When I woke up that morning, the feeling was that something was pulling me out of my routine, as if the air were heavier than usual. It wasn't anything malicious, just… strange. A mild discomfort at the back of my mind. The flame within me had been reacting subtly since the end of the previous night — as if it were paying attention to something I couldn't see.
I got up slowly, and when I went to open the inn's window, a thin fog covered the entire street of Vailor. Fog wasn't common in that part of the city, not like that, and I felt a small shiver.
Liriel yawned behind me. "The fog looks pretty today. It reminds me of home… except there I didn't do anything useful either."
"It's not very different from here," Vespera replied, tying her hair in a completely crooked way — as always.
Elara was sitting on the floor, trying to meditate to recover mana that seemed to drain just because she breathed. "If this fog has any arcane property, I'm going to be annoyed. As if my mana evaporating at the slightest effort wasn't enough."
"Well… before Elara gets irritated with the atmosphere, let's head to the guild," I said, stretching. "The Master said he had a light mission for us today."
"Light until you get mistaken for some famous criminal again," Vespera muttered.
I ignored it.
We arrived at the guild to hear the day's mission: investigate a creature spotted near the Fog Bridge, a place famous for… well… fog. Obviously.
"It's probably just an animal looking for shelter," the Master said. "But some merchants got scared last night, so check it out."
A simple mission, low pay, but enough to keep the inn rent covered for two more days. We accepted immediately.
The bridge was in one of the quietest outskirts of Vailor. The path there was short, and the farther we walked, the thicker the fog became, covering the trees and giving everything an almost mystical air. It didn't seem dangerous — just different.
"Takumi, are you feeling anything?" Elara asked.
"A little. It's not a threat, but… there's something unusual," I replied.
"Magic?" Liriel asked.
"Not exactly."
We reached the bridge, and for a moment everything seemed normal — water running beneath the old planks, fog dancing over the surface. But then I heard a sound — a light tapping, as if something were scratching the wood.
Vespera shrank back. "Please don't be a spirit. We've dealt with spirits enough already."
"It's not a spirit," I said naturally. It didn't feel like one.
I walked slowly onto the bridge, and that was when I saw something move within the fog. Small, agile, with a glow in its eyes.
Elara immediately prepared a mana orb — which faded in less than two seconds.
"My mana… it vanished!" she complained, as if that were news.
Liriel hid behind me, despite being a goddess. "Whatever it is, you go first. I need to… supervise."
"Uh-huh. Sure," I replied skeptically.
The creature finally emerged from the fog — and to my surprise, it was… beautiful.
It looked like a fox made of vapor, with bluish eyes and a translucent body. The surrounding mist seemed to swirl around it, as if it were part of its form. It wasn't hostile — just curious. When I took a step forward, it raised its head.
"So cute!" Vespera said, immediately pulling out her bow — but pointing it at the ground, because she'd never hit it anyway.
The small creature slowly approached the edge of the bridge, tilting its head as if studying us. I felt a gentle touch on the flame within me — not a threat, but a kind of recognition.
Liriel took on a serious expression for the first time in weeks. "Ah… that's a Lucid Mist. Rare creatures, born from the junction of weak arcane energy and natural humidity. They're harmless… most of the time."
"Most of the time?" I asked.
"Yeah, they only become aggressive if they're provoked," she replied.
Elara looked at me as if she knew exactly where this was going. "Takumi, please don't do anything that provokes it."
"I won't."
The creature took another step, drawing closer to me. I slowly extended my hand, and it touched its cold snout to my palm. It was like touching the air at dawn — cold, but not unpleasant.
Then it opened its mouth and released a small puff of mist, which swirled in the air and formed a circular symbol before dissipating.
"What was that?" Vespera asked.
"A… greeting," Liriel said, impressed.
The Lucid Mist made a small spin in the air, as if dancing, and then darted into the thick fog hovering over the water, disappearing completely.
We stood in silence for a few seconds.
"So… mission complete?" Vespera asked.
"I think so," I replied. "It wasn't a threat, just curious."
Elara let out a deep breath, clearly relieved. "At least this one was simple. I really didn't have mana for anything today."
"I noticed," I replied.
She gave me a light smack on the arm.
We returned to the guild to confirm the mission, and the Master, after hearing us out, just nodded.
"Lucid Mist, hm? That's rare. Good work. I'll register it as mission completed."
"And the payment?" Vespera asked, already holding out her hand.
"Here it is."
It was little, as always.
Still, something lingered in my mind — the way the creature had reacted to the flame within me. It was so subtle that maybe I was imagining it… but it didn't feel like a coincidence.
I didn't tell the girls anything. I didn't want to worry them.
When we left the guild, the sky was already clear again, the fog dissipating as if it had never existed. We walked back to the inn, talking about random things — Vespera took the wrong turn twice, Liriel almost fell into the plaza fountain, and Elara stumbled when her mana fluctuated once again.
It was a calm day.
But deep down, I knew: that creature had left something behind.
A faint premonition.
Something small, but real.
And the flame… was not completely silent.