I woke up before the rest of the group, which in itself was already strange. Normally it was Elara who woke me up complaining about her low mana, or Vespera bumping into some piece of furniture, or Liriel tripping over absolutely nothing. But that morning… everything was quiet.
The soft light of dawn filtered through the window of the house we were renting (and still hadn't paid for, unfortunately). The air was fresh, and for a moment I almost managed to believe that we had no debts, no worries, and that the world wasn't constantly trying to kill us.
Almost.
I got up, stretched, and went out into the yard. The atmosphere was so peaceful it almost felt fake. The breeze gently moved the leaves, and the rooftops of Vailor reflected the golden light in a way that made the city look more beautiful than usual.
"Good morning, Takumi."
Liriel appeared behind me — and nearly scared me. As always, the goddess had dark circles under her eyes, as if she'd spent the night trying to use some magic she wasn't capable of casting.
"You woke up early today. Did something happen?"
"No… I just felt like enjoying the day," I replied.
"I see." She smiled faintly. "It's rare for you to want to rest."
"It's rare for us to be able to rest."
She let out a soft laugh — almost imperceptible — and sat down beside me.
Soon after, Elara came out of the house holding a mug of tea as if she were carrying her very soul inside it.
"Good morning… or whatever time it is. My mana still hasn't fully recovered."
"You say that every day," I said.
"And every day it's true."
Vespera appeared right behind her, tying her hair in a careless way.
"You guys are way too serious for this hour. Is today the day the world ends?"
"Don't joke about that," I said. "We already attract enough bad luck."
"We really do," she replied, giving my shoulder a light tap.
We decided to spend the day without taking any missions. Not that it was a smart decision — our debt was only getting bigger — but for some reason we all agreed. It felt like we'd been given invisible permission to breathe for a bit.
We walked around the city. Bought cheap food (because we couldn't afford anything expensive). Sat in a square in the higher part of Vailor, from where you could see almost everything: the light stone houses, the guild tower, the coliseum in the distance, and the market starting to fill up.
"Do you think we can pay off the debt by the end of the month?" I asked.
Three looks were thrown at me at the same time.
"Takumi," Elara said, "there isn't enough magic in the world for that."
"I can try to create gold with light magic," Liriel said hopefully.
"You can barely light a lamp," Vespera reminded her.
"I… can try."
"Don't try," I said quickly.
We kept walking. The streets were livelier than usual — maybe because the festival was still keeping the city energized. Children ran around with paper lanterns. Vendors called out to customers. Music from some distant instrument echoed through the air.
For a few minutes, I stopped worrying about the sixth demon general. I stopped thinking about the flame inside me. I even stopped thinking about what would come next.
It was… good.
In the afternoon, we passed by a small lake on the outskirts of the city. A peaceful place, surrounded by trees. The water reflected the clear sky, and the warm breeze passed over the surface, creating gentle ripples.
"I love this place," Vespera said, sitting down on the grass. "Here it feels like the world is… normal."
"That's because you don't have mana," Elara replied.
"That's exactly why I love this place."
Liriel took off her sandals and dipped her feet into the water.
"I wish every day were like this."
I sat down beside them. The lake, the trees, the silence… everything felt too perfect. Perfect in the kind of way that's scary. The kind of perfection that doesn't last.
But I didn't want to think about that.
"I like being with you guys," I said.
Three heads turned toward me.
"What?" I asked.
"You said something… sweet," Vespera replied. "It's so rare that it caught me off guard."
"I thought it was strange too," Elara said. "Do you have a fever?"
"Can't I just like you and say it?"
"You can," Liriel replied, smiling. "And I like you a lot too."
The other two immediately made sour expressions.
"I like you too," Vespera said, turning her face away.
"I… do too," Elara murmured.
I laughed. And they ended up laughing as well.
We returned to the city center when the sun began to set. The lanterns were being lit, illuminating the streets in golden and orange tones.
I felt something… strange. A shiver. A brief discomfort in the flame inside me. As if someone were lightly blowing on it.
But it was so subtle I almost ignored it.
"Takumi?" Liriel asked. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. I think I just felt the wind."
A lie. But I didn't want to ruin that day.
We enjoyed the night as if it were a gift. We ate festival sweets. Walked through the illuminated streets. Watched small performances by street artists. Talked nonsense. Laughed. Argued. And laughed again.
It was… perfect.
Too perfect.
When we returned home, as the girls were already heading upstairs to sleep, I stopped at the door, looking out over the quiet city.
I didn't know why, but I felt like giving thanks.
For the day.
For the peace.
For the people by my side.
Maybe because, deep down, I knew.
This was the last day like this.
The last day of peace before something bigger — much bigger — reached us.
I took a deep breath and went inside.
Tomorrow, everything would change.
But that night… I let it be enough.