The mansion was silent in a strange way that night.
It wasn't the comfortable silence of when everything is resolved, nor the tense silence before a battle. It was something in between, a calm emptiness, as if the world were holding its breath.
I closed the bedroom door carefully, trying not to make noise. The corridor was lit only by a few torches fixed to the walls, casting long shadows that stretched across the floor. I walked slowly, feeling the fatigue finally weighing on my shoulders.
The tournament was over.
The applause, the shouts from the arena, the looks heavy with expectation… all of that now seemed distant, like a dream that begins to dissolve upon waking.
When I pushed the bedroom door open, the familiar smell surrounded me. Clean sheets, old wood, the faint perfume of the flowers Elara insisted on keeping in the room.
They were already there.
Liriel was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard, her golden hair loose over her shoulders. Elara was lying on her side, staring at the ceiling, her eyes lost in thought. Vespera sat on the edge of the bed, absentmindedly playing with the tip of her tail, while Rai'kanna stood closer to the window, watching the city through a gap in the curtain.
No one said anything when I entered.
And, strangely, it wasn't awkward.
I approached and sat on the bed, letting out a long sigh without realizing it.
"It's over," I murmured.
"For now," Liriel corrected, her voice calm.
Vespera chuckled softly. "You always say that as if the world is going to give you a break."
"It never does," I replied.
Rai'kanna turned slowly. The dim light highlighted the red scales near her neck, a soft reflection of the draconic blood running through her.
"Even so," she said, "you won. The humans won."
"After seven hundred years," Elara added. "It still feels unreal."
I stood up and walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside slightly. Vaillor slept. The lights were few, but steady. The city that had once been the stage of attacks, ruins, and fear was now resting.
"When I arrived in this world," I began, "I just wanted to survive."
The words came out quieter than I expected.
"Then, I wanted to pay debts. Eat better. Sleep without fear."
I turned to them.
"Today… I don't exactly know what I want."
No one interrupted me.
Liriel was the first to speak. "Maybe you don't need to know right now."
Elara nodded. "You've always carried the group without realizing it. Maybe it's time to just… exist for a while."
Vespera tilted her head. "Even if that doesn't last long."
Rai'kanna walked to the bed and sat down as well. "Among my people, they say that true strength appears when the warrior is not fighting."
I smiled faintly. "Your people say many wise things."
She shrugged. "We don't always follow them."
The silence returned, but this time it was comfortable.
I put out the torches, leaving only the faint moonlight coming through the window. I took off my coat, my sword, everything that still tied me to the world outside.
I lay down.
One by one, they moved closer, occupying the space as had already become natural. The warmth of their bodies, the sound of calm breathing, all of that anchored me in that moment.
For a few moments, I thought I would fall asleep quickly.
But the dream came differently.
The world suddenly darkened.
There was no ground, no sky. Only a deep, heavy void. A silence so absolute that it seemed to press against my ears.
Then, I felt it.
A presence.
I didn't need to see it to know what it was.
"You advanced faster than I expected."
The voice echoed in all directions, deep, ancient, carrying something that was not only power.
The darkness moved, forming vague outlines. Two red eyes opened in the void, enormous, attentive.
"You defeated generals," the voice continued. "You broke important pieces on the board."
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't respond.
"Don't think this changes the end," he said. "The world still belongs to those who are willing to crush it."
I felt a weight on my chest, as if something were holding me down.
"You are still far away," the Demon King stated. "Very far."
The eyes drew closer.
"But I confess… I am curious."
The presence began to move away, dissolving into the darkness.
"Grow," were his last words. "Survive."
I woke up gasping.
The room was dark. The moon still shone through the window. My heart was pounding.
Liriel stirred, waking. "Nightmare?"
"Yes," I answered after a few seconds.
Elara moved closer. "Do you want to talk about it?"
I shook my head. "Not yet."
Vespera opened one eye. "But it was important, right?"
"It was," I admitted.
Rai'kanna placed a hand on my arm. "Then we'll be here when you decide to talk."
I took a deep breath.
The threat was real. The warning was clear.
But, for the first time since I arrived in this world, I was not alone to face it.
I closed my eyes again, feeling the weight of the day finally fade.
The tournament had ended.
The calm had settled.
And, somewhere beyond the reach of light, something was watching us…