The Mist Forest was quiet, cloaked in a thick, eerie fog as night fell. Every now and then, a distant howl or the rustle of leaves broke the silence, but other than that, the world seemed to be holding its breath.
Seraphine and Eclipse stood side by side, staring at the lifeless creature at their feet—a monstrous bird with metallic feathers and a twisted beak. Seraphine had taken it down in one hit, a high-speed water spell striking so precisely that the creature hadn't even had a chance to screech. Now, it lay in a feathery heap, perfectly silent, as if it were peacefully resting.
They were both starving.
Seraphine scowled, nudging the monster with her foot. "I can't believe I was about to suggest we eat this thing."
Eclipse shrugged. "Then don't."
But he was already crouching down, taking out a small knife and examining the creature's body as he considered his options.
Seraphine wrinkled her nose, watching him. "Are you seriously thinking of eating that? Aren't you…a noble?"
He had to admit, the original Eclipse probably wouldn't have dared touch the thing. But he knew hunger, even if this Eclipse persona was new to it. And this was the Mist Forest, where normal rules didn't apply.
"Being a noble doesn't mean I'm willing to starve," he replied, slipping the knife through the feathered hide.
Seraphine stared at him for a moment, as if trying to understand why he wasn't balking at the task. "Whatever. I'm going to find something edible," she muttered, turning on her heel.
"Or is it that you just don't know how to cook?" Eclipse asked with a smirk, glancing up at her.
Her cheeks flushed. "I—I know how to cook," she huffed. "You light a fire and… put food on it, obviously." She lifted her chin, clearly offended.
He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Is that so?"
Before leaving, she glanced around nervously.
Eclipse knew her well enough from the game to recognize her hesitation; Seraphine was notorious for her awful sense of direction.
She'd likely get lost just a few feet away. But she'd never admit that, not with her pride on the line.
"I'd be putting up a fire."
"Hmph," she scoffed. "I'll have my own fire, thank you very much."
Eclipse watched her disappear into the mist, then sighed, turning his attention back to the task at hand.
______
It didn't take Eclipse long to gather the materials he needed.
With a few strikes of flint, he had a small fire going, the flames licking up into the darkness.
He laid out the pieces of the monster he'd managed to carve, letting them cook over the crackling fire.
The forest was silent around him, and the warmth of the fire was a welcome relief from the cold night air.
He was alone for a while, and in the quiet, he almost believed Seraphine had finally given up and left him.
That wouldn't have been a bad outcome.
Then, a faint rustle in the bushes broke the silence.
Eclipse's gaze shot to the bushes, alert. A monster? He grabbed a pebble and tossed it at the noise, hoping to scare off whatever was lurking.
"Ow!" came a startled yelp.
Eclipse blinked, lowering his hand. "Seraphine?"
She emerged from the bushes, rubbing her arm with a small tear in her eyes. "What was that for?"
"I thought you were a monster," he replied, his tone deadpan. "What are you doing back here?"
She turned her head away, her cheeks tinged pink. "I just… well, I thought I'd check to see if you… managed to start a fire," she muttered, clearly avoiding eye contact. "Not because I needed it."
"If you say so. But you look like a servant, hovering out there."
"What? No, I'm not!" she snapped, stomping forward and plopping down on the other side of the fire, just barely within its circle of warmth.
She sat with her arms crossed, pointedly looking away from him.
The tension between them was almost comical.
Eclipse returned to his cooking, trying to ignore the prickling sensation of his Dignity+ trait warning him of her presence.
It seems like the trait only activated if there's someone watching me...
It wasn't nearly as bad as usual, but it was enough to put him slightly on edge.
He glanced over at her, hoping to break the silence.
"So, did you find anything to eat?" he asked, eyeing her empty hands.
She huffed, pulling out a small from her robe, odd-looking fruit she'd picked up. "Just this," she said, frowning as she inspected it. "Is it even safe?"
Eclipse looked at the fruit, then back at her. "You're one of the Academy's best students. Don't tell me you can't identify something as basic as a forest fruit."
Her cheeks flushed again, and in a flash of irritation, she threw the fruit at him. "If you're so smart, why don't you check?"
Catching it easily, Eclipse looked down at the fruit, summoning the faint, game-like blue screen in his vision:
Item Name: Mana-Apple
Properties: Edible. Slightly enhances mana output.
He took a bite, watching her expression out of the corner of his eye. Her eyes went wide, her expression somewhere between surprise and horror.
"You—you're just eating it?" she stammered, blinking.
"It's fine," he replied, smirking slightly as he tossed the half-eaten fruit back to her.
Seraphine caught it, looking at it in confusion, then down at the spot where his bite had never been.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally took a cautious nibble, her hunger evidently getting the best of her.
As she ate, Eclipse focused on cooking the monster meat.
The entire process was surprisingly relaxing; he'd taken a few cooking courses in his past life, and even here, it helped steady his nerves.
Seraphine seemed absorbed in the fruit, her brow furrowing as she tasted it.
When she'd finally finished, she glanced across the fire, her expression softened by drowsiness. The day had clearly worn her out, and her eyelids began to droop.
Moments later, she was asleep, curled up with a faint layer of blue magic around her like a shimmering blanket.
Eclipse watched her for a moment, slightly surprised.
In the game, Seraphine had always been intense, perpetually alert. Seeing her asleep and vulnerable felt strangely humanizing.
He finished his meal, then leaned back against a tree trunk, closing his eyes and letting himself drift into sleep.
_________________
When Seraphine woke the next morning, the fire had burned down to ashes, the coals faintly glowing. She sat up, stretching and rubbing her eyes. Then she noticed that Eclipse was gone, no sign of him anywhere nearby.
A small cloth-wrapped bundle lay beside her. She picked it up, unwrapping it to find a portion of the meat Eclipse had cooked, left there for her. On the ground, an arrow was drawn in the dirt, pointing north. Next to it, a note:
"North. Caelum is that way. You probably want to go there."
Seraphine's fingers tightened around the note as she glanced northward. A flicker of emotion crossed her face—a mixture of gratitude, confusion, and something close to irritation.
"Eclipse is… stranger than I thought," she murmured, tucking the note into her bag.
With a quiet sigh, she took the meat, stood, and readied herself to head north, her mind lingering on Eclipse's unexpected thoughtfulness.