"...No more labyrinths. No more trials. No more stabbing things that scream."
Kaien stretched like a cat in the morning sun, sprawled atop a collapsed statue outside Gravehold's eastern wing. Birds chirped overhead. A breeze actually smelled clean for once.
> "Today, we live."
Igris blinked.
> "Live?"
> "Live, stoic one. Rest. Enjoy. Laugh. Maybe commit minor theft, depending on the mood."
Adexander was silent, arms crossed as he leaned against a pillar.
Kaien grinned.
> "Don't say it. I know that face. 'Rest is inefficient.' 'Time wasted is power delayed.' Blah, blah. Look, Crimson—if you don't unwind, you'll go full 'berserk king' again and start punching the moon."
> "...I did not punch the moon."
> "You tried."
Velessia chuckled softly from the side, her silver hair tied up for once, casual. She was peeling fruit with a flick of divine energy.
> "Even the greatest blades dull if never sheathed."
Raik muttered under his breath as he painted a miniature version of Adexander on a slab of wood. The likeness was… questionable.
> "And some blades need less brooding and more smiling."
> "...I smile," Adexander said, deadpan.
Kaien raised a brow.
> "Oh? When?"
> "Last year. For four seconds."
Kaien clutched his chest theatrically.
> "Gods save us. We've lost him."
---
Later – The "Tavern" Kaien Built from Ruins
Yes, somehow, Kaien had converted half the wreckage into a tavern-esque space. It had chairs. A bar. A suspicious glowing sign above it that read:
> "The Crimson Cup – Where Even Kings Drink Last."
Adexander stared.
> "Did you name it that?"
> "Absolutely. Catchy, right?"
Igris stood behind the bar. Kaien had bribed him into it with a rare black mineral for his armor.
> "We have mead. We have bloodfruit wine. We have... whatever that is," Igris said, eyeing a bubbling red vial Kaien had called 'Spicy Joy.'
> "I'll take two," said Velessia, smiling.
Raik toasted with a carved wooden mug. "To not dying yesterday!"
> "To not dying tomorrow!" Kaien added, clinking.
Adexander just lifted his glass once—and sipped.
Everyone froze.
> "...He drank it," Kaien whispered. "He actually—he—Raik draw this moment, quick!"
> "Too late! I already burned it into memory!"
Adexander looked at them, one brow rising.
> "You're all ridiculous."
> "And you secretly love it," Velessia teased.
He said nothing.
But his glass? He didn't set it down.