The morning was quiet when I went out to the mansion's courtyard. The air had that light freshness that appears after peaceful nights. I was already used to the intense rhythm of the last two months, but that day there was something different. A sense of closure.
I found them all gathered near the carriage. Rai'kanna was speaking with the demi-dragon sorceress in a low voice. Elara watched attentively. Liriel kept her arms crossed, serious as always. Vespera seemed thoughtful, leaning against the side of the carriage.
The sorceress had her usual firm posture, but her gaze was softer.
I approached.
"So today is when you're leaving," I said.
She nodded.
"What I had to teach, I taught."
Rai'kanna took a deep breath.
"We learned a lot from you."
The sorceress looked at her and then at the others.
"You learned quickly because you already had a foundation. I only pointed the direction."
She turned her face toward me.
"And you were the reason."
I remained silent.
"They train for you. They evolve for you. That is rare."
I looked at all of them. None looked away.
I felt a light weight in my chest. It wasn't discomfort. It was responsibility.
"I just want all of you to be strong enough to never go through what we went through again," I replied.
The sorceress gave a small smile.
"Then you've already understood everything."
She walked a few steps toward the carriage but stopped before climbing in.
"I want to see."
Rai'kanna understood first.
She raised her hand and created a magic circle in the air. The mana flow came out stable, clean, without oscillation. Very different from when we started.
Elara positioned herself beside her and prepared a sequence of precise magical shots, all hitting the same point on a distant tree.
Liriel advanced in silence and, in a quick movement, disappeared and reappeared behind the tree, her blade resting against the trunk as if she had crossed space.
Vespera finished, raising a wide and firm magical barrier around all of them, sustaining it with ease.
The sorceress watched everything without interrupting.
After a few seconds, she took a deep breath.
"Now yes."
She looked at me again.
"You don't realize it, Takumi, but you formed something rare. A group that doesn't rely only on strength. It relies on trust."
I stood there for a few seconds thinking about it.
It was true.
None of that existed months ago.
"They are no longer apprentices," she continued. "They are high-level combatants."
Rai'kanna gave a small, proud smile.
"Thanks to you," she said.
The sorceress shook her head.
"Thanks to him."
The silence that followed was respectful.
She finally climbed into the carriage, but before sitting down, she spoke one last time.
"Takumi."
"Yes."
"Prepare yourself."
"The Fourth General?"
She nodded.
"You are strong. But he is not like the fifth."
I felt my body become alert.
"He thinks before he acts."
That stayed in my mind.
She lightly tapped the side of the carriage.
"If you win, it will be because you learned to fight as a group. Not as individuals."
Rai'kanna lowered her gaze, thoughtful.
Liriel grew serious.
Vespera clenched her fist.
Elara took a deep breath.
The carriage began to move.
We stood there watching until it disappeared down the road.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
"She's scary," Vespera commented.
"But she was right," Elara added.
Rai'kanna looked at me.
"Now it's us."
I nodded slowly.
"It is."
We walked back into the mansion.
As I walked, I realized something clearly.
There was no longer that feeling of fragility that had existed before.
There was calm.
Confidence.
And a silent certainty that, when the moment came, we would be ready.
Before going inside, I looked one last time at the empty road.
The farewell didn't leave emptiness.
It left preparation.
And that was exactly what we needed.