By the time Du Wei woke up, the campfire had long since gone out, leaving behind only faint wisps of smoke curling into the dawn air. A chill crept over him as he stirred, but something soft and warm nestled against his chest caught his attention.
Glancing down, he discovered that, at some point during the night, Vivian had burrowed into his arms. The little sorceress was sound asleep, her small body curled tightly against his, her delicate hands even slipping into his tunic in a desperate bid for warmth.
She must have been so cold that her instinct for comfort had driven her to seek refuge in her sleep.
Du Wei sighed softly. Instead of waking her, he carefully shrugged off his coat, draping it over her petite form before gently placing her back on the ground. He stood, stretching—and froze, his expression transforming instantly.
"NO! D*MN IT! NO!!!"
His furious, despairing cry echoed across the desolate island, breaking the morning stillness.
A dense, oppressive fog blanketed the sea, veiling the horizon in an impenetrable shroud of white. The mist clung to the air like a heavy, damp curtain, reducing visibility to a mere ten meters at best.
Du Wei's heart sank further. Stranded on this barren island, with scarcely any food and a dwindling supply of fresh water, his only hope of salvation lay in the slim chance of a passing ship spotting them.
His plan had been simple: to build and maintain a large fire on the beach, its smoke serving as a signal to any vessels nearby. But with the sea now consumed by this accursed fog, even the brightest flame would be swallowed whole, invisible to any ship's crew.
Worse still, he knew from experience that such maritime fogs could linger for days—three, five, even longer. Unlike the transient morning mists of the mainland, the sea's relentless humidity could sustain this veil indefinitely.
Three to five days... Could they even last that long?
Vivian, startled awake by Du Wei's outburst, looked up at him with wide, anxious eyes. The tension in his expression sent a shiver down her spine.
Without a word, Du Wei began gathering branches, piling them up hastily before lighting a fire. He fed the flames until they roared, then turned to Vivian and dropped a heap of wood at her feet.
"Listen closely," he said, his tone curt. "Stay here and tend to the fire. If the flames weaken even slightly, add more wood immediately. Under no circumstances are you to let it die out. Keep your eyes on the sea. If you spot a ship, do everything you can to catch their attention—make the fire bigger, or use magic to shoot fireballs into the sky. Got it?"
"I—I understand," Vivian stammered, though doubt clouded her face. "But... with this thick fog, can we even see a ship? Can they even see us?"
Du Wei exhaled heavily, avoiding her question. "Just do as I said. It's all we can do."
Grabbing a sturdy branch to use as a staff, he tested its weight before heading toward the forest.
"W-where are you going?" Vivian called after him.
"To find food," he replied coldly. "Maybe I'll come across some mushrooms or wild fruits in the woods. It's a long shot, but better than fishing in these conditions. Pray that I succeed. Otherwise, tonight, no amount of tears will stop us from eating your Juju. A human life is worth more than a pet's."
The icy determination in his parting words sent a chill down Vivian's spine, and she watched him leave with a sinking heart.
Du Wei was gone the entire morning.
Left alone on the beach, Vivian felt an overwhelming sense of vulnerability. Though she had often been left to her own devices during her secluded life with her mentor, she'd always had her magic to rely on back then. Now, she was utterly defenseless.
Determined not to fail in her task, she tirelessly fed the fire, her small hands quickly acquiring cuts from sharp branches, and her face smudged with soot. Despite her fear and fatigue, she kept the flames roaring as Du Wei had instructed.
By midday, he finally returned.
Vivian spotted him from afar, limping slightly but looking surprisingly triumphant. Around his neck was a makeshift vine sling, laden with odd-looking objects—dirty, blackened roots he had likely dug from the ground.Leaning on the sturdy wooden staff with one hand and clutching a small bundle of shrubbery in the other, Du Wei emerged from the forest. Dangling from the bramble were several clusters of tiny, vibrant orange fruits, their glossy skins gleaming in the light like miniature jewels. Each one, about the size of a grape, looked irresistibly luscious, promising sweetness and succulence.
Vivian's mouth watered instantly.
Never before had she experienced true hunger, and certainly not for such an extended time. Her elation was palpable.
"Food! Food! You found something to eat!" she cried joyfully, hopping barefoot toward Du Wei, her face lit with a childlike glee.
