Merin's photo keeps being taken—flash after flash—until he and Evelyn finally pass through the gate.
Inside lies a sprawling field, trimmed with elegant gardens, and above, a wide upper floor stretches into view.
Guests stroll, admiring flower arrangements and fountains carved from translucent stone.
Merin watches the people ahead of them ascend the staircase to the upper floor.
Evelyn touches his hand gently and says, "The main party's upstairs."
With her arm linked in his, Merin follows the steps upward, taking in the sight.
He's only ever seen scenes like this in films, in both his lives.
But his expression stays composed—his martial training grants him perfect control, even down to the cells in his face.
He doesn't gape at the crystalline roses lining the stair rail, even though they radiate a soft vitality no artificial decoration could match.
At the top, Evelyn's family greets guests.
Her father welcomes Merin with a warm handshake.
Her mother smiles politely, but the chill in her eyes lingers.
Her brother offers only a curt nod.
As Evelyn leads him inside, Merin says, "Your mother didn't seem too happy I'm your date."
She glances sideways with a faint smirk. "Really? I didn't notice."
Merin says, "Her biofield shifted—micro-tensions, slight tightening of the cheek muscle. She smiled, but not sincerely."
Before she can respond, a waiter approaches with a silver tray of wine.
Merin takes one glass, hands it to Evelyn, then picks up another for himself.
She takes a sip and asks, "Are you releasing your field?"
Merin shakes his head. "No."
She studies him. "Then how did you notice?"
"My spirit is strong," Merin replies calmly. "I can sense when someone harbours negative emotions toward me."
Her eyes widen slightly. "Oh… then you'd notice if someone had ill intentions too?"
"Only if they're below the Unification Realm."
Intrigued, Evelyn nods, then points discreetly across the room. "Come on—I'll introduce you to my grandfather."
Merin follows her through the soft light and murmuring crowd toward a circle of elderly guests.
As they near, Evelyn calls gently, "Grandfather."
The old man turns, a smile lighting up his face. "Oh! Evelyn."
His gaze shifts to Merin, curious. "And who's your date?"
"Adam," Evelyn replies. "Grandfather, this is Adam."
Recognition dawns in the old man's eyes. "Ah… Thank you for accepting the invitation."
Merin bows his head slightly. "It's my pleasure."
Evelyn glances at the other two old men standing beside her grandfather—strangers to her—and adds, "I'll let you return to your guests."
Her grandfather nods gently.
As Evelyn leads Merin away, he hears one of the old men murmur, "That young man must be your granddaughter's saviour. But did you check his background? He could've been sent to infiltrate your family."
Merin doesn't catch her grandfather's response.
Evelyn gently leads him away, introducing him to her cousins and a few other close family members.
Later, they find themselves standing near the edge of the upper floor, each holding a glass of wine.
Before them is an enormous aquarium housing a school of heartfish—genetically modified, flat, silver fish with a glowing red heart-shaped mark on each side.
As they sip and watch the luminous creatures swirl in rhythm, they exchange light conversation about school and growing up.
Merin talks about his time in a public school, while Evelyn shares stories of her private boarding school in another city.
Just as the mood settles into something warm, a group of Evelyn's friends arrive with laughter and playful insistence, whisking her away for introductions and catching up.
Merin gives a small wave and is left on his own, wandering the party floor.
He admires the flower gardens tucked between marble paths and stops at each aquarium, noting how every tank holds a unique breed of fish, each more exotic than the last.
Still, his real mission is food.
He tries dozens of hors d'oeuvres, sipping from a variety of drinks, his curiosity leading his stomach.
Eventually, he stops in front of a massive aquarium holding several species of shark.
Some look just like the ones from Earth, with familiar names and sleek bodies, but others are clearly native to this world—larger, more vibrant, with bioluminescent patterns and strange fin structures.
As he takes another sip of wine, admiring the creatures' silent grace, he hears his name being called from behind.
Turning, he sees Ryan weaving through the crowd, a grin on his face as he makes his way over.
Merin is both surprised and glad to see him—it's been days since they last spoke, not since the realm battlefield pulled them in.
"Ryan, how are you?" Merin asks, smiling.
"I'm fine. And you?" Ryan replies.
"Me too," Merin says, but his eyes narrow slightly as he senses something different—Ryan's biological field is stronger than before, pulsing with growing power, though still unsettled.
A faint glow of energy clings to him, like steam rising off hot metal.
