— It was nighttime; the group was sitting in front of the fire, watching Obi cook as if it were a show. They thought about taking turns keeping watch, but it seemed pointless with Kaelen by their side.
After a moment, Obi seemed to have finished; a satisfied smile spread across his face as soon as he tasted his sauce.
He began passing out the plates to everyone, starting with Kaelen, who worked the hardest, and ending with Elena, who was the least tolerant.
With a single glance, she understood the slight resentment Obi harbored toward her; still, she took the plate with a fake smile —
"Thank you"
As if your thanks were of any use to me. I'm not really angry with her, but her personality disgusts me; that manipulative, opportunistic personality reminds me of someone I want to forget.
— Obi sat down between Kaelen and Krax, beginning to taste what had been prepared: mixed skewers made with wild boar meat and vegetables they had gathered, all bathed in a sauce of wild boar fat with a few spices Elena had on hand.
Obi could tell how his two companions on either side of him were focused on eating their food as if someone were trying to steal it from them —.
"Is it that good?"
— Obi said, somewhat surprised to see the energy they were putting into eating their food —.
"Are you kidding? I've been eating meat soup for a month. Kaelen didn't mind, but I'd even lost my taste for meat by then"
"Who told you I didn't care? I even started eating raw meat and fruit; I preferred that to soup meat again"
"You don't even have a shred of consideration for the cook, you ungrateful lot"
I can't help but smile; cooking is one of the few things I'm good at, and her words are somewhat gratifying.
"But it's true, it's really good"
"Well, your spices really helped bring out the flavor"
I saw those eyes looking at me again as if trying to read my mind; it was unpleasant, but I just ignored it. Still, I can't get the question of why I was the only one doing this out of my head.
— Time passed; everyone finished their plate and went to sleep, leaving Obi as the last one. He, though he had finished his plate, didn't go straight to sleep; rather, he began playing with the spoon as if experimenting with it, holding it in his hand and carefully using the Malice—.
Cold—every time I use the Malice, I feel my body temperature drop, but it's interesting—so many functions.
— The spoon was enveloped in the black substance, hard enough that when Obi tried to break it, he realized he didn't have enough strength —
"Either it's very hard or I'm very weak; we'll go with the second option for future safety. Still, the increase in the wood's hardness is undeniable. What if I do this?"
— He closed his eyes, focusing on the spoon. It began to glow slightly along the edges in a lighter color, but Obi quickly grew exhausted, dropping the spoon as his hand trembled —
"Changing mechanical properties takes a lot of effort, even if it's just a wooden spoon. My low Malice reserve is too big of a problem; maybe I should…"
"What are you muttering about?"
— Obi jumped at the sound of a voice coming from the forest, but it was only Kaelen emerging from it —
"You gave me a scare. One more like that and you'd surely pierce my lung. Hadn't you gone to bed?"
"Sorry, I had to make sure there was no danger before going to sleep"
— Kaelen sat down next to Obi; we could see how his body had become more human-like—he had less hair than when Krax had awakened him, and his forearms had deflated. Even so, Obi looked malnourished next to him —
"I'm curious about something"
"Tell me"
"How is it that you change just like that? How do you go from man to beast and from beast to man?
— Kaelen didn't answer the question; instead, he fell silent, waiting for time to pass slowly. Finally, he responded to Obi's persistence—Obi didn't want to go to sleep—
"I don't know, I'm going to sleep"
Is this a joke? I waited too long for an answer just to be told "I don't know."
"Wait, —he sighed—, no, it's true that it's already late; let's go to sleep"
— Faced with Kaelen's belated and useless answer, Obi settled down to sleep; questions swirled in his head. He already knew that Kaelen was lying about his lack of knowledge regarding the question he'd asked, and in the face of his doubts, he simply closed his eyes, waiting for tomorrow.
It came as quickly as a shooting star; he assumed the sun's rays and Krax's violent jolts would wake him —
"Okay, okay, just let me get ready"
— 'Why get up so early?' Obi thought, starting to put on his dirty nightshirt. It was beyond repair—it had several holes, dried bloodstains, and the smell was becoming unbearable. Obi took it off twice as fast as he'd put it on —
"Does anyone have a shirt? Mine's no good anymore"
"Don't wear anything if you don't have one"
"No, Kaelen, I do know what shame is"
"I still have one in reserve that isn't ruined"
— said Krax, handing him a shirt. It was a rustic, medieval-style tunic in petrol blue; it appeared to be made of linen or cotton with a very pronounced matte texture. It stood out for its V-neckline fastened by crisscrossing brown laces, a detail repeated on the two lower side slits. It featured long sleeves designed to be rolled up thanks to buttoned loops, and a subtle checkered lining at the hem, achieving an aesthetic that balanced bohemian flair with a touch of classic adventure—something that perfectly captured Krax's style-
"I appreciate it; my shirt was already at the end of its life."
— Obi put on the shirt, delighted; finally, it no longer smelled of death or had dried blood on it.
After gathering the materials, everyone took their positions, resuming the journey —.