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Celestial Chronicles
Chapter 7 - I knew there must be something more

Chapter 7 - I knew there must be something more

Ethan woke up to a loud cling, his heartbeat speeding up to the sound of crockery. He barely controlled his first instinct to jump up and rip the door open to face whoever or whatever made the sound. Instead, he held his breath and peered at the light from the gap between the door and the stone floor.

Is it morning already? How long did I sleep? Ethan inquired. Maybe this place was not abandoned after all? Ethan listened closely to the sounds in the kitchen behind the wooden door, slowly calming down and releasing a breath.

Slowly, he got out of the makeshift straw bed, noting his aching back and neck. I hope pillows are a thing. I would not want to wake up with a headache here for the rest of my life, he thought.

He slowly walked up to the door, taking care of his steps to be quiet and put his ear against it, listening. After a minute passed, he slowly opened the old wooden door and winced as it made a loud creaking noise filling the kitchen. Here goes being subtle, he thought and swung the door open, his newfound knife in hand.

Ethan looked the kitchen over and saw that no one was there. He breathed out in relief and loosed his grip on the knife. Then he noticed a tiny, grey mouse on the table looking at him, frozen from his dashing heroics. The mice did not wait for Ethan to question it on his entrance as it made itself scarce.

Finally calming down, noting that a crisis was averted, Ethan felt the signature pounding headache he got when sleeping in tight spaces without a proper pillow. He smacked his dry lips and remembered falling asleep without finding the well. Parched, without drinking since midday, when he suddenly appeared in the middle of nowhere of that matter.

Right, water. I need to find that well, Ethan thought and walked out of the kitchen and back into the corridor through which he arrived, pulling out his light crystal from storage space. He took a few steps ahead and turned a corner, noting another closed wooden door. Trying the lock, he was relieved it was not locked and opened it.

The doorway revealed another open space, albeit smaller than the one he initially found when he entered the castle. He examined the yard and noted it was around thirty meters long as it was wide. It held precisely what he was looking for—a well. It was exactly as in the movies, a circular ring of stacked rocks with a worn and weather wooden top.

I hope this thing has some water, he thought and hurried to the thing, looking for a nearby bucket, delighted to find one next to a pile of rusted chains. Nice! he mentally pupped his fist and took the bucket, noting it barely had any holes, and dropped it in the well, holding the chain in his other hand. He slowly released the chain, dropping the bucket down until it hit something below with a splash.

Ethan quickly pulled the bucket up and poured it over his mouth in one swift motion, not bothering to check the quality of what he had pulled out, trusting the medieval engineers to do a thorough job with the well. Then, after his thirst was sated, he repeated the process, this time pulling out the jug from his storage.

Let’s see if this strange power can store water as well, he thought and carefully poured the water into the jug and noted it was not leaking. A good start, he nodded and took the jug, adding it to his storage. Then, pulling up the usual grey window, he noticed that the water stayed in the jug, and the item was renamed to a 'jug of water.’

Ethan pulled it out and took a sip, noting no difference in taste from the liquid in the bucket. Nice! Wonder if it will keep my food fresh as well? he started to ponder but shook his head. His immediate survival secured with a shelter and water source, his stomach made itself known by rumbling loudly.

“Oh, come on!” Ethan exclaimed in frustration. “What is this? Is all my time to be spent hunting after the bare necessities?” He paused and thought briefly, looking at his bare feet and clothes. “Yea, I resemble a cave, all right. That is how people lived before plumbing. Running around, searching for stuff.” He deflated and slowly walked out of the small yard, returning to the kitchen, slowly pondering his next move.

Given how ancient everything is, there is no way they left food in this place. The people who lived here may not have known what canning your food might do to your long-term survival. Well, if they did not have storage rings or something, he thought.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

He sighed, recognizing that getting food meant going back outside. And going outside meant hunting. But for what? I do not know shit about traps or hunting rabbits. Nor am I willing to face some wild boar with an old and dull knife, he scratched his chin in thought as he walked through the dark corridor.

Ethan returned to the kitchen, entered his new room, and sat on the straw bed, throwing his head back. Then he recalled that he had a mapping ability that should have been filled out with at least something during his run to this place if video game mechanics held true in his new reality. He pulled the thing up, examined it, and noted several items had appeared.

His position was indicated by a green dot on what looked like a large hill if his map reading ability had not dulled since those boring geography lessons. Next to the hill, he saw a line of greenery uncovered on top of the grey background, stretching for several kilometers, what he guessed was where he had run from.

No doubt, my trek through the woods. What is this? he considered and panned the map closer, noticing a smaller blue line near where the cave entrance was supposed to be.

Hmm, that looks like a river I passed without even noticing it. Near the cave. Nice! Fish. I can catch that! It beats chasing rabbits. And it is a short trip from the entrance through the forest, he clenched his fist.

He zoomed the map out, trying to make out any other landmarks that would help explore the area or, even better, get out of it. But he needed help finding something useful, as the area he had studied before was very limited.

How does the map work exactly? he questioned, trying to understand why he could see only the places he visited. As he finished the thought, a grey window popped up.

[Map] (Bloodline ability)

Geographical visualization of places visited or gained access to. Updates automatically or when given access to drawn maps.

Oh, so that is what it does. That is a bummer. I hoped to see which part of the continent I arrived in, he sighed and got up from his makeshift bed, unwilling to burn his limited daylight.

He walked into the kitchen and started rummaging around with purpose. It took him only a short time to find what he was looking for - a ball of string made from what resembled nylon. I am surprised they could come up with stuff similar to plastic, he thought, examining the small ball of white cord. Is plastic pollution a thing as well?

Next, he started going through the various tools to find a grinding stone to sharpen his knife, deeming the existing edge insufficient for what he was about to do.

After sharpening his knife, he went to the fireplace, took a small axe tugged away in the corner, and sharpened it the same way as the knife. Excellent, now I have all the tools and just need some bait and a stick. The stick I can get downstairs, but for the bait..?

He looked around and noticed some old feathers lying in the corner of one of the far-away tables. I need to organize this place more, he thought as he went to get the feathers and started creating a makeshift lure, not wanting to do it out in the wilds when someone could jump him when he was not looking.

The process was long and tedious, Ethan not being used to working with small things with his large fingers, which mostly saw punching or holding a wooden training sword. However, he soon zoned out as long-forgotten memories from his childhood resurfaced.

Ethan remembered how he went fishing with his stepfather when he was still courting his mother. He remembered the day well when he left the capital for the first time with his mother and her friend. Ethan thought Jorge was kind for taking them out of the busy streets and into the beautiful Icelandic wilds. He later understood that despite being local, many came to visit said nature and marvel at its sights, him included.

The fishing trip had been excellent. The large man Ethan felt apprehensive about showed him the ropes and what it meant to fish. However, as much as Ethan tried, he did not catch a single fish at the time. All he did was break their only fishing line and lose it in the water. Jorge did not mind, however, and only smiled, encouraging Ethan by saying that 'great fishermen do not always start great.'

Back in the medieval kitchen, Ethan smiled, remembering how small he felt when he saw the large mountains in the distance and the raging rivers they visited around Iceland. It has been a while since I felt like that. A whole world out there below. I hope you are all right, mom, he thought as he wrapped another batch of feathers with a string.

Ethan finished his impromptu crafting and stored all the items in his storage, checking that he had space left for the fish he hopped to catch. He proceeded by finding some intact large bowls and stored them as well. Then, looking around, he deemed he was as ready as ever and went for the kitchen door, pausing for a second before walking out. A thought of monster fish passed through his mind as soon as it came.