Chapter 226: Weight

The room was quiet in a way that felt anything but peaceful. The silence hung heavily, clinging to the walls as if it had weight.

The Adventurer Inn used to be alive with noise, laughter echoing down hallways, boots thudding against wooden floors, and arguments erupting over ale and missions.

But now, it’s silent and full of oppressive atmosphere, thick with tension.

In one particular chamber tucked away on the upper floor, that familiar vibrancy felt distant. It was replaced by the soft rustle of fabric, the faint scent of medicinal herbs, and the quiet breaths of those who had survived something they were still trying to comprehend.

Moonlight seeped through the narrow window, pale and cold, casting long shadows across the bed where Calista lay propped against layered pillows.

Her face had lost much of its usual sharpness; color drained from her skin and her lips parted slightly as she drew slow, careful breaths, the effort visible in the rise and fall of her chest.

Her left arm was gone; the empty space beneath thick wrappings spoke louder than words ever could. The bandaged stump rested at her side like a silent testament to everything that had been lost. Even awake, she bore the fragility of someone who had stood too close to death’s edge and hadn’t yet fully returned.

Beside her sat Leona, Brutus, and Caelis, each wrapped in their own layers of bandages, their bodies stiff from healing wounds and exhaustion that sleep alone couldn’t mend.

Leona sat upright but tense, hands resting on her lap as if afraid they might tremble if she let them move; Brutus leaned forward heavily with hunched shoulders, breathing slowly but deeply; Caelis remained quiet with his gaze lowered, fingers tracing absent circles along the edge of the bed frame.

For a while, none spoke; silence stretched between them as they simply looked at Calista, the absence where her arm once was, a stark reminder of the cost etched into their lives.

Eventually, Brutus broke the stillness with a low mutter. “You’re lucky you’re awake,” he said without harshness, only relief poorly concealed beneath his usual bluntness. “Another day and I would’ve dragged you back from the afterlife myself.”

Calista managed a weak smile; it was small but genuine as her eyes shifted toward him.

“I’d like to see you try,” she murmured hoarsely yet steadily. “You’d probably get lost halfway and start fighting ghosts.”

Leona huffed softly even though her eyes glistened with unshed tears. Caelis’s lips twitched faintly; even Brutus let out a low snort.

For a moment, it almost felt normal as they exchanged banter among themselves.

Suddenly they heard a sound coming from outside the door.

All four of them instinctively turned toward the door, the atmosphere in the room shifting immediately. The air tightened, anticipation weaving itself into the silence. No one spoke or moved; they simply stared at the closed door as if waiting for it to reveal something they already sensed.

Calista’s gaze lingered there for a few moments, her expression softening into something almost gentle. Then, after a quiet breath, she spoke.

“Gregor,” she said, her voice weak but resolute. “I know it’s you. Come in.”

A long, heavy silence followed.

Then the door creaked open.

Gregor stood framed by the dim light of the hallway, his head bowed and shoulders slightly hunched as if trying to make himself smaller and less visible.

His long green hair hung loosely around his face, and the usual sharpness in his posture was replaced by a quiet hesitation that made him appear… lost.

He wore simple clothing, plain and unremarkable, far from the armor he once wore with confidence. He didn’t step inside right away; he just stood there, uncertain if he was allowed to cross the threshold.

Brutus was the first to break the silence.

“What are you standing there for?” he barked, his voice booming despite the softness of the room. “Come and sit.”

Gregor flinched slightly at Brutus’s words before slowly lifting his head. His face was pale, and his eyes were red from tears, tears born from sleepless nights and guilt that had hollowed him out from within.

He stepped forward cautiously, each movement deliberate and almost reluctant as though traversing the distance between the door and bed felt longer than it should have.

The floor creaked softly beneath his boots while everyone watched him silently; their expressions were unreadable, neither welcoming nor rejecting but simply… waiting.

He stopped beside Calista’s bed, looking down at her with a tightening throat; words caught somewhere between his chest and lips.

Seconds passed and finally, he spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

The words emerged quietly and raw, far heavier than they sounded.

