Two weeks had passed since the day Thal and I were in each other's throats. We all stayed for a while in South Tang City. To be honest, this city was different from anything we'd experienced recently—peaceful, slow-paced, and welcoming. For once, the quiet wasn't unsettling; instead, it felt restorative.
Our days quickly settled into a comforting rhythm.
Each morning began with Thalamik rising well before dawn, practicing meditation and mana refinement in a quiet corner of the city's training grounds. I usually arrived later, rubbing sleep from my eyes, greeted each time by Thalamik's mildly disappointed stare.
"One day, Ray," Thalamik sighed one morning, shaking his head, "you'll surprise me by arriving first."
"And ruin your routine? Never," I replied with a yawn, stretching lazily.
Carmilla joined shortly after, her cheerful energy brightening the training grounds instantly. "Good morning, you two. Are we starting with mana control today?"
Thalamik nodded curtly, his expression stern. "If Raymed manages to avoid destroying more dummies, yes."
"Come on," I protested, grinning sheepishly, "that only happened twice...this week."
Carmilla laughed softly, giving Thalamik a gentle pat on the shoulder. "At least he's consistent."
"Consistently reckless," Thalamik retorted, but his tone was softer now.
Our usual daily banter began as we practiced our Mana control and reserve. As expected from Thalamik. He is superb at controlling Mana, unlike how I can ever achieve. Today, he conjured the mana and made it into an orb-like structure.
"I will call this a 'Baang.'" He said with a confident face.
"PFFT! You totally stole that from a webtoon!" I replied almost instantly.
"Webtoon?" Carmilla was confused. As a rule, I then explained the context of the webtoon. I spent about five minutes explaining the T*wer of G*d to Carmilla. Before, Thalamik coughed loudly as if trying to say, 'That's enough intermezzo. '
We continued trying our best to do Mana Control to create Baangs. Yet, as always, when I first try something new in mana control...
BOOM!
I always managed to make another explosion in the training grounds.
***
The sun cast a perfect, angled shadow towards us. We were wandering through the bustling streets of South Tang, helping locals with small tasks and errands. The mundane chores were shopping for supplies, repairing fences, and carrying heavy crates. It honestly felt oddly refreshing.
"Ray, could you carry this box?" Carmilla asked sweetly, gesturing towards an oversized crate filled with medicinal herbs.
"Isn't Thalamik stronger?" I teased.
"Hmm, debateable," she smiled playfully, "but you're better physically and more suited to menial labor."
Thalamik smirked, arms crossed. "She's not wrong."
Grumbling good-naturedly, I hoisted the crate onto my shoulder.
"You two are enjoying this far too much."
"Maybe just a little," Carmilla admitted, sharing a conspiratorial glance with Thalamik.
After doing chores and helping out, we often spent our time exploring trinkets around the market. Thalamik was surprisingly good at negotiating prices, always practical and firm. It felt like whatever he was negotiating seemed fair and just to the seller. While Carmilla enjoyed browsing through clothing stalls and potion shops, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Hey, look at this!" Carmilla called excitedly one afternoon, holding up an ornate necklace with a deep blue gemstone. "Do you think Instructor Hale would like this?"
Thalamik's expression softened slightly. "Hmm, I have a feeling she would like it."
She turned to me, smiling warmly. "Raymed, what about you? You know, as a 'get well soon' gift?"
"Hmm, you know... why not?" I replied with a laugh, pulling a handful of cash from my pocket. "Anything to make Hale a little less strict and grumpy."
"I doubt anyone could ever achieve that," Thalamik muttered under his breath, earning gentle laughter from Carmilla and me.
We visited Instructor Hale every few days. Her recovery was slow but steady.
Today, Hale greeted us with her characteristic sharpness, even from her bed.
"You three again? Don't you have something better to do?" Hale grumbled, though her eyes softened when Carmilla placed a small bouquet of fresh flowers by her bedside.
"Just making sure you didn't scare away the healers again, " Thalamik said with a smirk.
Hale snorted lightly. "They're tougher than they look. You shouldn't underestimate them."
Thalamik let out a small laugh before asking what he wanted to ask. "Any news from the government officials?" He asked hesitantly. It was like he was unsure if this was the right moment.
Her gaze softened. "Still quiet. No orders yet. Take that as good news. Use this moment of rest wisely."
"We will," Carmilla assured, smiling warmly. "Oh! Here's for you, Instructor." She carefully presented the ornate sapphire necklace we'd picked earlier.
Hale stared at it, clearly touched, before quickly masking her emotions. "Well, at least one of you has good taste."
