The third day of my break arrived sooner than I'd expected.
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The first two had passed… strangely calmly.
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No training.
No pain.
No struggle to keep from falling apart inside.
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And it felt strange.
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But on the third day—
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So A literally dragged me out of the room.
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'That's it, enough sitting around!' she said, grabbing my arm.
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'I've been given the "task of resting",' I replied lazily.
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"Well, you're doing it," she snorted.
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"Actively."
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It was warm outside.
People were walking about, laughing.
Life as usual.
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I stopped for a second.
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"I'd forgotten what it looked like…"
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Aki walked beside me, her arms crossed.
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— Because you've been living like a disaster for the last few weeks.
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I smiled.
— Thanks for being honest.
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So A pulled me along.
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— No strength today.
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— No training.
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— No 'I must get stronger'.
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I looked at her.
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— That's impossible.
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She stopped.
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And looked me straight in the eye.
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"Give it a go."
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A pause.
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I exhaled.
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"All right."
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We just walked.
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We ate.
We talked.
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Aki would occasionally throw in a sarcastic comment.
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So I laughed more than usual.
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And I…
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did too.
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For a second, everything felt normal.
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No pressure.
No future war.
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Just a day.
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But even in that—
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I could feel it.
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The force inside was calmer.
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More balanced.
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As if the break had really worked.
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'What are you thinking about?' asked So A.
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I looked up at the sky.
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'About the fact that this might end.'
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Aki said quietly:
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'Everything ends.'
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I shook my head.
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'That's not what I meant.'
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A pause.
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'In three months.'
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So A fell silent.
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But she didn't let go of my hand.
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'Then…' she said quietly.
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'Just remember this day.'
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I looked at her.
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And nodded.
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'I will.'
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Evening crept up on us.
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We were sitting on the roof.
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That very one.
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Where it all began.
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The wind was gentle.
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The silence — peaceful.
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"You know…" I said.
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"For the first time, I'm not thinking about training."
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Aki smiled.
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"Let's record this as a historic event."
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So A laughed quietly.
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"One day without madness."
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I closed my eyes.
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And for the first time in a long while—
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nothing weighed on me.
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At that moment—
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Akarania activated.
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[TASK COMPLETED]
[STABILISATION: COMPLETED]
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I opened my eyes.
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[REWARD RECEIVED]
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My heart beat a little faster.
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[ACCESS GRANTED: DRAGON FORM CONTROL]
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I took a slow breath.
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The power inside…
had changed.
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But it didn't flare up.
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Instead…
it obeyed.
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"Oh…" I said quietly.
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Aki noticed straight away.
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"Something's changed."
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I nodded.
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— Yes.
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So A looked closely.
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— For the worse?
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I shook my head.
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— For the better.
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Pause.
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I stood up.
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And for a second…
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I released the power.
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My eyes flashed for a moment.
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The air around me trembled.
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But—
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nothing was destroyed.
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I stopped.
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And smiled.
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— Now I can control it.
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Aki nodded.
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— At last.
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So A breathed a sigh of relief.
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— Then… you've become even more dangerous.
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I chuckled.
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— Perhaps.
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Pause.
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I looked at them.
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— Thank you.
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So A smiled.
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— For what?
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— For not letting me go mad.
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Aki turned away.
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— Don't get used to it.
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But I could see—
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she was calmer too.
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Night fell slowly.
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And this time—
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the silence didn't seem temporary.
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It was…
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well-deserved.
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But somewhere deep inside—
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I already knew:
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this was the last moment of calm before the storm.