I woke up before sunrise that day, with the uncomfortable feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't the flame inside me burning out of control, nor a clear omen like the dreams that had been haunting me. It was something simpler and, because of that, more dangerous: the certainty that ordinary problems never come alone.
The house was far too quiet. I got up slowly and walked into the living room, stepping around an arrow lying on the floor and an open book that Liriel had probably left there the night before. When I opened the door, I found Vespera sitting on the steps, counting coins with such intense concentration that she looked like she was facing an invisible enemy.
"That's a bad sign," I said.
She looked up, irritated. "Don't start. If you say you feel something strange, I'm going to mess up the count again."
I moved closer and sat beside her. The coins were spread out in small, uneven piles. Some clearly larger than others.
"You already messed up," I observed.
"I didn't mess up. The money is what's wrong," she replied, crossing her arms. "It just doesn't make sense."
I picked up a coin and spun it between my fingers. "How much do we have?"
"Less than we owe," she answered without hesitation. "And far less than we're going to owe by the end of the week."
Before I could ask anything else, the door opened behind us. Elara came out yawning, her hair tied up haphazardly and her face tired.
"Please tell me you're arguing about coffee," she said. "Because if it's about money, I'm going back to sleep."
"We don't have money for coffee," Vespera replied.
Elara froze mid-step. "Great. Then it's serious."
She sat with us and listened to the rushed summary Vespera gave of the situation. Old debts that had been postponed, interest no one had explained properly, guild fees, pending repairs with the blacksmith, and, as if that weren't enough, a letter left at the door that very dawn.
I showed the paper to Elara. The guild seal was intact, but the message was too short and too direct for my liking.
"Appear today. Overdue debt. No extension."
"They never write like this," Elara murmured. "That's practically a threat."
Liriel appeared soon after, rubbing her eyes with a confused expression. "Why does everyone look like they're at a funeral?"
"Because we're poor," Vespera said.
"Oh," Liriel replied, as if that explained everything. "Do you want me to try creating light coins?"
"Elara will kill you," I said before she could finish the sentence.
Liriel pouted. "It was just an idea."
It didn't take long for us to decide to go to the guild. We walked through the streets of Vailor with a strange sense of normality. People opening shops, children running around, the smell of fresh bread in the air. Everything seemed far too calm to match the tightness I felt in my chest.
At the guild entrance, something was different. There were more adventurers than usual, and many wore tense expressions. Some whispered, others argued in low voices.
"This isn't just about us," I murmured.
Vespera nodded. "Something's going on."
We were called in quickly. The guild master received us with a serious look, leaning on his desk as if carrying the weight of the entire city.
"Takumi," he said. "And company. Thank you for coming so quickly."
"It didn't seem like we had a choice," I replied.
He sighed. "I'll be direct. You have an active debt. It's not small. And normally, I'd give you more time."
"But you won't," Elara finished.
"I can't," he confirmed. "There's pressure from above. Merchants complaining, routes being interrupted, adventurers disappearing. Money needs to circulate."
My stomach twisted at the last part. "Disappearing where?"
"The north," he answered. "Near the old mining routes. It's not official yet, but rumors don't come from nowhere."
Vespera leaned forward. "So you want us to pay a debt while something dangerous is happening up there."
"Exactly," he said bluntly. "That's why I'm offering a mission. Poorly paid, I admit. But it solves part of the problem."
Liriel raised her hand timidly. "And what if we say no?"
The guild master looked at her for a few seconds before replying. "Then I'm sorry."
The silence that followed was heavy. I felt the flame inside me restless, not as a battle warning, but as if it recognized a path we didn't want to take.
"What kind of mission?" I asked.
"Escort and clearing," he replied. "An old trade route needs to be reopened. Minor monsters, from what we can tell. Nothing you don't know how to handle."
"Nothing that makes adventurers disappear," Elara commented.
"That's what we hope," he said, avoiding my gaze.
We accepted. Not because we wanted to, but because there was no alternative. We left the guild with a contract in our hands and an even heavier weight on our backs.
On the way back, Vespera kicked a small stone along the street. "I hate it when the world feels too normal. It always means something's going to go wrong."
"At least it's a simple mission," I tried to say.
"They're never simple," Elara replied. "And my mana still hasn't fully recovered."
Liriel walked in silence, thoughtful. "The stories about the north… they speak of cold that isn't natural. Of too much silence."
I looked at her. "Do you feel something?"
"No," she answered. "And that's what worries me."
We stopped for a moment near the wall. I looked at the city, at the clear sky, at people living their lives without knowing what moved in the shadows.
"Let's do this quickly," I said. "We pay the debt, come back, and move on."
Vespera smirked. "You always say that."
"And it always goes wrong," Elara added.
Despite that, we moved on together. Because that's what we did. We paid debts, faced problems that weren't ours, and in the middle of it all, tried not to lose ourselves.
As we walked, I felt the flame pulse faintly, almost like a distant warning. The north was waiting for us. And for the first time since the dream had begun, I was sure it wasn't just about money.
It was the beginning of something that could no longer be ignored.