On a night before Yuan Zi-Cheng ever set foot in the world known as Arina, the gourmet district of Hazelton bustled with life as usual.

  Laughter and lively chatter spilled into the streets as fighters fresh from their victories at the arena celebrated their triumphs. The scent of sizzling meats and aged ale mingled with the cool night breeze, wrapping the district in an intoxicating warmth.

  Amid the revelry, a tavern stood out with a massive pair of bull horns mounted above its entrance—The Drunken Bull.

  Inside, the cheers were deafening.

  “To Julia, our newly promoted Silver-Tier Combatant!”

  At the age of twenty-one, Julia Kinsley was among the youngest Silver-Tier combatants in Hazelton Arena’s history. Yet, as she stood in the bar, seamlessly blending in with the veteran city guards, her neatly braided chestnut-brown hair and elegant indigo dress stood in stark contrast to the battle-hardened image most would know her by.

  "And I’m telling you all, we’re on a roll here! Next up, our captain will hit the Gold-Tier, and we’ll be back here celebrating in no time!”

  Torenzo York, an old-timer who had been with the ward of city guards for a decade, hollered as he staggered forward with a half-drunken grin, his unkempt curls a mess as usual. With a sloppy sway, he lifted his tankard towards a man lounging against the tavern’s worn-out leather sofa.

  That was his squad’s captain, the Silver Axe – Chris Coleman.

  Chris had just turned twenty-seven that year. Though not the highest-ranking officer in the force, his sharp instincts and pragmatic nature had won him the respect and trust of his colleagues, earning him a reputation as a rising star among the city guard’s ranks.

  At Torenzo’s toast, Chris ran his hand over the stubble lining his jaw, then let out a low chuckle. Without a word, he grabbed his bottle and tipped it back, downing everything in one go.

  Just then, Julia waved through the crowd with two fresh glasses in hand. As she set the tankards down with a sharp thud, the amber liquid inside gleamed under the tavern lights, its rich aroma unmistakably finer than the usual swill.

  “Brother, a toast to you.”

  Chris wasn’t one to turn down a drink, especially not when it came from his own little sister. With a grin, he grabbed the handle and took a deep swig. Across from him, Julia wrapped her fingers around her own tankard, giving it a slow, deliberate swirl before bringing it to her lips.

  One bold. One refined.

  The contrast was almost theatrical, drawing another round of cheers from the squad.

  “Julia, just join our ranks already!”

  “With you and Cap teaming up, the other squads would never dare look down on us!”

  Chris raised a brow, his smirk laced with mischief as he leaned back.

  “So what you’re saying is… without Julia, our squad is just a laughingstock to the others?”

  The moment those words left Chris’s mouth, Torenzo, the man who started the conversation froze on the spot, then, without another second of hesitation, he bolted.

  Chris barely held back his laughter before the entire tavern erupted once more.

  The siblings watched their squadmates laughing and roughhousing across the tavern, the lively scene pulling them back to memories of their childhood. But just as Chris turned to Julia, she beat him to it.

  “Chris, I know what you’re about to say…. Just give me a little more time, alright?”

  For a moment, her eyes dimmed, a hint of something slipping through before she quickly buried it. “I never had big plans like you. Joining the city guards… it was never something I saw myself doing….”

  Chris sighed, setting his drink down, the warmth of the night seemed to fade from his mood.

  “You’re still thinking about him.”

  He knew exactly what she couldn’t let go of. And she knew his temper all too well.

  “Let’s not do this now. Can we just enjoy ourselves, for tonight?”

  Looking back, Julia knew it was Chris’s stubborn nature that had pushed them to leave home. Once he set his mind on something, there was no stopping him. It was the very trait that earned him his position, yet at the same time, it had built a wall between them.

  While Chris was about to press the topic further, the tavern doors suddenly burst open.

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  “Julia! Chris!”

  A red-haired boy stood at the entrance, his frame small and wiry, and his youthful features still clinging to traces of childhood. Behind him, two older teens and a striking young man with brown hair stepped inside.

  Dressed in worn, patched-up clothes, the four looked completely out of place among the city guards in the tavern. Yet the moment Julia saw them, her eyes lit up, and pure joy washed over her face.

  “Karl, Karen, and Pepe too! What are you all doing here?”

  Though Julia was clearly overjoyed by her friends’ sudden appearance, Chris didn’t share her enthusiasm. Without a word, he shifted in front of her, blocking her path.

