The morning after felt almost too perfect.
Sunlight warmed the estate. The scent of blooming jasmine drifted through the air. Inside, laughter echoed faintly—Phuwin chasing Pond around the kitchen with a spoon of overly sweet tea, Joong groaning dramatically about sleeping on the floor, Dunk half-asleep in his lap.
Off and Gun were watching the chaos from the veranda with quiet joy, arms loosely wrapped around each other.
Until the gate buzzed.
It wasn't the casual, lazy buzz of a friend arriving. This was short. Sharp. Urgent.
Gun stood first. "I'll get it—"
But Pond was already at the door.
He didn't look rushed. He didn't look afraid.
He looked *ready*.
Like something inside him had already sensed what was coming.
When he opened the gate, six figures stood beyond it—cloaked, dignified, cold.
The **Council of the Clans.**
At the front was the silver-eyed elder woman from the mountain—the one who had broken him, shaped him, and released him.
She was the only one who didn't flinch when she saw him.
"Enigma," she greeted.
Phuwin, appearing at his side, slipped a hand into Pond's. "His name is *Pond*."
The woman's eyes flickered—acknowledging, not apologizing.
"This is not a friendly visit."
"I didn't think it was," Pond said evenly. "Come in."
They gathered in the sitting room, where the weight of history seemed to press down on them.
Gun served tea. Off and pond sat beside Phuwin, a protective hand on his shoulder. Joong stood near Dunk, one arm around his waist. Gemini, Fourth, Perth, and Santa filtered in quietly, tension rippling in the air like thunder before a storm.
The elder spoke, her voice calm, but heavy.
"The Mirror Court has resurfaced."
Gasps broke the silence.
"They were disbanded," Off said slowly. "Destroyed—"
"Scattered," the woman corrected. "But not destroyed. And now they are gathering again. Stronger. More vengeful."
"What do they want?" Phuwin asked softly.
She looked directly at Pond. "*Him.*"
Pond's jaw clenched.
"They believe if they capture the Enigma—the Alpha born of all lineages, the chaos-blooded, the unbound—they can twist him into a weapon. A god of destruction."
"Over my dead body," Pond growled.
"That," she said, "is exactly what they're planning."
Joong stepped forward. "Then let them come. We've faced worse."
"No," the woman said. "This is different. They've already made a move. A small clan in the northern outlands was wiped out three nights ago. No survivors. No warning. Only a sigil burned into the stone."
She handed Pond a scroll.
He unrolled it.
The sigil was a **mirror cracked down the middle**, bleeding black ink.
Phuwin inhaled sharply.
"They're coming," the elder said. "And you must be ready."
"I *am* ready," Pond said. His voice was low, chilling. "I was born for this."
The elder rose. "Then prove it. Call your allies. Strengthen your bonds. You must fight as more than a weapon—you must fight as a *pack*."
As the council turned to leave, she paused and looked at Phuwin.
"Stand close to him. Because when the Enigma is hurt... the world bleeds."
And with that, they were gone.
Later That Night
Phuwin sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the scroll.
Pond entered quietly, fresh from the training hall, his shirt clinging to his skin, muscles tense.
"Phuwin."
Phuwin looked up.
And Pond was there—kneeling in front of him, hands on his thighs, head resting against his chest.
"I won't let them take you," Pond whispered. "Even if I have to burn everything. Even if I lose myself again."
Phuwin cupped his face. "You won't lose yourself. You're not what they want you to believe."
Pond's hands clutched him tighter. "You don't get it. I *need* you. Not want. Not love. *Need.* Without you... that thing inside me starts to rise again."
Phuwin kissed his forehead. "Then I'll stay. Always."
And Pond's breath shuddered—relief and obsession tangled in it like smoke and flame.
Outside the Room
Gun whispered to Off, "Do you think he's becoming dangerous again?"
Off looked at the closed door. "He never stopped being dangerous. But now he's dangerous for love. For *Phuwin*. That makes him lethal."
