Zane groaned as he blinked open his eyes, the familiar scent of wood and beer hitting him like a brick. The cabin. He was back. Relief mingled with lingering exhaustion.
Before he could even sit up, a familiar, impossibly warm force slammed him back into the bed. Luna—what he affectionately called a Luna del Silvia, the soft wrecking ball—had wrapped herself around him in a fierce hug.
"You do know this is… indecent," Zane said, trying to squirm.
"I don't care," she replied matter-of-factly.
Zane raised an eyebrow, a smirk tugging at his lips. "When did you become so bold?"
She pressed closer, a teasing glint in her eyes. "I learned it from you."
Just then, the cabin door creaked open. Mira, Celeste, and Asher stepped in, pausing at the scene.
Celeste tilted her head, smirk playing on her lips. "Are we interrupting something?"
Zane let out a short laugh and leaned back, shaking his head. Luna finally loosened her grip, rolling off him with a dramatic sigh.
Mira crossed her arms, a teasing smile on her face. "Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead."
Asher shuffled awkwardly, eyes flicking between Zane and Luna. "Umm… I'm sorry, man. I was… a real pain on the mission."
Zane's shadow tendril stretched lazily toward Asher, making him flinch. But instead of attacking, it molded into the shape of a hand and offered a firm shake. Asher blinked in surprise.
Zane smiled faintly, letting the shadow retract.
A system message blinked in the corner of his vision:
Mission Complete
Rewards Achieved
Zane tugged Luna a little closer, his voice a whisper. "Luna… what happened to the monster core?"
She mirrored his action, leaning in just enough. "After I killed it… your shadow stretched out and stole the core from my hand."
Zane's eyebrows shot up. "That's… interesting."
She lightly punched his shoulder, mock-scolding. "It scared me, and you're laughing! Don't ever do that again. You left me alone!"
He chuckled softly. "I'll keep that in mind."
Luna gave him a small smile, then gracefully left his side to talk with Mira about the crystal. Zane exhaled, finally letting himself sink back into the bed, the weight of the mission, the shadows, and everything in between settling around him. For the first time in a while, he allowed himself a moment of peace.