"The joke's on you. I helped pick that gift," Thalamik said with pride.
"I did, too. From the moment I looked at it, I just knew that was the perfect gift for you, " I said right after Thalamik's claim.
"That so?" Hale looks to Carmilla, and she begins to nod.
"I see... then, you all have my thanks," Hale said, her face turning slightly redder..
***
Evenings became our quiet sanctuary. Often, we walked the city perimeter, chatting comfortably or reflecting silently beneath the sprawling expanse of stars. Today, we were at our secret spot that had a view of the city.
"Do you ever think about what comes after all this fighting?" Carmilla asked softly one evening, as we all stared thoughtfully at the distant lights of South Tang.
"I try not to," Thalamik admitted quietly. "Thinking too far ahead distracts from what's right in front of us."
"Maybe," she sighed, eyes gentle, "but I think it's important to have hope. Even small moments of peace like these—they matter. They feel like all of this is what we wanted to achieve, don't you think?"
Thalamik met her gaze, his expression softening. "You're right, Carmilla."
I nodded. "Moments like this remind me why we fight so hard. Everything we fight for is so that we can feel safe again."
Carmilla reached out her right hand towards the South Tang City and said "To be honest, I am scared of the fact we have to fight against the 72 Demon Lord Envoy. Yet upon looking at this town that is again filled with joy. I think I can still fight some more." Carmilla said as she retracted her arm.
A comfortable silence fell between us, broken only by the soft chirp of crickets. Eventually, Thalamik spoke quietly, his voice revealing a rare vulnerability.
"To be honest. I, too, never would've thought that I'd find moments of peace like this again after losing everything," he murmured, staring skyward. "Yet here we are. It made me feel like maybe I'm not entirely lost yet."
I looked at Thalamik with a serious expression.
"WHaT ArE YoU oN AbOut?! HUh?! You have us. Don't you dare feel alone again!" I grabbed his shoulders and pulled him closer as I softly punched his arm.
Carmilla only giggled, looking at our antics, before saying, "You will never be lost again. I guarantee it!"
Carmilla gently grabbed both of our arms and said, "If we're together, I am sure we can face any challenges!" Her crimson eyes suddenly have stars in them.
Thal and I looked towards each other before turning our faces away quickly, unable to hold the smile forming on our lips.
Carmilla seemed confused as she asked, "Is there something funny?"
"No.. It's just...PFFFT." Thalamik couldn't hold his laughter.
"You... sound too cliche! HAHAHA" I too can't hold my laughter any longer.
She abruptly let go of her grasp and turned her face away from us. Her hands were on her face, clearly a sign of embarrassment.
"But I respect that you're always the optimist when it comes to emotional well-being," Thalamik muttered softly. "But you just seemed so sheltered to have this kind of words at this age."
"To be honest, I never interacted a lot with my peers at the Saint Ascension programs. Even before that, I was homeschooled, " she whispered, still covering her face.
"Hey, Thal didn't mean it like that. Your words are just what we needed to break the mellow mood. If anything, it's good that you're saying cliched things," I said.
Carmilla crouched as she buried her face even deeper in her hands.
Haha. Didn't know she could be this embarrased as well.
"Oi Carmilla, we're leaving now! let's go! Keep your embarassment alone for a few secs." Thalamik playfully said.
She nodded softly as she rose, revealing a face with a beet-red color.
As Thalamik and Carmilla started walking back to the city, I abruptly stopped behind them.
"I am thankful for you guys," I said. "We are special, right? Then let's do our best to break it down."
"Break what down?" Thalamik asked.
"I want to break the stigmas and barriers of what humankind can achieve. Let us show them the pride in being human!" I smiled.
"Ray..." Carmilla softly said while smiling.
"THAT WAS SO CLICHE!!!! " Thalamik laughed out loud.
As our days blended into weeks, our peaceful routine gradually healed wounds mentally and physically. We spent our days training, laughing, arguing, and enjoying small moments of companionship that reminded us of our humanity.
Instructor Hale's recovery steadily improved, a reassuring sign that perhaps our efforts weren't entirely in vain.
We knew war loomed on the horizon, inevitable and relentless.
Yet, in these fleeting moments of quiet and calm companionship, we found renewed strength to face whatever came next.
We never forgot the losses that shaped us, South Jaka and L'arc Academy. But they shouldn't be the chains of our growth anymore. It should be our fuel to keep going.
I will break it down.
I will rise above the standards.
As myself and as a human being.
Because the one thing we have that is the greatest weapon of all...
It's our ability to trust each other and fight tirelessly for something we deem irreplaceable:
Besides, we had each other.