The glowing "sun" above flickered once, then again, before fading completely.
The light that filled the chamber dimmed, replaced by faint green glows coming from the moss lining the walls.
Silence followed.
Only the faint dripping of water and the smell of burnt wood filled the air.
Alex lay unconscious where he had fallen, his sword half-buried in the dirt beside him.
Olivia sat next to him, both hands glowing faintly as she healed the burns across Soren's arms.
The warmth of her divine light reached him, but his mind felt far away.
His eyes were fixed on the Elder Ent's body, or more precisely, on the boxes that rested inside it.
The battle was over.
They had survived.
He had done what he came here to do.
Yet even as that thought crossed his mind, no relief followed.
Only a quiet numbness that stretched endlessly inside his chest.
"You're spacing out again," Olivia said softly, her voice pulling him back.
Her hands hovered over a long cut along his forearm, the glow dimming as the wound closed.
"You're done," she added, trying to smile. "You should rest a bit."
Soren blinked slowly, as if waking from a long sleep.
"...Yeah."
But he didn't move.
He couldn't.
His gaze kept drifting toward those boxes, his breathing shallow and uneven.
After a while, Alex groaned from the ground, rubbing his head as he sat up.
"...We're alive, right?"
Olivia let out a small laugh, tired but genuine.
"Looks like it."
Soren didn't answer.
He just kept looking at the boxes until Olivia finally followed his gaze.
"Those are… the rewards?"
He nodded.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
They waited until their breathing steadied before moving.
The three of them approached the boxes together, their boots echoing softly in the hollow chamber.
There were four of them in total.
Three looked plain and worn, but one stood out. Its surface was smooth, the edges carved with faint golden lines.
Soren stopped in front of it.
His hand hovered over the lid for a moment before gripping it firmly.
Then he froze.
He turned his head slightly, glancing back at Alex and Olivia.
His throat tightened.
He didn't want to look greedy, not after everything.
Alex noticed the hesitation first and smiled faintly.
"Go on. You earned it."
Olivia nodded.
"We followed you here. It's yours."
Soren stayed silent for a second.
"...Thanks," he whispered and lifted the lid.
Inside were several items, faintly glowing in the dim light.
An Elder Ent's core, several vials of thick golden sap, and thick sections of the Elder Ent's roots.
His breath caught for a moment as recognition struck.
They were the ingredients he had been searching for, the ones needed to create the [Elixir of Growth].
For months now, every time he would think about summer break, his mind would drift to this.
Even when he had been told he had to go home, he didn't give up on completing this dungeon.
And now that they were in his hands…
He didn't feel anything.
He stared down at the items for several long seconds, waiting for excitement or satisfaction to come.
It didn't.
All he felt was tired.
He packed the materials into his inventory with mechanical motions, each glass clink echoing sharply in the quiet.
Then, as he reached for the last bottle, something caught his eye, a small seed sitting in the corner of the box.
It was barely the size of his fingernail, smooth and dark brown.
He frowned and tried using his information window, but nothing appeared.
No name.
No description.
After a moment, he sighed and pocketed it.
"Probably nothing," he muttered under his breath.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
The others opened their boxes next.
Alex's contained potions and mana stones, while Soren's box held the same.
Olivia's eyes brightened when she lifted a polished wooden staff covered in faint green runes.
"This… It's beautiful," she said quietly, holding it up to the light.
Alex gave a small smile.
"It suits you."
When they were done sorting the loot, Soren pushed his share of potions toward the others.
"Take these. The first clear reward was what I needed."
Neither argued; they just nodded.
Olivia smiled faintly as she adjusted the new staff in her hands.
"Then we're done here."
Soren didn't respond.
He simply turned away, looking once more at the now-motionless chamber.
It was strange.
The dungeon felt quieter now, like it was holding its breath.
"Let's camp before heading back," Alex said after a moment.
"Yeah," Olivia agreed.
