Night was still hours away. The girls' arrival had interrupted his usual post-lunch routine of hunting Scavengers. And honestly? He welcomed the break.
Their arrival was entirely good news for him.
They were eating the monster meat he'd prepared. There were two variations: crab meat wrapped in dried dark seaweed, and crab meat boiled into a simple soup. After cooking and eating the same thing over and over, Anathan had discovered that Scavenger meat had a surprisingly rich taste—if prepared properly.
And, judging by their reactions, the girls seemed to enjoy it.
"What is this?!" Cassie exclaimed, biting into the seaweed-wrapped meat.
"It's—" Anathan began, but she was already devouring the next bite, too focused to hear his answer.
Then something shimmered in her hand—blue glass, ornate and patterned like frostwork, materializing from thin air.
Cassie raised it and took a long drink. Her face relaxed instantly.
Nephis, meanwhile, ate with more restraint—proper, almost princess-like. But Anathan noticed the speed of her bites gradually increasing. Her eyes flicked toward the soup dish with quiet longing.
'Were they starving out there?'
"Take it slow," he said, chuckling as he reached for more meat from the large sack beside the fire. "I've got plenty."
He tossed more pieces onto the firepit, the scent of sizzling meat filling the tent.
'Guess I'll need to hunt again soon.'
After an hour or so, they were done eating and now resting near the fire. Cassie passed him the blue-glass bottle, and he took a cautious sip. Cold, refreshing water poured out endlessly, far better than the gritty, filtered water he was used to.
'Whoa. I need one of these...'
Cassie giggled from the side. "It's called Endless Spring. Don't be fooled by the name—it runs out if you pour it nonstop for thirty minutes. But it refills pretty quickly after that."
Anathan wiped his face with a grateful sigh. "That's a damn good Memory, Cassie. No more bathing in the ocean for me—had to do that just to clean up."
"You're joking," she said with a laugh.
"Nope. Blood, sweat, and mud—it just gets uncomfortable."
"You were serious...?"
Then Nephis's flat voice broke in: "Blood? What monster was this?"
Anathan glanced at her, then answered, "Ah, Carapace Scavenger. They roam around this statue."
He paused, narrowing his eyes. "Wait... you haven't seen one?"
"No," Nephis replied, quiet and firm.
"They sound dangerous," Cassie added, looking concerned.
"Mm. They are," Anathan said. "But with guerrilla tactics, I've managed to kill a few. Even if they're Awakened Beasts, once you know where and when to strike, it's like a duck-shooting game."
"Duck... shooting game?" Cassie asked. Then her eyes widened. "Wait—Awakened?!"
Anathan gave a lazy shrug. "It's something I read once at a convenience store. And yeah, Awakened. Tough place, huh?"
"How many have you killed?" Nephis asked, her tone sharp.
He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... exactly thirty-four."
Silence.
Cassie opened her mouth as if to speak, then hesitated. Nephis, meanwhile, looked at him in a way that made it clear she was re-evaluating everything she thought she knew about him.
'Not so weak now, huh?'
A small swell of pride rose in his chest. It wasn't his intention to brag, but seeing that reaction, especially from someone like Nephis, was satisfying.
"You're strong. Why?"
"Why what?" Anathan blinked, thrown by the question. How the hell was he supposed to answer that? Because Eldy was basically a cheat? Because he was resourceful? Smart? Did she want his training logs or his trauma résumé?
'Gods, this feels like an interrogation.'
He suddenly regretted answering truthfully. He should've just kept the mysterious loner image. But it was too late—his camp already gave away too much.
"Why did you hide?" Nephis continued, something flickering in her eyes. Then, a beat later: "Was it you?"
"Huh? Was what me?"
He didn't catch her first question fully, but before he could ask for clarification, she added:
"The light. Days ago. That bright light."
"Oh, that?" Anathan winced. "Yeah... that was me. Terrible mistake, honestly."
A long silence settled. Nephis stared at him, thinking, who knows? Cassie blinked, her smile gone, fingers tightening slightly around her cloak.
His eyes shifted to her, then back to Nephis.
"So, what happened to you two? How'd you meet—and get here?"
This time, it was Cassie who answered. She sat with her knees drawn close, and from Anathan's angle, he could only see the soft glow of her cerulean eyes.
"When I was drawn into the Dream Realm," she began quietly, "all I felt was the cold wind, the sound of waves, and their vibrations. I knew I was already inside, just waiting to see what would kill me first. Starvation, thirst, the cold... or a nightmare creature. I was alone… again."
Her unfocused eyes shifted slightly, though they searched for no direction. "Eventually, I cried myself to sleep, having given up. I just… remembered. My parents. My classmates. And..."
She paused. "I didn't know when, but I heard footsteps. I thought my time had finally come. But it was Nephis. She found me. She spoke. Then helped me."
Anathan felt the emotion buried in her voice. He imagined being in her place, blind and helpless in this terrifying place.
It must've been hell.
"Nephis comforted me," Cassie continued. "She told me about the place we were in. About a storm. A bright light in the distance. And the sound of giants fighting beyond the horizon."
She paused to sip from her Endless Spring, then went on.
"She said there might be others out there. That light became our goal. We tried to map a path toward it, but we kept hitting dead ends—or turning the wrong way in this labyrinth of coral and ruin. The terrain alone was hard to walk on. And I thought… Nephis could've left me behind at any time. But she didn't."
Cassie hesitated, then whispered, "Thank you, Nephis. I never really had a chance to say that."
Anathan saw her turn her face slightly, trying to hide the tears welling in her blind eyes.
"Cassie," Nephis replied, tone flat—but something gentle passed across her face, a rare flicker of emotion. "I won't ever leave you."
'Huh. A touching story. If this were recorded, it'd probably become one of those inspirational tales about hope,' Anathan thought. Still, he stayed quiet, listening intently, out of respect.
Cassie smiled faintly, then continued. "So we kept going. Along the way, we tried to find food, but there was nothing. Only dark seaweed and the Endless Spring kept our stomachs barely satisfied. And on the third day, I had a vision."
Her tone shifted. Anathan noticed her body subtly tremble.
"At first, I saw a… boundless darkness, locked behind seven seals. Something enormous was moving within it, churning like a storm. I knew if I looked at it directly, I'd lose my mind."
She took a breath.
"One by one, the seals broke… until only one remained. Then it shattered too."
She closed her eyes tightly, as if reliving it.
"After that, everything broke. My mind splintered into a thousand shards, each showing something different. Most were terrifying. Some I've already forgotten."
A beat passed.
"But one... one was clear. I saw a colossal statue. A figure held a bright light in his hand, pointing the way toward a tree. A towering tree… and when I looked at it, I felt safe. At its crown was something important—I don't know what. But it felt like our path out."
She turned her face slightly toward Anathan.
"Then I saw a vast, ruined city made of weathered stone. It had towering, impregnable walls. Monsters roamed its narrow streets. And at the city's center was a hill. On that hill stood a magnificent castle."
"I saw Nephis… leading me through its gates."
Her voice dropped lower.
"Things became broken… incomprehensible, and strange. Only one image remained: two armies, colliding beneath a crimson spire, drowning the land in war."