if ready to lash out, but his attention suddenly shifted.

His eyes locked onto the black sword Charles had left on the windowsill.

The blade, dark and gleaming, seemed almost alive under the faint light streaming through the window.

Kain narrowed his eyes, intrigued, and took a step toward it, reaching out as if to touch it.

"Stop!" Charles shouted, a bad feeling surging through him.

His voice came out louder than expected, and Kain froze, turning to him with a mix of surprise and irritation.

"What?" Kain snapped, his tone dripping with annoyance. "You giving me orders now, Rian?"

Before Charles could respond, the bathroom door creaked open behind him.

Nora stepped out, her dark brown hair falling in dry waves over her shoulders.

She wore a black tunic with white trim, the distinctive mark of a clan Master, though it was slightly wrinkled.

Her gray eyes met Kain's blue ones, and for a moment, a strange tension filled the air.

Kain looked her up and down, a short laugh escaping his lips as he noticed her rank.

"A Master?" he said, his tone blending surprise and mockery. "What're you doing here, then?"

Nora blinked, clearly confused.

"What do you mean, what am I doing?" she retorted, her tone more annoyed than uncertain. "This is my room! What are you doing here, sticking your nose in my business?"

Kain looked thrown for a second, then let out another, more sarcastic laugh.

In his mind, he thought Rian, that idiot, had found someone just as foolish as him.

'Another moron,' he thought, though he didn't say it aloud.

His attention returned to the sword on the windowsill, and he nodded toward it.

"That sword yours?" he asked Nora, his tone trying to sound casual but betraying his interest.

Nora, without hesitation, answered firmly.

"It was," she said, glancing at Charles. "But I gave it to Rian."

Charles blinked, caught off guard.

'What?' he thought. 'That's not true…'

But before he could correct her, Kain raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued. He took another step toward the sword, as if considering grabbing it, but stopped.

Though he thought Rian and Nora were fools, he couldn't ignore that she was a Master, like him.

Starting a fight for no reason, especially in her room, wouldn't make sense.

"You gave it to him?" Kain said, his tone more incredulous than accusing. "To him? You think this guy can handle a sword like that?"

Charles felt anger rising in his chest, but before he could snap back, Nora gently grabbed his arm, as if to calm him.

"He's getting there," she said, her tone firm but composed. "It's a gift, and there's no taking it back."

Kain clicked his tongue, visibly annoyed.

His eyes scanned Nora again, lingering briefly on her figure.

He noticed her prominent chest under the tunic, but said nothing, his mind filing the detail away.

He shook his head, returning to the main issue.

"Listen, Rian," he said, his tone more serious now. "Tomorrow morning, you're meeting with Kraus. Don't be late, or you'll regret it."

Charles frowned, surprised.

"With Kraus?" he said. "What for?"

Kain didn't answer right away. Instead, his gaze drifted back to the sword, a slow smile forming on his face.

There was something about that weapon that drew him in, something he couldn't explain.

In his mind, he was already scheming how to claim it.

Maybe a duel, or better yet, if tomorrow's meeting exposed Rian for using some kind of sorcery, that sword would be his without a fight.

"You'll see," Kain said, his tone almost menacing.

Without another word, he turned and strode down the corridor, leaving Charles and Nora in an awkward silence.

Nora sighed, relaxing slightly now that Kain was gone.

"Why's he like that?" she said, looking at Charles with a mix of confusion and frustration. "What's that guy's deal?"

Charles shrugged, still processing what had just happened.

"Honestly, no clue," he said, his tone weary. "Kain's always been… complicated."

Before he could say more, the sword's voice rang in his mind.

"That damn jerk got lucky!" it exclaimed, brimming with indignation. "If he'd dared touch me with his filthy hands without a contract, I'd have fried him with my power. Turned him to charcoal!"

Charles blinked, startled not just by the threat but by the fact that the sword could speak to him without being in his hand.

'How are you doing that?' he thought, addressing the sword. 'You couldn't talk to me before unless I was holding you.'

The sword let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Obviously I can, human!" it said, sounding almost offended. "Now that we've got a contract, I can reach you from this distance. It's a perk, you know? Keeps nosy people from overhearing our chats. And speaking of…" Its tone shifted to teasing. "You gonna pick up where you left off with that human? 'Cause, oof, the mood got pretty chilly after that guy, huh?"

Charles groaned mentally, annoyed by the jab.

Nora, unable to hear the sword, looked at Charles curiously.

"You okay?" she said, noticing his distracted expression. "You seem lost in thought."

Charles forced a smile, trying to ignore the sword's voice.

"Nah, I'm fine," he said, though his tone wasn't entirely convincing.

Nora frowned, crossing her arms.

"Is it the sword?" she said, her tone worried. "If it is, maybe we should talk to Lira first. She can help us register it as yours, like I said before."

Charles nodded, though the thought of involving Lira made him uneasy.

He just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible.

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