Lys, Sara, and Lord Varen stepped out through the back door into a small, peaceful garden. Flowers and herbs grew in neat (but slightly messy) rows, and right in the middle stood a simple wooden table with four chairs under a shady tree. By now, it was almost nighttime. So everything was dark. So before coming out, Varen took out a portable ntern from a big bag that was just beside the kitchen counter.

  Sara pulled out a folded paper from her small bag and smoothed it on the table. “Shall we sit and finish this properly?”

  Varen nodded politely and took a seat. Lys sat across from him, heart beating a little fast. Thinking this was really happening. ‘Ahh, my first house.’

  Varen leaned forward, hands folded over the table. “The house, the yard, everything you saw inside, it’s all yours, Mister Lys, and as I said, the furniture stays too. I have no use for it on a two-hundred-mile journey. So please, don’t offer me too little. This pce is worth a fair price.”

  Sara smiled sweetly, but her eyes were sharp and confident. “Lord Varen, I respect you very much, but we must be honest with each other. Five years ago, this house might have been worth a hundred gold or more. Today? The economy is terrible. People are scared, money is tight, and almost nobody is buying big houses.”

  She pointed gently toward the house. “Look at the peeling paint on the south wall. The garden needs work, too. Those rose bushes are half-dead. The back fence has two broken boards. And the whole style… It’s from ten years ago. Newer houses have bigger windows and modern kitchens. So honestly, even in perfect condition, this house would only fetch seventy or eighty gold right now.”

  Varen opened his mouth, but Sara kept going smoothly, her voice not kind but also not firm. Just the right amount.

  “Sixty gold would be the fair price today, my lord. Maybe even fifty-five if we’re being strict. I’m not trying to cheat you, I’m trying to be realistic. You want to sell quickly and go home to your family, too, right? I also want my friend Lys to have a good home without going broke.”

  Varen rubbed his chin, thinking. “One hundred and five,” he said after a moment. “I can’t go lower than that. The pump and the spring alone are worth something.”

  Sara tilted her head, still smiling. “One hundred and five? That is way too much, Lord Varen. You know that this house is not worth that much.”

  They went back and forth like that for a few minutes. Sara never raised her voice. She stayed polite, pointed out small problems one by one, and always reminded Varen how fast he could leave once the deal was done. Lys watched in amazement. Sara was really good at this.

  When Lys saw the price was still way over double his budget, he finally couldn’t stay quiet anymore. He leaned toward Sara and whispered, “Wait a minute, Sara. I told you I only have thirty gold. Why did you pick a house that costs way more without telling me?”

  Sara turned to him with a soft ugh and patted his hand. “Shh, Lys. Remember what you said? This house is mine too now. So I’m adding my own money to get us something bigger and nicer. You don’t have to worry about every single coin. And I’m sure you can earn more than this small amount of gold in the future. I believe in you.”

  “But stil..” Lys started.

  Sara gently squeezed his fingers and shook her head, eyes sparkling. “Trust me. Let me handle this.”

  She turned back to Varen as if nothing had happened. “Sixty-eight, my lord. That’s my final offer. You get to leave with money in your pocket today, and Lys gets a wonderful home for his family.”

  Varen sighed, then smiled tiredly. “You drive a hard bargain, Sara. Seventy-five gold. Not a silver less than that. Otherwise, I’m not selling.”

  Sara thought for a second, then nodded. “Okay, you win, Lord Varen. Seventy-five it is. You have a deal.”

  She slid the contract across the table. Varen read it carefully, then signed his name with a neat pen. Sara signed right after him.

  But what happened next made Lys’s eyes go wide.

  Varen took out a small pocket knife, pricked the tip of his finger, and let one drop of blood fall onto his signature. Sara did the same on her side. The moment the blood touched the paper, both signatures glowed with a soft golden light. The writing suddenly lifted off the page for a second, sparkling like it was alive, then sank back into the paper and disappeared like it was nothing.

