They left the guild.

Or tried to.

Lira reached the entrance, saw the sunlight in its midday splendor, and stopped.

Aethon’s sun at that hour wasn’t the faint dawn that had come through the window. It was the full sun, direct, the kind that leaves no shadows at any angle.

Lira looked at it.

Thought about it.

"Go out," Serah said from behind.

"The light is—"

"You already know it does nothing."

"I know that intellectually." Lira looked at the sun.

"But my body—"

"Get out there, we don’t have all day."

Lira went out.

It lasted four seconds.

SS speed carried her back inside the guild in less than one.

"IT WAS BURNING ME!" she said, with the vocal energy of the previous day’s scream but in a different register.

"I COULD FEEL IT! THE HEAT!"

Kai looked at her.

"That’s normal."

"IT’S NOT NORMAL!"

"For someone who hasn’t gone out during the day for eight hundred years, it is." Kai paused.

"It’s like when a person who never leaves their house all day finally goes out. The sun hits differently."

Lira processed this.

"That," she said, "is the most humiliating thing anyone has said to me in eight centuries."

"More than the scream from yesterday?"

Lira didn’t answer.

"I’m definitely not going out," she finally said.

---

[GarcíaFTW: FOUR SECONDS AND SHE CAME BACK SCREAMING]

[NocheEterna99: "IT WAS BURNING ME!" — yesterday’s scream but in a different version]

[StreamerHunter: "that’s the most humiliating thing anyone has said to me in eight centuries" / "more than the scream from yesterday?" — KAI.]

[DragonicLegacy: Lira SS eight-hundred-year-old vampire defeated by normal sun. DEFEATED.]

[Jac_Moore: Lira’s arc is so random]

[Mist_Of_Death: Kai has to do something about it]

[RagingMutant: ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(; ̄◇ ̄)┘Lira when she felt the heat on her body ε=ε=ε=ε=┌(; ̄◇ ̄)┘]

[Pedro_Sierra: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) I have an idea ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

---

[System — notification]

[Gifts received — massive chat collaboration:]

[Black leather jacket — materialized]

[Red blouse with V-neck — materialized]

[White pants — materialized]

[Sunglasses — materialized]

[Black leather gloves — materialized]

[Participating users: GarcíaFTW, NocheEterna99, StreamerHunter, DragonicLegacy, Jac_Moore, Mist_Of_Death, RagingMutant, Pedro_Sierra and 12,447 additional viewers]

The objects appeared neatly stacked in front of Lira at the center of the guild.

Lira looked at them.

Looked at them.

Looked at them again.

"Where did...?"

"Chat," Kai said. "The viewers from my world. They sent you things."

Lira picked up the sunglasses. She examined them with the concentration of someone evaluating an unknown weapon.

She put them on.

She stayed still for a moment.

Then, with the posture she’d held for eight hundred years of aristocratic existence but now with sunglasses and a leather jacket, she turned toward the entire guild.

"Subjects," she said, with the tone of someone addressing an entire court, "your devotion to me has been—"

"They’re not your subjects," Kai said.

"They’re my admirers."

"Not that either."

"They are people who recognize greatness when they see it."

Kai looked at her.

"Alright," he said.

---

[GarcíaFTW: HAHAHAHA "SUBJECTS"]

[NocheEterna99: HER ATTITUDE RETURNED THE MOMENT SHE HAD THE JACKET]

[StreamerHunter: from "I give up" to "subjects" in less than ten minutes]

[DragonicLegacy: we’re her admirers now. I don’t care. I accept it.]

[Jac_Moore: welcome to the Lira fandom]

[Mist_Of_Death: Kai said "alright" because he knows there’s no way to win that argument]

[RagingMutant: (; ̄◇ ̄) her "subjects" sent her things]

[Pedro_Sierra: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) the plan worked ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

---

Serah looked at the materialized objects.

Then at Kai.

"I want some too."

Kai looked at her.

"The clothes I always wear get worn out," Serah said, with the neutrality of someone presenting a reasonable argument. "Especially after fights."

Kai thought about the clothes the chat had sent her in the dungeon — the ones Serah saved "for future use" and that he definitely didn’t want her wearing in public.

"Ask the subjects, that’s what they’re for," Lira responded.

---

[System — notification]

[Chat has received Serah’s request]

[Processing...]

[Gifts for Serah:]

[Casual outfit — black top, dark pants — materialized]

[Training outfit — materialized]

[Formal outfit — materialized]

[Special outfit — from an anonymous viewer — materialized with note: "for nights with Kai 😉"]

Serah received everything with the calm nod of someone accepting what’s rightfully theirs.

