Caesar, dressed only in tattered clothing and a half-finished grass mat, was jolted awake in the middle of the night by the biting cold. When he came to his senses, he realized that at some point, Angelina had clung to him like an octopus. In his sleep, Caesar had unconsciously taken advantage of the situation, his hands gripping the soft curves of her body, her clothes creased and misshapen under his grasp.
Embarrassed, Caesar quickly withdrew his hands and sighed. Before falling asleep, he had used most of the grass mat to cover Angelina, leaving only a corner for himself. No wonder he had been frozen awake once the fire went out. Sniffing quietly, Caesar carefully pried Angelina's limbs off him, wrapped himself tightly in his tattered clothes, and hurried over to the extinguished campfire.
The fire had long since died, leaving only a pile of blackened charcoal. But this was no challenge for Caesar. He carefully covered the embers with some dry twigs and blew gently. A faint red glow appeared, and with a soft crackle, the twigs caught fire. Caesar shielded the tiny flame and added more dry grass and leaves until it grew into a warm blaze. With a few larger branches thrown in, the fire was once again strong and steady.
With the campfire restored, Caesar returned to the cave but no longer felt sleepy. He sat near the fire, continuing to weave the grass mat. His mind wandered back to the moment Angelina had clung to him. A princess! Not just any noble, but royalty. The thought filled him with an odd sense of pride as he chuckled to himself.
The crackling fire, Caesar weaving the makeshift blanket, and Angelina sleeping soundly nearby—it was an oddly warm and peaceful night.
By dawn, Caesar stretched lazily and let out a big yawn. He walked over to the lake to wash his face, the salty water stinging his small facial wounds despite his best efforts to avoid them. The cold brine made him wince in pain, but it did wake him up completely.
The night had been eerily quiet. Caesar hadn't heard any movements nearby, only faint howls of distant beasts far into the depths of the forest. There was no immediate danger.
After washing up, Caesar picked up the bloodstained sharp stone and his short dagger, ready to continue his exploration. Angelina was still unconscious, and her two-day slumber weighed heavily on Caesar's mind. In the military, soldiers who remained unresponsive for this long were often beyond saving. Little did Caesar know that Angelina's state was caused by the backlash of exhausting her mental energy. Her recovery would depend on her spirit replenishing itself, a process that would take two to three days for a novice like her.
Caesar revisited the spot where he had awoken the previous day. He couldn't understand how he had survived such a fall. Even if he had landed on the sandy shore, the impact should have shattered him into pieces. Unless, like Angelina, he had fallen directly into the water.
When Caesar swam through the lake yesterday, he had noticed that the saltwater had a remarkable buoyancy, enough to keep a person floating without effort. But if he had fallen into the water first, how had he made it ashore? The lake seemed still, with no visible current to push him out.
Determined to find answers, Caesar began circling the lake. On the side near the cliff wall, he heard a faint dripping sound coming from behind a protruding rock. Curious, he approached and noticed water steadily trickling from a crack beneath the rock.
Caesar cupped his hands and tasted the water—it was fresh. His eyes lit up with relief.
Realizing that the rock blocking the flow wasn't particularly solid, Caesar spat into his hands for grip, grabbed both sides of the rock, and pulled with all his strength. With a loud crash, the rock came loose and fell into the lake. Immediately, a steady stream of clear, fresh water gushed from the opening.
Caesar realized that there must be an underground spring feeding into the lake, which explained why the water beneath the surface seemed to have some pressure.
With a fresh water source secured, Caesar felt a wave of relief. The strange creature's fluids could only do so much, but now he and Angelina wouldn't die of thirst.
Cupping the cool water in his hands, Caesar drank deeply. It tasted sweet and refreshing, far better than river water. But as he drank, another problem presented itself—there was no container to store the water. Caesar could drink directly from the source, but what about Angelina? He couldn't exactly carry water in his hands back to her.
Looking around the nearby forest, Caesar came to a decision: he needed to make a wooden flask.
Entering the forest, Caesar wasn't in a rush to find a suitable tree trunk for crafting a wooden water container. Thick trunks were beyond his ability to cut, while thinner ones were unusable. So, he decided to walk and observe first. Besides, Caesar also kept an eye out for fruit-bearing trees. In such a dense forest, he refused to believe there wouldn't be at least one tree with fruit. Many trees bear fruit even in winter, let alone during a warmer season like now.
Caesar dared not venture too far, fearing he might lose his way in the forest. Every few steps, he marked a tree trunk with his short dagger. There were plenty of pine trees around, and Caesar had already decided to gather some pinecones on his way back. Even if they couldn't fill his stomach, they'd make for a decent snack.
