Chapter Ten

The Division 4 base, once roaring with laughter and celebration, had settled into a peaceful hum. The air was still thick with warmth, the lingering echoes of joy clinging to the wooden walls like a fond embrace.

Downstairs, the tavern was a picture of contentment—bodies sprawled across tables and the floor, deep in the grasp of sleep. Their chests rose and fell steadily, their faces relaxed, softened by the glow of satisfaction. Empty mugs and half-finished plates sat forgotten, evidence of a night well spent. The warmth of burning embers in the hearth cast a golden light over the room, wrapping the slumbering knights in its gentle embrace.

Upstairs, the quiet was just as comforting. In one room, Yoon lay curled up beside Truth, her breaths slow and steady. Truth's arm rested protectively over her, their peaceful expressions mirroring the unspoken trust between them.

In another room, the three brothers—Kenji, Yushiro, and Takahiro—lay stretched out on their beds, exhaustion weighing down their limbs. Though their bodies begged for rest, sleep had not yet claimed them. Instead, they lay in the dim glow of candlelight, listening to the faint sounds of their home—the distant murmur of wind outside, the soft snores from down the hall, the occasional creak of wooden beams shifting.

Kenji let out a slow breath, staring at the ceiling. "We really did it, huh?"

Yushiro, curled up with his arms behind his head, smiled lazily. "Yeah… we did."

Takahiro chuckled, closing his eyes. "Welcome to Division 4, I guess."

A comfortable silence followed, filled only by the warmth of knowing that, for the first time in a long while, they belonged.

Outside, the stars watched over them, twinkling like distant embers in the vast sky. The base, once alive with cheers and clinking glasses, now rested in the embrace of the night, its warmth undiminished, its spirit unbroken.