Calista smiled gently. Leona shook her head. Caelis exhaled slowly while Brutus frowned.

“You don’t need to apologize,” Leona said softly.

Caelis nodded in agreement. “None of this was solely your fault.”

Brutus crossed his arms firmly. “We all chose to go.”

But Gregor shook his head again, dropping his gaze as fingers clenched tightly at his sides.

“No,” he said, voice trembling now. “All of this… is my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on taking that mission… if I hadn’t pushed all of you… none of this would have happened.”

His voice cracked under pressure. “Because of me…” He paused painfully before continuing, “Because of me, you lost an arm. Because of me… all of you almost died.”

The room fell silent once more, but this time the stillness was thick with emotion.

Calista studied him intently, her gaze devoid of anger or blame, replaced instead by a profound understanding.

“Gregor,” she said softly.

He didn’t meet her eyes.

“You think I lost my arm because of you,” she continued, her voice steady despite the weakness in her body. “But I didn’t lose it because of you. I lost it because I chose to stand where I did. Because I chose to fight. Because I chose to protect those beside me. That choice was mine.”

He shook his head again, more vehemently this time. “I led you into that situation.”

“And we followed,” Brutus interjected firmly. “Not because you forced us, but because we trusted you.”

Caelis finally lifted his gaze and spoke in a low voice. “You weren’t dragging us along; you were leading the way. There’s a difference.”

Gregor’s shoulders trembled as he struggled to catch his breath. “I should have seen it,” he whispered. “The signs, the risks, the trap, I should have known better.”

Leona leaned forward slightly, her eyes soft yet unwavering. “And if you had said no? If you had tried to stop us? Do you really think we would have listened? We’re Adventurers, Gregor. We seek out danger and make choices knowing they could cost us everything. That’s who we are.”

Tears streamed silently down Gregor’s face as he fought to steady himself. “I was supposed to protect all of you,” he said hoarsely. “That was my promise.”

Calista reached out with her remaining hand, her fingers trembling as they rested lightly against his sleeve.

“You did protect us,” she replied quietly. “We’re alive, aren’t we?”

Gregor finally looked at her, his eyes wide and filled with pain.

“You call this protection?” he choked out, glancing at the space where her arm had once been.

Calista followed his gaze for a moment before lifting her chin defiantly.

“Yes,” she affirmed. “Because I’m still here. I’m still breathing and can still fight, maybe not in the same way as before… but I’m not gone.”

Her voice grew steadier as she added, “And neither are you.”

Her words landed heavily between them.

Gregor stared at her as something inside him began to crack, the guilt he had carried finally finding an outlet.

“You think this makes me less?” she continued firmly. “Losing an arm doesn’t mean I’ve lost myself and your mistake doesn’t define who you are either.”

Brutus stepped forward and placed a reassuring hand on Gregor’s shoulder. “We all made that choice,” he said earnestly. “We all bear the consequences together, that’s just how this life works.”

Caelis nodded slowly in agreement. “You don’t carry this burden alone.”

Leona’s voice followed, soft yet steady. “You don’t disappear because you’re ashamed. That’s not how family works.”

Gregor felt a hitch in his breath, his knees trembling as the burden he had carried began to shift not completely gone, but now shared.

He lowered his gaze again, tears streaming down his face, his voice barely a whisper. “I thought… if I stayed away… it would make things easier for all of you.”

Calista offered a faint smile. “It just made it quieter. Not easier.”

A long silence enveloped them, filled not with emptiness but with pain, understanding, and the slow process of healing.

Then Gregor exhaled shakily, the first breath that felt less like guilt and more like release.

“I don’t know how to fix this,” he confessed.

Brutus let out a soft snort. “You don’t. None of us do.”

Leona nodded in agreement. “We just move forward.”

Caelis added quietly, “One step at a time.”

Calista gently squeezed his sleeve. “And we do it together.”

Gregor closed his eyes, allowing the words to sink in, transforming from something crushing into something he couldn’t bear.

After a while he opened his eyes, which were red, filled with tears as he shook his head. “I still can’t bring myself to forgive myself for all that have happened.”

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