The forest was filled with trees Caesar couldn't recognize. Despite his years of wandering across lands, most of the plants here were unfamiliar. Then again, considering this was the Bering Mountains—home to magical creatures—it was no surprise to encounter unknown flora. Caesar reassured himself; after all, even that strange creature by the lake was something he'd never seen before, not even in the rivers near his childhood village.
After walking a good distance without finding anything useful, Caesar grew a little impatient and ventured deeper into the woods. This time, his efforts paid off. He came across a peculiar tree with red leaves and shriveled yellow fruits hanging from its branches. Returning his dagger to his boot, Caesar agilely climbed the tree, moving like a nimble monkey. Tree climbing was second nature to him, a skill honed during his childhood escapades with his neighbor Tom in the hills behind their village.
He managed to gather seven fruits before he couldn't reach any more—either because they were out of his grasp or simply not there. Stuffing the walnut-sized fruits into his chest pocket, Caesar pressed forward. Deeper into the woods, the trees grew more diverse, and Caesar discovered several other fruit-bearing trees, each with different types of fruit. After some effort, his arms were full of assorted unfamiliar fruits.
Marking the spot carefully, Caesar followed his trail back.
By the time he returned, it was already noon. The sun warmed the sandy shore, and walking on it gave Caesar a cozy feeling, a stark contrast to the frigid night. The sunlight sparkled on the lake's surface, creating a serene and beautiful scene. Unfortunately, Caesar had no time to admire it. However, the sight of several grayish-white creatures sunbathing on the sand caught his attention. Licking his lips, Caesar decided that his lunch would feature "chicken meat with a fruit platter."
Back at his little shelter, Caesar laid out his haul—over a dozen greenish-yellow fruits—and unloaded a bamboo-like tree trunk he had carried back. It had taken him considerable effort to find a suitable material for crafting water containers.
Caesar had no idea if the fruits were poisonous, so he resorted to the most primitive testing method: tasting each one cautiously. With his fighting energy, he could endure mild toxins—at worst, it might give him an upset stomach. Among the three types of fruit, two were safe, showing no ill effects after a while. However, the slightly greenish fruit with black spots caused a faint numbness in his stomach. While it might not have been deadly, Caesar wasn't willing to risk eating more. He discarded the suspicious fruits, leaving him with twelve edible ones—enough to last a while.
After relighting the campfire, Caesar returned to the shore. With a sharp stone in hand, he repeated his earlier hunting technique. "Thunk! Thunk!" Two more strange creatures met their end. Carrying the eight-legged beasts back, Caesar thought of a new cooking method. He stuffed a few yellowish fruits into the cleaned-out shells of the creatures and tossed them directly into the fire. Despite limited ingredients, Caesar knew how to make a meal enjoyable.
Before long, the aroma of roasted meat and sweet fruit filled the air. Lunch was ready. The blend of savory meat and fruity sweetness made for a delightful meal. Caesar didn't forget Angelina, carefully feeding her half of one creature. The feeding process lacked the initial awkwardness; by now, Caesar had grown accustomed to caring for the sleeping noblewoman. After feeding her and giving her water—using one of the strange creature's shells as a makeshift cup—Caesar finally finished his tasks and cleaned up the leftovers.
The morning's exploration revealed no other living creatures besides these grayish-white beings. Caesar didn't bother tidying up too much and simply threw the food scraps into the fire to let them burn away.
In the afternoon, Caesar had no plans to go out again. The fruits he gathered and the remaining creatures crawling on the sandy shore ensured they wouldn't starve. Biting into a deep green fruit—its sourness making him wince—Caesar began working on the bamboo-like tree trunk with his dagger. Hours of effort yielded two arm-length water containers. Testing them with water proved they didn't leak. Crudeness didn't matter; as long as they worked, Caesar was satisfied.
Evening arrived, and it was time to eat again. Caesar repeated his earlier recipe, preparing another round of "fruit-stuffed meat." As for when they would leave this place, Caesar hadn't given it much thought yet. They would need to wait for Angelina to wake up, for his injuries to heal, and for his fighting energy to recover before making any decisions. For now, this place was safe, with water and food aplenty—an ideal temporary refuge.
Just as Caesar was about to feed Angelina again, chewing a mouthful of meat and fruit, he noticed her eyelashes trembling. A few seconds later, Angelina's enchanting eyes slowly fluttered open. Caesar, mid-motion and leaning over her, froze in place, staring blankly at her awakening face. Unknowingly, he swallowed the food in his mouth without even chewing properly.