Location: Hiroto's Cottage – Late Night
Crescent moons glimmered through the thin windowpanes of Itsuki Hiroto's modest cottage as he collapsed onto his straw mattress, clothes still streaked with yesterday's tea stains. Sera had insisted on one last cup of Lavender Lotus Tea—"for restful slumber," she'd claimed—before tucking him in with an earnest bow.
Hiroto yawned, clutched the steaming mug to his chest, and blew across its surface. "Thank you, Sera," he mumbled, voice heavy with sleep. "Tomorrow… Summit of Seals. I can't screw up any more calamities."
Sera merely laughed. "You already broke the last seal. This one's on you to fix. Sweet dreams!"
She extinguished the lone candle, leaving Hiroto in soft shadows. The last thing he saw was the satchel of emergency teacups by the door and Virelya's silhouette waiting in the hallway for her nightly patrol.
With a final sigh, Hiroto burrowed under the blankets and drifted into dreamless sleep—oblivious to the subtle tremor in the air.
---
Location: Citadel – Hall of Sealed Archives (Midnight)
Beneath the palace, in the vast Hall of Sealed Archives, the massive stone seal (cracked just hours before) pulsed with faint blue light. Runic wards inscribed in ancient glyphs shimmered where the fracture had opened.
A pair of royal archivists, lanterns in hand, poked at the fissure's edges. "The crack's widening again," one whispered, voice trembling. "It's as though… the seal knows he's asleep."
The other archivist swallowed. "Captain Hiroto's power resonates with the wards. His unconscious aura may be destabilizing the fracture."
Outside the chamber, an alarm bell rang—a ritual gong reserved for magical emergencies. Slumbering guards snapped to attention, eyes wide, rushing to don armor.
---
Location: Citadel – Seal Chamber Corridor (Shortly After)
By the time Virelya arrived—summoned by the alarm—archers and mages lined the corridors, firing warded bolts at creeping fissures in the walls. Stone dust floated like snow, and distant groans of shifting masonry echoed.
General Tyrus barked orders, face pale in torchlight. "Contain the cracks! No one enters without Hiroto!"
Virelya slid past him, armed with a glyph‑etched gauntlet. "He's unconscious at home. We need him awake!"
Tyrus shot her a look. "You try explaining this to the summit when he wakes."
Virelya clenched her teeth. "I'll do what I must." She sprinted toward the exit, vaulting over broken floor tiles.
---
Location: Hiroto's Cottage – Midnight Chaos
Back at the cottage, the tremors hit like thunder. Books rattled on shelves; teacups clinked in the satchel; the wooden door groaned on its hinges.
Sera burst inside. "Captain Hiroto! Wake up—NOW!"
Hiroto bolted upright, blankets tangling at his knees. "What—?"
Virelya followed, armor clanking. "The seal you cracked at the summit is collapsing again—and it's reacting to your aura. We need your help!"
Hiroto's eyes shot open. "My aura? I'm… asleep half the time!" He threw off the blankets and sprang to his feet. "Give me a moment to get dressed—"
His shoe caught on the blanket. He tumbled forward with a yelp.
"Less talking!" Virelya snapped, hauling him upright. "You need to focus!"
Sera pressed a vial of "Awake‑Urgency Potion" into his hand. Hiroto uncorked it, dribbled it down in one gulp, and coughed as the bitter liquid burned his throat.
His eyes cleared. He reached for his teacup—still steaming on the bedside table—and set it on the floor. "Let's go."
---
Location: Hall of Sealed Archives – Early Dawn
By the time Hiroto arrived at the summit of ruins beneath the Citadel, the chamber had collapsed in places—masonry shards littered the floor like a shattered mosaic. The huge stone seal lay chipped and groaning, the crack now wide enough for wind to howl through.
Archivists huddled in a corner, chanting warding spells that sputtered against the growing rift. Mages and paladins formed a circle, directing beams of luminous force at the seal's edges—but the fracture only spread.
Hiroto took a shaky breath. "They need… new wards?"
General Tyrus gave a curt nod. "Your presence—your unconscious magic—resonates with the wards. We've tried reversing it, but only you can… recalibrate the seal."
Hiroto's heart hammered. "I—how do I fix it?"
Sera stepped forward, holding her satchel of teacups. "Use the Calm‑Seal Brew." She withdrew a steaming bowl of violet‑tinted tea. "Mix this with the warded water from the Archivists' fountain—pour it over the seal's crack while chanting 'Silence of Slumber'."
Hiroto raised an eyebrow. "A tea ritual?"
Virelya glared. "Just do it."
---
Location: Hall of Sealed Archives – The Ritual
Shaking, Hiroto followed Sera and Virelya to the shattered seal. He knelt at the fracture, placing the bowl at its base. Mages poured vial after vial of warded water into the tea, turning it a pale lavender.
Hiroto closed his eyes, recalling every sleepy yawn, every unplanned ward, every accidental ward of his unconscious self. He whispered, "Silence of Slumber…"
He lifted the bowl and poured a slow, steady stream across the jagged crack. Tea‑water seeped into the fissure, dripping behind the stone.
Immediately, runic lines flared gold, then silver, then pale violet—then glowed steadily as if accepting the brew's magic. The crack trembled and with a soft click, began sealing itself, lines knitting together.
Hiroto pressed a palm atop the seal and exhaled—softly, deliberately. A gentle warmth pulsed from his chest into the stone. The last fissure closed, and the seal hummed once—pure, unbroken.
---
Location: Hall of Sealed Archives – Aftermath
Silence fell, broken only by the drip of excess tea‑water. The chamber's collapsed walls seemed less threatening, wards stabilizing, mages blinking in triumph.
General Tyrus exhaled. "By the gods… it's restored."
Virelya slid to Hiroto's side, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You did it… while you were sleeping."
Sera handed him a teacup of leftover Calm‑Seal Brew. "Drink. You deserve it."
Hiroto took the cup, voice hoarse. "I just followed instructions." He inhaled the fragrant steam—lavender, mint, and something ancient.
Archivist Arloth, eyes wide, bowed. "Captain… Protector… you have fulfilled the prophecy's second sign. Now the Final Whisper rests on your waking breath."
Hiroto drained the cup, set it down. He closed his eyes, collecting resolve. "Then I'll be more… awake next time."
---
Location: Spire Citadel Summit Hall – Dawn
Back in the Summit Hall as dawn painted stained glass in gold, Hiroto stood, shoulders weary but straight. Delegates filed in, applause greeting him like a standing ovation.
Chancellor Beltram stepped forward, voice cracking with relief. "Captain Hiroto—Protector of the Seal—our world is safe. For now."
Hiroto bowed deeply. "Thank you. I… am just the clerk who happened to sleep through it."
A cheer rose: "All hail the Silent Savior!"
He smiled wanly. I slept through it. Again.
---
As the Summit adjourned, Itsuki Hiroto—reluctant hero, accidental prophecy‑fulfiller, and master of unintended seal‑repairs—allowed himself a single, exhausted grin. He had saved the world… while fast asleep.
And though tomorrow's challenges awaited, for this dawn at least, Hiroto's slumber had been his greatest triumph.