The Taste of Survival

Each breath caused a new attack of pain in his chest. However, every breath reminded: You're still alive.

Something was tightly wrapped around his whole body and prevented him from moving normally. The rope?

'Am I being held captive?'

The thought of being held captive should have scared me. However, for some reason, my heart felt calm. Is it because it's already become too familiar to me that I can't even count how many times I've had this situation?

'Nora would scold me for thinking like that."

The memory of the little girl from the village caused pain in my heart. Stronger than the next breath.

Why? Why did this memory cause a bitter feeling?

Is it because she left me and went to her parents? Maybe.

His hands reached up to his face and removed the bandage from them. The sunlight began to dazzle me even through my skin and my eyes opened.

The broken interior of the carriage was the first thing that appeared before my eyes. It was smeared in someone's blood, and in some places you could see through holes. The glass on the closed door was broken, but there were no fragments visible.

The attempt to stand up was unsuccessful. After all, a lot of bandages bound my body and did not allow me to move.

I had to spend some time to loosen and untie the bandages that were hampering my movements.

After several minutes of grunting, I finally managed to get up and walk to the door.

Although every movement caused several bouts of pain at once, I managed to go to the exit and open the door.

The first thing I saw on the street was a guy of medium height with black hair that stuck out in all directions. His face had soft features, but it was quite pleasant. He was also wearing round glasses that were slightly cracked. The guy himself was very ordinary.

I was surprised that he was sitting on the grass in only his underpants and with a gun in his hand. The gun was pointed at me and threatened to shoot at any second.

It could cause fear in a person. However, only one thought popped into my head.

'What kind of weirdo?'

—————————

'He probably thinks I'm a weirdo.Luke thought.

However, what could he do? Was it his fault that his clothes were soaked through like he was? He needed to dry his clothes and dry himself to avoid getting sick. After all, an illness would most likely mean his imminent demise. He's already not feeling very well. His body was burning a little, and there was a lot of pain and itching in the bite marks of those babies. However, that wasn't what was important right now. He needed to decide what to do next.

Luke bandaged the stranger for a reason. He needs information.

The black-haired guy looked at the unknown man and pointed with a pistol so that he sat down opposite him. The stranger did just that.

They were separated only by a campfire, which occasionally diluted the silence with the occasional crackle of branches.

Luke was breathing heavily, but he still held the stranger at gunpoint.

Although the unknown man's entire skin was completely charred, his eyes were intact. They were dark red, like pools of blood. It made Luke a little nervous.

— First of all, thank you for getting me out of that mess.Luke said.

The stranger looked at Luke strangely, and then at the gun in his hands.

Luke felt a little uncomfortable with this situation.

"I'm sorry to point this thing at you. But you understand me too.Luke said, catching his breath."I'm not even sure if you're human." Therefore, extra precautions do not hurt.

The stranger looked down at himself and nodded to Luke. Despite his condition and position, he looked absolutely calm.

—Okay... secondly, what's your name?"

Luke wanted to know the name of the unknown, as he was already tired of calling him that.

Instead of answering, the unknown opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. Or rather, what's left of it.

— I see... then the second question. Do you know what happened in ka…

Luke stopped in mid-sentence as an unpleasant thought occurred to him.

It may seem very strange that he does not know what happened in the carriage.

'What if he thinks that Arthur Cyrence's body is possessed by some evil spirit? Well... he'll be partly right. I'm just not an evil spirit. In any case, I don't think it's worth asking right now. I'll find out later.Luke mused.

The guy looked at the nameless savior once more. He was currently wearing only bandages. His entire torso was wrapped in bandages, and red spots could be seen in some places. The unknown man apparently untied his arms and legs a little himself in order to move normally. The bandages were also removed from his face and they lay like a scarf around the stranger's neck. The face of the unknown... it's better not to look at it once again.

— Is there any settlement nearby?Luke asked.

The unknown nodded curtly. His scarlet eyes never stopped following the Hatch. It was like he had a gun, not the other way around.

—Okay, then take me there and I'll let you go." And... I'm sorry to ask you this way.

The unknown man looked at Luke with his bloody eyes and nodded curtly.

"Fine, give me a few minutes.Luke said, getting up from the ground and quickly getting dressed.

After a few minutes, Luke got dressed and took all the necessary things: a bag, a pistol and some food that he found in the trunk of the carriage.

Luke tossed the nameless man a warm fur-lined raincoat from his bag. He deftly caught it and looked at the guy questioningly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I can't leave you standing here almost naked.

