The moon's pale light cleaved the border between the crimson lands and the luscious green depths of the forest. Deep within the green, only predators moved—shadows with fur and teeth, driven by a singular, primal objective:
hunger.
Big or small, any would do to satisfy their hunger—for strength is the key to survival. Something they have all lived by ever since their birth.
But...
There was a place these predatorial creatures of the forest agreed...or subconsciously knew on on never stepping forth on. A territory where many of their kinds had entered willingly or unknowingly. Near the roots of a high mountain, the moonlight was dim but it was especially bright in this part as if wanting to showcase the bones of the remains beautifully.
Above the mountain's base, the cave was illuminated by a light so soft it barely reached the entrance. Within the shadows, the firelight danced across two figures: a slender boy with short deep blue hair, and dark circles underneath his grey-colored eyes, while wearing a fairly dirt-stained shirt and trousers. And a warrior wearing rags that makes him seem like a homeless beggar with four piercing gold eyes and scars scattered across his skin, a testament to his battles.
The area around them was a bit small, it managed to fit both mavir and valor who were watching the flesh of the wolf being roasted. There was silence in the cave apart from the silent swish sound made by the Stone cube of cold.
The scent of roasting wolf meat filled the cramped space as the wolf valor had hunted sizzled over the heat. Watching the fat drip into the embers, mavir found himself drooling, his stomach twisting with every second the meat remained out of reach at.
"So, you what you're saying is you don't know how you got to the crimson lands. Is that right?", mavir's head returned to Valor's forgetting he was being questioned.
for the past hours they've spent in this cave, valor has been asking mavir a few questions, then processing for about 30-40 mins before asking him another questions. The amount of time mavir has answered these questions are much smaller than the duration valor spends processing.
The Questions he had asked were different from what he expected:
"How did you escape the crimson lands with your limbs intact"
"What beasts are in there"
"Did you see or hear anything interesting"
"How did you get to the crimson lands?"
Each question were more about the crimson lands rather than him personally, he had no problem answering a few questions as they were part of what he experienced. the ones he did not know were the ones he was worried about but valor seemed to have believing heart apart from his interrogation from before.
"Y-Yes", he gave a weak reply, unsure if valor would believe it or not but I was hoping he would, again.
These situation, he would rely on luck. One wrong statement could be the end of a second life, then a thought came in me.
'Maybe I should say the wrong thing, then I would go back to that realm of- Ugh', a sharp pain pulled back causing mavir to groan and rub the side of his head.
While mavir was in his realm of suicidal thoughts, Valor was also in his field of thoughts trying to understand how valor got here as usual again.
"Very few know the crimson lands as I said maybe your memory is a bit hazy and you can't remember", he muttered to himself giving a light nod before turning the wolf meat upside down.
"For now, it seems you don't possess any hidden intentions.", as he said that, mavir was in relief but he didn't show it. He didn't want to give valor the wrong idea. After that, everything went silent, both of them waiting for the other to talk while staring intensely at the wolf meat.
As the silence loomed, mavir was in thought about his entire journey... or nightmare ever since he came to this world.
First were those strange skinny human-like creatures, then the wolf, now valor. Although, it didn't seem like much, all three of them wear near death scenarios clouding his mind. he shivered, hugging himself as cold breeze flew into the cave nearly conquering the firelight. Valor on the other hand didn't show any reaction at all.
"You're physique is terribly weak.", valor said as he carried the roasted meat, breaking it in half and cutting out large portions of flesh with just his bare hands positioned like knife leaving mavir quite stunned by the cerebral strength displayed right in front of him.
"Here", valor handed a portion of the meat to mavir. it took him about 3 seconds of silence before he accepted it.
"Thank yo- oof", with a groan, he carried and placed the meat on his trousers and then yelped again from the heat of the meat touching him almost falling to the dirt-ground.
valor could only roar with laughter as he chewed down on the roasted meat letting food particles fly to mavir.
"your body is as skinny as a dead tree", he kept laughing. "I know that", mavir responded perhaps more confident with him than before.
"Now I'm more suspicious on how you survived in that cursed place".
"I do too as well". mavir muttered but valor heard that giving a nod, "HAHA, GOOD".
After that, silence loomed in again—but this time, it was someone unexpected
"Now that you've asked question, I would like to ask you some as well", mavir said while stuffing his face with the delicious meat that he can't seem to resist. valor found this intruiging, the silence was already killing him, any form of converse would do so good to get him out of boredom. "Huhu, seems fair enough".
Mavir opened his mouth but then closed his back then opened it again, "I'll start with the question I previously asked—Who are you?".
"Who do you think, I'm valor, the Immortal of Destruction". and just like that, more question arose from that response. "The Undefeated... Immortal?"
"Huh! you really don't know who I am... How much of your memory have you lost.", his four eyes showed no resistance to his shocked expression.
"A lot I guess.". Returning to devouring his meal, valor could only give a sigh, but this held something deeper with the look in his eyes.
"Its best if you don't.", he said.
"What? Why?", mavir questioned, this was a great opportunity for him to know this world more apart from the crimson lands.
He looked at me, "If I do tell you about me, my kind, you wouldn't look at me the same way you are now".
"Why, you're not my enemy".
A chuckle escaped his lips.
"Hm, well I was", he then went back to devouring his meal. mavir just simply watched, questions piled up more and more, but it seems valor had no reason to answer them.
The weight of silence was more and more piercing, not having anything to talk about in a cave with a man who had the scars of bloody battles on him.''
Just like that, the conversation ended and both surprisingly finished their meal—That whole wolf? Yes. Damn.
........
.........
........
Morning rose up.
The fresh rays of light from the sun devoured the darkness inside the cave, revealing a loud snoring valor on the stone bed and mavir on the floor covered in the fur of the wolf they devoured yesterday—wide awake with dark circles under his eyes.
'Why is that muscle guys make the loudest snore.'