Très bien, Adamir Kodael
In the capital, time seemed to have stopped.
Two days.
Two long days had passed since Ryo's sudden departure, and Velmira had not enjoyed a single night of real rest. She pretended otherwise. As always.
The guild master of adventurers could not afford to show weakness. Not in front of her subordinates, not in front of the adventurers who relied on her, and certainly not in front of the mountain of paperwork piling up on her desk as if mocking her.
She sat upright, back straight, her white shirt slightly wrinkled, her jacket draped over the back of her chair. A quill rested between her fingers, frozen above a report she was supposed to sign. The ink had dried on its tip. The document in front of her had not advanced by a single line in several minutes.
Her eyes were fixed on the parchment.
But her gaze was empty.
Ryo had looked… different.
When he had read the details of the mission assigned to Selena's group, something had shifted in his eyes. It was not fear. No. Ryo did not know that word, or chose to ignore it with remarkable consistency. It was something else. A cold, heavy concern. The kind that comes when you realize that the worst outcome is not just possible, but likely.
He had said very little. Just enough to ask for clarification. Just enough to understand. Then he had left, without waiting for approval, without asking for orders.
Velmira closed her eyes for a moment.
"Idiot…" she muttered under her breath. "You could have told me how serious it was."
She leaned back against her chair. Her shoulders, tense for hours, finally slackened. Fatigue, which she had stubbornly pushed aside, seized its chance. Her treacherous mind drifted into an uncomfortable half-sleep, filled with unfinished thoughts, shadowy figures lost in a forest too dark, and black flames that refused to die out.
Knock knock.
She did not react.
Knock knock.
A slight frown. An irritated breath.
Knock knock.
"..."
Knock.
"Who is it this time…" she murmured wearily, eyes still closed.
"Lady Velmira, you asked me to inform you if Mister Ryo returned."
Her eyelids twitched.
"And so… what…" she replied, still half-asleep.
A hesitant silence followed on the other side of the door, long enough for her instincts to wake before her ears did.
"Well… he's here."
There was no immediate reply.
Then the chair scraped sharply against the floor. Velmira sprang to her feet, her eyes suddenly clear, as if exhaustion had never existed.
"What?!" she repeated, already grabbing her jacket.
She did not bother fixing her hair. A few rebellious strands escaped as she stormed out of the office, leaving behind the paperwork, the dried quill, and the relative calm of the guild hall.
At the entrance of the capital, the massive stone gates cast long shadows across the paved ground. The ramparts, unmoving and ancient, had witnessed generations of travelers, soldiers, and adventurers pass beneath them.
But today felt different.
Standing just before the gates was a mismatched group.
Ryo stood at the front, straight as a pillar, arms crossed, gaze fixed ahead. Dust from the road still clung to his coat, and a tense pressure seemed to radiate from him. Beside him was Édouard, calm and alert, scanning the surroundings with practiced vigilance, as if instinctively assessing every possible threat.
Eyrin lingered slightly behind. She was physically present, yet her presence slid past the eyes of passersby. Even standing still, she looked ready to vanish at any moment.
And behind them… the young ones.
Rael, fatigue etched into his features, yet standing upright through sheer willpower.
Blanek, silent, his sword secured on his back. His gaze had changed. Sharper. Steadier. He no longer looked like someone who merely followed orders.
Selena, exhausted but composed, struggling to maintain the dignity expected of her. Her clothes bore the marks of recent battles, and her hands trembled ever so slightly when she clenched them.
Lyo, supported by the others, still weak, his complexion pale, but alive.
They looked… different.
Not broken.
But changed.
A young soldier, clearly inexperienced, stepped forward nervously, gripping his spear a bit too tightly.
"Identification, please. You cannot enter without—"
Ryo slowly turned his head toward him.
"…What?"
A single word.
Yet it carried enough pressure to make the poor guard break into a sweat. The air itself seemed to tighten, and the young soldier swallowed hard.
Before things could escalate, Édouard stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Ryo's shoulder.
"It's fine. I'll handle it."
Ryo clicked his tongue, jaw clenched, but took a step back. He clearly had no interest in wasting time on formalities.
Édouard turned to the soldier, ready to speak… when suddenly—
SMACK.
A sharp blow landed on the back of the young guard's head.
"Ow!"
An older soldier had intervened, arms crossed, eyes stern.
"Before asking for identification, maybe learn to recognize people who could flatten this gate if they felt like it," he growled.
The young soldier froze, pale as a sheet.
"S-sorry! I… I'm new…"
"It's fine," Édouard replied with a calm smile.