The nameless one stared at Luke with his bloody eyes for a few more moments, after which he put on a raincoat and fastened it on a chain. The cloak almost reached the ground and covered the body of the unknown man well. The hood hung down and dangled in the wind.

Luke took the bag and pointed the gun at nameless again. He didn't really like doing that. However, safety was paramount right now.

Luke wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed heavily. The fever increased.

"Lead the way."

The nameless man stared at the gun in Luke's hand for a couple of moments, then turned around and walked into the woods. Luke followed, limping slightly.

To Luke's surprise, the forest was very ordinary. No mystical animals or living plants that want to devour you. However, there was one thing. It was quite difficult for Luke to walk because of the mud that appeared here as a result of the prolonged rain. His feet were constantly slipping or getting stuck somewhere. This slowed down their overall pace quite a lot.

'Damn it… I haven't even slept yet," the guy thought.

Luke continued to aim at nameless, but his hand was shaking a little. All because of the heat, which was only getting stronger. The bites on his leg also hurt more by the minute.

Everything was blurred and blurred before Luke's eyes. He could barely walk, and his breathing was ragged and harsh. My thoughts were confused, as were my legs. Eventually, he fell to the ground and lost consciousness.

Nameless stopped and turned around at the noise. Luke was lying unconscious, completely covered in mud.

The unknown man approached him and squatted down. The edges of his cloak were a little dirty, but the nameless one did not pay attention to it. He lifted Luke's head by the hair and looked at him.

Lumps of dirt were falling off Luke's face, and his eyes were closed.

The unknown man stared at the guy's face for a few seconds. His blood-colored eyes became darker.

—————————

Luke opened his eyes and saw the night sky. It was studded with stars of various shapes and sizes. All of them shone like lights on the night surface, and two moons illuminated the earth. Several comets cut through the night sky and left a purple streamer in their wake.

Luke forced himself to tear his gaze away from the night canvas and decided to look around.

He saw a burning bonfire, whose tongues reached to the sky and illuminated the area. On the opposite side of the campfire sat the nameless one. He was wrapped in a cloak and his body was not visible, as was his face.

Luke was already feeling much better and the fever had left him. He sat down and saw his pistol lying next to him. His bag was also nearby.

Luke sighed heavily and looked at the nameless one.

'And how could I point a gun at him?Luke chided himself.

The guy approached the nameless one and reached out his hand to take off his hood. At that moment, his hand was stopped by the hand of the nameless one. However, there was something strange about her.

It was spotlessly white, like fresh snow on a mountain peak. Her skin was silky and soft, like down. However, behind this tenderness and beauty, there was an incredible power. Which was now squeezing Luke's arm.

The guy hissed in pain and tried to pull his hand away, but couldn't. Nameless's grip was simply monstrous.

"Hey! Luke hissed and stared at the nameless one.

Luke saw a bloody pair of eyes in the hood. They assessed the guy for a moment, then recognition flashed through them and the nameless one released Luke's hand.

The guy quickly moved away from the nameless one and began to rub his hand.

"What the hell?" I just wanted to see if you were asleep.…

Luke fell silent, because the nameless one took off his hood and the guy saw his face. More precisely, her.

A white-haired girl with red eyes stood in front of the Hatch. Her face was so beautiful, as if the gods in heaven had woven it from the purest silk, and her eyes were like pools of blood. Her snow-white hair fluttered in the wind and reflected the firelight.

Luke was speechless and stared at the beauty. It was the first time he had seen such a beautiful girl.

Her sharp features beckoned, and her lips made the heart stop once again.

Luke involuntarily looked down and saw the girl's figure. It didn't close well behind the bandages he'd put on it. The girl was not deprived and her curves could lure any man and stupefy him.

Luke swallowed, but immediately came back to himself. His body tensed and he slowly moved away from the white-haired beauty.

"Who are you?"— The guy asked.

His brain refused to believe that the beauty was that charred piece of flesh just a couple of hours ago. His instinct for self-preservation had initially failed because of the girl's beauty, but it was impossible to relax.

The white-haired girl was a little surprised by this question, but her eyes quickly regained their usual sharpness and coldness.

"I'm the one who saved you from the dark mother."— The girl replied. Her voice was pleasant, but cold.

Luke didn't relax much from her words. She could be lying to him. You never know what kind of monsters lived in this world. Luke didn't know enough yet, so he was vulnerable. He didn't like that feeling.

"Prove it."Luke said shortly.

The girl stared at Luke with her bloody eyes for a couple of seconds. This made the guy feel uncomfortable. However, he did not show it outwardly.

