Kael woke up to the soft weight of something on his chest. His eyes fluttered open, and the blurry shape of Remy came into focus. The small familiar was teary-eyed, his nose dripping with snot. As soon as Remy saw Kael open his eyes, he let out a sob and wrapped his tiny arms tightly around Kael, refusing to let go.
'Kael! I'm glad you're alive! Please don't ever do that again... don't leave me!' Remy squeaked, his voice shaky and full of emotion.
Kael's heart clenched seeing his familiar so distressed, the reality of what had happened hit him hard.
"Remy..." Kael whispered, his own voice breaking as tears welled up in his eyes.
"I'm sorry! I won't ever do that again! I'll never leave you, buddy!"
With that, he wrapped his arms around Remy, holding him close. Together, they broke down, their cries filling the air, neither of them caring about how ugly their tears or snot looked.
A short distance away, Alden watched the scene with a relieved smile, the tension he'd been holding onto finally easing. Kael was alive, and that was all that mattered.
After they calmed down, Alden approached, holding a bowl of soup.
"Here, eat. You haven't eaten anything yet," Alden said, handing the bowl to Kael.
Kael took it, still sniffling.
"Thanks…" he said, his voice hoarse from crying. As he wiped his face with his hand, Remy ran over to a pile of rubble where their cave once stood. He returned with a small cloth and handed it to Kael.
Kael chuckled weakly, taking the cloth.
"Remy... thank you." He wiped his face, but as soon as he looked at Remy's teary eyes again, they both broke down into another round of ugly crying and hugging.
Alden watched the two of them with an amused but resigned smile, shaking his head at their emotional display.
Once they had finished eating, Alden sat beside Kael, his expression more serious now.
"Kael, what happened?" he asked.
Kael set the empty bowl down and took a deep breath. His gaze hardened with resolve as he prepared to explain.
"I'll explain,"
The campfire crackled softly as Kael recounted his experience.
"I have a damaged origin root," he began, his voice unwavering.
Alden's eyes widened in shock, but he remained silent, letting Kael continue.
"Though I've also managed to gain a talent, I can't develop like you or the others due to it" Kael said, his voice firm but tinged with frustration.
"That's why I've simply forgotten about my talent"
"But when you told me about the talent crystal," Kael continued, "I thought maybe it could help me grow a little stronger. I knew it was a long shot because of my damaged origin root, but I wanted to try."
Alden listened carefully, his face serious.
Kael's expression darkened. "But as you can see... it failed."
He didn't mention that his talent had partially consolidated or the strange power lingering within him. Even Kael wasn't sure what that meant, so he chose to keep it hidden for now.
"I almost died in there," Kael admitted, his tone blunt but matter-of-fact.
Remy and Alden both gasped, their eyes wide with shock. Remy's tiny paws clenched at Kael's shirt, holding onto him even tighter.
"But someone saved me," Kael said, his voice softening as he recalled the strange encounter.
Alden frowned.
"Who?"
Kael took a breath.
"One of the mysterious figures we saw earlier... the tree demon."
Alden's eyes widened in disbelief.
"But didn't she...?" he trailed off, remembering her death.
"She survived," Kael explained.
"But at a great cost. She lost her origin crystal, and with it, most of her power. She needed another source of energy to keep her going, and that's when she found me."
"We made a deal to save each other. I was dying, and so was she. It was the only way."
Alden remained silent, absorbing the weight of Kael's words.
"Can she be trusted?" Alden finally asked, his voice low and cautious.
"We formed a soul contract," Kael answered simply.
Alden's jaw dropped slightly in amazement. A soul contract was no small thing—it bound two beings together in a profound way. He hadn't expected such an outcome.
After a moment of stunned silence, Alden asked,
"So... what's your plan now?"
Kael glanced toward the rubble of what used to be their cave. The remnants of their home lay in ruins.
"Honestly... I don't know," Kael admitted.
"Maybe I'll go back to back to the town and try to settle down. Hopefully find someplace to stay."
Alden raised an eyebrow.
"I've always wondered—why didn't you go there in the first place?"
Kael sighed, his expression weary.
"I've got quite the reputation there, you know, with my disability and my damaged origin root. That's where the Awakening Ceremony took place, after all. That's why I didn't go there, no one would hire or want me there anyway"
Alden sat quietly, thinking about what Kael had said. After a moment, he spoke again, his voice steady.
"Kael, why don't you come with me to Outer Haven?"
Kael blinked, caught off guard.
"Outer Haven? It's alright… I don't want to be a bother—"
"I insist," Alden said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.
Kael hesitated, then nodded slowly. "If it's alright with you... then, I'll be in your care."