My life was a comedy where I always ended up face-first on the ground. The 15-coin debt to Freya, because of the fiasco in the desert ruins, was yet another burden on my back, and Melina's song about "the strippers of the pillars" was already making adventurers laugh even in the taverns of Vaelor. My head was a whirlwind. Elara and Vespera messed with my feelings in ways I couldn't understand. Elara's timid glances, more intense after regaining her memories, made my heart race like a wild horse. Vespera's teasing, softer since Infernia, still made me blush like a bonfire. Liriel, with her sharp sarcasm, left me lost, but today her gaze seemed more reflective than jealous. To make matters worse, Princess Lyra sent another letter, with a passionate tone praising my "unbreakable courage," while Thalira, the elven envoy, gave me looks mixing fascination and flirtation, causing Elara and Vespera to huff. Elowyn, with her druidic messages, sent a carved leaf pendant, saying, "For your determination, Takumi." That only made the emotional chaos worse. I wanted to understand what I felt, but with this group, it was like trying to read a scroll in a hurricane. The amulet, scepter, orb, tome, crystal, scroll, ring, cube, medallion, bracelet, necklace, royal scepter, cord, orb, diadem, key, cord, ring, stone, necklace, bracelet, ring, bracelet, medallion, ring, pendant, cord, bracelet, fragment, cord, scepter, pendant, necklace, bracelet, bracelet, cord, stone, cord, ring, amulet, fragment, pendant, stone, fragment, medallion, cord, ring, fragment, scepter, pendant, stone, fragment, medallion, cord, ring, fragment, stone, fragment in my backpack were all glowing together, and Elowen said the Demon King was about to awaken. The danger felt like a deafening thunder, but today, I just wanted to pay off Freya and avoid more humiliation.
At the Vaelor guild, after the ambush in the forest, Elowen summoned us for the final battle. "Kaelthorn is in the dark fortress," she said, her aura mysterious. "He begins the ritual now. Attack at dawn." The guild gave us a mission: invade the fortress and defeat the general once and for all. Liriel grumbled, "A stinking fortress? Unworthy of a goddess!" Elara, clutching her staff, promised, "I'll use spells carefully, I swear!" Vespera, with her bow slung over her shoulder, smiled, "The general? This will be interesting." I tried to be firm: "No crazy spells, no crooked arrows, no succubus charm. Just finish him off." They laughed, as if I were dreaming. Lyra sent a royal pendant as a "symbol of glory," and Liriel threw it to the ground: "Stuck-up princess!" Thalira, who accompanied us, said, "Your leadership is inspiring, Takumi." Elara muttered, "Why is she always so close?"
The dark fortress was a scene of twisted towers, icy winds, and an oppressive aura of magic. Elowen introduced Nora, a human warrior with short hair and fierce eyes. "The strippers? Don't destroy my fortress!" said Nora, with a tone mixing seriousness and sarcasm. She explained that Kaelthorn was in the throne hall, protected by minions and a ritual altar. Melina appeared, plucking her lute. "New verse ready!" she announced, drawing glances from allies. Elowyn touched my shoulder: "You lead with soul, Takumi." Elara and Vespera scoffed, while Liriel kicked a rock: "Idiotic princesses!" The tension was palpable, rivalries burning like a bonfire.
The battle began, and chaos came fast. Elara tried a containment spell to block the runes. "Just to weaken the altar!" she said. The spell glowed for seconds before she collapsed, panting. "Mana… gone," she groaned, falling into my arms. Her face was so close that my heart pounded. "Takumi, I… I wanted to…" she began, but the spell stirred a rune, unleashing attacking minions. Vespera, trying to help, used her charm, but distracted Nora, who tripped over a minion. Her crooked arrow hit a column, which collapsed. "What a delicious mess!" she shouted, as Ylva shoved her, and she seemed to enjoy it. "Liriel, do something!" I yelled. She raised her wine cup. "Divine Purification Magic!" Light exploded—but set the tapestries ablaze, spreading smoke. I tried to hit a minion with my borrowed sword, but slipped on the ice, crashing down and knocking over statues. Nora, fighting the minions, yelled, "You're all a disaster!"
