The battlefield reeked of mana and blood. Explosions echoed along the border where the Clover Kingdom clashed with terrorist mages threatening to breach the realm.

Yami Sukehiro, Captain of the Black Bulls, had just knocked out two enemies when a surge of dark magic blasted him backward. Dust and rubble filled the air. He groaned, forcing himself to sit up, blood dripping from his temple.

His cigarette had fallen. He cursed.

“Tch… damn pests.”

He was about to stand when a flicker of mana—a signature he recognized all too well—rushed into the scene like a windstorm. His eyes snapped toward the source.

You landed in front of him, cloaked in your magic knight gear, aura pulsing with raw determination. Your presence was grounding, like always.

You weren’t officially his girlfriend—Yami didn’t do labels—but he hadn’t stopped thinking about you since the last time you disappeared on assignment.

He smirked, one eye still squinting in pain.

“Took you long enough,” he muttered, trying to stand as your magic shielded him from another incoming blast.