<h4>Chapter 62: A Moment of Respite</h4>


    With a yawn, Iy 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 red at him. He flinched and looked away.


    "Fine! You''re so boring." He exhaled and threw himself on the grass. "Erik,e 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 ced 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 pdin mumbled something under his breath, then sighed. The other twoughed 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 weed me.


    That dark embrace soon turned into the cold depths of a jade colouredke. 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 withughter 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 rxed 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 te 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.


    Rinaughed 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 rtively 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 uing 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 nced at everyone else. "I''m d 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 nced 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.