Kaelthorn emerged in the hall, clad in black armor with fiery red eyes. "The Demon King will be freed!" he roared, activating the altar with the stolen items. Elara, still in my arms, whispered, "Takumi, have you ever felt… that we're in this together?" Her voice was soft, and I felt a tightness in my chest. Vespera teased, "Getting cozy, Takumi?" Lyra, who had joined the mission, said, "Your bravery is enchanting, Takumi." Elara blushed, muttering, "Why is she so close?" Thalira laughed, "Your chaos is almost epic." Elowyn, with a druidic glow, said, "You're stronger than you think, Takumi." Vespera scoffed, "Another princess!" Liriel only rolled her eyes, sipping wine. Nora, sighing, put out the fire with a spell, but the tapestries were in ashes. She found a scepter among the rubble, marked like the items in my backpack. "Curious," she said, handing it to me. When I touched the scepter, it vibrated, knocking over more statues. Nora, irritated, said, "You'll pay for this." Allies laughed, and Melina sang, "In the fortress, they strip the statues, the strippers fall into confusion!" Nora muttered, "You're a plague!"
The clash with Kaelthorn was the climax of it all. He launched bursts of dark energy, which I barely dodged. "You're weak!" he laughed, but Ingrid blocked a strike, buying me time. Elara, recovered, cast a weak spell that cracked his armor, Vespera shot a precise arrow into his shoulder, and Liriel, with a precise spell, purified his energy. The items in my backpack shone, and I used the stolen scepter to counterattack, weakening Kaelthorn. Gunnar and Leif attacked with axe and spells, Thorne cut down minions like grass, Sigrid healed wounds, Sven tracked openings, and Freya fired precise arrows. Kaelthorn roared, summoning a wave of shadows that toppled pillars. "The Demon King will come!" he shouted. But with my last breath, I charged forward, driving my sword through his armor. Kaelthorn fell, screaming, "This isn't over!" His body dissolved into black smoke, and the altar exploded in white light. The fortress shook, but the ritual was destroyed forever. My allies celebrated, but I collapsed, the world fading into darkness. "Takumi!" Elara screamed, running to me. I felt hands holding me, voices echoing. "Stay… safe," I murmured, before everything went black.
I woke in a white void—the same space from the start of my journey. No sound, no light, just endless nothingness. "Dead again," I thought, sighing in relief. At least no debts, no chaos from Elara, Vespera, and Liriel, no snobby princesses, no Demon King. A voice echoed: "Takumi, you have a choice." A figure appeared—a goddess of soft light, smiling serenely. "Reincarnate in another world, with a new life. Forget this chaos." A screen appeared, with options: one world of pure magic, another of advanced technology, another of eternal peace. My finger hovered over "accept," relief washing over me. No debts, no humiliation, no… them. But an image flashed in my mind: Elara's shy smile, Vespera laughing at disaster, Liriel scoffing with her wine. The void clenched my chest like a claw. "No," I whispered, my voice hoarse. The goddess smiled: "Then, go back to them." A light enveloped me, and the void dissolved into a swirl of colors.
I opened my eyes at the Vaelor inn, with Elara crying beside me, Vespera gripping my hand tightly, Liriel, eyes damp, murmuring something. "Takumi!" Elara shouted, throwing herself on me, hugging me as if I'd vanish. Vespera joined, laughing through tears: "Idiot, don't scare me like that again!" Liriel, reluctant, touched my shoulder, her voice low: "Don't do that again, mortal." Their embrace was warm, tight, and I laughed—a mix of frustration and relief. Back to the chaos, the debts, the ruined flirting, the whispering Demon King. But happy, more than ever. "I… came back," I said, hugging them back. The guild paid 70 coins for the victory but deducted 50 for the accumulated damages. 20 left—enough for a week at the inn. Elowen nodded: "The ritual was broken, but the Demon King still whispers. Be careful." Lyra, Thalira, and Elowyn, who were there, smiled—but the jealousy in the air was thick. Elara murmured, "You're ours, Takumi." Vespera laughed, "Don't get used to it." Liriel just huffed but squeezed my arm. My life was a nightmare—but it was my nightmare.