Soren nodded wordlessly.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
That night, they sat by a small fire at the edge of the chamber.
The false sunlight above had gone completely dark, leaving only the flicker of flames to light the room.
The smell of burnt sap still lingered in the air.
Soren sat a short distance away from the others, hands folded tightly around his knees.
His gaze was fixed on the fire.
He wasn't really watching it; his eyes just refused to move elsewhere.
Every time he blinked, he saw flashes of what had come before: the men's faces, their voices, the look in their eyes, their hands on his body.
He pressed his hands together harder, nails digging into his palms until they hurt.
'Stop thinking.'
'You got what you needed.'
'It's over.'
But the thoughts didn't stop.
Olivia glanced toward him once, her expression softening, but she didn't say anything.
Even she seemed to know that words wouldn't reach him right now.
The fire crackled.
The silence stretched.
And Soren sat there, feeling like the air around him was getting heavier with every breath.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
They left the Verdant Hollow the next morning.
The forest outside was quiet, the air fresh with the scent of dew and soil.
Birds chirped faintly in the distance, and sunlight filtered gently through the leaves.
It should have felt peaceful, but to Soren, it only felt loud.
Every sound made his shoulders twitch. Every step through the wet grass sounded sharper than it should.
He walked ahead of the others, cloak pulled tight, keeping his distance.
Alex talked occasionally about small, light things, and Olivia replied with soft hums.
Soren didn't join in.
He couldn't.
His thoughts kept drifting back to the fight, to the blood, to the emptiness that followed.
And every time his mind wandered too far, his hand went to his pocket.
The small seed still rested there.
It was warm.
Always faintly warm.
He didn't know why he kept touching it.
It wasn't like it comforted him; it just made him feel something.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
By nightfall, the city walls of Ingrid came into view.
The sight should have filled him with relief, but it only reminded him that everything outside the dungeon had kept moving.
Life had gone on.
The city still glowed with the same soft light; people still laughed in the distance.
He felt disconnected from it all, as if he were watching someone else's world.
When they reached the Adventurers' Guild, the receptionist's eyes widened in shock.
"You're back!" she exclaimed. "We thought you were dead!"
Alex gave a tired grin.
"Almost were."
Olivia chuckled faintly beside him.
Soren said nothing.
He just stood there, his hood still up, watching as the receptionist hurriedly brought over paper and pens to record their report.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
They explained everything: the dungeon's layout, the monsters, the Elder Ent.
Olivia described the flora, Alex filled in the details of the battle, and Soren gave the shortest possible answers when asked direct questions.
When it was done, the receptionist looked at them with awe.
"That's incredible. The Guildmaster will want to see this. You've all done something amazing."
She handed each of them a heavy pouch of gold and three new plates engraved with their names.
"By guild order, your ranks are officially raised from Iron to Silver."
Alex grinned, holding his new badge up to the light.
"Finally."
Olivia smiled too, tired but bright.
Soren looked down at the badge in his hand.
The metal glinted faintly, reflecting the lamplight.
He closed his fist around it slowly.
It felt heavy.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
They spent the evening in the city, completing errands.
Alex sold materials.
Olivia replaced her torn robe.
Soren followed them for a while before quietly slipping away.
He found himself standing on a small balcony behind the inn, overlooking the city's main street.
Rain had started to fall again, faint and slow.
The cobblestones below reflected the light from passing lamps like ripples on water.
He lifted his hand, catching a raindrop on his palm.
It rolled down, cold against his skin.
He stared at it.
The door creaked open behind him.
"Soren?" Olivia's voice was soft. "There you are. I couldn't find you anywhere."
He didn't turn around.
She stepped closer, her presence gentle.
"Alex's already asleep. You should rest too."
He nodded slowly but didn't move.
After a few moments of silence, she sighed lightly.
"Do you… feel any better?" she asked cautiously.
The question hung in the air.
He hesitated, then whispered,
"I thought I would."
His tone was quiet, almost fragile.
