The silence was too loud.
Liam stood at the center of the war camp, seven bonded wives around him, every gaze a blade waiting for a hand. Zone Nine breathed dry and hot, heat coiling off canvas and stone, but it was not the sun that burned… it was them.
Rena faced him, sword stabbed into the packed earth, hands clenched, jaw tight. Sweat slid from her temple, not from the weather, but from the words she was keeping in.
"You want loyalty," she said, low, steady, dangerous, "earn it."
Kaelith lounged against a shattered pillar, a dagger snapping between fingers, lips curved like a dare. "He already did… or was that not real?"
Sarya crouched by the gear cache, checking fletching, the corners of her mouth flat. "You do not speak for all of us, blade girl."
Kaelyn said nothing, but placed herself between Kaelith and Rena, easy weight, eyes sharp, line drawn.
Vexa rolled her shoulders, knuckles cracking, a grin that promised violence to whoever looked at her for too long. "This arguing wastes time. Let him lead… or leave."
Elyra was behind Liam, fingers sliding across his shoulder, a purr tucked into every breath. "They are jealous, Liam. They see your power growing, and they fear being forgotten."
Ice Queen stood at the edge of the tents, frost spiraling under bare feet, quiet as winter at midnight. She did not speak. She did not have to.
The system pulsed, cold text on hot blood.
> [System Alert]
Harem sync: 54 percent (danger threshold)
Instability nodes: Rena ↔ Elyra
Risk: bond fracture (moderate)
Recommendation: assert control or sacrifice bond
Zone Nine Overlord contact: 2 hours
Objective: prepare defense; stabilize bond core
Liam stepped forward, pulled Rena's sword from the ground with one hand, drove his own into the earth beside him, the metal ringing in the heat.
"I did not fight for this power to lose it to infighting."
He turned to Rena first. "You were there at the start. You fought beside me, you bled beside me."
Her eyes flicked to Elyra, fire and hurt. "And now I get to watch her wrap herself around you like she has already won."
Elyra smiled, sweet and sharp. "I did."
Liam lifted a hand. "Enough… both of you."
Rena checked him, held his stare—then gave a short nod. Elyra's hand fell away. The message landed.
Rena's jaw flexed. "I follow strength, Liam. Not whispers. Not tricks."
"Then follow me now," he said, closing the distance, voice rough, honest. "Prove you still believe."
She did not answer. She turned instead, walked to the training post, drove her blade into the wood, and began to work. Strike, pull, reset, again, again… clean, furious, controlled.
Vexa watched, then looked at Liam. "She wants a reason. Give it."
Sarya snapped a bolt into place, muttered without looking up. "Or lose her."
Kaelith's laugh was quick. "Fun."
Liam opened the map in his mind. Zone Nine's border pulsed red, a heartbeat that did not belong to him.
> [System Notice]
Zone Nine: threat extreme
Incoming contact: class unknown
Loyalty impact delay: 12 hours
Optional buff: Rena loyalty trial (personal duel)
Reward: loyalty core stabilized; territory defense boost
He pulled his sword free, turned once more.
"Rena. With me."
She stopped mid-swing, breath heavy, hair sticking to her cheek. "Why."
"Because you still follow me."
Her eyes narrowed, dark and bright. "Prove it."
She let her sword fall, stepped into the chalked ring. Bare hands. Bare truth.
Liam followed.
The others formed a circle, a quiet wall.
Elyra's silver gaze gleamed. "This will break her."
Kaelith grinned wider. "Or make her."
Frost threaded over Ice Queen's forearms, thin as lace.
Rena lifted her fists. "Come on, Overlord. Show me I still matter."
Liam moved.
They circled, boots whispering over dust, every muscle listening. Rena struck first, a clean jab that sliced air where his cheek had been. Her leg spun low, fast, hard. He caught it on his forearm, bones buzzing.
"No hesitation," she snapped. "That is not the man I followed."
He slipped inside the next punch, caught her wrist, turned it, made her step back.
"I am not hesitating," he said.
She ripped free, hammered a hook into his ribs. Pain flared, hot and honest. He grunted.
"You pulled that," she said.
He surged forward. "No… I didn't."
He drove them both down. They rolled, dust rising, bodies a knot of heat and will. Her thighs clamped around his waist, trying to turn him, to throw him. He caught her shoulders, held her fast.
"Say it," he growled. "Say you still follow."
"I followed a leader," she hissed, breath hard, eyes wild. "Not a man chasing numbers."
"I do not chase," he said, tightening, steady as iron, "I claim."
She slammed her forehead into his. Stars burst. He fell back, and she flowed over him, straddling his chest, fists high, hair wild, mouth open. One heartbeat… two… three.
"Then prove I am not just another piece of your system."
The hurt in her eyes did not ask for permission. It asked for truth.
He did not strike. He did not throw her. He took her wrists again, slower, gentler, unbreakable.
"You are not."
The ring held its breath.
Rena stared down at him, then, slowly, her fists lowered. She did not move away. She did not hide.
"You were first," Liam said, voice low, raw, only for her. "I do not forget."
The system answered.
> [System Alert]
Rena loyalty core: reinforced
New buff: Duel Guard (Rena), Tier II
Harem sync: 54% → 72%
Zone Nine contact: 90 minutes
Rena slid off his chest, sat in the dust, breath heaving. "You better not."
Kaelyn clapped once, soft, amused. "Romantic… messy… effective."
Sarya tossed a ration bar at his boots. "Eat. You will need it."
Vexa tilted her head. "She did not break you. Good."
Elyra's voice was velvet again. "She almost did."
Ice Queen stepped in, frost falling from her fingers like ash. "Control has been restored… for now."
Liam rose, wiped grit from his coat, rolled his shoulder until the ache settled. "I did not come this far to lose control."
The system pinged.
> [Alert]
Zone Nine raid force detected
Size: unknown
Approach: 80 minutes
Recommendation: prepare defense
Optional objective: seize market before enemy Overlord arrives
Kaelith twirled her dagger, bright eyes already hunting. "Break is over."
Liam looked to the horizon. Heat wavered. Banners snapped. Far off, a tower flashed like a tooth.
"We move now," he said.
Rena stood, lifted her sword, and fell into step. "We follow."
Kaelyn slid into the shadows between tents. Sarya shouldered her kit, lips finally curving at the thought of choke points. Vexa grinned at the promise of skulls. Elyra brushed Liam's sleeve, not clinging, only there. Ice Queen walked last, winter on bare feet, the air almost kind around her.
For now… unity held.
And the war was not waiting.