Victory did not bring silence.
I thought that after the last cheer in the arena, after the official announcement, after all that noise, something inside me would finally quiet down. It didn't. What came was a constant, low, persistent hum, like a distant bell that refuses to stop ringing.
I woke up late that day. The sunlight was already pouring through the bedroom windows, and the weight in my body was almost unbearable. It wasn't just pain. It was accumulated exhaustion, physical and mental, mixed with something hard to define. Maybe it was the shock of realizing that all of that had actually happened.
I turned my face slowly and found Elara sleeping too close. Her hair spread across the pillow, her breathing calm. On the other side, Vespera was awake, watching me in silence.
"You're alive," she said.
"For now," I replied, my voice hoarse.
She smiled lightly. "Good sign."
Liriel was sitting at the edge of the bed, hands clasped, gaze distant. Rai'kanna slept curled up in the corner, as if still protecting something even while resting.
That image hit me harder than any blow from the tournament.
I got up slowly, ignoring my body's protests, and walked to the window. The city looked different. Human flags still hung from some buildings. People walked with more energy. The name of the Vaillor guild circulated with pride.
Humans. Champions.
Seven hundred years later.
"This all feels wrong," I murmured.
Liriel came closer. "Why wrong?"
"Because nothing changes this fast without charging something in return."
She stayed silent. She didn't disagree.
We went downstairs later. In the main hall, the servants moved carefully, as if they didn't want to interrupt anything. Breakfast was laid out, but no one seemed in a hurry.
Elara sat at the table, still a little pale. "My mana is slowly coming back."
"You overdid it," I said.
"I had to win," she replied. "We all had to."
Vespera leaned against the wall. "Now everyone is looking at us."
"That's the problem," I added.
Before the conversation continued, someone knocked at the door. A messenger from the guild. Young, too nervous to hide his excitement.
"Takumi," he said. "The guild master requests your presence. And Scarlet's."
I sighed. "Of course."
Scarlet was already waiting for us at the guild. She was leaning against a column, arms crossed, her expression calm as always. When she saw me, she smiled that confident way that was starting to annoy me.
"Don't start with that," I said before she could speak.
She laughed. "Still mad?"
"You caused an unnecessary problem."
"I caused a reaction," she corrected. "Not the same thing."
The guild master received us with exaggerated formality. Speeches. Recognition. Words about political balance between the races. Human victory had changed more than just rankings.
"You are now symbols," he said. "Like it or not."
When we left, Scarlet walked beside me for a few seconds in silence.
"You fight like someone who doesn't want to be at the center," she said.
"Because I don't."
"Then why do you keep winning?"
I thought before answering. "Because losing costs more."
She smiled, satisfied with the answer, and walked away without saying anything else.
We returned to the mansion at dusk. The atmosphere within the group was still strange. There was no open anger, but there was tension. Unspoken things. Glances held too long.
Rai'kanna was the first to break the silence.
"She won't touch you again," she said, direct.
"She won't," I replied.
Elara crossed her arms. "It's not just about that."
"I know," I said. "It's about what comes next."
At night, we had dinner together, as always. But this time, I noticed something different. Despite the fatigue, despite the confusion, no one wanted to be anywhere else.
Afterward, each went to their own corner. I stayed alone in the hall for a few minutes, watching the flame in the fireplace.
Champion.
Representative.
Symbol.
Words too heavy for someone who only wanted to survive when it all began.
When I went to the room, I lay down slowly. One by one, I felt the presences approach. Familiar bodies. Different breaths, but synchronized.
I closed my eyes.
The tournament was over.
The comfortable life had begun.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, I was sure of something simple and frightening at the same time.
Nothing would be simple again.