I never liked the silence after a poorly explained mission. It wasn't the calm silence of a duty fulfilled, but that heavy silence that lingers when no one wants to say out loud that something went wrong. We were returning along the dirt road north of Vailor as the sky slowly darkened, and the flame inside me burned in an uneasy way, as if it were trying to push me in another direction.
Vespera walked ahead, her bow resting on her shoulder. She tripped over a root and almost fell, cursing under her breath.
"If I die today, it'll be because of the ground, not monsters."
Elara let out a tired sigh behind her. Her face was pale and her steps slow. Her mana had run out hours ago.
"If you fall, I don't have the energy to pull you back up."
Liriel came last, floating a few centimeters above the ground as always. The faint light around her flickered now and then, a clear sign that even her limited magic was at its limit.
"Something about all this is wrong," she said, in that voice far too calm for someone who clearly wasn't certain of anything. "The dungeon shouldn't attract so many people… and yet, no one comes back."
I stopped walking.
The smell reached me before any sound. Iron, dried blood, and something cold, almost metallic. I signaled for the group to stay alert and moved forward slowly, pushing aside some low branches.
That was when we saw the improvised camp.
Torn tents, remains of a fire put out in a hurry, signs of a fight scattered across the ground. And people. Three adventurers sitting near a large rock, all injured in some way. One had his arm crudely bandaged. Another was trembling nonstop, even though it wasn't cold.
When I approached, one of them jerked his head up and reached for his sword, but let go immediately when he saw our group.
"You… you're from the guild?"
"We are," I replied. "What happened here?"
The man swallowed hard before speaking.
"The dungeon… it's not just a dungeon. It's an outpost. They patrol the corridors. They… follow orders."
Vespera stepped too close and ended up stepping on a dry branch, which cracked far too loudly for the moment.
"Great," she said. "Organized demons. That's exactly what I wanted to hear today."
Elara knelt beside the injured adventurer, trying to channel a bit of magic. The light came out weak, unstable, and vanished almost immediately.
"Sorry," she murmured. "I can't."
"That's enough already," the man replied. "Just… just don't leave us here."
Liriel closed her eyes and touched the ground with her fingertips. A soft glow spread out, weak but steady.
"They pulled back," she said. "Not out of fear. By choice."
That made my stomach churn.
"What did you see inside?" I asked.
The trembling adventurer started to laugh, a short, broken laugh.
"We didn't see. We were seen."
The silence returned, even heavier.
They told us everything in disjointed fragments. Frozen chambers, demonic soldiers moving in formation, creatures retreating when they received invisible signals. And then, the presence.
"He didn't need to fight," one of them said. "He just… appeared. The air froze. My body wouldn't obey."
The flame inside me reacted strongly. I felt it. It was the same weight as in the dream.
"He looked at me," the man continued. "And smiled. Like he already knew I was there."
Vespera crossed her arms, uncomfortable.
"Okay, officially don't like this guy."
Elara glanced at me.
"Takumi… this is getting way too big, isn't it?"
Before I could answer, footsteps approached along the path. Instinctively, I reached for my weapon, but relaxed when I saw the tall, slender figure emerge between the trees.
The elf walked with absolute calm, as if nothing in that place could touch him. Silver hair tied back, attentive green eyes, an overwhelming presence even without effort.
"So the rumors were true," he said. "You found survivors."
Liriel's eyes widened slightly, surprised.
"An elf from the eastern guild…"
He inclined his head slightly.
"Aelthyr Silvarion. Class SS. And yes, I'm here for the same reason as you."
Vespera whistled softly.
"Great. Now we've got someone strong enough to die with style."
Aelthyr smiled faintly, but his eyes were serious when they met mine.
"The flame within you… the General felt it too, didn't he?"
I nodded.
"He's waiting," I said. "He didn't attack us because he didn't want to."
Aelthyr closed his eyes for a second.
"Then it's worse than I thought."
We helped the adventurers to their feet. Some could barely walk, but no one wanted to be left behind. As we moved away from the destroyed camp, I felt the certainty settle inside me.
It was no longer a mission. It was no longer a debt. It was a war taking shape.
And we were only at the beginning.