The slight hissing of oil in the stone pot lasted for a minute, then the aroma of the wild garlic filled the room, followed by the mountain onion. These two ingredients alone were enough to stir anyone's hungry stomach.
Erus leaned on his chair, stealing a glance at what Cana was doing. He could see that she had skill. She was boiling the meat in one pot while she was also busy sautéing the other ingredients. He was curious about the bowl where she had mixed things he didn't recognize. He wondered what she could be making out of the horned rabbit?
"I thought this place was used only for cultivation. You could have explained that to me before, even if I lost my memories," he said.
"You were too stubborn to even listen to your mother. How was I supposed to explain things back then?" Uruja countered Erus' complaints about the past. "I've been trying, haven't I? But you insisted on finding your useless father."
Erus shifted his look to the other side of the kitchen. His pride kept him from admitting the mistakes that had almost ended his life just days ago.
"Why didn't you ask the beasts at the Decisive Forest to at least help you?" He asked.
Uruja's reaction was pure disbelief.
"Are you out of your mind? I could have been dead by now if that even crossed my mind. And what help could they give me? I can only talk with my own familiars," she said.
"Ha? But the beasts in that forest can speak our language. They were the ones who told me about the past, but they wouldn't—"
"Wait! Wait. You were saying, you made it through the barrier?" Uruja was even more shocked. She stood up from her chair. She had been trying her whole damned life on this island to pass through that barrier just once, only to end up hallucinating. "And the beasts there... you talked with them? Are you fooling around, Erusiel? Quit your act."
"Tch! Why would I even fool around here? I'm serious," he answered.
The tension was about to rise again.
"Please check if this is to your liking," Cana said.
A spoon of the mixture was held in front of Erus' face. He could smell the intoxicating aroma of wild herbs. As much as he wanted to protest, his curiosity was at its peak.
He gently reached for the spoon and brought it to his mouth. He took a little sip—his brain short-circuited. He shoved the spoon in his mouth. It felt like the clouds were melting. Even after he swallowed, the perfectly rich aftertaste lingered on his lips.
"You made soup?" he asked Cana.
"No. It's the cream I'm going to add to the meat. Why? Do you want me to make soup too? That would make for a heavy meal tonight," she answered.
"Ah, no. I just thought it was soup. It's perfectly rich," he said.
"Thanks," Cana said with a smile. She gestured for the spoon Erus was still holding.
He gave it back.
Uruja could not hide her smile while witnessing how her son's mood abruptly changed at Cana's intervention. She knew the girl was doing it on purpose. What did she have to fear if the intention was for her own son's goodwill? All she had to do was stand in a corner and witness the change in Erus' life. It was less worrying for him, but how would the girl near Erus handle every situation he dealt with in his daily life?
Cana playfully winked at Uruja, which made her cast aside such thoughts. Why not savor the moment while these two kids were still in her care?
"Give me five more minutes before the meat gets fully tenderized," Cana said while checking on the stone pot where she was boiling the horned rabbit's meat.
"Mmm," was Erus' simple response.
Uruja almost burst, but she pinched her thigh.
"Mom, will you take me seriously?" Erus demanded as he noticed his mother's eyes were not serious.
"I do. I was just curious at what Cana is cooking," Uruja made an alibi, though it was a white lie.
"You can taste it later when she is done," he replied.
Uruja faked a pout. "Okay. Where were we then? Oh, right—the beasts. You were saying you can talk with the beasts? How did you make it through the barrier?"
"Yeah. Surprisingly, I can talk with them like they are mortals. And there is no such barrier. It was just the thick fog that was keeping that sanctuary hidden," Erus said while the scene played in his head. "Also, all the beasts there seemed to know me. I even faced the king of the beasts. They were telling me things I don't remember. Wait. Why am I the one explaining here?"
"Ah, no you're not. You are only sharing your experience there," Uruja countered. "What did they tell you? Perhaps I could explain."
"Brat, pervert, troublemaker. What did I even do before? I felt like they were avoiding me. Was my past the reason I could not form a contract with any familiar?"
Uruja kept silent. It was impossible for the beasts to call him a brat or a troublemaker just because it was Erus's nature. But why pervert? She knew her son was not into such things—not until Cana happened. She could see Cana's little taunts were effective against him. She wasn't born yesterday. She knew how a man reacted to a woman's touch.
"Well, you were indeed a troublesome kid. But being branded a pervert? I have no idea what you did back then. You might have forced a beast to become your familiar or did you peep on someone?"
"Why ask me? I don't even remember it." Erus messed up his hair. "Cana, do I look like a pervert?" He asked Cana without looking at her. She better not dare say yes.
"You're more of a delicacy." It was a genuine answer from Cana.
"De... delicacy? How is that?" Erus became confused with Cana's way of describing him.
"I mean, you look delicious like this rabbit meat I'm cooking."
