The soft glow of the estate's hallway lights cast long shadows as Mia and John excused themselves, leaving the two boys alone.

  "We need to prepare some documents and handle the adoption process," Mia had said gently before she and John departed, their steps fading down the corridor.

  Zarn barely had time to let that sink in before Arth turned to him with an eager grin, eyes gleaming with uncontained excitement.

  "I always wanted a big brother!" Arth blurted out, bouncing on his feet. "And now I have one! This is gonna be awesome! We're gonna train together, spar together, eat together—oh! I gotta show you my favorite spots in the estate! And my collection of beast figurines! And—"

  Zarn sighed, but there was no annoyance in it. Arth's enthusiasm was infectious in its own way, and while it was a strange feeling to suddenly have someone attach themselves to him like this, he didn't find it unpleasant.

  Arth didn't wait for a response. Grabbing Zarn by the wrist, he eagerly dragged him through the halls, chattering about everything and nothing all at once. The boy was a storm of boundless energy, pointing out the lavish interiors of the estate as if Zarn had never seen them before.

  "This is the main hall—oh, but you saw it already! But did you know it was built three generations ago? And over there's the training hall! We'll go there tomorrow, it's where I usually—ah, never mind, you look tired. Oh, wait! Let me show you the courtyard fountain, it lights up at night and—"

  Zarn finally raised a hand, stopping Arth in his tracks. "Arth."

  "Hm?"

  "I appreciate the tour, but I think I'd like to sleep now."

  Arth blinked up at him, as if just now registering Zarn's exhaustion. His eyes flickered with understanding. "Oh! Right! It's been a long day—um, night? Well, you did go through a lot." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Okay, okay, I'll let you off for now! But tomorrow, we're doing everything!"

  Zarn chuckled softly. "Sure."

  With that, Arth finally relented, dashing off to his own room with a final, "Good night, big bro!"

  Zarn stood in the hallway for a moment longer, then turned and made his way to his own room.

  The room was quiet, dimly lit by a soft overhead glow. Zarn sighed as he shut the door behind him, rolling his shoulders. The moment he let his guard down, the familiar weakness washed over him.

  Mico stirred from his resting spot near the bed, its blue-flamed mane flickering lazily. It blinked at Zarn with calm eyes, sensing his weariness.

  "You finally got some peace?" Mico asked, its voice a low rumble in his mind.

  "Barely." Zarn sat on the bed, exhaling slowly. "Arth is… intense."

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  Mico gave a soft huff, something akin to amusement. "Seems he likes you."

  "He does." Zarn ran a hand through his hair. "Mia and John are making my adoption official."

  Mico tilted its head. "That fast?"

  Zarn nodded. "They left to take care of the paperwork."

  Mico considered that for a moment before flicking its tail. "Does it bother you?"

  Zarn hesitated, glancing at his hands. Did it? His life had always been solitary—just him at first, then Mico came around and cast out the loneliness. But truth be told, having Mico around was more like being a parent, A guardian. It was a family, but not like this one.

  He was being pulled into something completely different. A family. A name. A home. It should've felt overwhelming, but…

  "…It's fine," he murmured. "It's not bad."

  Mico gave a satisfied nod. "Then it's a good thing."

  Zarn chuckled. "You really don't like to overthink things, do you?"

  "Thinking too much is pointless, everything is fine as long as I have you."

  Zarn smiled faintly. That was just like Mico.

  As the exhaustion fully set in, he collapsed onto the bed, barely managing to pull the covers over himself. His body was still weak—he had only been muscling through it up until now.

  Mico shifted, settling beside him. "Rest little one."

  You Rascal. Zarn closed his eyes, letting the weight of the night finally pull him under.

  Zarn woke up to his usual weakness, his body feeling heavy as if weighed down by unseen chains. He let out a slow breath, adjusting to the familiar sensation before forcing himself up.

  A sudden knock at the door made him pause.

  "Big bro! You awake?" Arth's voice rang through the door, filled with energy despite the early hour.

  Zarn sighed, rubbing his forehead. "Yeah."

  The door creaked open, and Arth practically bounced inside, already talking. "I figured you'd be up! I wanted to spend the whole morning with you, but Mom said to give you some time. You're lucky, I was gonna wake you up at sunrise."

  Zarn gave him a tired look. "I appreciate her mercy."

  Arth grinned. "Anyway! What do you wanna do first? We could go to the training hall, or I could show you around more! Oh, oh! I can introduce you to the estate's beasts! They're super cool—"

  Zarn held up a hand. "Arth, slow down."

  Arth stopped mid-sentence, tilting his head. "Huh?"

  Zarn sighed. "Maybe something… quieter first."

  Arth pouted but then brightened. "Okay! We can just chill! How about the courtyard? It's nice in the morning. Oh! We can bring Mico! I bet he'd love it."

  Mico, still curled up beside the bed, opened one eye. "He says if he must," Zarn transmitted for Mico.

  Arth beamed. "Yes! Let's go!"

  Zarn shook his head but stood up. It seemed there was no escaping Arth's boundless energy. He supposed he could get used to it.

  As they stepped into the courtyard, the morning sun cast a golden glow over the estate's garden. Zarn found himself momentarily lost in the peacefulness of it all. Maybe… just maybe, this life wouldn't be so bad after all.

  "Not bad, huh?" Arth asked with a smirk.

  "Better than the slumps. I give it that." Zarn joked.

  Russo, the head butler, arrived just as Arth was in the middle of convincing Zarn to follow him to the training hall. The older man's presence commanded immediate attention, and his composed voice cut through their conversation with practiced ease.

  "Breakfast is ready, young masters," Russo announced, his expression unreadable as always. "The masters are expecting you."