  Lys stared, mouth open. “What… what just happened?”

  Sara folded the contract carefully and gave him a calm smile. “It’s a blood-binding contract, Lys. Very old but still very useful magic. Once both parties sign with blood, the deal can never be broken. The house is officially yours now.”

  Varen stood up and offered his hand to Lys. “Congratutions, young man. Take good care of it. I hope it brings your family much happiness.”

  Lys shook his hand, still a little stunned. “Thank you, Lord Varen. I will.”

  Sara slipped the contract into her bag and stood up too, looking very pleased with herself. “There. All done! Now let’s go tell Miss Era and Mira the good news.”

  Lys, still feeling a bit dazed from the blood magic, followed Sara and Lord Varen back inside the house. The ntern light danced across the wooden floors as they walked through the hallway.

  They found Era and Mira in the bathroom near the back, both crouched down beside the water pump like two curious kids. Mira was poking at the metal handle while Era gently turned it, watching a thin stream of clear water spsh into a bucket.

  “Does it really work with just this?” Mira whispered in awe. “We don’t have to fill buckets from the well?”

  Era smiled softly. “Hmm, it seems so. Look how clean the water is…”

  Sara cleared her throat with a grin. “Ladies?”

  Both of them jumped up at the same time.

  Mira’s eyes went wide. “Is it done? Did we get the house?”

  Lys couldn’t help smiling. He gave a small nod. “Yeah…it’s ours now.”

  Mira let out a happy squeal and rushed straight at him with her arms open for a big hug. “Lys! We have a real house!”

  Lys quickly put both hands up to stop her, palms forward. “Whoa, stop, stop, Mira, not right now,” he whispered fast, eyes flicking toward Lord Varen, who was still standing there.

  Mira froze mid-step, cheeks turning pink as she realized. She dropped her arms and just bounced on her toes instead. “Sorry… I’m just so happy!”

  Era gave a quiet ugh and stepped closer, her eyes soft. “Come on, Mira, don’t jump around.”

  Lord Varen smiled at the warm little family scene. “I’m gd it will be lively again.” He turned to Sara and gave a small bow. “So, the deal is complete. I wish you all many happy years here.”

  Sara handed him a heavy leather pouch. The coins inside clinked softly. “The gold is in here, as agreed. Safe travels, Lord Varen.”

  Lys reached into his own pocket, ready to pull out his thirty gold to help. “Wait, Sara, let me….”

  Sara gently caught his wrist and shook her head with a warm smile. “Keep it close for now, Lys. Give it to me ter.”

  Lys hesitated, then slowly put his hand back down. “You sure?”

  “Yeah, you might need it for settling in, give me back after you earn more,” she said softly, giving his wrist a little squeeze before letting go.

  Varen took the pouch with a grateful nod. “Thank you.” He walked to the kitchen, picked up a rge travel bag that had been sitting by the counter, and slung it over his shoulder. “Then I’ll see myself out. The carriage is waiting at the front gate.”

  The four of them also followed him outside. A simple but sturdy carriage stood by the yard gate, two horses already bound to it, and a driver waiting patiently.

  Varen climbed in, then turned and gave one st wave. “Take care of the pce. And… good luck with your family.”

  “You too, sir,” Lys called back. “Safe journey home.”

  Era and Mira waved beside him. “Goodbye, Lord Varen! Thank you again!”

  Sara waved gracefully. “May the roads be kind.”

  The carriage rolled forward with a soft creak of wheels. They stood together at the gate and kept waving until the ntern light on the carriage disappeared around the bend in the road.

  For a moment, everything was quiet except for the soft night breeze.

  Mira let out a long, happy breath and finally threw her arms around Lys, squeezing him tight. “It’s really ours now! No more leaky roof, no more cold floor!”

  Lys wrapped one arm around Mira and reached out to gently pull Era closer with the other.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly, heart full of happiness. “Its our home now.”

  Author note: It would help a lot if you leave a rating after reading this chapter.

  Visioner10