"What? Only monsters would think like that!" Erus' spine shivered at the thought of being cooked and eaten like the horned rabbit.
Uruja, who was biting her lips to control her laughter, changed her expression to an "Am I the one who gave birth to this man?" look. She even massaged her temple.
"Only virgins would react to such words, Cana," Uruja said, sighing. She sat down again as she caught Cana's attention. Cana's eyes were wandering, not believing what Uruja just said.
"Virgin?" Erus' mind was in disarray. The topic was off his charts.
"The horned rabbit you caught. It smelled like a virgin," Uruja gave a sarcastic explanation, but she sounded serious.
Erus' face was a mess of emotions. Thanks to his mask, they could not see it. He even looked in Cana's direction and tried smelling the aroma of the food. Then, Cana grinned at him like a lunatic.
"Are you trying to scare me?" Erus asked.
"Nope. I can tell that you are hungry already. Am I right?"
"Yeah. Are you done?"
Cana nodded, but her inner self was laughing at his innocence. She was innocent too, but not her brain, which was half evil thoughts.
Erus helped her prepare the table, taking glances from time to time as Cana prepared the tenderized meat. She was carefully layering the pieces, slowly pouring the cream over each one. The process seemed like a bit much to Erus. He was curious—what was the use of all this if they were just going to eat it anyway? This was the first time he had seen someone prepare a dish in such an intricate way.
"Is it really necessary?" He asked after setting the last wooden bowl on the table. He noticed how steady Cana's hands were while she worked. She was no amateur at this.
"Yes," Cana said, her eyes focused on the meat. "This way, the flavor will be trapped in each piece—creating a richer taste."
Erus nodded. He continued watching her like a child curious about the world.
Uruja, who remained in the same spot, observed how the two normally interacted. Erus did not seem like the tyrant and troublemaker the stories claimed. Meanwhile, Cana looked like an ordinary girl. Despite the tattoo they had seen, she wasn't emitting a heavy aura at all.
After the dishes were all settled, Cana became a bit hesitant. She was not from this place. What if these people had a different taste from hers? Erus had tasted the cream earlier, but he had no idea about the meat.
She watched Erus make a small cut, then scoop it with the wooden spoon, gently bringing it to his mouth under his mask. She waited, expectant, for a reaction. But he did not move after chewing. Was the meat still not tenderized? She wondered for a second if Erus had no teeth.
"Oh..." was Uruja's reaction. Tears slipped from her eyes.
Cana's eyes widened. "Was it too spicy?" She should have asked them first if they liked heat. She had only assumed they did because Erus brought chili and black pepper.
"This is heaven, Cana. This is my first time eating such high-tier food," Uruja said while wiping her tears.
Cana should have felt proud, but she was confused instead. To her, this was just a basic gravy and meat. She turned to Erus and poked his shoulder.
"Ah... what did you do to the meat?" Erus finally spoke. "I can taste the aroma, and there's a bit of sweetness that blends perfectly with the rich flavor of the sauce."
"I used ground fennel seeds while boiling the meat," Cana explained.
"Fennel seeds can be used this way? Next time, let me do it too," Erus said.
"Your call, Master. I can also show you other food recipes."
"Cana! Drop that title. You called me by my name—I prefer that one," Erus snapped, though he was not truly mad.
Cana pursed her lips, then nodded. Uruja just looked at them but did not mind. She was too busy savoring the food.
Erus and Uruja washed the plates and utensils together. It was their way of thanking Cana for such a hearty dinner. Meanwhile, Cana sorted the spices. She worked quickly; every herb Erusiel had gathered from the forest was already familiar to her.
Then, Cana felt that familiar itch on the right side of her back again. It wasn't as gnawing as before, but a negative feeling settled in her gut. It felt like a warning, though she couldn't understand what it meant. She brushed the thought aside and continued arranging the spices in the kitchen cabinet.
As midnight approached, Cana and Uruja slept in the room. They had separate cinder-skin beds that were cozy and comfortable against the cold of the night.
As midnight approached, Cana and Uruja slept in the room. They had separate cinder-skin beds which were cozy and comfortable against the cold of the night. Erus stayed in the living room. He was more comfortable sleeping alone. Plus, it was not just him and his mother now. There was Cana. He had made it a habit to sleep in the living room since his first day here, so it was totally fine.
Or so he thought.
Cana abruptly sat up in her bed. The purple butterflies that turned into dark gargoyles in her dream signaled that something was wrong. She immediately thought of Erus. He was the one wearing the mark of the black wings.
Cana got out of bed and went into the other room. She checked on Erus, who was sleeping in the living room. It was so quiet that she assumed he was in a deep sleep. But when she got closer, she noticed the air around him was different. It felt hot and humid.
"This isn't right," she told herself.
She approached Erus and noticed his hands were shaking. Her brows furrowed. She reached for his hands and felt how high his temperature was.
He has a fever?