Merin raises a brow. "Looks like congratulations are in order."
Ryan lifts one of his own, half-smiling. "You noticed?"
They're talking about Ryan's breakthrough—he's stepped into the upper unification realm.
Ryan nods. "The realm battlefield helped me cross the final threshold."
Merin agrees with a nod of his own.
That place had been a treasure land for him, too—he'd reached the peak of the lower unification realm far faster than expected.
"What should've taken a year took a week," he says.
Ryan hums in agreement. "Fortunate for us… but not for everyone."
Merin's thoughts drift to Ben—the scream, the silence, the sight of his body being absorbed into the land.
A flash of guilt and sorrow tugs at his chest.
"Who else died?" he asks quietly. "I only know about Ben."
Ryan's smile fades. "Madeline and Sam… they never made it out."
Merin lowers his gaze, their faces flashing in his mind.
He had fought alongside them, shared meals and moments of laughter, and now they were just… gone.
After a moment, he speaks the question that's been circling in his thoughts since the event.
"I heard realm intersections are rare. Extremely rare."
His tone makes the question clear: Was it an accident, or did someone cause it?
Ryan glances around, making sure no one is listening, then leans in and whispers, "I heard demon worshippers were behind it."
Merin's expression sharpens.
So Ryan knows about the demon worshippers now.
But the timing and location still confuse him.
If destruction was the goal, why open it near Greenview Town—a small settlement mostly populated by martial artists?
Why not near a city?
He frowns. "Are you sure?"
Ryan nods slowly. "Demon Hunters entered the battlefield the moment it opened. And the King Kong Realm experts… they got a message just seconds before they sensed the fluctuation."
Merin's brows furrow.
"So they were tracking the worshippers, but still arrived too late."
Ryan nods. "Looks like it."
Merin shifts the topic. "What about the investigation into Jamie? Did they find anything?"
Ryan's expression darkens. "They found a statue… of one of the Three Demon Gods. Hidden in his cottage."
Before Merin can respond, his phone vibrates in his pocket.
He glances at the screen—Evelyn.
"Let me take this," he says, stepping away.
He answers, "Hello?"
Evelyn's voice comes through, soft but direct. "Adam, where are you?"
"By the large aquarium. The one with the sharks."
"Can you come to the one with the long-tail fish?"
"Alright," he says, "Give me a couple of minutes."
He ends the call and returns to Ryan. "I'm heading out. My date's calling."
Ryan raises an eyebrow with a grin. "So she brought you here?"
Merin nods. "Even if I was invited, it's really because of her."
"What about you?" he asks, remembering he didn't know much about Ryan's background.
"I'm representing my sect," Ryan replies.
Merin offers a smile. "Nice running into you."
"You too."
Merin walks off, placing his empty glass on a passing waiter's tray.
Meanwhile, Evelyn ends the call and turns back to her friend group.
One of them raises a brow. "Who were you calling just now?"
Evelyn replies casually, "You didn't believe I had a boyfriend, so I called him."
Gasps follow. "Seriously?" "You're not joking, right?" "Who is he? What family's he from?"
Evelyn smiles. "He'll be here in a minute. You can meet him yourselves."
Kieran, standing nearby with a stiff expression, adds, "But your mother told me you didn't have a boyfriend."
Evelyn glances at him, masking her irritation with a smile. You're the reason I brought a boyfriend in the first place.
She picked Adam to silence Kieran's constant hovering—and maybe to prove a point.
Now, as she sees Adam approaching, her heart beats a little faster.
He isn't conventionally handsome, not the type to turn heads in a crowd—but there's a quiet intensity about him, a self-assuredness that draws the eye.
He walks toward them with calm confidence, unbothered by the fact that most people here are from families a hundred times wealthier than his.
That, Evelyn thinks, is why I chose him.
He radiates strength, purpose, and something else she can't quite name.
Her mother might believe the "boyfriend" story, especially after learning Adam saved her.
But this was also a test.
Now she watches, curious. How will he react when he finds out I introduced him as my boyfriend?
Adam spots Evelyn standing with a group of men and women, their posture relaxed but their curiosity obvious.
As he begins walking toward them, he notices Evelyn breaking away from the group, all eyes tracking her movement.
She meets him halfway, her expression bright and voice teasing. "Babe, where were you? Come meet my friends."
Merin stiffens slightly at the word babe, the surprise flashing across his face for only a moment before he masks it.
Without missing a beat, she gently takes his hand in hers and leads him to the group.
