The lion struck again.
Leon barely moved in time, the beast's claws sliced through the air where his head had been just a heartbeat before. He ducked low, felt the searing heat pass overhead like a furnace door opening, and countered with a short, shallow strike across its flank.
It wasn't raw power that kept him breathing. It was rhythm.
His Combat Intuition pulsed through him like a steady heartbeat, wordless, yet crystal clear. Every twitch of the lion's powerful limbs, every shift in its massive weight, every angry flare of its molten mane, he could see the signs coming. Predict them. Flow with them like a dancer.
His legs moved before his brain decided to move them. His sword rose before the threat had fully formed. The instinct guided him like having a master swordsman whispering secrets in his ear.
Still, instinct alone couldn't stop everything.
The lion clipped his side with a burning claw.
Again.
And again.
Shallow cuts turned into rivers of stinging pain. His coat absorbed most of the damage, its hidden runes glowing briefly each time like tiny stars, but the energy was fading fast, the magical shielding weakening with every hit. Leon's breaths grew ragged and desperate.
'Come on, just a little longer.'
Still, he pressed on with gritted teeth.
Between feints and desperate dodges, he slowly maneuvered closer to Isla. She hadn't moved an inch. Knees scraped and bruised. Eyes locked wide in pure terror. She clutched her fluffy tail like it was her last lifeline.
Leon finally reached her and stepped directly in front of her, shielding her trembling form with his own battered body.
The Flame-Mane Lion roared, not in rage anymore, but in deep frustration.
It pounced again with renewed fury, and Leon met it with a growl of his own.
Their deadly dance dragged on and on.
Afternoon light faded to orange. Blood painted the clearing in dark streaks. Leon stumbled with every step now, vision swimming from exhaustion and too many healing potions. But the lion wasn't looking so hot either. Dozens of precise cuts bled molten orange from its sides like glowing tears. Its left eye had gone completely dark. Its once-proud pawsteps grew sluggish and heavy.
And then, as the sun dipped low behind the trees…
The beast collapsed mid-charge, its massive form slamming into the dirt with a thunderous crash that shook the ground. Its flame mane flickered once, twice… then died completely, leaving only fading embers scattered across its skull like dying stars.
Leon stood for a moment longer.
Just breathing. Just existing.
He didn't cheer. Didn't collapse in relief.
He just stared at the fallen beast with empty eyes.
And finally turned around.
Isla looked up at him as if she didn't fully believe he was real. Like maybe she was dreaming the whole thing.
---
They sat by the dead lion's cooling body, the quiet almost louder than all the earlier roars.
Isla was the first to break the silence. "...Who are you?"
Leon didn't look at her. He was still catching his breath, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. "Just a traveler."
His voice had changed. Clipped. Cold. Distant.
He didn't feel like the same guy from an hour ago. He wanted to, but something about staring death in the eyes had shifted him, hardened him like metal in a forge. Or maybe he was just trying to act cool and mysterious.
'Yeah, that's probably it.'
"And you?" he asked, still not meeting her gaze.
Isla's fox ears twitched nervously. "...Isla."
Leon nodded slowly. "Alright then."
She didn't offer more, and he didn't press for details. The silence stretched long and uncomfortable. But honestly, he welcomed it.
Finally, Leon stood up and dusted off his coat.
He looked down at the lion's massive body and let out a tired breath. "Waste not, want not."
'Time to get to work.'
---
The harvesting began like the world's most dangerous cooking show.
First, he retrieved his sword and began slicing clean lines down the lion's thick hide. The Flame-Mane's body was still hot to the touch, but no longer burning. Its outer skin, tougher than most steel when alive, had softened with death into something workable.
Leon peeled the pelt with slow, careful effort, separating skin from sinew like he'd done it a hundred times before. The outer layer of the mane had cooled into shimmering red-gold threads, like hardened lava that had been spun into silk. He worked that into a neat bundle, wiping sweat from his brow.
'This stuff's gotta be worth a fortune.'
The meat itself was dense and heavy with mana. A rich, dark color that practically glowed with power. He cut it into manageable chunks, placing the choicest slabs into folded cloth like precious gems.
Too much to carry by hand.
He opened his Inventory grid with a thought, placed both hands over the larger meat bundles, and watched them dissolve into digital storage with a soft, magical hum.
Isla's blue eyes widened at the display, her mouth falling open slightly.
She didn't speak, but her ears twitched again in that cute way. He caught it.
"Storage skill," Leon said casually, like it was no big deal. "Comes in handy."
She nodded but didn't ask any more questions. Smart girl.
He wrapped up the rest in spare cloth and moved to the next task: making fire.
'This should be easy, right?'
---
Gathering dry twigs and bark was simple enough. Arranging them in a small pyramid, even easier.
But actually making a spark?
What a joke.
Leon knelt before the bundle like a monk praying to the fire gods, fists clenched tight, jaw set in determination.
'Alright, smart guy. What now? Rub sticks together? Clap really hard until the gods show mercy? Maybe if I stare at it long enough…'
He glared at the innocent twigs. Tried to will them into flames through sheer force of wanting. Failed spectacularly.
His poker face held strong... until Isla quietly crouched beside him.
"...May I?" she asked softly, like she was afraid he might bite.
He glanced at her and nodded once, trying to look casual. "Sure."
She raised one delicate hand, and with a simple flick of her finger, fire danced to life in her palm, not bright orange but pale blue, soft and clean and beautiful. She snapped her fingers gently, and the flames arced through the air like a silk ribbon, landing neatly onto the kindling.
It caught instantly with a cheerful crackle.
Leon just grunted in approval, trying not to look too impressed.
"Nice trick."
'Show off.'
He retrieved a few thicker branches and propped up a makeshift spit using carved sticks. He stabbed several cuts of lion meat with sharpened branches and positioned them over the dancing flames.
The air filled with the rich, mouth-watering scent of roasted mana-beast flesh.
Fat dripped and sizzled. Fire popped and crackled. Smoke rose in lazy spirals.
The hunger returned with a vengeance, growling in his stomach like an angry beast.
Leon rotated the skewers with one hand, his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword out of pure habit.
When the first piece was ready, he tore into it like a starving wolf.
Savoring every single bite.
Across from him, Isla sat quietly, eyes flickering between the fire and the dark woods around them.
Then came a soft, unmistakable sound.
Grrowwwwl.
From her stomach.
Leon blinked and looked at her.
She blushed furiously, her ears flattening against her head in embarrassment.
Without a word, he pulled one of the skewers from the flame and held it out to her.
She hesitated. Glanced at his face. Then at the food. Then back again, like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
"I'm not gonna poison you," he said flatly.
Still, she waited a few long moments before gently taking it from his hand.
Their fingers brushed for just a second.
"Thank you," she said quietly, eyes lowered.
He didn't answer. Just tore into another chunk of meat.
The flames danced between them as twilight settled over the forest like a soft blanket. Shadows grew long and mysterious. The forest sighed with wind and the distant calls of night-creatures. But around their small campfire, there was warmth. Safety. Peace.
Isla curled her tail around herself like a fuzzy scarf. Leon leaned back on one arm, finally starting to relax.
No more words passed between them.
They didn't need any.
For now, they were just two people. Two strangers sharing fire and food under the stars.
Tomorrow would bring more danger. More questions. More steps into the unknown.
But tonight?
Tonight, they rested beneath the silver leaves and the twinkling stars.
And for the first time since arriving in Eldros...
Leon was full.
And that, he decided, was more than enough.