It was the evening of the next day when I stepped out of the tent. When all the adventurers from the three familia rush from place to place, getting ready to leave. Raul tightened the straps around the crate on the wyvern's back as I approached. "Is the preparation done?" I asked.
He turned to look, "Oh, yes, the preparation is all done, but Arin, is it all right for you to be moving around like that?"
Shrugging my shoulders, I answered, "I'm fine. Everything healed up—just some muscle pain, and even that's gone now."
Raul let out a sigh he'd clearly been holding. "That's good. I was terrified. When I saw you earlier, I thought you were a goner. But I am glad to see you are doing fine already."
"I thought I was a goner, too." I replied as I looked around, trying to find Aki, "Does Aki not come on this expedition? I haven't seen Gareth, Lydia, and some of the others either."
"Ah, yes, they are still back in Orario, since we can't just bring all our forces here." I nodded, looking toward the sun, and estimated we had another hour till the sun started setting.
"Makes sense …So when are we leaving?"
"In just a few minutes, I was just doing a last-minute check." I nodded, and just as we were having a small talk, Finn's voice echoed.
"Everyone, be ready. We will be leaving in five minutes!"
"Looks like that's our sign," I said and walked towards my wyvern, Tank, resting in the northern area along with all the other Wyverns, when I saw Ais standing near them, staring at the giant tornado.
For a moment, I wanted to ask if she was fine, but I refrained since I had decided to give her some space. So, instead of asking her that, I broached another subject, "Ais, we will be leaving soon, are you ready?"
Ais turned with a start, and breathed a sigh, noticing me, "...I am," she said.
"I see. Can you go and see if Riveria and the others are ready?"
"Okay," she said, and walked away, pausing briefly to glance back at the tornado one last time before disappearing between the tents.
Shortly after everyone gathered and we got ready to leave, as Finn commanded, all the Wyverns flew in the sky.
I was sitting on Tank's back as I looked back towards the giant tornado. While I couldn't do anything about the situation right now, I would be back soon for both Ais mother and for that dragon. I thought as the tornado got smaller and smaller in the distance.
I turned forward, mind drifting back to the dragon fight. Limit Off. That's what the state had been called, and while my strength had increased several times over, something about it unsettled me.
My body had moved on its own. Reacted without conscious thought. Some would call that an advantage. I didn't.
Instinct could be tricked. Manipulated. If I couldn't control my own body, if I had to rely purely on reflexive responses, then what would happen when instinct chose flight over fight? When survival meant abandoning someone?
Not that overthinking it helped—I had no idea how to trigger the state intentionally. I had theories, sure, but testing them meant putting lives at risk. Not exactly an appealing prospect.
Another wyvern flew alongside me, as I was lost in my thoughts."Arin, are you okay? You have been quiet since the journey started." Ryuu asked, her blonde hair rustling in the wind, her face lit up by the setting sun. Alise was sleeping behind her, her head leaning on Ryuu's back.
"Yes, I'm fine. What about you? Excited about visiting the mountain?" Her blue eyes shone at that, as she nodded.
"Yes, I am! I am looking forward to seeing the mountain; it's been so long."
"That excited? What's it like?"
"Sacred and peaceful." Her voice took on a wistful quality. "The elves consider them holy ground. There's a feeling there that's hard to describe—like the land itself remembers ancient times. The air is cleaner, the water purer. Even the trees seem full of life."
"Sounds amazing and beautiful," I noted as we crossed the Great Wall. I noticed Ryuu looking, or rather glaring, at the part of the Great Wall where I had collided, as if it were her mortal enemy, but she didn't broach the subject and continued with a smile.
"It is, I am very thankful you convinced Braver to let us visit it."
"Don't worry about it. I'm just keeping my word."
For some reason, she smiled even more brightly at that, "You are good at it. Keeping your words, I mean."
Her smile hit me like a physical thing. Heat crept up my neck. I almost let out the words I have been holding in before stopping myself. Instead replied with a short, "I try."
Behind her, Alise shifted in her sleep, mumbling something about "justice" and "delicious food." Ryuu glanced back with fondness.
"She sure talks in her sleep."
"Constantly," Ryuu confirmed. "Usually about food or heroic deeds. Sometimes both at once."
"That's very on-brand for her."
"Indeed." Ryuu's smile widened. "Though I shouldn't complain. At least she's getting rest. We all need it after these past few days."
"No arguments here. I am going to sleep like a log when we reach home." We flew on, the landscape rolling beneath us—black desert gradually giving way to greener terrain as we left the northern wastes behind. The Alv Mountains grew larger on the horizon, their peaks touching the clouds, majestic and ancient.
