A Moment of Respite

With a yawn, I lay on the lush green grass.

"So," Vincent's voice sounded. "Are you feeling better, Josh?" His brother nodded and I heard the rustling of his clothes as he got up on his feet. "Where are you going?" Vincent asked him almost immediately.

"For a walk." He said dismissively.

"No, you're not." Vincent said as he grabbed his brother's arm and forced him back down. "I'm not letting you go and peep on the girls."

I rolled my eyes at Joshua's protests. "You know Alex will drown you if you even so much as try it." I said with a chuckle. "And I wouldn't let you try something like that either." I glared at him. He flinched and looked away.

"Fine! You're so boring." He exhaled and threw himself on the grass. "Erik, come on. Help me out a little."

"No." Erik coldly said as he poked the campfire with a long stick. "And stop messing around with that idea." He slowly turned towards me. "Are you sure you're ok, Kai? You were underwater for more than a minute. And you look quite pale."

I nodded. "I'm fine, I told you already." I yawned again. "I'll be back to my usual self once I get a few hours of sleep." With a grin I took an old cloak out of my inventory and rolled it into a ball. "Good night." With those words, I placed the cloak under my head like a pillow and closed my eyes as Erik protested. "It's not even dusk yet!"

I chuckled and shrugged. The young paladin mumbled something under his breath, then sighed. The other two laughed at his words.

"Asher?" I called out to the annoying sorcerer. Silence was all that followed. Slightly worried, I tried again. "Hey, Asher?" He was awake and healthy. I could feel it in the back of my mind. So why wasn't he responding?

I tried to reach him a few more times before deciding to actually attempt to sleep. Surprisingly, as soon as I stopped straining my mind with telepathy, the sweet, dark embrace of sleep welcomed me.

That dark embrace soon turned into the cold depths of a jade coloured lake. The fear of drowning washed over me as I desperately tried to reach the surface. Despite my efforts, my body wouldn't move, all I could do was to watch as I dove deeper and deeper. Until the something bright illuminated the darkness.

I couldn't see what it was, just looking at it was enough to blind me. The bright blue glow seemed to give life to my surroundings as I spotted both normal fish and legendary sea creatures swimming about. I approached the glowing object, then suddenly turned back and shot up to the surface as a rumble shook the water.

I woke up with laughter just before I broke the surface of the water.

"Shh, be quiet." Vincent's low voice sounded. "You'll wake him up!"

"Oops," Joshua mumbled. My tense body relaxed a little. That dream felt too real.

"Kai." Asher's voice sounded in my mind. I flinched; I didn't expect him to contact me now. "Was it your annoyance towards me that made you use your power effortlessly?" He said with a smug tone. I couldn't fathom how he managed to sound smug through telepathy.

"I guess you were useful for once." I replied, trying my best not to grin.

"That hurts, you know." He chuckled; I think. "I wanted to ask about that soul you got. I think that might also enhance your body – just like the phoenix did."

I felt my body tense up again as I became too aware of myself. "How, exactly?"

"I don't know. Water breathing? A Tail? Scales?" A short moment of silence followed his words. "We'll see. I'll try to figure it out. Get rest for now, it feels like you're exhausted." I felt the connection sever.

Annoyed, I almost sighed. Then I remembered I was still supposed to be asleep. Instead, I cursed at the smug sorcerer for a little.

"Should we wake him up for dinner?" Alina's concerned voice pulled me away from my thoughts. I was starving.

"Maybe not." Alex mumbled. "He was so exhausted that-"

I couldn't miss dinner, so with a loud yawn, I stretched and opened my eyes. "Hey guys," I mumbled.

"Oh, good timing." Vincent said with a grin. He pointed towards a plate full of raw meat. "I was just about to start cooking these." By cooking, he clearly meant barbecuing them on the campfire.

"That sounds tasty." I said with a smile. I hadn't eaten anything but dried meat and fruits in a very long time. Just the thought of juicy meat made my mouth water.

Rina laughed and got up. She circled around the campfire and sat by me. "Thank you, Kai. I don't think we would have been able to get through that fight relatively unscathed if not for your help." She lightly squeezed my shoulder, then with a smile, opened her interface.

'Rina Woods – Level 58 Wizard'

"It gave plenty of experience to all of us." She continued with a smile. "This will make our upcoming exploration mush easier too."

I flinched. "Yeah," I said with a forced smile. Knowing that I was stronger than her was such a weird feeling. I just couldn't get used to it. I glanced at everyone else. "I'm glad I was able to be of help."

"Oh, please." Alina said with a bright smile. "We all know you saved us there. No need to be so modest." Before I could shake my head, she glanced at the campfire. "Oh, we're running out of wood. Do you mind helping me a little bit?" With those words, she rose to her feet. "There's plenty of firewood over there." She tilted her head towards the woods by the river.

"Uh, sure." I said hesitantly. I also stood up and followed her to the nearby woods.