Merin looks at the white flame in his hand.
The flame shifts into the shape of a rose, and after a few adjustments, even human eyes couldn't tell it wasn't real.
The rose reshapes into an arrow, and Merin fires it toward a straw dummy placed for target practice.
The straw ignites before the arrow even strikes, and when it does, it explodes into ash—the ground beneath burning in white flame before it slowly fades back to orange and disappears.
The white flame, reaching nearly 1500 degrees Celsius, is the foundation for the second palm of the technique he created: Fire God Palm Technique.
Merin wonders what colour the flame would become if the temperature climbed further—but that's for later.
Right now, he needs to stabilise the white flame into a usable palm strike.
He continues training, repeating the motion over and over, when less than ten minutes pass before he has to stop—someone is calling him again and again.
Merin frowns, surprised by the urgency.
It's not his father—if it were, he'd have called his mother by now.
Merin walks over to the bench and picks up his phone.
Evelyn's name flashes on the screen.
He answers, "Hello."
Her voice comes sharp and annoyed, "Why weren't you picking up my call?"
Merin freezes, then slowly sits down.
"Did you really start believing I'm your boyfriend?" he says, "that I have to pick up your calls?"
There's silence on the other end.
He exhales. "So, why did you call?"
Evelyn answers, quieter now, "You're leaving tomorrow evening."
"I told you that yesterday."
"I know. But everyone believes we're in a relationship now—and if you leave tomorrow, shouldn't we spend as much time together as we can?"
Merin thinks for a moment.
She's right.
Their chance to spend time together might vanish after this.
He does like her a little.
"Alright," he says. "What do you want to do?"
"Let's go on a date."
He hesitates, then decides. "Okay. When?"
"An hour from now. I'll come pick you up."
"Fine."
She ends the call with a soft beep.
Merin sighs, puts the phone in his pocket, and walks back into the house.
As he climbs the stairs to his room, his mother's voice rises from the living room, "You finished training early. Going somewhere?"
"I have a date with Evelyn," he replies, not slowing his steps.
"I was wondering when you'd go on a date with her today."
"In an hour."
She's quiet for a moment, then asks, "What'll happen to your relationship? You're leaving tomorrow."
Merin answers, "We've decided to try long distance."
His mother hums thoughtfully as he disappears into his room.
An hour later, Merin opens the car's front passenger door and gets in, clicking the seatbelt into place.
Evelyn starts the car, and the tires roll smoothly onto the road.
On the main street, Merin glances at her. "They let you drive alone?"
"I'm with you," Evelyn says with a faint smile. "They know you can handle any immediate danger."
Merin nods, then looks out the window at the passing streets.
Curious, he asks, "So—where are we going?"
Merin nods as Evelyn lists their plans—amusement park, games, rides, movie, dinner—until she casually adds, "and finally, our hotel room."
He freezes. "Wait. What do you mean hotel room?"
Evelyn doesn't look at him. "We're twenty-one, Adam. Everyone would get suspicious if we didn't spend the night together—or at least as much time as we can before you leave."
Merin stares at her. "Seriously? We have to spend the night together now?"
She shrugs. "When I was leaving the house, Jennifer asked which hotel we'd be staying in. She even recommended one—told me which has the best service."
"It's not necessary to actually stay overnight just to make people believe we're dating," Merin says.
Evelyn replies, "You're leaving tomorrow. We're claiming a long-distance relationship after just a few days of dating. It won't be believable unless they think we're emotionally—and physically—close."
Merin leans back. "So, to make everyone believe this fake relationship is real, we have to act like we've slept together?"
"Exactly. I want everyone to be completely convinced we're in a relationship."
Merin glances at her. "Then why don't you find a real boyfriend?"
Evelyn smiles faintly. "Because I want to stay single and enjoy my time."
He stares straight ahead. "If I hear anything about you 'enjoying your time' with other guys—I'm ending this fake relationship immediately."
