LOGINOscar looked in the direction Sirius had indicated.Boreas Murdock was a strikingly handsome man. The first time Oscar had heard the name, he had assumed Boreas was a woman.Then he met him in person.After spending any amount of time with him, Oscar decided that Boreas was more particular than most women he knew.The man's quirks seemed endless. He wouldn't drink from a cup someone else had used. He avoided other people's belongings whenever possible. His clothes couldn't carry so much as a speck of dust, and if they did, he would disappear and return in a fresh set before anyone had quite noticed.In Oscar's words, the man was a complete handful. They had entered the Archon selection of the Draconox Order together as part of the same cohort. Of that entire group, only the two of them had survived.The standard was a single survivor. You entered the Dragon Abyss, killed your true dragon, and emerged alive. The survivors then competed against one another, and the strongest became
Faced with her sisters' expressions, Clara felt compelled to explain herself. Just minutes earlier, she had been completely certain."Keep Elara's clothes on her. They're part of her treatment," she had saidBut what was the point of talking about treatment when they had nowhere to sleep?If they earned enough money, Elara would recover. If they didn't, this would be the best they could manage either way.Clara let out a quiet, humorless laugh."Let's use mine," Diana said. She pressed her lips together and held the coat for a moment longer. "Father would understand. Whatever he gave me, it protected me one last time."The sisters leaned against one another and held on."You don't have any money?" the landlord asked.She had been listening the entire time."You're covered in jewelry, and you can't afford rent? That ring alone looks like it's worth a fortune. Why are you talking about selling clothes? Who in their right mind wants someone else's used clothes? This isn't some hi
Giana sold the jacket for a little over 1,600 dollars. She had done her best to explain what made it special.The shop owner cut her off with a single verdict, "Second-hand is second-hand. Take it or leave it."Giana actually recognized the fabric. Researching character clothing descriptions was her favorite pastime, and she had spent enough time looking things up online to know exactly what it was. If she had taken the jacket to a proper boutique, the asking price would have started at around 20,000 dollars.Sadly, she didn't know how that world worked. She only knew that worn clothes became second-hand clothes, and second-hand clothes sold for less. That was just how things worked. Besides, this had already been the highest offer on the street.Was she really going to refuse?Amara was in the hospital waiting for money. And even if she turned down this offer, she was not about to ask another sister to hand over the clothes off her back.There was only one choice. She told herse
"Once those clothes are gone, she won't have a single thing left to connect her to this family."Diana pressed her lips together. "Then sell mine. You all need to go out and find work. You need to look presentable. But I'm staying home to look after Elara and Freya. I don't need anything expensive for that."By a strange coincidence, they had all been dressed in good clothes on the day Amara drove them out of the house. All except Freya, who had been in bed and was still wearing her pajamas."Same for me," Giana added quietly. "I'm writing from home anyway. There's no reason for me to wear something like this."Clara said nothing. She simply rested a hand on each of their shoulders for a moment.The clothes they had worn on a day so important to the family were more than just clothes. Every piece had been chosen with care. Selling them meant watching something meaningful end up on a stranger's back.That was a particular kind of loss."I'll go find something to change into."Th
Clara sat with the thought for a moment. Then something surfaced. A line from Amara's coworker, tossed out without a second thought: "The way you're dressed, you're clearly not hurting for money."She looked down at herself. They had been wealthy for so long that wearing something a few times and then discarding it had felt completely normal.No one had ever stopped to consider what any of it was worth.But now, as she took a proper look, every piece of clothing she wore was a designer brand. The jewelry she had on, even the smaller pieces, represented real money. Selling any one item could support all of them for a while."It won't come to that. I have an idea." She explained it to the others.Their expressions changed immediately."Why didn't I think of that?""I should have realized it days ago."The relief that swept through them was obvious. People were more resilient than they appeared.Life could grind them down to their lowest point, yet the moment they saw a path forw
When Hilda went to collect her pay, the flyers remained undelivered. They had nearly made her pay for them.Clara walked over to the group. "Hilda, what happened? Did someone give you trouble?"Hilda straightened the moment she saw Clara approaching. Her expression turned uncertain. "No, nothing like that. I just didn't earn anything today. I'll skip the guesthouse tonight and find a quiet park somewhere to make do."She lowered her gaze, unable to meet Clara's eyes. Everyone else had gone out and come back with something. She had returned with nothing. How could she take up a bed in good conscience?Yet even through her embarrassment, something else occurred to her. 'Wait. Why is Clara back at this hour? She should still be at work.'"Clara, why..."The others looked over as well. Three of them had gone out that morning. Now only one of them had any earnings to show for it. Would Amara's income be enough to support all six of them?Giana broke the silence. "I'm already past 16
Irene didn't back down. She looked at Amara with cold, unreadable eyes. "Why should I apologize? Ask her yourself. Ask her if what I said isn't exactly what she was thinking."Amara remained seated, still and composed, her expression giving nothing away.Irene was not speaking without reason. Peop
Clara and Diana looked at each other. Something shifted between them at the same moment.Their family was still standing after everything that had happened today because of the woman sitting on that sofa.She had stayed. She hadn't broken. She had kept fighting long after anyone else would have gi
Amara listened to every word. Then she pressed both hands over her eyes and slid down against the wall.Irene's words had been meant for Giana. Even so, they struck Amara just as hard. If she had stopped to breathe before acting, if she had looked past her anger long enough to see the truth, none o
After a quick breakfast, the siblings gathered around the dining table.Elara and Freya were still bedridden.Everyone else had taken a seat.Jason had been brought home the night before in a state of collapse, and Diana had stayed by his side ever since. The electric therapy chair had done real