"This is my boyfriend, Adam Taylor," she says with effortless poise. "He's a Unification Realm martial artist, and he'll be joining the Karst Crystal Research Institute in a few days."
The group exchanges looks. It's clear from her introduction that Adam isn't from a prominent or wealthy family—just a highly talented civilian.
Still, the word boyfriend lingers in the air like perfume.
Evelyn turns to her female friends first. "This is Jennifer, Blake, Mira, and Candace."
Adam gives each of them a polite handshake, offering a calm, respectful nod.
Then Evelyn gestures toward the men. "And that's Kieran, Christopher, and Erebus."
Adam shakes their hands too, his gaze lingering a second longer on Kieran.
The tension in the man's handshake, the subtle tightening of his jaw—Adam reads it all.
He understands now.
Kieran's probably the reason she introduced me as her boyfriend.
Merin stands quietly as Jennifer—tall, blonde, with ocean-blue eyes—tilts her head and asks, "Evelyn, how did you meet him?"
Evelyn replies smoothly, "You know I was attacked. Adam saved me."
A soft chorus of "oh" follows, the group nodding with a mix of surprise and admiration.
Kieran, still unconvinced, narrows his eyes. "I thought you didn't stay in contact with him after that?"
Evelyn's smile doesn't falter. "Who said that? We exchanged numbers that day and started messaging. Then we met again a week ago, and a few days later, he asked me to be his boyfriend—and I said yes."
They nod, seemingly satisfied with her explanation.
But Merin can feel Kieran's scepticism pulsing like a second heartbeat.
The guy keeps stealing glances at him, eyes sharp, calculating.
Then Kieran turns his head slightly and calls, "Eve. Elisa. Come here."
Merin follows his gaze and sees two girls approaching—both dressed in soft pink dresses, their faces curious.
They reach the group, greet everyone politely, and then turn to Merin. "Hi, Adam."
He nods with a faint smile.
Kieran, voice casual but edged with purpose, says, "Did you know Adam is Evelyn's boyfriend?"
Eve and Elisa glance at Evelyn in mild surprise.
Then they look at each other.
Eve asks, "When did that happen? Did you say it was a week ago you two met?"
Before Evelyn can reply, Elisa grins and says, "Eve, pay up. I told you something was going on between them."
Eve rolls her eyes but starts digging into her purse, while Evelyn hides a smirk.
Merin watches all this, inwardly amused.
He starts to believe it himself—maybe something really is going on between me and Evelyn.
Kieran's face sours, his expression tightening with every passing second.
Soon after, the group follows Evelyn's lead and heads to the dinner area.
Merin watches as plates are brought out—grilled ocean beasts the size of cars, steamed meat from creatures he's never heard of, and cuts of exotic animals likely hunted from faraway lands.
He tastes them one by one, savouring flavours he's never encountered before.
After finishing, Evelyn makes an excuse, and they quietly slip away from the group.
They descend a stone stairway leading into a quieter section of the lower gardens.
Soft garden lights glow among bushes of glass-petal roses, and humming, lantern-sized insects drift lazily in the air.
Evelyn glances around to make sure no one is nearby—then suddenly laughs, grabs Merin's arm, and jumps excitedly like a child who just pulled off a prank.
Merin doesn't react.
When she notices his stern expression, she stops and steps back, biting her lip.
"Sorry," she says, her voice small.
Her sheepish smile fades as she realises how serious he looks.
Merin's voice is calm and flat, almost too quiet. "It would've been better if you'd told me before what role I was playing tonight… when I agreed to be your date."
She lowers her head slightly, rubbing her arm. "I know. I should've told you. I was afraid you'd say no—and I wasn't sure if Kieran was even going to show up."
Merin watches her silently for a moment, then asks, "Who is he, exactly? That you had to call me your boyfriend because of him?"
Evelyn exhales. "Kieran is my mother's best friend's son. He's from the Malik family in Tobeland City."
Her voice tightens slightly. "They're a newly wealthy family, but from the outside, they look more powerful than ours."
Merin frowns. "How? Do they have connections in the super cities? Star cities?"
He knows that Tobeland and Terrilyn are roughly equal in terms of power and status, at least on paper.
Evelyn nods. "They hold a senate council seat in Tobeland. And a year ago, they took the seat in Padhu City too."
Merin's brows rise, impressed despite himself.
"That does make them seem more powerful than the Manfords," he mutters.
