Chapter 14 – Name Pending… Maybe Not That One

Early morning sunlight filtered through the trees, birds chirped cheerily, and I was sitting cross-legged on a log with a piece of charcoal and a giant leaf, scribbling what I thought were epic guild names.

"What about… 'Stormblaze Wolfstrike'?" I said, spinning the leaf around like it was a sacred document.

Silence.

Lina raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like a twelve-year-old's username in a PvP game."

"Okay, okay," I muttered, crossing it out. "What about… 'Sword Bros United'?"

Iris, without looking up from her magical notebook, simply said, "We are not all male. And none of us are related."

"Details," I grumbled. "It's a working title."

"No," Lina said flatly, biting into an apple. "It's a cry for help."

Look, naming a guild was hard. I wanted something cool, something legendary, something that screamed "we're heroes but also very kissable." But so far, all my ideas either sounded like failed heavy metal bands or extremely suspect dating apps.

"Alright, alright," I said, trying again. "How about… The Guild Formerly Known As?"

Lina facepalmed so hard the birds flew off the branches above us.

"Raizen," she said, "you're not naming us like it's a meme from the Old Era."

"What? It's ironic. I read irony is in this season."

Iris finally glanced up. "You also tried to name us 'Cool Sword Dudes.' Do you even own a sword?"

I gestured to my basic beginner's blade, which was currently stuck in a patch of dirt like it had given up on life. "Technically."

"I vote we take away his naming privileges," Lina muttered.

"Agreed," Iris said immediately.

"Hey! This was my guild idea!" I protested.

"And now," Lina said, standing and dramatically grabbing a stick like it was a royal scepter, "as your fiery co-founder, I motion to rename it something not stupid."

I narrowed my eyes. "Like what?"

She paused. "Okay, I don't have anything yet. But we're workshopping it."

I sighed, dramatically crumpling the leaf and tossing it over my shoulder. "Fine. Then we vote. Everyone gets one serious idea. And whoever comes up with something decent… wins."

"Wins what?" Lina asked.

I blinked. "Uh… bragging rights. And the first slice of cake when we can afford one."

"Deal."

We each took five minutes in silence, writing on actual paper this time—thanks to Iris's bottomless inventory, which I was starting to suspect was just a portable dimension full of office supplies.

Finally, we gathered around and read our entries.

Iris went first.

"'Order of Temporal Unity,'" she read aloud.

We stared.

"That's… elegant," Lina admitted. "Bit serious, though."

"It reflects our party's multidimensional synergy," Iris added.

"No idea what that means, but cool," I said.

Lina read hers next.

"'Flamebound Misfits.'"

"Oooh," I said. "That actually slaps."

"Sounds a little angsty," Iris noted.

"I am a little angsty," Lina shot back.

And then… it was my turn.

I took a deep breath and unfolded my note.

"'Linked Hearts.'"

They went quiet.

"No jokes?" I asked.

Lina gave a small smile. "It's not bad. Sweet, actually."

Iris nodded slowly. "It aligns with the System's connection mechanics. Thematically consistent."

"I was kinda thinking," I said, scratching my head, "we've all got reasons we're together, right? Different powers, different pasts, different problems. But maybe… being linked isn't a bug. It's the point."

I realized I was rambling. "Also, it just sounds nice."

There was a pause.

Then Lina grinned. "Okay. Temporary name. Linked Hearts. Until someone thinks of something better."

"Agreed," Iris said.

"Victory!" I stood, raising both arms dramatically like I'd just won a war. "Now let's fill out the paperwork and file it with—oh wait, we don't have a license yet."

"Then it's unofficially official," Lina said, tossing me an apple. "You get to be acting Guildmaster. Just… don't tell anyone we named it after emotional bonding. We'll get bullied."

"No promises," I said, biting into the fruit triumphantly.

And just like that, "Linked Hearts" was born.

Kind of.

Sort of.

Okay, technically we were just three dorks sitting in the woods with no building, no funding, no rank, and definitely no matching outfits.

But in my heart?

It was the beginning of something big.

End of Chapter 14