She looked at the special outfit.

Put it away.

Without saying anything.

Kai looked the other way.

"Don’t use the chat as your sponsors..."

Lira looked at the two of them.

"Is there somewhere to change?" she said, with the tone of someone asking where the restroom is in a mansion.

"Yes," Serah said. "I’ll take you where we live."

Kai looked at the two of them.

"I can wait for you at the city entrance."

---

[GarcíaFTW: KAI LEFT FAST]

[NocheEterna99: "I can wait for you at the entrance" — he left before anyone said anything else]

[StreamerHunter: the anonymous viewer with the special outfit. THERE’S ALWAYS ONE.]

[DragonicLegacy: Serah put it away without commenting. Kai looked the other way. PERFECT COORDINATION.]

[Jac_Moore: the system logged everything. The system always logs everything.]

[Mist_Of_Death: Lira going to Kai’s house. Serah taking Lira to Kai’s house. This is a development.]

[RagingMutant: Kai’s situation gets more complicated]

[Pedro_Sierra: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) Kai waiting at the entrance ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) nervous ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)]

---

Back on the wall:

"And that," Kai said, looking at the horizon, "is how I ended up here."

The guard nodded slowly.

"With a primordial wolf and a vampire duchess waiting for you to take them on a mission?"

"Yes."

"And they’re both living with you now?"

"Apparently."

The guard processed this.

"Do you need anything?"

"No."

"Sure?"

"Yes."

The guard looked back at the horizon.

---

They arrived together.

Kai saw them from the wall before climbing down.

Serah first — the casual outfit the chat had sent, silver markings visible on her forearms, hair loose. Same as always.

Different for some reason Kai didn’t try to name.

Lira behind her — black leather jacket over the red V-neck blouse, white pants, black gloves, sunglasses.

Kai climbed down from the wall.

He stopped in front of Lira.

Looked at her.

"You look good."

Lira adjusted her glasses.

"It’s obvious."

Serah walked past his side — not subtly, directly, placing herself in front of both of them with her markings pulsing at the rhythm Kai already recognized as ’I want attention right now.’

Kai looked her up and down.

Slowly. Completely.

Twice.

"Just as beautiful as always," he said.

The silver markings flared.

Lira looked at the two of them with the expression of someone filing information away for future use.

"Where are we going?" she said.

Kai took one of the red sheets out of his pocket.

He unfolded it.

Read it.

---

QUEST — CLASSIFICATION: IMPOSSIBLE

Western sector — Fortress of Grimvast

Description: ancient structure of unknown origin that appeared three weeks ago in the mountain pass. It emits an aura pressure that has paralyzed four S-rank teams and dissolved two A-rank teams. Scouts report sounds from within. Threat classification: open. No one has entered and returned with usable information.

Payment: the Regional Council will set the price according to the result.

Note from guildmaster Aldric: please do not accept this quest.

Kai folded the paper.

Put it away.

"There’s an ancient fortress in the western sector," he said. "No one knows what’s inside. Four S-rank teams couldn’t get in."

Lira adjusted her glasses.

"And?"

"And we’re going in."

Serah looked toward the western sector.

"When?"

"Now."

Lira looked at the two of them.

Then at the sun.

"I’ll need proper sun protection during the journey."

"You have the glasses."

"The glasses don’t cover everything."

"Serah can cover you with her temperature aura."

Serah looked at him.

"I’m not doing that."

"Please?"

Serah’s markings pulsed.

"Once."

---

[GarcíaFTW: ANCIENT FORTRESS. NO ONE HAS ENTERED AND RETURNED.]

[NocheEterna99: "note from guildmaster Aldric: please do not accept this quest" — ALDRIC KNEW.]

[StreamerHunter: viewers: 13,400,000. THIRTEEN MILLION.]

[DragonicLegacy: Serah protecting Lira from the sun reluctantly. GROUP DYNAMIC ESTABLISHED.]

[Jac_Moore: "once" — Serah setting limits from day one]

[Mist_Of_Death: Kai said "please" to Serah..]

[RagingMutant: IMPOSSIBLE FORTRESS WITH THREE PEOPLE]

[Pedro_Sierra: ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ NEW ARC ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ]

[System — notification]

[New party registered]

[Members: Kai Reno — Rankless / Serah — SSS / Lira — SS]

[Current viewers: 13,400,000]