Chapter 6: Something to Return To

Arden opened his eyes before the first light touched the sky.

The cave around him was still, dimly lit by the last dying glow of the fire. For a moment, he just lay there, wondering if all that had happened yesterday was just another dream. He blinked slowly, then sat up and ran his fingers through his hair, breathing in the cold morning air.

But no office desk, no city noise. Just stone walls, ash, and a faint pulse of something alive and strange in his chest.

"Still here," he muttered. "Not a dream after all."

He stretched, feeling the soreness in his arms and legs from the fight yesterday.

The beast he killed wasn't even the strongest out here, yet he had nearly dropped. That was enough reason to push harder today.

If he really wanted to live, then getting stronger couldn't wait.

But before that, he had something else to do.

He turned his eyes toward the cub. The little Duskripple Mewl was curled near the wall again, ears twitching slightly as it sensed movement. Its eyes met his, still guarded.

Still distant.

Arden rose quietly and walked to the corpse of the larger Mewl—its parent.

The body hadn't rotted yet, the aether in its veins slowing the decay, preserving it unnaturally like most magical beasts.

Arden crouched to lift it carefully, but the low growl that came from the cub stopped him.

He paused, looked back, and then dropped to one knee. "Hey," he said gently, "I'm not trying to take it away... just wanna give it a place."

He didn't know if it understood, but he let his intent show. Calm, steady. His eyes locked with the cub's for a long second, and eventually, its growl faded. It looked away.

Arden gave a small nod, then carried the beast out. He found a spot just outside the cave and dug as best as he could, scooping sand and earth into a mound. It wasn't perfect, but it was something. A place. He gently placed the corpse down, covered it, then marked it with a few stones he arranged with some care.

When he looked up again, the cub had followed. It stood there, just watching, its small body still and quiet.

Arden reached out slowly, running his hand across the top of its head, and to his surprise, it didn't move away. The fur was cold and smooth, almost like it carried breeze of its own.

"You're tougher than you look, little guy," he said quietly. "But even the strong need somewhere to grieve."

They returned to the cave, and he shared the last of the roasted meat from yesterday. The cub sniffed, then began to eat, cautiously, still pretending it didn't care, but Arden could sense it.

Not just the hunger, but the shift in its emotion. A little less afraid. A little more accepting.

When they finished, he stood up and checked his things.

He looked down at the cub one more time. "I'll head out now. I need to grind a few beasts... get stronger. Can't just hang around here forever, yeah?" He scratched the back of his head, then added with a soft chuckle, "Not sure if you understand me, but I'll come back tonight. That's a promise."

The cub just blinked, then looked away, as if it hadn't been listening. But Arden knew better. He could feel it's conflicted emotions, a quiet trust building in slow layers.

And that was enough.

He stepped out of the cave, letting the cool morning breeze wash over him. There was no gate to walk through, no title to hold. But for the first time, he had something to protect and something to come back to.

"Let's see what this world's got," he muttered, a small grin creeping across his face as he began his path into the wild once more.

As Arden stepped out into the waking forest, the breeze brushing past his skin carried the scent of damp earth and distant life.

He took a moment to scan the horizon, piecing together the route he'd follow today. His goal was simple, to get stronger and understand how this system truly worked.

He couldn't afford to rely on luck forever.

He remembered yesterday's fight well—the ferocity of the Cinderfang Ravager, its wild speed, and how close it had pushed him to the edge. But he'd won. Barely.

Now he had its life signature and some knowledge of its movements, so it made sense to assume the beast marked this area as part of its territory.

That meant Arden couldn't relax just because he had a cave to sleep in.

"If I'm gonna keep this place as my base," he muttered while tightening the strap on his shoulder, "then I need to clear out anything that can rip me apart in my sleep."

He also had a theory. With the lynxes, killing the same beast again had earned him fragments. If that applied here, maybe he'd get more from the Ravager, either more pieces of a signature or maybe even a new ability if he pushed himself right.

Before setting off, he stopped and crouched low, placing one hand on the ground.

He closed his eyes and tried to guide the life energy in his body outward, just a pulse of small wave into the terrain around him. Maybe if he could extend it, like a tracker, he'd start sensing things even better.

But just like last night, the energy slipped out of his grasp the moment he tried to guide it. It moved faintly, like water leaking through his fingers.

"Tch… not yet," he muttered, opening his eyes. "But it moved. I felt that. It's just a matter of time."

So he stood, brushed off the dirt, and began moving through the brush. His steps were light, his pace steady.

Every so often he stopped to examine tracks, following the heavy, clawed impressions that mirrored the prints he saw in the cave.

They were deeper than before, more spaced apart and recent.

The system gave him a soft alert in his head-

Life form detected

His body tensed, and he looked ahead.

And there it was.

The Cinderfang Ravager moved in the distance, its thick, ash-grey hide blending into the trees. Its mane flickered faintly, embers drifting off its body with every step it took.

The air shimmered around it from the heat it carried, the creature looking almost made of fire and muscle.

"Let's see how round two goes," Arden whispered, rolling his shoulders as his body warmed up, both with anticipation and the thrill he couldn't hide.

This wasn't just survival anymore.

It was growth.

It was proof that he belonged here.

And with a steady breath, he stepped into the beast's path.

A/N

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