I woke up with the feeling that my body was no longer mine.
There was no sharp pain. There wasn't that shock that comes after a recent wound. What existed was a constant weight, as if every muscle was too exhausted to respond.
The ceiling above me was white, illuminated by a soft light coming in through the side window.
I recognized the place.
The guild's recovery room.
I tried to move my arm and felt a slight resistance. Tight bandages. Well-placed dressings. The scent of medicinal herbs in the air.
I took a deep breath.
It hurt.
But it was a controlled pain.
I turned my face slightly and saw that I wasn't alone.
Elara was sitting near the wall, her eyes closed, but clearly not asleep. Vespera was standing by the window, watching the movement of the street outside. Rai'kanna was seated with her arms crossed, staring directly at me. Lyannis was absentmindedly handling a dagger, spinning it between her fingers. Liriel was beside me, sitting in a chair, her hands resting on her lap.
She was the first to notice I was awake.
"He's back."
Everyone looked at the same time.
Elara stood up too quickly, as if she had been waiting for that moment for hours.
"How are you?"
It took me a moment to answer.
"Tired."
Vespera let out a soft sigh, almost a restrained laugh.
"That's a good sign."
I tried to support myself to sit up and felt Rai'kanna's hand holding my shoulder.
"Slowly."
I obeyed.
When I finally sat up, I realized how much my body had been pushed. Just that movement already felt like too much effort.
"What happened after?" I asked.
Lyannis answered first.
"You passed out on the way."
Elara added,
"We brought you straight here. The guild's mages began treating you immediately."
Liriel tilted her head.
"You were lucky."
I looked at her.
"Lucky?"
"If that strike had lasted a few seconds longer, your body wouldn't have endured."
I fell silent.
I remembered the moment. I remembered the feeling of being at the limit.
Maybe she was right.
Vespera stepped closer.
"The most important thing is that it worked."
I slowly ran my hand over the bandaged arm.
"The copies disappeared?"
Rai'kanna nodded.
"At the same instant."
Lyannis added,
"As if they had never existed."
I closed my eyes for a second.
So that was it.
It was over.
Elara pulled a chair and sat in front of me.
"Do you realize what you did out there?"
I looked at her.
"I defeated him."
"It's not just that," she replied. "That area was left destroyed. Messengers have already returned from there. They're saying mountains were split in half."
Vespera crossed her arms.
"And the story is spreading faster than we are."
I frowned.
"What story?"
Lyannis let out a small laugh.
"The rumors."
Rai'kanna added,
"The whole city already knows."
Liriel spoke calmly.
"And not just the city."
I felt a slight discomfort.
"What are they saying?"
Elara answered.
"That you faced the Fifth General alone."
"That the battle destroyed part of the forest."
"That you brought him down with a single strike."
I slowly shook my head.
"That's not how it happened."
Vespera shrugged.
"It never is."
Lyannis spun the dagger between her fingers.
"People don't want the real version. They want the version that impresses."
Rai'kanna looked at me with a half smile.
"You became a story before even leaving this place."
I took a deep breath.
That bothered me more than the wounds.
"You fought too."
Liriel replied gently,
"We fought copies."
Elara added,
"You fought the real one."
I didn't have the energy to argue.
I stayed silent for a few seconds, just listening to the distant sound of the guild functioning normally outside.
Life went on.
As if nothing had happened.
"How long was I out?" I asked.
"Almost a full day," Vespera replied.
"The mages said you need to rest for a few more days," Elara added.
I had already imagined that.
My body confirmed it with every attempt to move.
Lyannis put the dagger away.
"When you get better, we'll return to the mansion."
I nodded.
Silence returned to the room, but it wasn't a heavy silence. It was a calm one. Of relief.
After a few minutes, I heard footsteps outside and voices excitedly commenting on something.
Vespera looked out the window again.
"They're still talking about it."
I looked at her.
"About me?"
"About you, the group, the battle."
Rai'kanna stood up.
"The guild has officially confirmed that the Fifth General has been defeated."
Elara took a deep breath.
"And that made it spread even more."
I ran a hand over my face.
"This is an exaggeration."
Liriel smiled faintly.
"For the people out there, this is hope."
That made me fall silent.
Maybe, for them, it really was.
But for me, it had only been survival.
And barely.
I leaned my head against the wall behind the bed.
If I hadn't landed that strike…
If I had missed by a few inches…
I wouldn't even be there.
"I need to get stronger," I said without realizing.
They all looked at me.
"I only won because that sword gave me a chance."
Elara answered firmly,
"You won because you managed to use it."
Rai'kanna agreed.
"Anyone can have a weapon. Few can do what you did."
Even so, the feeling remained.
I had reached my limit.
And next time, maybe the limit wouldn't be enough.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
The Demon King was still out there.
And now he had lost another General.
That wouldn't go unanswered.
When I opened my eyes again, they were all still there.
Their presence brought me a calm I hadn't realized I needed.
I wasn't alone.
And, for now, that was enough.
The battle was over.
But something told me that it had only been a warning of what was still to come.
And I needed to be ready.