Gun swallowed. "Will it save him? Or destroy him?"
Off didn't answer.
But the wind outside howled.
And somewhere in the distance, a mirror cracked.
The Naravit estate, once a quiet haven, was alive with purpose.
The garden was transformed into a training field. Wooden dummies replaced flowerbeds. Target boards lined the hedges. Swords and staffs glittered on racks where rosebushes used to bloom.
Off led morning drills. "You don't have to be perfect," he barked, "you just have to be *alive* when it ends."
Pond stood like a general, but fought like a storm. Shirtless, his arms wrapped in black bandages, he moved with terrifying precision. When he fought Joong, sparks flew—clash after clash.
"Careful," Joong panted. "One of these days, you're gonna take my head off."
"Only if you keep dropping your guard," Pond said, but there was a smile in it—small, rare, and real.
Nearby, Dunk was learning pressure-point defense from Gun. He struggled, but every time he fell, he looked up at Joong—who gave him a thumbs up—and got back up again.
Phuwin trained too.
Pond didn't want him to. He'd argued, even growled.
But Phuwin had looked him dead in the eye and said, "I won't be the reason you die protecting me."
So he trained with Gemini and Fourth. Swift, graceful movements. Focused breath. Centered soul.
Pond watched from a distance, fists clenched, barely resisting the urge to interfere.
"He's stronger than you think," Off said, stepping beside him.
"I *know* he is," Pond said darkly. "I just don't want him hurt. Ever."
"He *will* be," Off replied. "But you can trust him to stand."
That evening, the whole group sat around the fire again. Weary, bruised—but united.
Santa leaned against Perth, who gently wrapped an arm around his waist.
Gemini rested his head on Fourth's lap while the latter hummed something soft.
Joong had one arm around Dunk, the other holding an ice pack to his ribs. "I'm too old for this," he muttered. Dunk just kissed his temple.
Pond had Phuwin in his lap again. His arms around his Omega's waist, his chin on his shoulder. Watching. Always watching.
"You're clinging," Phuwin teased gently.
"You're mine," Pond whispered back. "If they want you, they'll have to carve through me."
"You're still talking like I'm fragile," Phuwin murmured. "I *won't* break."
Pond's eyes darkened, his grip tightening. "No. But if they even *try* to touch you, I'll tear them limb from limb. You're my only peace, Phuwin. The only thing that keeps the Enigma inside me from devouring the world."
Phuwin kissed his jaw. "Then we'll face this world together."
Elsewhere — The Mirror Court Rises
Far from the estate, in a hidden ruin surrounded by dead trees and cold mist, the **Mirror Court** gathered.
They wore masks—glass and obsidian. Their leader stood at the center, his mask cracked, his voice venomous.
"Pond Naravit," he hissed. "The Enigma. The mistake the clans tried to bury. He has awoken."
A woman in white, eyes glowing silver, whispered, "His heart is bound to an Omega. That is his weakness."
Another voice: "The pack around him is loyal. They will not betray."
The leader lifted a black blade and pointed it at a map—marked with the estate.
"Then we burn it all. We take the Omega first. We break the Alpha from the inside out. And then... we *unleash* him."
Their plan was simple:
* Divide the pack.
* Target Phuwin.
* Use Pond's love against him.
And at the edge of the chamber, a child no older than ten sat chained in silver, his eyes glowing faintly gold.
"The Seer said it," the leader sneered. "His downfall starts with *choice*."
The others chanted in low tones, the cracked mirror above them glowing faintly.
Back at the Estate
Phuwin stood alone on the balcony that night, wind brushing his cheeks. He felt something... strange. Like a breath on the back of his neck. A warning.
Pond appeared behind him.
Without saying a word, he wrapped his arms around him and pressed his forehead to the back of Phuwin's neck.
"You feel it too," Pond whispered. "Don't you?"
Phuwin didn't answer. He just nodded once.
And beneath the stars, something shifted in the air.
The Mirror Court was coming.
And the Enigma was waiting.