"But… it's the same. Nothing changed."
Olivia's eyes softened.
She wanted to say something, anything to comfort him, but the words wouldn't come.
Instead, she simply stood beside him in silence.
The rain continued to fall, faint and steady.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Soren murmured.
"I thought if I finished this, maybe I'd stop feeling like this."
He looked down at his hand, still wet from the rain.
"But it's still here."
Olivia's voice trembled slightly.
"Soren…"
He turned away, brushing past her gently.
"Goodnight."
And before she could stop him, he disappeared into the quiet hallway.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
Soren closed the door to his room and leaned against it, exhaling shakily.
The sound of the rain outside filled the silence, steady and distant.
He dropped his cloak onto the chair, then sat down on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees.
The faint glow from the street lamps outside filtered through the curtains, casting pale lines across the floor.
He stared at them blankly.
The quiet should have been peaceful.
Instead, it felt suffocating.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the seed.
It lay on his palm, small and ordinary.
No light, no warmth now, just stillness.
He turned it over between his fingers, frowning faintly.
Something about it made his stomach twist, though he couldn't explain why.
It wasn't dangerous, but it didn't feel harmless either.
Maybe it was because it was something he didn't know about, even with his knowledge, or maybe not.
After a moment, he closed his hand around it and slipped it back into his pocket.
He lay back on the bed, eyes on the ceiling.
The wooden boards above were uneven, thin cracks forming faint lines across them.
He followed them with his eyes until they blurred together.
His mind wouldn't quiet down.
Every time he tried to think of nothing, his thoughts dragged him back to that plain, to the hands, to the blood, to the way their laughter still echoed in his head when everything else went silent.
He pressed his forearm over his eyes.
'It's fine.'
'You survived.'
'You had to.'
But the words didn't sound true anymore.
The strength he had gained hadn't made him feel safe.
It had only made him more aware of how fragile he really was.
The tears came without warning; silent, slow.
He didn't bother wiping them away.
They just kept falling until his breathing grew unsteady and his chest ached.
Eventually, exhaustion won.
He fell asleep like that, curled slightly, one hand over his face, the other resting against his chest where the seed's faint warmth lingered through the fabric of his shirt.
••✦ ♡ ✦•••
The next morning came quietly.
The city was washed clean by the night's rain, sunlight glinting off the rooftops.
Olivia and Alex were waiting by the carriage station when he arrived.
Alex waved when he saw him.
"You look exhausted," he said. "Didn't sleep?"
Soren gave a faint shrug.
"Big surprise," Alex muttered under his breath, though not unkindly.
Olivia smiled as the carriage rolled up to the platform.
"Are you ready?"
Soren hesitated.
The question hung in the air for a moment longer than it should have.
Then he nodded.
"Yeah."
The three of them climbed in, settling onto the seats as the carriage began to move.
The streets of Ingrid rolled by outside, bright and familiar.
Merchants shouted, children ran across cobblestones, and the smell of bread drifted from the market.
Soren leaned his head against the window, watching the city fade behind them.
The rhythm of the wheels against the road echoed softly in his ears.
Alex was already dozing off across from him, and Olivia sat quietly beside him, hands folded in her lap.
The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but it wasn't peaceful either.
It felt fragile, as if any of them spoke too loudly, it would shatter.
Soren's eyes drifted downward, unfocused.
Now that the dungeon was behind him, there was nothing left to chase.
No task to hide behind, no distraction to cling to.
Just the thoughts he had been running from, waiting patiently for him to stop.
He closed his eyes, the faint hum of the carriage filling his mind.
'What am I supposed to do now?'
The question repeated quietly inside his head, looping endlessly as the road stretched on.
His hand brushed against the pocket where the seed rested.
It was warm again.
He frowned slightly, but didn't pull it out this time.
He just left his hand there, feeling that tiny pulse of warmth against his palm as the carriage carried them toward Stellaris Academy, and whatever waited for him there.
————「❤︎」————