The following morning was born gray.
It wasn't raining, but the sky seemed undecided, as if it were still choosing what kind of day it would be. I woke early, even before hearing any movement in the other rooms. The silence of the guild at that hour had something artificial to it, as if the building were holding its breath.
I got up slowly, feeling my body heavy. It wasn't physical tiredness. It was something else. Something that gathered behind the eyes, in the chest, at the back of the throat.
I went downstairs and found Elara sitting alone at the main table. She was already dressed for travel, her sword resting beside the chair. She absentmindedly stirred the glass of water.
"You woke up early too," I said.
She raised her eyes. "I couldn't sleep any longer."
I sat across from her. The space between us felt larger than it should.
"Thinking too much?" I asked.
"Thinking enough."
We remained silent for a few seconds. The distant noise of the city was beginning to drift in through the open windows.
"You always do this," Elara said suddenly.
"Do what?"
"Carry everything alone and only realize you're sinking afterward."
I sighed. "I'm not trying to carry it alone. I'm just trying to understand before I speak."
"Understand what exactly?"
I looked at the glass in front of me. "What we are now. Not as a group. As people."
She rested her arms on the table. "We've always been more than just a group."
"Yes. And that's what makes it complicated."
Liriel came down shortly after, her hair still loose, holding a cup of tea. When she saw us, she slowed her steps, as if she didn't want to interrupt something important.
"Good morning," she said.
"Good morning," we replied almost at the same time.
She sat beside us. "Vespera is still sleeping."
"Or pretending," Elara commented.
Liriel gave a half-smile. "She does that when she needs time."
The atmosphere wasn't heavy, but it wasn't light either. It was like walking on a frozen lake, trusting that the ice would hold for one more step.
"Did you notice how no one talked about leaving?" Liriel said.
"Because no one wants to be the first to suggest it," I replied.
Elara agreed. "And because, deep down, we know running away doesn't solve anything."
We finished breakfast together and left the guild shortly after. The city was different that day. Not because of anything visible, but because of the way people watched us. There was respect, curiosity, and something close to expectation.
We walked to the edge of the wall, where the view opened to the fields beyond the city. The wind was stronger there, carrying the smell of damp earth.
Vespera was already waiting for us, leaning against the stone, looking at the horizon.
"You took your time," she said without turning her face.
"We needed coffee," Liriel replied.
Vespera finally turned around. Her eyes were attentive, too clear for someone who had supposedly just woken up.
"We need to talk," she said.
"I know," I replied.
We all sat on the parapet of the wall. For a moment, no one spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable, but it was heavy.
"I don't regret it," Vespera said at last. "But I'm not going to pretend nothing changed."
Elara nodded. "It would be easier if nothing had changed."
"Easy isn't always better," Liriel commented.
I looked at each of them before speaking. "What happened doesn't define us entirely. But it also can't be ignored."
"So what do you propose?" Elara asked.
"That we be honest. Even when it's uncomfortable."
Vespera crossed her arms. "Honesty without courage becomes silence."
"Then let's be courageous," I replied.
We talked for hours. Not about everything, but about enough. Fears, expectations, limits. There were no grand promises or definitive decisions. Just the slow construction of something more solid than assumptions.
When the sun was already high, Liriel stood up. "If we stay here all day, we'll draw attention."
"We're already drawing it," Elara said.
"Then at least let's do it while moving."
We decided to leave the city for a few hours. Nothing official. Nothing announced. Just walking.
The fields were green, dotted with small flowers that resisted the wind. We walked side by side, but not pressed together. Each one respecting the other's space.
"You're quieter," Liriel said to me.
"I'm observing."
"What?"
"Us."
She smiled slightly. "And what are you seeing?"
"People trying not to break something important."
Vespera walked a few steps ahead. Elara walked beside me, attentive to the ground, but also to what wasn't visible.
"If this goes wrong," Elara said in a low voice, "I don't want it to turn into resentment."
"Neither do I."
"Then don't let fear guide your decisions."
The day passed without major events. No enemies, no threats. Just the sound of footsteps, the wind, the words spoken and the ones kept inside.
We returned to the city in the late afternoon.
At the entrance of the guild, a messenger was waiting for us.
"You were being sought," he said. "Something about a meeting."
"When?" I asked.
"Tomorrow at dawn."
I exchanged glances with the group. Something new was forming. Another change in sight.
At night, we sat together again. Not like before, but not distant either.
"Whatever it is," Vespera said, "we'll face it together."
"As always," Liriel completed.
I looked at them and felt, for the first time since that night, something close to balance.
Maybe we didn't have all the answers.
But we still had each other.
And, for now, that was enough.