Chapter 21 - Full Recovery

Days passed in quiet solitude.

Sid slowly rotated his right shoulder, then clenched and unclenched his fist. No more stabs of pain. No more sluggish movement. The dull throb that once haunted every twitch was finally gone. He gave his arm a testing swing—firm, fluid, strong.

He was whole again.

The feeling stirred a faint smile on his face, but it was short-lived. His eyes drifted toward the edge of his small shelter—nothing but bones and scraps. The last of his food was gone.

With a sigh, he rose and slung his blade across his back. The nearby river whispered in the distance, calling him. Its sound had become familiar over the past few days, like a lullaby humming through the trees.

The river shimmered under the soft daylight, wide and restless. He stepped to the bank and crouched low, waiting.

Then—a splash.

In a flash, his hand darted into the water.

Within moments, a fish slapped the stones beside him. Bigger than any back home—sleek, silver-scaled, and fast. They looked ordinary from afar, but their size and agility were something else entirely.

After catching a few, Sid stacked the fresh catch on a flat stone and began gathering wood. Soon, smoke curled skyward as flames crackled to life. The scent of cooking flesh teased his nose as he skewered the fish over open fire.

While they roasted, he stripped off his worn, bloodstained clothes and walked into the shallows of the river. The cold water stung at first but soon brought a refreshing numbness. He scrubbed away the dirt and blood, soaking himself until the aches of the past days finally seemed to melt away.

Clean and calm, he emerged from the water and pulled fresh garments from his spatial ring—dark, fitted, practical. A new start. He ate in silence, the crisp skin of the fish breaking beneath his teeth, each bite reminding him of simple joys.

Once satisfied, he pressed forward.

The forest greeted him again—dense, green, and humming with life. But this time, he moved with sharper eyes and quieter steps. His injuries may have faded, but his lessons hadn't.

Beasts appeared along the way—some lunged, some tried to flee. But none posed the challenge of the wolves from before. They fell swiftly, and from each corpse, he harvested glowing life cores. One by one, they vanished into his ring like embers into the wind.

Hours passed like that. A slow march, punctuated by encounters and silence.

Then he saw it.

Nestled between two modest, mountain-like rises, a waterfall spilled from above like a ribbon of liquid light. Mist hovered around the basin, caught in beams of sunlight piercing through the trees. The sound was thunderous yet serene, wild yet inviting.

Sid stepped forward, entranced. His gaze followed the cascade, until he noticed something strange—a dark crevice, hidden just behind the curtain of water.

He moved cautiously, weaving through slippery stones until he slipped behind the falls.

What he found… was not what he expected.

A shallow cave. Cool, damp. And in its heart, resting on a bed of moss and cracked stone—

Three massive eggs.

Each nearly a meter tall, dark with a faint sheen. Faint warmth radiated from them, pulsing softly. He had never seen anything like it.

He stepped closer, eyes narrowing.

HSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

The hairs on his neck rose instantly.

From the darkness above, two golden eyes opened.

A long, coiled shadow slithered into view, scales glinting in the low light.

The mother had arrived.

And she was not pleased.