He was already getting nervous, but at that moment, the girl raised her hand. Blood flowed out of it in a small stream and immediately overflowed into the shape of a blade. After that, the blood went back into the arm.

It's really a different world, Luke thought.

Luke visibly relaxed, but not completely. Since she could talk now, he would be able to extract more information from her.

Luke sat down in front of the fire (closer to the gun) and looked at the girl. She followed his example and sat down too. They were separated only by a campfire, which crackled occasionally. One log fell, causing sparks of fire to shoot up into the air and quickly dissipate.

Luke looked at the girl across the fire. Her face swam a little due to the heat of the fire, but it was still beautiful.

— Thanks again for saving me. And... sorry about the gun. I just wasn't sure if you were human. By the way, aren't you human?

The girl hesitated with the answer, but after a few seconds she answered.

"Yes... I'm human."

Luke was a little confused by this pause, but he continued.

— How did you recover from such wounds?Luke asked.

The girl was silent and apparently didn't really want to answer. Realizing that he wasn't going to get an answer to that question, Luke sighed.

"Everyone has their own secret secrets.

'Okay, then I have a question. Why are you helping me? Even after I pulled a gun on you.

— Because others need to be helped.

The girl's answer was short and confident. Although there was no emotion on her face, Luke felt confident in her words.

"Just because of that?"Luke asked.

—Yes," the white—haired girl replied shortly.

Luke frowned a little.

'I helped because it was necessary, what a kindergarten,' the guy thought. However, he quickly dispelled these thoughts. This girl had helped him more than once. It's a sin to complain.

"And you won't ask for anything in return?"

The girl nodded instead of answering.

Luke relaxed a little inside and breathed a sigh of relief.

He also missed earning debts in the new world.

— By the way, how did you bring down my fever?

The girl's eyes twinkled a little and her face seemed to change. Quite a bit.

"I fed you the Dark Mother's flesh.

— What?

- I fed you the flesh of those…

Luke waved his arms and shouted.

— I heard it the first time! What do you mean by "fed"?

The girl looked at Luke in surprise. At least that's what it seemed to him. After all, the girl's face hadn't really changed.

"I put pieces of the dark Mother's flesh in your mouth and you swallowed them.— The girl answered without emotion.

Luke's face twisted into a nasty smile. He remembered what that thing looked like and his stomach twisted.

"And why did you do that?"

"To bring down your fever." He was summoned because of the curse of the shadow children. Look at your foot.

Luke did just that. Although the bite mark remained, however, the pain was already gone.

The guy didn't even know how to react to that. On the one hand, she helped him again. On the other hand... it doesn't matter.

"Uh... thanks again."

The girl just nodded and stared at the bonfire, sitting in the lotus position.

Luke was also looking into the fire. After all, he couldn't stare at the white-haired beauty for too long. Due to the fact that she was actually wearing only bandages, her body was very…

'I need a distraction,' thought Luke, and looked at the bag of books.

The topmost book caught his attention and he picked it up.

The cover was in shades of blue and, in principle, of good quality. It said, "A Guide to Magic for Dummies."

The cover also featured an old man wearing an idiotic pointed hat with stars.

Luke didn't get too distracted by the senile old man and started flipping through the book.

Luke adjusted his glasses and started reading.

{If you, O despicable reader, have opened this book, know that this is the creation of the greatest magician of all time, whose name has already become a legend! This is me, the incomparable Arcanius the Great, master of magic, conqueror of the elements and favorite of the Muses. You're holding not just a book in your hands, but the key to greatness... if, of course, your tiny brain is capable of realizing it.}

'What the hell was this Carnelian reading? Not only does he have a strange name, but he also has books.Luke thought.

He quickly flipped through a couple of pages. The author spent five pages on the greeting! It was just a waste of paper.

However, the theory of magic started right after that.

Luke saw a lot of text and illustrations with detailed descriptions of the spells' actions and how they look like. He became more and more convinced that he had entered another world. Although it was obvious.

Luke was very happy that there were not only hideous monsters in this world, but magic too. However, that wasn't the main thing right now.

Everything that was written in the book was in a language unknown to Luke. However, he understood everything perfectly and could read it. He also noticed that he was speaking a language he had never studied.

'The built-in translator?Luke thought.

At that moment, his eye noticed an interesting spell. It wasn't very complicated (at least that's what the book said.) so Luke decided to try it out.

He sat in the lotus position, put the book on his lap and held his hands out in front of him.

'Time for magic!'