I woke up before the rest of the group that morning. The sun had barely risen past the towers of Vailor, but I was already sitting in the corner of the room, staring at the embers in the fireplace. I don't know if it was the chill of dawn or something else, but the flame inside me was restless. It pulsed slowly, as if breathing on its own, reacting to something I still didn't understand.
I stood up quietly, trying not to wake anyone. Liriel was sleeping stretched out on the floor, like a fallen star; Elara was curled up in a corner, probably because her mana still hadn't fully recovered; and Vespera slept hugging her bow, as if someone might steal it in the middle of the night. I took a deep breath. There was something strange in the air. Something I had been feeling for days, ever since the rumors started.
I left the house and walked toward the guild. The city was calm—merchants opening their stalls, guards changing shifts, and children running around in clothes far too light for the cold. But no one seemed to notice what I felt. The air felt heavier, as if it were waiting for something.
The guild was almost empty. Only the Guild Master and a receptionist were having tea while reviewing documents. As soon as he saw me enter, he stopped what he was doing.
"Takumi. You came quickly. I thought I'd have to send someone to get you."
"You sent for me last night. I figured it was something important."
He tilted his head, with that look that mixes exhaustion and concern. "It is. Come with me."
We went to his private room, where the smell of old wood and parchment filled the air. As soon as he closed the door, he turned to me with a serious expression.
"Takumi… something is happening. Something I haven't seen even in times of greatest demonic activity."
I crossed my arms, waiting. He opened a small box on the table and took out several reports.
"In recent weeks, adventurers from different regions have come to me. All saying the same thing: strange dreams. Nightmares, actually. Always involving ice, snow, and… white eyes."
My lungs locked for a moment.
I didn't respond.
The Guild Master continued.
"And that's not all. Some said they heard a voice, as if it were calling them. And they described exactly the same sensation. A cold that doesn't freeze the body… only the soul."
The flame inside me pulsed strongly, as if responding to his words.
"You seem tense, Takumi. As if you recognize what I'm talking about."
"I don't have nightmares," I replied too quickly.
The Guild Master raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't say you did. But every time I mention this around you, you act strange. It's as if… you're hiding something."
I looked away. I didn't want to, but I did.
Because it was true.
Since the previous chapter, something had been changing inside me. I felt that icy presence somewhere, watching. A distant sense of being pursued, one I wanted to ignore.
"Takumi, I'll ask you directly," he said, clasping his hands. "Do you have any connection to this?"
"What makes you think I would?"
"You brought change to Vailor when you arrived. And I'm not saying that in a bad way. But it's no coincidence that since you and your group returned, monsters have started acting strangely. And now… these dreams."
I sighed. "I can guarantee you that I'm not doing anything to make this happen."
"But you feel something, don't you?"
I stayed silent for a few seconds. It was useless to deny it to someone as experienced as him.
"Maybe."
The Guild Master leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead.
"That confirms my suspicions. I wanted you to be involved only in simple missions during this arc. But it seems something is looking for you."
That sentence bothered me more than it should have.
"An entity? A monster? Another demonic general?" I asked, trying to sound calm.
"I don't know. But I want you to be careful. Many adventurers who had these dreams woke up with unstable mana. Or with numbness in their bodies. As if… something had tried to touch them while they slept."
My heart raced.
The flame inside me reacted strongly.
As if it were saying: I know what it is. I know this presence.
"I came here to turn in missions and pay my debts, not to deal with another threat," I tried to joke, but it came out weak.
The Guild Master gave a tired smile. "Unfortunately, Takumi, it's not always the adventurer who chooses the fight. Sometimes, the fight chooses you."
I stayed quiet for a while, staring at the reports on the table. Each record had similar descriptions. Snow. Ice. Voices. White eyes.
The sixth general…
I wanted not to think about it. Not now, when the arc was still light. Not now, when we were finally resting.
But it was inevitable.
He was coming.
"For now, Takumi, continue with the light missions. Don't mention this to the girls. They already have enough to worry about. Especially Elara, with her unstable mana."
"I know."
"If anything happens, come talk to me immediately."
I nodded.
When I left the room, the flame inside me fell silent.
Very silent.
And that scared me even more than when it pulsed.
As I walked back home, I noticed something I hadn't before: the wind was colder than it should be in Vailor at that time of year. As if it carried a distant warning.
An omen.
I stopped in the middle of the street, looking at my own hands.
"No matter what it is…" I murmured to myself. "I'll protect them. Even if I have to burn the entire world to do it."
And, for the first time, the flame answered.
Not with heat.
But with a shiver.
As if it were saying: I'm afraid too.