Evelyn glances at him. "Are you jealous?"
Merin replies flatly, "I just don't want to be a joke."
"Then it works both ways," she says. "If either of us wants to start something with someone else, we talk about it first."
Merin nods, already knowing she'll probably be the one to end things. He knows himself well—he won't chase romance. He'll bury himself in training, like always.
A few minutes later, the car stops, and hand in hand, they walk into the amusement park.
The paparazzi haven't left—cameras flash as they pass through the entrance.
Merin and Evelyn start with a few games, then enter the haunted house. She clings to him for show, but Merin hardly reacts to the scares. After that, they take a few rides, laugh a little, and later have lunch together.
They spend the afternoon wandering, playing more games, and simply enjoying the fading sunlight.
As the sky darkens and the hour nears for their movie, they leave the park.
They watch the film, have dinner at a quiet restaurant, and during the wait for their food, Merin sends a quick message to his mother letting her know he won't be home tonight.
Bored, he scrolls through his phone—and freezes.
Their names are trending.
At the top of Terrilyn's local feed, dozens of articles speculate about them. His entire background has been picked apart with a magnifying glass.
And the most common question?
How did they meet?
Every article seems to have its own theory, none of them true.
----
Elsewhere, an hour later, Kieran stares at his tablet screen, jaw clenched as a photo loads—Evelyn and Adam entering a hotel together.
His face twists in a scowl.
The device flies from his hand, shattering against the wall.
He doesn't love Evelyn.
He never even planned to marry her.
The engagement was supposed to be a stepping stone—use her name, enjoy her for a while, then break it off.
That was the deal he promised his family back in Tobeland.
He bragged he'd get engaged, use it to establish a base in Terrilyn, and eventually swallow the Manford family company—maybe even take their council seat.
But now?
Everything's falling apart before it even began.
All because of Adam.
Eyes red with fury, he snatches another phone from the desk and dials Evelyn's mother.
The line clicks.
"Hello?" comes her voice.
He takes a deep breath, voice tight. "Aunty… what about your promise?"
Silence.
Then she finally says, "I'm sorry, Kieran. Evelyn and the rest of the family don't agree with the plan."
He closes his eyes, another long breath to keep himself from snapping.
He still has to be polite. She might've been his mother-in-law.
"Aunty… then I'm afraid there won't be any business deal."
A pause.
Then her voice returns, soft but final. "I understand, Kieran. And I truly am sorry."
A Sudden Turn
The line went dead. Kieran glared at his phone for a moment before looking at his secretary. "Set a meeting with the heads of the Myer, Valemont, and Sedric families. I want the Manfords to lose everything."
His secretary hesitated. "Sir, there's new information you should know about them before making that decision."
Kieran's brow furrowed. "What new information?"
"Sir, earlier today, the heads of the Myer, Valemont, and Sedric families had dinner with Rita. We received intelligence that they were discussing a collaboration on a project."
Kieran's eyes narrowed. This might explain why Aunt Rita hadn't seemed concerned when he'd threatened to withhold their deal. But a crucial question remained. "Who is funding them?"
"Our analysis indicates the funding is coming from the Manford family," his secretary replied.
"The Manford family?" Kieran repeated, his voice laced with suspicion. "How did they raise capital for a new project?"
"We don't know yet, sir," she admitted.
"Then find out," Kieran ordered, his gaze intense.
A few minutes passed in silence. Then, his secretary spoke, her voice tentative. "Sir, may I leave? My child is alone in the hotel room."
Kieran looked at her, a predatory glint in his eyes as a thought formed. A way to alleviate his mounting tension. "Let's go. I want to take a bath. You wash me."
He rose and walked towards the bathroom, shedding his clothes as he went, entering the room naked. His secretary, her face unreadable, followed him in.
A few minutes later, as the water ran, a different thought surfaced in Kieran's mind.
He remembered Adam would be joining the Karst Crystal Research Institute.
Tristan, he mused, should find that news interesting.