I woke up with a strange feeling of real rest.
It wasn't just my body that felt light. My mind also seemed quieter than on the other days.
When I sat up in bed, I noticed they were all already awake. Liriel was arguing about something with Vespera in a low voice. Elara was fixing her hair, still half asleep. Rai'kanna and Lyannis were near the window talking.
"Good morning," I said.
"Good morning," they replied almost at the same time.
We went down to the hall and found King Durgan already seated at the table, eating as if the day were already halfway over.
"Takumi," he said cheerfully. "Today you're going to see one of the greatest prides of our kingdom."
"More furnaces?" I asked.
He laughed loudly.
"Better than that. The dwarves' hot springs."
Elara lifted her head immediately.
"Hot springs?"
"Yes. Natural ones. Heated by the very heart of the mountain. They say they cure fatigue, pain, and even bad moods."
Liriel crossed her arms.
"Then maybe it'll work on you, Vespera."
"Maybe it'll work on you too," Vespera replied.
Durgan seemed pleased with the group's reaction.
"You're going to like it. Briena already went ahead to prepare the place."
I exchanged a quick look with Rai'kanna.
"Prepare how?"
"She said she wanted to show you the best path," the king replied.
We left after breakfast accompanied by a few guards. The path passed through a more distant area of the city, where the architecture gave way to the mountain's natural rock.
The air there was more humid and warm.
After a few minutes of walking, we arrived.
The place was wide, carved into the stone, with natural pools of clear water and steam rising slowly. The lighting came from crystals embedded in the walls, reflecting on the water in a beautiful and calm way.
Briena was waiting at the entrance.
"I told you you'd like it," she said, smiling.
"You seem proud," Elara said.
"I am."
A dwarf who took care of the place quickly explained how it worked, where we could leave our clothes, and which areas were hotter or milder.
When he left, an awkward silence remained.
They all looked at me.
"What are you waiting for?" I asked.
Rai'kanna answered first.
"For you to turn around."
"Why?"
"Because we're going to take our clothes off, Takumi."
I sighed.
"You've done that thousands of times in front of me."
"But here it's different," Elara said.
"Why?"
"We don't know," Vespera replied.
I turned around anyway.
I heard the sound of fabric, light footsteps on the stone, restrained breaths.
"You can turn around," Lyannis said.
When I turned back, they were all already in the water, submerged up to their shoulders.
"Cowards," I said.
Briena laughed.
"They're fast."
I stepped into the water slowly.
The sensation was immediate.
The heat wasn't aggressive. It was relaxing. It felt like my whole body was releasing accumulated tension without effort.
"This is really good," I said.
"I told you," Durgan replied from afar, before leaving and letting us alone.
We stayed spread out in the water, silent for a few minutes.
Even Liriel commented.
"This really is pleasant."
"Miracle," Vespera said.
Briena moved a little closer.
"Don't you humans have something like this?"
"We do, but not like this," I replied.
Elara closed her eyes.
"I could stay here all day."
Rai'kanna rested her head on the stone edge.
"No missions. No problems. Just this."
Lyannis was quiet, simply watching the water.
"You're very quiet," I said.
"I'm enjoying it," she replied.
The steam made the atmosphere more intimate, calmer.
Briena stayed near me without saying anything for a while.
"Takumi," she called softly.
"Hmm?"
"This is the part of the kingdom I like the most."
"Why?"
"Because here no one is a king, no one is a warrior, no one is important."
"Everyone is the same."
She nodded.
"Exactly."
Elara started laughing out of nowhere.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I was thinking about how strange all of this is."
"What exactly?"
"We're inside a mountain, naked, talking about life."
Vespera laughed.
"It really is strange."
Rai'kanna added.
"But it's good."
We stayed there for a long time.
Talking about small things. Remembering past situations. Laughing at silly details.
Without talking about demons.
Without talking about war.
Without talking about responsibilities.
When we got out of the water, the feeling was of a light body and an empty mind.
We sat on the warm stones to dry off.
Briena looked at me.
"Now you understand why I like it here?"
"I understand."
She smiled, satisfied.
We walked back slowly to the castle.
The sun was already going down.
No one spoke much.
It was that comfortable silence that only happens when no one feels the need to fill the space.
When we entered the castle, Durgan saw us and opened a smile.
"It worked, didn't it?"
"It did," I replied.
That night, when I lay down in bed, I realized my body was tired in a different way.
It wasn't battle fatigue.
It was good tiredness.
I closed my eyes with the feeling that that day had nothing grand about it.
And even so, it had been one of the best since we arrived there.
Because sometimes, what strengthens you the most is not fighting.
It's simply stopping.