"So?" he asks after a pause. "Why do they want you? Are they planning to expand into Terrilyn?"
"Yes," she says simply. "And my mother thought marrying me to Kieran would expand our influence in return."
Merin shakes his head slowly. "She doesn't know… about your family's hidden power?"
Evelyn's expression darkens, her voice soft. "She's an ordinary person, Adam. No demon blood. By family and federation law—she can't know."
Merin nods, about to ask another question, when he notices shadows falling across the stream beside them.
His senses sharpen.
One of them carries negative intent.
Without warning, he steps forward and pulls Evelyn toward him, gripping her by the arms.
Startled, she's about to speak when he murmurs quickly, "Act with me."
She goes still.
His face draws close to hers, their noses almost brushing.
"I think your friends are watching," he says quietly. "Kieran is with them."
The heat of his breath grazes her lips, and she freezes, her heart thudding.
A soft, involuntary sound escapes her lips. "Unh… ho…"
Merin doesn't pull away. Instead, he leans closer, adjusting their posture so that anyone viewing from above would see what looks like a kiss.
Then he tilts his head and brushes his nose and lips against her neck—never quite kissing, but close enough for it to look real.
A shiver runs down Evelyn's spine as his breath warms her nape.
She lifts her gaze subtly, scanning the upper garden.
Her eyes narrow. He was right. Her friends—and Kieran—are watching.
A decision sparks in her chest.
She lifts her hand, fingers threading into Merin's hair.
In one fluid motion, she pulls him back—and kisses him for real.
Their lips meet, firm and deliberate.
And she turns just slightly—just enough—so that anyone above can see clearly that their lips are touching.
When they step apart, a chorus of whistles and cheers erupts from her friends above.
Both Merin and Evelyn act surprised, like they hadn't realised anyone was watching.
Merin offers a shy smile, takes Evelyn's hand, and begins walking with her through the garden.
"What was that?" he asks, still holding her hand.
Evelyn glances at him and says, "Sorry. I just wanted to make sure they really believed you're my boyfriend."
They rejoin the main party on the upper floor and stay for another couple of hours before leaving.
One of Evelyn's friends comes with them—someone staying the night at her place—so Merin and Evelyn continue their act in front of her.
Outside Merin's house, they embrace briefly, then act out a soft peck on the lips.
Merin opens his gate, gives a small wave, and watches until Evelyn's car drives away.
As he turns toward the door, his expression twists slightly.
With his spiritual field extended, he clearly senses his parents near the front window.
They saw everything.
Merin sighs, shakes his head, and walks to the door.
He steps inside, slips off his shoes, and heads to the living room.
He switches on the light and finds both his parents seated calmly on the sofa, eyes fixed on the TV like nothing happened.
Merin asks, "Why are neither of you asleep?"
His father replies, "Wasn't feeling sleepy."
Merin walks to the dining table, uncaps a bottle, and gulps down some water.
His mother says sarcastically, "Asher, do you know someone once told me they were just friends—nothing more?"
Merin sighs, closes the bottle, and shakes his head.
His father says, "Why don't you think they're just friends?"
His mother shoots him a look. "Do friends hug like that?"
His father considers it and says, "Well… they can hug. Friends hug."
Merin knows exactly where this is going and quietly sits on one of the sofas.
He leans back, watching the real drama unfold in front of him—and it's not the one on TV.
His mother lifts an eyebrow and says, "Do friends kiss, too?"
His father plays along without missing a beat. "If it's on the cheek or forehead, maybe even the hand… sure. Friends might do that."
His mother narrows her eyes. "What if it's on the lips?"
His father nods sagely and replies, "Then… they're probably more than just friends."
His mother, eyes still fixed on the TV, says, "Funny. Because someone told me two days ago they were just friends."
His father gasps in mock surprise. "Someone lied to you? Who could be such a shameless liar?"
His mother answers, "Who else but our beloved son?"
His father turns to Merin. "Son… you lied to your mother?"
Merin sighs. "I wasn't sure about our relationship back then. Today we… confirmed it."
His mother shakes her head. "Really? You expect me to believe that? Then how did she end up asking you to be her date for such an important celebration?"
His father nods thoughtfully. "It was the 250th anniversary of the Manford family's establishment in our city. All the important figures were watching—and you were the boyfriend of the Manford princess."
Merin shrugs. "I'm telling the truth. If you two don't believe me, I can't help that."
They continue teasing and talking for a while longer, and then Merin finally returns to his room.