Chapter 93

Night to Remember

Most of the animals surrounding the cirque dispersed after ten or so hours and as the day began to inch toward the night. Leo, however, remained seated at the edge, unable to tear his gaze away from the maw that seemed to swallow the light. The longer he stood by its side, the freer he felt his mind become. But more than that, it felt as though someone pried open his meridians even further, but did so without causing them any harm.

Even merely thinking of a martial art seemed inspiring--while he struggled quite a bit with Quelling Soul Art, not having made any significant progress ever since getting it, he'd already grasped the basics after just a couple of hours of tinkering within his thoughts. It was as though the fog had lifted and the shine of the sun carried forth the clarity.

Sighing, he stood up and stretched, his bones cracking. It was too late to start the trek back home, and he had intended to stay here for a night at least anyway. Looking around, he located a decent spot up a hill, just where there was a nice patch of flat land. Gathering a few materials that he was missing, he quickly constructed a single mud hut and started a roaring fire outside of it.

Though he could have prepped the meals already and stuffed them into the ring, he elected not to; after all, he'd come to rather enjoy the solace of cooking. It was one time when he could tame the thundering thoughts and focus on a rather numb task in front of him, even if he was cooking just for himself. However, he felt it wouldn't be quite that simple.

Even if the animals had dispersed, there was a faint wind frolicking about. There was a good chance that it would carry the scent outward, and as was the case back home, it would... inspire quite a few of the critters to come. He had no heart to turn them away, and, far more importantly, he was terrified what they would do to him if he chose not to feed them.

While he was rather comfortable with most of the animals that showed up to the longhouse, even those who never truly stayed and came about once every blue moon, that was where it all ended--a faint feeling of comfort. He was far out from where he usually stayed, and though none of the animals attacked him when he approached them, that mattered little. While he recognized some, most were wholly new. It was always better to be cautious than to be broken.

With that in mind, he quickly set up a few more fires, hanging pots above them, and slowly beginning to cook. Thanks to the ring, he decided to always carry the ingredients with him, and that included the water from the pond. Barrels and buckets of it resided in the thin membrane of the world, somewhere beyond his sight.

Pouring them out slowly, the water began to boil just as he cut the vegetables and sliced the meat into cubes--eight pots were soon stirring with tantalizing scent of an irresistible meal, and smoke billowed out freely into the darkening sky.

Beyond the cirque, trees sprung up anew, as did an uphill slope. Because of it, even though it looked as though he was at an elevation, he couldn't see anything besides the forest still. Trees extended outwardly like a kingdom without end, endless and unconquerable. The sun slowly began to set in the distance, its golden glimmer dimming, becoming a strangely burning haze spilling over the world like ink. The few sparse clouds that danced atop the azure canvas thinned, their edges embossed with the fire of the star, illuminating.

Soon enough, ruffling could be heard within the hut, and Milky jumped out like a speedy shadow, landing on Leo's shoulder, panting. Drops of drool trickled down on top of his robes, prompting him to chuckle and use his free hand to pet the little furball.

"Ha ha, did you sleep well? Ah, dinner will be ready soon. Are you hungry?" the white panther seemed to nod before nuzzling his head against Leo's cheek. "Ha ha ha, you little cheeky thing! Fine, fine, I'll hurry up. Just for you, okay?"

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

As Leo turned his gaze, he saw shadows spring from the darkness; within moments, they formed figures, familiar and otherwise, slowly creeping toward the flames, almost like moths. He smiled, realizing that he'd need a couple more rounds if he was to satiate everyone.

More and more began to pour out from between the trees, and yet scarce few made any notable sound. Before long, there were lines and rows queued up, almost like flowers surrounding a shrine, all patiently waiting their turn.

One by one, pots were done, and Leo began pouring the food out onto the plates, setting them at the front. And, one by one, animals came up and stared at him for a moment, then bowing before finally eating. Every. Single. One.

Even those he knew, those that would occasionally swing by the longhouse, followed the custom, as though somebody had ordered them to. And yet, in his heart, Leo knew that nobody did. This was their way of thanking him, their way of expressing what they could not in words. And when they were done, they did not leave; rather, they found an empty spot and lied down, as though enshrining themselves as his guardians for the night.

Pot after pot, plate after plate, bow after bow... at some point, Leo lost count how many servings passed between his fingers. Rather, he stopped caring.

This, more so than all else, was who he was deep down. No, who he'd become after coming here. While his interest in the world beyond the trees remained, and while he was more than happy to disciple a few kids to keep him company, and while he would always entertain those willing to venture into the woods and saved those he could, this, he felt, was his calling. He didn't know why, not really, or even if this was 'intended' by whatever higher force gave him the system. It was simply the will of his heart and the roar of his soul.

Just as the moon crept toward the sky's zenith, the last of the animals retreated, having eaten. Leo looked at the last plate by his side and picked it up. Milky was resting by his side, slumbering rather peacefully, while the other animals made a wide circle around him. No, it wasn't just one circle--there were at least four. Moonlight gently caressed their edges, giving them a rather eerie look, with the glimmering, shining eyes occasionally poking out of the dark.

Leo ate slowly, bite by bite, his eyes glued to the full moon. He never pondered much about whether this world was all that different from Earth--magic and such notwithstanding. There was one sun and one moon, and the night sky would always alight with innumerable stars. Perhaps, in some bizarre, if poetic fashion, one of those tinkling stars in the night sky was the Earth's Sun.

He smiled at the bizarre thought and an even more bizarre yearning. He didn't want to go back to Earth, not really. Perhaps only for a couple of days, so that he may apologize to all those he hurt. There were many, and likely many more that years of drinking had erased from his memory. If only, he mused, he knew then what he knew now... would it have changed anything?

He didn't sleep that night, and neither did any of the animals besides Milky. They'd stare at him intermittently, and he'd stare back and smile. At some point, deep into the night, he poured out juice into custom-made, massive bowls intended for animals and laid them out. Just like with the dinner, the animals did not race, but slowly approached in perfectly slim groups, taking a few sips before retreating.

Something strange happened soon after--the edges illuminated by the moonlight began to almost burn, jutting glow from them cascading down the animals' bodies. It was unlike anything Leo had seen before, as none of the animals underwent this before after drinking the juice. No... perhaps they did, and he simply never noticed.

Before long, the night seemed to turn into day with the amount of light that they produced. They all stood up and, once again, stared at him in concert. There were countless eyes of all sizes, shapes, and colors, and yet all seemed beholden to his tiny little stature. Though quite a few silhouettes were normal-sized, there were also those that towered over the rest, especially in the rear. Behemoths denying description.

And yet, they all stood still like statues, unmoving, as their bodies glistened. Visible motes of Qi began to pulse out from them, almost like visible breath in a cold, winter air.

Before dawn came, they would all be gone. It was just him and Milky, again, and the ashen remnants of the last night's fires. The world fell silent if ever for a moment before the dawn seemed to wake it up--songs of birds and distant growls of the beasts soon shuttered the silence and signaled the beginning of a fresh new day, ending the night Leo would never forget.