The veteran bowed respectfully.
"Our apologies, honored adventurers."
Édouard glanced back at Ryo.
"See? No need to get worked up."
"Tch."
Ryo walked past without another word.
They finally entered the capital.
After only a few steps inside, murmurs began to spread. Heads turned. Some recognized Édouard. Others simply sensed that something important was unfolding before their eyes.
And then—
"RYO!"
A figure came running from the distance, moving at full speed, with absolutely no dignity to speak of. A woman with light-colored hair, an authoritative build, and a face laid bare by raw emotion.
Velmira.
She stopped abruptly in front of the group, slightly out of breath.
Her eyes swept over Ryo. Then Édouard. Then Eyrin.
And finally… the young ones.
Alive.
Safe. More or less.
Her lips parted, ready to unleash a thousand questions. To demand answers. To shout. To strike someone. To pull someone into an embrace.
But no words came.
Instead, she took a deep breath, straightened her posture, and reclaimed her guild master's voice.
"You're back."
A simple statement. Heavy with relief.
She turned toward the young adventurers, examining them one by one, lingering just a moment longer on those who had brushed against death.
"Come. We'll talk at the guild."
She said nothing more.
Because she knew.
Because she could see it in their eyes. This mission had been anything but ordinary.
Because some conversations do not belong at the gates of a capital, under curious gazes and listening ears.
The group resumed walking.
And as they disappeared into the city, one thing was certain.
Whatever had happened in that forest… was only the beginning.
Once they arrived at the guild, everything happened too quickly. Too quickly, as if the very walls refused to let any emotion settle in.
The heavy wooden doors had barely swung open when the atmosphere shifted. The usual buzz of the guild—the laughter, the clinking of mugs, the animated chatter of adventurers—faded into a tense silence.
All eyes turned toward them.
Adventurers stopped mid-conversation. Guild staff froze in their tasks. Some immediately recognized the figures, dirty, bloodied, and exhausted. Others took a moment longer… until the names whispered through the hall like fire in dry grass. Rael. Ryo. Édouard. Selena. Blanek. And above all, Lyo, barely clinging to consciousness.
The reaction was instantaneous.
Healers rushed from every corridor, joined by the guild's medical personnel. A path was cleared, orders were whispered sharply, precise and unyielding. Experience spoke louder than words.
"Separate them."
Édouard's voice cut through the hall like a blade. Calm, steady, yet impossible to ignore. There was no panic, no emotion—only absolute authority.
Lyo was immediately taken under control. Despite Eyrin's emergency care during the journey, his condition was critical. His breaths came short and uneven. His clothes were soaked in dark blood, his skin pale and almost lifeless. Conscious, yes, but barely. His eyes fluttered open, struggling to focus.
Two healers flanked him, supporting his weight, while a third prepared a stretcher, murmuring incantations to stabilize him. Symbols of soft light appeared over his wound, doing their best to hold back what they could.
Rael wanted to speak. To say something—anything. An order, a question, a promise. But his throat locked, and no sound came. He followed silently, step after step, fists clenched, nails digging into his palms. He didn't dare look away from Lyo, as if even a single second might mean losing him.
Selena took a step forward almost instinctively.
"Wait… Lyo—"
Her voice trembled. Fatigue, adrenaline fading, and worry she had held back all the way here combined, threatening to break through. She reached out, though she didn't dare touch him.
"Can't we at least—"
"No."
Ryo's voice cut through the words like steel.
He didn't raise it, didn't shout, but the look in his eyes froze the air around them. Raw authority forged by experience and loss.
"They'll take care of him," he said simply. "You, go rest. Now."
Selena gritted her teeth.
"But if he—"
"I said no."
The silence that followed pressed down like a physical weight. Even the healers paused, sensing the tension that had just erupted.
Blanek stepped closer, gently resting a hand on Selena's shoulder. The gesture was simple, yet full of understanding. He gave a slight shake of his head, silently telling her to let go. After a moment's inner struggle, Selena turned away, frustrated, and finally nodded.
Lyo was taken further into the guild, disappearing down a corridor reserved for intensive care, swallowed by the pale glow of magical wards.
Édouard, already moving to the next task, wasted no time.
"You two, with me."
His voice left no room for discussion.
Selena and Blanek were led away from the main hall, through quieter corridors, far from the chaos. Selena's footsteps echoed softly against the stone floor. She turned for one last glance, searching for Lyo, hoping for even the faintest sign… but he was already gone.
The doors closed behind them.
And for the first time since their return, the weight of everything they had just experienced finally began to press down on them.