The house they gave us was far.
Far from the capital.
Far from the academy.
Far enough that even the system's usual noise felt muted, like it had to travel a long distance just to reach us.
It sat alone on a low hill, surrounded by grass that moved freely in the wind. No nearby NPC routes. No quest markers floating in the air. No reason for anyone to come here unless they already knew.
I liked it immediately.
"This place is… quiet," Lyra said, stepping inside and looking around as if silence itself might jump her.
Arcelia closed the door behind us and tested the lock twice out of habit. "Too quiet," she replied, but her shoulders still relaxed.
The interior was simple. Wooden floors. A small living room. Two bedrooms upstairs. One couch that definitely wasn't meant for three people but would probably be forced into service anyway.
No system notification appeared.
No Home Registered message.
That alone made my lips curl into a grin.
"…It hasn't claimed it," I muttered.
Lyra looked at me. "Claimed?"
"Yeah. Usually the system labels places like this. Safe zones. Recovery areas. Something."
She frowned. "And now?"
I shrugged. "Now it's just… ours."
That changed the air.
Arcelia removed her gauntlets and set them down carefully, like she was afraid making too much noise would break the moment. "If this place is outside standard influence," she said, "then you can finally rest."
I laughed quietly. "That's optimistic."
Still, my body listened before my mind did.
I sat on the couch.
Lyra sat next to me a second later—too fast to be accidental.
Arcelia hesitated… then took the other side.
No one said anything about it.
The windows rattled softly as the wind passed through the grass outside. The world felt distant here, like a rumor instead of a threat.
Lyra hugged a pillow to her chest, pretending not to lean closer. "You know," she said casually, "if the system can't fully see this place…"
I raised an eyebrow. "Then?"
"…Then we don't have to pretend as much," she finished.
Arcelia glanced at her, then at me. Her expression softened. "You've been under constant pressure since arriving in this world."
"Comes with the hacking," I replied.
She shook her head slightly and reached out, resting her hand on mine. Firm. Certain. "You don't always have to be strong."
The contact was simple.
But it hit harder than any system warning.
I didn't pull away.
Lyra noticed. Of course she did.
After a brief internal struggle that lasted exactly two seconds, she leaned in as well, resting her head against my shoulder like she'd done it a hundred times before.
"Unfair," she muttered. "She touched you first."
I snorted. "There's no queue."
The Corruption Meter didn't move.
For once, nothing measured the moment.
Minutes passed. Maybe more. Time felt slower here.
Safer.
Arcelia's grip loosened but didn't disappear. Lyra shifted slightly, more comfortable now, her breathing even.
Outside, the wind changed direction.
And far beyond the hill, beyond the fields and roads and cities—
Something paused.
Not because it couldn't act.
But because it couldn't quite see.
A faint flicker appeared at the edge of my vision.
Not a warning.
Not an alert.
Just text, half-formed, like it hadn't decided whether it was allowed to exist.
Unregistered Zone Detected
Observation: Limited
I smiled faintly and leaned back, letting the warmth on either side of me settle in.
"Good," I whispered.
Because for the first time since arriving in this world—
We had somewhere the system couldn't fully reach.
And whatever came next…
It would have to find us first.