Krystal had transformed back into her dragon form and settled down for sleep. Meanwhile, sleep eluded Alex despite his attempts to convince himself that he didn't care about serving Krystal. Marjun's frequent appearance bothered him, and Alex felt puzzled about why it affected him.
Feeling a sense of restlessness as sleep evaded him, Alex decided to take a solitary walk. His feet led him to the top of a hill, where he couldn't ignore the pangs of hunger gnawing at him. Checking his pocket, he realized he had enough money to satisfy his hunger. As he reflected on the dramatic changes that had unfolded in his life, a smug sense of satisfaction enveloped him. Alexander, a man with no last name, now had the means to afford the life he had always yearned for. However, despite achieving his dreams, he found himself still unfulfilled. There was a persistent craving for more, a hunger that couldn't be satiated, no matter how much he acquired.
Sitting at the top of the hill, he felt the cool breeze sweep past, blowing his hair.
"Hey, don't scatter my hair! It takes so long to get it back in shape." He said aloud to, particularly no one.
Realizing what he had done, he couldn't believe it. He sighed slowly. Now, it's time for him to navigate the reasons for his sleep delusion.
Perhaps he couldn't sleep because the ground was too hard. He needed something soft to sleep on.
With his newfound financial resources, Alex can afford a bed and place it inside Krystal's cave.
"Wow, I'm excited about getting a new bed for Krystal's cave! I can find a few thick chains that could be attached by a skilled blacksmith, and maybe a ladder to elevate it off the ground. I don't want Krystal to roll over it and destroy it and me!"
"Really." Another voice interrupted his thoughts. "I hope she does."
"It's wrong to sneak up on people," Alex said without turning. He knew it was Krystal.
"Your thoughts were interrupting my sleep. Everything you've done in the past days is interrupting my sleep."
Alex didn't apologize. Was she expecting him to?
There was no way he was going to do that! He kept mute.
"Why can't you sleep?" She inquired. "Are you bothered about the duel? You can still cancel it, you know. I did hear you say you have nothing to lose."
"Yes, I have nothing to lose. But people like Marjun will always want to keep trying until they either get what they want or die trying."
"That's sweet. I'm returning to sleep. Oh, there's something for you to clean." She said as she left. Alex groaned silently. He followed her. He could see a pile of poop lying there. Krystal stared at him. She could see the varying expression on his face.
"How nice." He murmured. Walking into the inner part of the cave, he grabbed the wooden trowel and the flat board. Alex carefully picked it up and made his way to the large bucket to dump where he had planted a seed. To his satisfaction, the seed grew to a reasonable size, which wasn't surprising. He couldn't wait for it to start bearing fruits so that he could eat something real.
He took some sand from outside and poured it over the cave ground.
"You know, you should have a particular place where you poo. And I'm not talking about that dump. I mean, in here."
Krystal was already fast asleep. She had morphed into her dragon form and had fallen deep asleep. From the sound of her breathing, Alex could tell that this was another deep sleep that requires a heavy disturbance to wake her.
He returned to the top of the cave, where he lay till morning. He was feeling very sleepy. He noticed that Krystal was still asleep. Alex couldn't withstand the sleep anymore. He went into the village market. His eyes were slightly dropping yet he managed to control them. If the sellers realized how desperate he was, they would overcharge him for a simple mattress.
After thirty minutes of forcefully keeping his eyes open, he finally got the things he needed and fixed them in the cave. The bed was dangling, held by strong chains that couldn't be broken. He climbed the ladder and lay on his bed. The more it swayed, the more comfortable he felt. In no time, he drifted off to dreamland. With every swing of his bed, he slipped into a deep slumber which was similar to a mother's lullaby.
Alex slept for a long time. He had been completely exhausted. Especially at night, he was more tired. Having spent three nights without sleeping for more than an hour, being finally able to rest was like receiving a jackpot.
Once again, Marjun showed up in the cave. When he didn't find Alex anywhere, he was happy to find Krystal sleeping. Now, he could wake her up and inform the King that he could challenge Alex.
He walked over to where she lay and placed his hand over her. Her skin felt rough underneath his touch before it began to burn his skin, making him yelp in pain. He pulled his hand away swiftly!
Marjun: * silent tears *
Krystal didn't stir at all. Rather, he heard the sound of chains rattling. It was only then his attention went toward the bed above. Marjun could see Alex sitting, head relaxing on his folded arm, watching his folly.
He tried to produce a brave smirk, but it quivered as if he was afraid. Alex smirked in return.
"Marjun.." Alex sighed. "You have challenged me to a duel, why can you not be patient until I win the duel?"
"You?! Hahaha. You can never win a duel against me." Marjun spat venomously, eyes blaring viciously.
"Yes, I agree," Alex said. "You can never win a duel against me. I'm glad you see that too."
Marjun, who was being lured into a fit of rage, burst out.
"What the hell do you think you are anyway? You're a nobody!"
"Wasn't that the criteria for waking the dragon? Do you also want to be a nobody?" Alex demanded. "I detest your folly, Marjun. It's appalling."
"Don't you dare to call me foolish?" Marjun yelled. Krystal growled slightly in her sleep, turning her head the other way, she resumed her deep slumber.
"Look who says he's brave. Couldn't even dare to make enough noise to wake her up? Try and see if you would survive the next five seconds after that."
"I dare to." Marjun said, raising his voice to a higher pitch, Marjun screamed, "Dragon!!"
Alex's face turned stone cold.