  Across the room, Torenzo squinted.

  “Oi! This is a private gathering for the market district ward. The place is off-limits to outsiders tonight.”

  There was no aggression in his tone, yet the weight behind his words was enough to make most people hesitate.

  Or so Torenzo thought.

  The red-haired boy’s jaw tightened, his posture tensing. But before he could snap back, the young man behind him casually patted his shoulder – a silent cue to stand down.

  Then, without a hint of urgency, the green-eyed man stepped forward, his emerald gaze swept across the tavern, taking in the atmosphere with an air of quiet amusement. The lantern light flickered across his face, casting shifting shadows against his sharp features.

  Instead of bristling under Torenzo’s words, he left out a light chuckle, tilting his head ever so slightly. “Is that so?” he mused, the smooth cadence of his voice slipping through the air.

  Not the reaction anyone expected.

  Then came a smile – easy, confident, yet carrying something almost unreadable beneath it.

  “Then I suppose there’s no problem, since I wouldn’t count as an outside now, would I, Chris?”

  His tone was light, almost playful, yet his words sliced through the tension like a well-honed blade.

  There was something about him. Maybe it was his posture, the effortless way he carried himself, or the quiet confidence in his emerald eyes. His clothes were simple, yet there was an unmistakable air about him, something just a little too refined for someone dressed so plainly.

  The tavern fell silent.

  Nobody knew this guy, but he clearly knew them.

  Confused glances were exchanged, but it wasn’t Chris who reacted first.

  “Eyren!”

  It was Julia.

  As she took a step forward, Chris caught her by the wrist.

  “Eyren Yugard. What are you doing here?”

  There was no warmth in Chris’s voice, but Eyren didn’t seem the least bit bothered. Instead, he offered a smile with his arms opened as if he was about to embrace his old friend.

  “My dear friend, I’m here, of course, to offer Julia my heartfelt congratulations.”

  With practiced ease, he strolled through the tavern, the three younger teens trailing behind him like attendants. By the time anyone could react, he was already kneeling before Julia, lifting her hand with deliberate grace before pressing a kiss to the back of her hand.

  “It’s been too long, Julia.”

  “Eyren….”

  Their eyes met, and for a brief moment, nothing else needed to be said.

  “Julia! Congratulations on your Silver-Tier promotion!”

  “We watched your match! You were amazing in the ring! We tried to copy your move, but we just couldn’t get it right, can you show us how you did it?”

  The younger teens bombarded her with excitement, their voices overlapping in a rush. Yet Julia bloomed like a flower in spring, her laughter lighting up the room. Even Chris, as stubborn as he was, had no choice but to step aside.

  “Guess what, Julia! We even brought you a gift! Eyren helped us pick it out!”

  Karl practically bounced on his feet as he pulled out a small package wrapped in worn cloth. But just as he was about to hand it over, Chris’s voice cut through.

  “Karl, how many times do I have to tell you? We don’t accept stolen gifts.”

  “But we took on a job and bought this with our own money!”

  Chris was momentarily taken aback by Karl's words. While Karl's face scrunched up in protest, he thrust the package forward, revealing a simple scarf.

  “This is beautiful….” As Julia draped the scarf around her neck, her smile was the brightest it had been all night.

  Pepe huffed, rubbing his nose. “Man, you’re as strict as ever. It’s like you never left the—” He stopped mid-sentence, blinking as if only now realizing what he had just said. His mouth opened, then shut, a flicker of hesitation crossing his face.

  Too late.

  Scratching the back of his head, he forced a laugh. “Ah… well, you know. Seeker Corp and all that.”

  The name hung in the air.

  Chris and Eyren locked eyes for a split second. The connection was instant, as natural as the reckless days when they sprinted through Hazelton’s streets together.

  But that was a lifetime ago.

  For a split second, Chris almost smirked. A reflex, an hold habit.

  But the moment passed.

  The man standing before him wasn’t the friend he once knew. Somewhere along the way, their paths had drifted too far apart.

  One devoted himself to upholding order and keeping Hazelton safe. The other built a life in the city’s shadows, raising a handful of street kids while walking the razor’s edge of survival.

  Did it matter who turned away first?

  Their path had already diverged.

  There was no reason to look back, and yet, fate had a cruel way of forcing things back together.

  Tonight, right here in The Drunken Bull, the past had walked through the door, dragging them into one last reunion before they went their separate ways for good.