The sun was already high when Kai walked calmly through the village streets, his hair still messy from sleep. The village buzzed with a serene and joyful energy, the scent of freshly baked bread mingled with the crisp aroma of turned earth and the light sweetness of the flowers the children had planted that morning around the new houses.

  The well they had sealed the day before was working perfectly. The water came out crystal clear and cold, and a small line of people had already formed, waiting their turn with buckets and jars, chatting animatedly as they filled them. Sylva supervised the distribution, making sure every family had enough for cooking and drinking throughout the day. Grom, for his part, had improvised a stone bench next to the curb so the elders could sit while they waited.

  Kai stopped for a moment to watch the scene. There was something deeply satisfying about seeing how a problem that had seemed so grave yesterday had turned into a peaceful routine today. The wooden pipe protruded from the well like a proud finger, and the water flowing from it no longer had that metallic aftertaste that made everyone wrinkle their noses. It was just good water.

  Thorne approached with his heavy but relaxed stride, carrying a sack of seeds over his shoulder.

  "Chief," he greeted with a smile. "The furrows for the first field are ready. If you want, we can start planting right now. The kids are getting impatient."

  Kai nodded. "Let's do it. But no rushing. I want this to be a day to enjoy. After planting, we’ll have a community meal. And if anyone knows how to play an instrument, tell them to bring it out. Nothing formal. Just... celebrating that we’re here."

  Thorne let out a low laugh. "A leader who organizes parties. Now that’s something new."

  "It’s a way to remind everyone why we’re doing this."

  Thorne looked at him a second longer than necessary, then nodded with quiet respect. "Understood."

  Kai walked toward the cultivation sector. The newly cleared land smelled of damp earth and promise. Straight lines of furrows awaited the seeds, hardy wheat, hybrid corn, and short cycle legumes that the messenger from Athelgard had brought. Mira was there, her map spread over an improvised table of planks, tracing secondary irrigation channels with a piece of charcoal.

  "Two main channels from the well," she explained to a group of four adults. "One for the wheat, another for the corn. That way the water reaches them evenly and doesn't waterlog."

  Kai joined the group that was starting to plant. Roshia was kneeling next to Elara, teaching her how to place the corn seeds at the correct depth.

  "Look, like this," the elf said, sinking her fingers into the earth. "Three seeds per hole, spread out a bit. Then you cover them with soft soil and press down just a little. Not too much, they need room to breathe."

  Elara mimicked every movement with absolute concentration, the tip of her tongue poking out from the corner of her mouth. Kai knelt beside her.

  "Can I help?"

  Elara looked up and grinned from ear to ear. "Yes! You plant the ones next to mine! But you have to give them names, too."

  Kai let out a soft laugh. "Name the seeds?"

  "Of course!" she insisted. "If they have names, they grow happier."

  Roshia looked at Kai with a knowing smile. "It’s child logic. You can’t argue with it."

  Kai took a handful of seeds and began to plant, following Elara's instructions. "This one will be called 'Brave Seed,'" he said, placing the first one. "Because it’s going to grow even if it rains a lot."

  Elara clapped. "Good! And this one is 'Mischievous Seed,'" she added, pointing to the next one Kai planted.

  They continued like that for quite a while, inventing absurd and sweet names, the seed that always laughs, the lazy but good seed, the seed that dreams of the sun. Each hole was a tiny ceremony. The adults working nearby joined in on the joke, suggesting increasingly wild names. The field filled with soft laughter and silly comments.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  By the time they finished the first sector, the sun was at its zenith. Kai wiped his hands on his pants and looked around. The planted ground seemed small compared to what was left to do, but it was a solid start. And most importantly, everyone was smiling.

  Lyla appeared then, coming from the well with a jar of fresh water in her hands and a crooked crown of flowers on her head. Her feet were bare and her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. She had a smudge of dirt on her left cheek, likely from helping a child plant. She approached Kai with a luminous smile.

  "Are you finished baptizing seeds yet?"

  "Only the important ones," he replied, feigning seriousness. "The others will have to earn their names."

  Lyla let out a laugh and handed him the jar. "Drink. You look like you’ve run a marathon."

  Kai took a long drink. The water was cold and perfect. "Thanks," he said, handing the jar back. "And you? Have you conquered the hearts of all the village children yet?"