"We're approaching the mountains! We'll land in about thirty minutes to set up camp!" Finn announced from the forefront of the group.
Ryuu shifted in her seat excitedly, "Thirty more minutes, I can hardly wait."
I couldn't help but smile at her excitement. Ryuu fell back into formation. Within minutes, the wyverns descended in a coordinated spiral, landing near a wide river that flowed down from the mountain peaks.
I jumped down from Tank's back. Ryuu had been right—the air here was different. Cleaner. Each breath felt like drinking cold water. A riot of flowers of every color carpeted the ground, growing in wild, vibrant clusters around the river's edge.
"...It's been so long." I heard Riveria mutter as both she and Ryuu took in the surroundings, their hands resting against the ancient tree trunks, both their eyes closed almost as if they were communicating with the forest and the mountain itself. The other elves did the same, communing with the forest in silence.
The rest of us exchanged a look and nodded in solidarity, giving them their time, we all started preparing the camp.
Tiona, oblivious as ever, started toward Riveria. "Um? What are you doing, Riveri—mmph!"I lunged forward, clamping a hand over her mouth and dragging her backward.
"Stupid!" Tione hissed, seizing her twin's arm. "Leave them be and help us!" Kaguya sighed.
"She's even worse than Captain at reading the room." Alise's head snapped up. "What do you mean by that? I'll have you know, no one reads the room better than me!"
I couldn't help but laugh. "Come on, you two. Let's just set up camp before you start an actual fight."
"We're not fighting," Kaguya said calmly, already moving toward the supply crates. "I'm simply stating facts."
"Facts can be rude!" Alise called after her.
"Then reality is rude."
Asfi sighed, adjusting her glasses. "And here I thought we'd have a peaceful evening for once."
"With this group? Doubtful," I replied, grabbing one of the tent rolls.
She smiled slightly—that rare, genuine smile that always caught me off-guard. "Fair point."
Asfi's rare smile lingered in my mind longer than it should have. Focus, I told myself, turning back to the tent setup. Tonight was going to be complicated enough without getting distracted now.
Around us, the camp slowly took shape—tents rising, fire pits being dug, supplies being organized. The sound of the river provided a constant, peaceful backdrop. Riveria and others joined back midway through.
"Oi, Arin!" Bete called out. "Stop daydreaming and help with this!" I turned to see him holding one end of a huge crate, too big for one person to hold properly.
"What happened to your supernatural werewolf strength?" I called back.
"What happened to you not being annoying?"
"I don't think that was ever an option."
Bete growled, but there was no real heat to it. "Just get over here!"
Deciding it was enough messing around, I jogged over to help him. As we hauled it toward the storage area, he muttered, too quiet for a normal person to hear. "You did well. Against that dragon."
I nearly dropped my end of the crate. "...Did you just …compliment me?"
"Don't make me take it back."
"No, no, I'm just—did anyone else hear this? I need witnesses for this historic moment."
"I will punch you!"
I sighed in relief, hearing him complain, "Now, that's more like the Bete I know." I grinned despite myself. He made a disgusted sound but didn't actually punch me, which was basically a declaration of friendship by his standards.
"Arin!" Raul called. "Food prep! You're on vegetable duty!"
"Why am I always on vegetable duty?"
Another adventurer yelled from the side, "Because you're good at it!"
"That's not a compliment!"
"Take what you can get!"
"I was just on death's door yesterday, where are the human rights activists when you need them?"
"Stop spouting nonsense and help us out here!" another member yelled. I sighed, but headed over anyway, grabbing a knife and settling in beside Raul and a few others. As I worked, I watched the camp come fully to life around me—people laughing, talking, preparing for the evening. Riveria caught my eye and nodded once, a small gesture of gratitude.
My knife slipped. I jerked my hand back just in time.
"You okay?" Raul asked. "Fine. Just distracted." He gave me a strange look but didn't press.
"Everyone!" Finn's voice rang out. "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes! Until then, rest up and enjoy the scenery!"
As people dispersed to their various tasks or simply relaxed, I found myself standing by the river, knife still in hand, half-chopped vegetables forgotten.
My pulse hammered in my ears, drowning out the river's rush.
Tonight. I'd do it tonight.
After dinner, when things quieted down, when the moment felt right—I'd call them over and finally say what I'd been holding in for so long.
The thought terrified me.
But nearly dying had taught me something: tomorrow wasn't guaranteed. And keeping these feelings locked away was its own kind of death.
So tonight, by this river, under these sacred mountains and stars, I'd be honest.
Whatever happened after... well, that was future Arin's problem.
Present Arin just needed to finish chopping these vegetables without losing a finger to nerves.
I looked down. My hands were shaking.
The bar for success remained refreshingly low.