Stormbreaker drifted into Port Luminara like it owned the horizon, sails relaxed, hull humming faintly with stored lightning. The city welcomed them with sunlight, music, and the kind of peace that felt illegal after everything Kael Stormheart had done recently. The docks were clean, the air smelled of salt and spices, and not a single monster roared in the distance.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"This place feels suspicious," he said.
Loki floated upside down beside him, hands folded behind his head. "Relax, Master. Neutral port. No assassins. No elder councils. No cosmic trials. Just overpriced food and mild regrets."
Grey leaned over the railing, wings twitching softly as he stared at the city. "Why do places feel happier when people think nothing bad will happen today?"
Kael paused. "…That's a terrifyingly good question."
The moment Kael's boot touched the dock, everything went wrong in the nicest possible way.
Someone screamed his name.
Then another.
Then a lot of people.
"STORMHEART!"
"THE DEMIDRAKE!"
"IT'S REALLY HIM!"
Kael was engulfed in bodies, hands, food, drinks, flowers, scarves, something that might have been a marriage proposal, and at least one child being held up like an offering. He froze, lightning crackling reflexively along his shoulders.
"I—I just wanted to walk," he said weakly.
Ylva watched from a distance, arms crossed, unimpressed. "You dismantled a ruling council and ate ten immortal beings. This is the price."
Grey peeked out from behind Kael's leg, eyes glowing faintly. "Why do humans shout when they're happy?"
"They're emotionally inefficient," Loki said. "Like fireworks with lungs."
Kael escaped only by activating Storm Sense and stepping sideways through probability, reappearing three streets away in a flash of static and embarrassment. He leaned against a wall, breathing hard.
"I miss the sea," he muttered.
They agreed to split up. That was mistake number two.
Kael and Ylva followed signs written in four languages toward the famous Luminara hot springs. Kael carefully avoided looking at anything that could be interpreted as suggestive. Ylva read the sign aloud.
"Mixed bathing. Cultural norm. No elemental abilities. No transformations. No screaming."
Kael nodded. "Reasonable."
They exited their respective changing rooms at the same time.
Steam curled.
Water rippled.
Time stopped.
Kael stared straight ahead, brain completely offline. "This seems illegal."
Ylva calmly stepped into the water and sat. "It's only awkward if you make it awkward."
Kael sat down so fast he nearly drowned.
They sat in silence.
Five seconds passed.
Six.
Kael's Demidrake scales flickered instinctively.
A stranger screamed.
The staff appeared instantly, smiling politely while dragging them out with towels and pamphlets about "Awakened Etiquette."
Ylva sighed. "Next time, we bring Grey. Everyone would fall asleep."
Speaking of Grey, he had wandered into the art district, enchanted beyond words. Canvases lined the streets. Music drifted softly. He set up his small easel, dipped his brush into starlight, and began painting the sunset as he saw it—not as colors, but as feelings.
He hummed.
Shops went quiet.
Merchants slumped over counters.
Guards slid down walls.
A cat fell asleep mid-meow.
Grey blinked. "…Oh no."
He tried to apologize.
The apology had a harmony.
The entire street collapsed into peaceful unconsciousness.
Loki tackled him from behind, clamping a hand over his mouth. "NO SINGING IN CITIES."
Grey nodded rapidly, eyes watering. "I'm sorry. I just wanted them to feel calm."
Necroptor, meanwhile, had entered a luxury bathhouse meant for "unique guests." The staff gasped with delight.
"A floating pyramid!"
"A masterpiece!"
"Is this an installation?"
Before he could object, Necroptor was polished, buffed, and etched with scented runes. He stared at his reflection, skeletal jaw clenched.
"…I hate how relaxed I am."
When offered cucumber water, he accepted without comment.
Fjorn found food.
He found a lot of food.
By sunset, he sat cross-legged on the dock surrounded by empty plates, happily freezing desserts so they wouldn't melt. Children cheered him on. He waved proudly, mouth full.
"I would abandon all warfare for this city."
The beach was unavoidable.
Kael was challenged to games he did not understand and won by accident. Ylva won everything without trying. Necroptor built a massive sand fortress that collapsed under its own ambition. Grey got buried in sand.
"Why is sand so aggressive?" he asked, muffled.
Loki cheated at everything and was banned.
Kael laughed. Really laughed. For one day, the world did not ask him to conquer, consume, or ascend.
Fireworks bloomed over Port Luminara that night. The crew regrouped on Stormbreaker, full, tired, content.
Grey stared at the stars.
"…Kael?"
"Yes?"
"The stars are arguing."
The laughter faded.
Kael felt it then—a distant pressure, like the sea before a storm.
Somewhere far away, Awakeners were gathering.
Kael smiled softly.
"Good. Let the world sleep tonight."