  "Almost," she replied mischievously. "I still have to convince Elara that I’m not a princess in disguise."

  Kai raised an eyebrow. "A princess in disguise?"

  "That’s what she says. That only a princess could have such pretty hair and know how to make wind with her hands without saying a word."

  Lyla wiggled her fingers, and a gentle breeze ruffled Kai’s hair. He laughed and affectionately brushed her hand away.

  "You’re incorrigible."

  "And you’re getting used to it," she retorted, sitting beside him on the edge of a furrow.

  They stayed in silence for a while, watching people finish covering the last holes. Some children ran between the furrows, shouting made up seed names. Roshia approached with a tired but happy smile.

  "Thanks for letting Elara steal so much of your time," she said. "She hasn't stopped talking about you."

  Kai shrugged. "It’s fun. It reminds me... I don’t know. That things can be simple."

  Roshia nodded and walked away to help with the food preparation. Lyla rested her head on Kai's shoulder.

  "Do you know what the most beautiful part of all this is?" she asked in a low voice.

  "What?"

  "That nobody is in a hurry. Nobody is competing. They’re just... living. Together."

  Kai looked at the village, the laughter, the smoke from the fires starting to be lit for cooking, the children chasing butterflies among the newly planted furrows. "Yes," he said. "It’s peaceful."

  Lyla turned her head to look at him. "Does it bother you? That it’s so quiet?"

  Kai shook his head. "I like it. Much more than I expected. In Japan, I didn't know what it was like to have a place where you wake up and know the people around you are okay. Where you can just... exist. With you. With them."

  She stayed quiet for a second. Then, with a slow movement, she interlaced her fingers with his.

  "You know I’m feeling this for the first time too, right? I never had a real home. I was always the one watching from afar. Now I’m here, with mud on my feet and flowers in my hair, and I wouldn't change this for anything."

  Kai squeezed her hand. "I like this Lyla too. A lot."

  She smiled, vulnerable and sincere. "And I like this Kai."

  The rest of the day passed in that same luminous calm. In the evening, everyone gathered around the central fire for the community meal. It wasn't an ostentatious banquet, freshly baked bread, root stew, wild birds Thorne had hunted that morning, fresh forest fruits, and water from the new well. But there was laughter, shared stories, and children running between the legs of the adults.

  Kai and Lyla sat together on the ground, their backs against the log that was already their favorite spot. Elara joined them for a while, telling them in great detail how she had named each of her flowers and seeds. Then she fell asleep between them, her head in Lyla’s lap and her feet over Kai’s legs.

  As the sun began to set, Roshia brought out a wooden flute someone had carved days ago. She played a soft, simple melody that didn't try to impress anyone. It was just beautiful. People gradually fell silent, listening. Some held each other. Others simply stared at the fire with bright eyes.

  Kai felt Lyla’s hand seek his under the blanket they shared. He found it and squeezed.

  "Happy?" she whispered.

  "Very," he replied.

  "And tomorrow?"

  "Tomorrow we’ll keep planting. And laughing. And building."

  Lyla smiled against his shoulder. "Sounds perfect."

  Night fell slowly, stars appearing one by one over the clearing. The fire crackled low, the flute continued to play at intervals, and people gradually retired to their homes with tired but full smiles. Kai and Lyla stayed a bit longer, alone by the dying embers.

  She rested her head on his shoulder again. "Thanks for today," she whispered.

  "For what?"

  "For letting it be a normal day. For not thinking about gods, or vengeance, or anything else. Just... this."

  Kai kissed the top of her head, a gentle and natural gesture. "There will be days for everything else. But today... today was for appreciating this new feeling."

  Lyla looked up, her eyes shining in the firelight. "You know I love you, right?"

  Kai swallowed hard, not expecting those words, but he didn't look away. "I do." But when he tried to continue, she gently placed her finger on his lips.

  "Don't answer yet"

  Kai looked at her confused, but nodded. Lyla gently caressed his lip before removing her finger.

  No more words were needed.

  They stayed like that until the fire was nothing but embers, listening to the distant murmur of the forest and the quiet heartbeat of the village they had begun to build together. What mattered was the warmth of Lyla’s hand in his, the soft music still floating in the air, the distant laughter of children who had gone to sleep, the smell of bread and fertile earth.

  What mattered was that, finally, he felt like he belonged to something.