Du Wei's lips quirked upward ever so slightly at her enthusiasm before settling back into a stoic expression. "Don't celebrate too soon. This is all I managed to gather after an entire morning's search," he said grimly.
It was only then that Vivian noticed his odd gait. His feet, bare and battered, bore several fresh cuts—likely from sharp stones and thorns in the forest.
"All right, let's eat," Du Wei announced, setting down his haul. He gestured toward the string of roots hanging from a makeshift vine sling. "These are wild plants I've identified. My knowledge of herbalism isn't deep, but I know these roots are edible and contain some nutritional value. They may not look like much, but they'll keep us alive."
Kneeling by the shore, Du Wei meticulously rinsed the roots in seawater before handing them to Vivian. "These are yours. Eat them as they are, or roast them over the fire—it's your choice."
Vivian stared at the coarse, fibrous roots in her hands, her lips trembling in dismay. Her gaze drifted longingly to the bright orange fruits dangling from the shrub. "I… I want the fruit instead," she mumbled.
"No," Du Wei said firmly, his voice brooking no argument. "You'll eat the roots. The fruit is mine."
Tears welled up in Vivian's eyes as indignation and sorrow flooded her heart. He's doing this on purpose! she thought bitterly. He's punishing me for not letting him eat Juju! That's why he's being so cruel!
Sniffling, she crouched by the fire, roasting the roots as instructed. They were tough and flavorless, taking great effort to chew. By the time she had gnawed through two of them, her jaw ached, and her spirit was thoroughly deflated.
Across the fire, Du Wei sat in silence, methodically plucking fruits from the branch and popping them into his mouth. One by one, he chewed and swallowed, his expression unchanging.
Vivian couldn't help but watch him, her eyes drawn to the vivid fruit and his slow, deliberate movements. Her stomach growled audibly. Surely, those fruits must be delicious...
Catching her gaze, Du Wei smirked coldly. "What are you staring at? Upset that I didn't share? Annoyed you're stuck with tasteless roots?"
Vivian pouted, saying nothing.
Seizing an opportunity while Du Wei's attention wandered, she stealthily plucked a fruit from the branch and slipped it into her wide sorcerer's robes. When he turned away, she quickly popped it into her mouth and bit down eagerly.
Her triumph was short-lived.
The moment her teeth pierced the fruit's skin, an overwhelming wave of bitterness and sourness exploded across her tongue. She gagged, spitting the pulp out violently. The acrid taste left her eyes watering and her face contorted in agony.
Du Wei glanced at her with a faint smile, finishing the last fruit on the branch. "Done eating? Good. We have work to do."
Vivian glanced down at the gnawed branch, then at the bland roots in her hands. Compared to that vile fruit, the tasteless roots suddenly seemed like a feast.
Her thoughts returned to Du Wei's earlier words: You eat these; the fruit is mine. She recalled how he had eaten each fruit without so much as a grimace, despite the taste being enough to make her retch.
Speechless, she clenched the roots tightly, her gaze softening as she looked at him.
"What are you staring at? Hurry up and eat—we don't have all day," Du Wei barked, frowning.
"Yes, yes!" Vivian chirped, stuffing the roots into her satchel. She skipped to his side, her tone gentler now. "What's next? I'll do whatever you say!"
"We need to catch fish," Du Wei replied with a rare grin. "Living on roots alone won't sustain us for long. I'll wade into the water with this vine tied to my waist while you hold the other end. I'll use a stick to spear whatever I can find. But—"
Before he could finish, a deafening roar ripped through the island, shaking the ground beneath their feet.
The sound was unlike anything they had ever heard—deep, resonant, and primal, as if the earth itself had awakened to scream. Both Du Wei and Vivian were thrown to the ground as tremors rolled through the island, the quake's violence matched only by the sheer terror the roar invoked.
Even the sea seemed to respond, the once-calm waves rising into tumultuous swells.
"What in the world was THAT?!" Du Wei's face drained of color as he clutched the trembling Vivian.
Pale and speechless, Vivian could only stare at him in shock.
From deep within the forest, another sound emerged—the mournful cry of Vivian's pet dragon. Once a creature of majesty and strength, its voice now quivered with unmistakable fear.
Even the dragon, awakened from its slumber, was terrified.