I woke up before dawn.
For a moment, I didn't know where I was. The room was too large, too quiet. The heavy curtains allowed only a thin line of light to enter, and the air smelled of clean wood and expensive fabrics. It took me a few seconds to remember that this was my bed now. Our home. Our life.
But the weight in my chest didn't match any of that.
I ran a hand over my face and slowly sat up. The dream was still clinging to me like a shadow. The voice. The calm tone. The absolute certainty behind every word.
It hadn't been just an ordinary nightmare.
I looked to the sides. Liriel slept to my left, serene, as if nothing in the world could disturb her. Elara was closer, holding my arm, breathing unevenly. Vespera occupied the other side of the bed, her back turned to us, but her presence was firm, real.
That grounded me.
I carefully got up so as not to wake them and walked to the window. I pulled the curtain aside just enough to observe the still-sleeping city. Vailor seemed far too peaceful for a world on the verge of something greater. Motionless rooftops, empty streets, no flags fluttering.
"He was right," I thought. "There is still a long way to go."
The bedroom door opened behind me.
"You felt it too?" Liriel asked, her voice low.
I turned slowly. She was standing, her hair loose, her gaze more attentive than tired.
"I don't know if 'felt' is the right word," I replied. "But I heard it."
She approached the window. "So it wasn't just you."
That made my stomach sink a little more.
Elara woke soon after, quietly complaining about the cold, and Vespera didn't take long to sit up in bed, watching in silence. I told them the entire dream. Every detail. Every sentence.
When I finished, no one spoke for a few seconds.
"So that's it," Vespera finally said. "Now he knows exactly who you are."
"And where we are," Elara added, trying to keep a light tone, but failing.
Liriel closed her eyes for a moment. "This kind of contact doesn't happen without a reason."
"It wasn't a challenge," I said. "It was a warning."
The day started strangely after that. None of us managed to act as if it were just another ordinary morning. Even during breakfast, the conversations were short. There were no arguments, no exaggerated laughter. Just a silent understanding that something had changed.
We went to the guild later, not to take a mission, but to confirm information. The guild master received us personally, which hadn't been common before.
"You are being watched," he said bluntly. "Not only by the kingdom."
"Other territories?" I asked.
"And other things," he replied. "Strange movements have been reported. Cults. Creatures outside the norm. As if the world were reacting."
We left with more answers than questions, and yet nothing felt clear.
In the afternoon, we walked through the city. For the first time since we arrived in this world, I felt that every step carried historical weight. Children pointed. Merchants whispered. Soldiers watched us with restrained respect.
"This isn't a normal life," Elara said. "It's the beginning of a legend."
"Legends die," Vespera replied.
We returned to the mansion before sunset. The sky was tinted red and orange, far too beautiful for such a heavy omen. I went up to the highest part of the house alone. I needed to think.
"We defeated generals," I murmured. "Saved cities. Gained everything that seemed impossible."
And yet, it all felt like just the prologue.
The three of them came up shortly after. No one needed to call anyone. We stood there, watching the horizon in silence.
"Takumi," Elara finally said. "Are you afraid?"
I thought before answering. "I am. But not of fighting."
"Then of what?" Liriel asked.
"Of thinking that I've already come far enough."
Vespera nodded slowly. "That's the right fear."
Night fell slowly. We had dinner together, talked about simple, almost trivial things. It was a conscious attempt to hold on to normality. It worked for a few hours.
When I lay down again, I felt real exhaustion finally overcome my mind. The three of them were with me. The room was warm. Safe.
But before falling asleep, a certainty settled inside me.
"This is not over."
I closed my eyes knowing that this arc of our lives had ended right there. The rise. The recognition. The false calm.
The next step would not be about gaining things.
It would be about losing.
And, somewhere beyond what I could see, the Demon King was waiting.