The guild never truly slept.
Even before dawn, the building was already breathing with movement. Hurried footsteps echoed through the corridors, low voices appeared and disappeared, papers were handled with urgency. Life went on, indifferent to what was happening inside any adventurer's head.
We arrived early.
Not out of obligation, but because none of us could stay still. There was something restless in the air, as if we all knew that day would mark a silent change. Not a grand turning point, but a fine adjustment, almost invisible.
We sat together in the main area. None of us seemed tired, but all of us were far too alert.
"This meeting can't be just procedural," Elara commented.
"Not after what happened," Liriel replied.
Vespera observed the mission board from a distance. "They don't call an entire group at dawn just to congratulate them."
The door to the main office opened shortly after. One of the guild officials called us by name. That alone was strange. Usually, adventurers were called by group number or rank.
We entered.
The environment was formal, but not hostile. There were three people in the room. The guild master, a representative of the kingdom, and a man I didn't know, dressed too simply for someone positioned so well.
"Sit," the master said.
We did as asked.
"I'll be direct," he continued. "The kingdom needs you today."
"Today?" I asked.
The representative nodded. "A short mission. No detours. A test."
"A test of what?" Vespera asked.
"Posture," the unknown man answered for the first time. His voice was calm, but firm. "You are no longer just promising adventurers. You are a symbol in formation."
Silence took the room.
"The request is simple," the master explained. "A diplomatic caravan needs to cross an unstable region. Nothing you can't handle. But there are eyes watching."
"We can refuse?" Elara asked.
"You can," the representative replied. "But the impact of that will be noticed."
I understood in that moment. This wasn't about combat. It was about image.
"We'll accept," I said.
All eyes turned to me.
"Not because it's easy," I continued, "but because avoiding it now would only create doubts."
The unknown man smiled slightly. "Correct answer."
The mission began before noon.
The caravan wasn't large. Two carriages, some soldiers, and diplomats trying to disguise their nervousness. The path was known, but not safe. Low forests, gentle hills, and too many blind spots for comfort.
We took positions automatically. Elara at the front, Vespera on the sides, Liriel in the center, me adjusting everything as we advanced.
We didn't talk much. Professionalism took over.
"Movement on the right," Elara warned at one point.
We stopped.
It was only a group of ordinary travelers. Even so, we remained alert.
"It's strange," Liriel said later. "Nothing happens."
"That's how it starts," I replied.
The attack came in the late afternoon.
It wasn't spectacular. It wasn't grand. It was efficient.
Well-armed bandits, far too organized for amateurs. They tried to surround the caravan, block retreat, create panic.
They failed.
Elara took down the first before he even understood what was happening. Vespera appeared from nowhere, silent, precise. Liriel kept the diplomats protected, and I advanced through the center, breaking the enemy formation.
It lasted only a few minutes.
When it was over, the ground was marked, but no one from the caravan had been hurt.
"That was fast," one of the soldiers commented, still surprised.
"It was supposed to be," I replied.
We continued the journey without delay.
We reached the destination at nightfall. The diplomats thanked us excessively. The soldiers watched us with open respect. No celebration. No praise.
That was how a high-level group was supposed to act.
On the way back, the silence returned. But it wasn't heavy like before. It was functional.
"Did you notice?" Vespera said.
"What?" I asked.
"During the fight, nothing weighed on us. No doubts."
Elara nodded. "Because there we know who we are."
"Maybe that's it," Liriel commented. "In combat, we are clear. Outside of it, we are human."
We reached the city at night.
The guild was more crowded than usual. News traveled fast.
"The master wants to speak with you tomorrow," an employee informed us.
"Again?" Elara muttered.
"Something about future assignments."
We went up to the rooms.
Before separating, we stood in the corridor, not knowing exactly what to say.
"Today was important," Liriel said.
"It was necessary," I replied.
Vespera looked at me. "Don't let this become an escape."
"I won't."
Elara touched my arm briefly. "Just don't forget to live between one mission and another."
I nodded.
I entered the room and closed the door. I sat on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
Missions did not wait for feelings.
The world did not stop for us to resolve our internal issues.
But maybe, just maybe, we were learning to walk with both at the same time.
And that, I realized that night, was much harder than facing any enemy.