For a few seconds after Vaelira's defeat, silence fell over Líria.
Not the magical silence from before — heavy, perfumed, suffocating —
but a confused, human silence.
Then the first sounds came.
Someone dropped to their knees in the middle of the street.
Another raised a hand to their own face, as if waking from a nightmare too vivid to forget.
People blinked, looked around, felt their own bodies… and realized they were free.
"The… the smell…" a woman murmured, confused. "It's gone…"
An older man began to laugh. Not loudly. Not with immediate joy.
A broken, incredulous laugh.
"It's over…" he repeated. "It's really over…"
The news spread quickly.
Doors opened.
Curtains were pulled aside.
People poured into the streets, still disoriented but growing more aware with every step of what had been broken.
When they realized who had done it, the atmosphere changed.
Someone applauded.
Another shouted.
Within moments, the main square filled with voices, tears, nervous laughter, and improvised embraces between strangers who, just minutes earlier, had been nothing more than pieces in a cruel game.
"They saved us!"
"Vaelira… she's gone!"
"We're free!"
Ethan felt a weight lift from his chest. It wasn't euphoria.
It was relief.
Elenya held his hand, watching the people as if she were finally seeing real life in that place.
Ayumi and Rina were surrounded by their companions, receiving rushed thanks, confused questions, promises no one there was sure they could keep.
As night fell, the residents insisted.
There was no luxury.
No organized celebration.
But there were beds.
An old house, abandoned during Vaelira's rule, was hastily prepared. Old but clean sheets. Improvised hot water. Simple, but real food.
Bread.
Soup.
Fruit.
After eating, washing up, and reorganizing their equipment, exhaustion finally won.
One by one, they fell asleep.
It was the first real rest since they had entered the Third Floor.
The next morning, Líria felt like a different city.
The colors were less artificial.
The smells, ordinary.
The people, tired… but awake.
Ethan carefully stored the newly obtained fragment.
"One of seven," he murmured.
"One less," Sienna corrected, already walking ahead.
They said goodbye without grand speeches.
A few nods.
A few looks that lingered longer than words.
The stone road received them once more — straight, clean, geometric — as if nothing had happened.
Hours later, the scenery began to change.
On the horizon, a new city emerged.
Enormous.
Wide, colorful buildings, signs hanging over one another, banners fluttering, improvised markets on every corner.
It looked like an endless festival.
But there was no joy.
People were eating.
And eating.
And continuing to eat.
Roasted meat.
Sweet breads.
Hot broth.
The smell was so strong, so enveloping, that even those who weren't hungry felt their stomachs react.
Sienna took a deep breath.
"Okay… this smells too good."
Before anyone could respond, a woman approached with a smile far too wide to feel natural. She carried a basket full of round loaves of bread.
"Visitors!" she said cheerfully. "Please, try some! It's the city's offer!"
Ethan tried to refuse, politely:
"Oh, no need, we're just—"
"It's free!" she interrupted, pushing the bread almost against his chest. "Eat! Eat well!"
Two men appeared right behind her, carrying steaming skewers. Another came with a huge bowl. Yet another with fresh fruit.
In seconds, the group was surrounded.
Elenya took a step back.
"Guys… this isn't necessary."
Jay scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed.
"Well… if we refuse, it'll seem rude."
Sienna was already holding a loaf.
"I don't refuse free food."
She took a bite.
Her eyes lit up.
"My God… this is amazing."
Marcus accepted a piece offered to him.
"This is far above normal. The spices are perfect."
Ethan hesitated, but eventually took a small piece.
The flavor was so intense that, for a moment, he forgot why he had hesitated at all.
And that was when it began.
The woman with the basket's smile widened even more.
"Eat! You look hungry! Eat as much as you like!"
More residents approached, offering even more food. Outstretched hands. Wide smiles. A strange enthusiasm — almost aggressive.
Emanueru, who hadn't eaten anything yet, observed.
The way Sienna bit too fast.
How Ethan was already reaching for another dish without noticing.
How Marcus cleared his plate almost automatically.
Then he saw it.
A pale glow, almost invisible, surrounding the faces of the residents.
It looked like… a golden mist.
Emanueru frowned.
"Don't you… find this strange?"
No one answered.
Sienna was already holding another loaf before finishing the first.
Emanueru touched her shoulder.
"Sienna? Are you okay?"
She blinked slowly, as if far away.
"Don't bother… just… one more… it's so good…"
The sweet smell lingered in the air.
When Sienna raised the third loaf to her mouth, Emanueru grabbed her wrist.
"Sienna… wait."
She didn't react. Her fingers trembled, trying to pull free.
Something shimmered around her — the same golden mist.
Emanueru's grimoire opened on its own.
A warm white light flowed from his palm, enveloping Sienna.
The mist split apart like smoke in the wind.
Sienna gasped, blinked several times, and recoiled, staring at the bread in horror.
"What… what am I doing?"
She looked at her own fingers, covered in crumbs.
"I didn't even notice…"
Emanueru let out a relieved breath.
"You were in a trance."
Only then did Sienna look around.
Ethan was devouring a huge plate.
Marcus was eating without even chewing properly.
Elenya bit into sweets one after another, expression empty.
Even Jay held a pastry, on the verge of giving in.
"Help them. Now!" Sienna grabbed Emanueru by the arm.
He nodded.
One by one.
When he touched Ethan, the light spread. The mage choked, coughed, and widened his eyes.
"I— when did I grab this?!"
Marcus dropped the food to the ground as he woke.
"What the— I don't even like sweets!"
Elenya held her head.
"I ate all of this…?"
Jay exhaled slowly.
"It was like… mind control."
Before they could react, the residents stopped.
All of them.
And then they smiled.
"Eat more…" they murmured. "You need to eat…"
Emanueru closed the grimoire.
"I can free them too."
Without waiting for an answer, he touched the hand of the woman with the bread.
The light spread.
The mist dissolved.
She staggered and began to cry.
"I couldn't stop…"
Other residents approached, confused, desperate.
Emanueru opened his arms.
The light spread in gentle waves.
Healing.
Healing.
And sighs of relief began to ripple outward.
Dozens awakened.
An elderly man grabbed Marcus's arm.
"This started weeks ago…" he said, trembling. "They told us hunger would never reach us again…"
The ground trembled.
A deep voice echoed through the city:
"Who dares to free my harvest?"
The group instinctively took position.
Sienna smiled.
"Finally."