"Names are only important when someone wants to remember you."
— Lyla
Morning – Baked Stone and Smoke
The sky was pale when Kazuto rose. Mist still clung to the trees, and the world felt fresh—cleaned by night, waiting to be stirred.
The stone oven stood at the edge of the camp like a squat little guardian. Its clay shell had cured overnight with the help of low fire embers. Kazuto tapped the surface. Solid. Dry. Warm.
It was ready.
Lyla sat nearby on an overturned log, brushing ash off her trousers. She didn't say much in the mornings, but Kazuto had come to understand that silence didn't mean rejection.
Sometimes, it just meant peace.
[Camp Codex Update: "Stone Oven – Tier I" Unlocked]
Effect: Can bake, smoke, and preserve meals. Adds +1 comfort to camp aura. Slightly enhances companion mood.
New Recipes Available: Ash-Baked Flatbread, Forest Herb Loaf, Root Stew Pie
Kazuto began preparing dough—basic, nothing fancy. Just ground wild grains, warm water, a pinch of salt, and a small sachet of yeast he'd cultured from fruit skins.
Lyla watched, still hugging her knees. Her eyes drifted from the fire to his hands.
Then, out of nowhere:
"…You never told me your name."
Kazuto blinked mid-knead. Looked up.
She met his gaze. "You knew mine. I didn't tell you, but… you said it."
"I heard you mutter it once, in your sleep," he said. "Didn't want to ask until you were ready."
Lyla lowered her head slightly. "...I was scared."
"So was I," Kazuto admitted.
Then, with the same calm tone he used for cooking instructions, he said:
"I'm Kazuto. Kazuto Aoi."
Lyla repeated it, quietly. "Kazuto."
She rolled the name around in her mind like a smooth stone. It didn't sound like a warrior. It sounded like a real person.
"Thanks for the bread, Kazuto," she said, almost shyly.
He smiled, tucking the dough into a clay pan.
"You're welcome."
Midday – Wood and Words
After the dough had been placed in the oven and sealed with a stone slab, the scent of rising bread began to fill the camp.
Kazuto took his small hatchet and walked to the nearby deadwood pile. Lyla followed. She didn't say why.
They chopped together.
"Were you someone important?" she asked after a while. "Back where you're from."
Kazuto paused. The axe rested gently in his hand.
"I was seen by a lot of people," he said. "But I don't know if that made me important."
"That's a fancy way to say yes."
He gave a soft laugh. "Maybe. But I don't miss it."
Lyla crouched beside the fire, feeding in branches. "I used to be a soldier. Kind of."
He didn't press.
She continued anyway.
"Started as a scout. Then a runner. Then I was holding knives and stabbing things. I don't remember how that happened. One day I just… did."
She stared into the fire.
Kazuto handed her a warm flatbread when it finished baking.
No words. Just warmth.
And that was enough.
[System Notice – Companion Lyla: Trust Level Raised – "Awakening Loyalty" → "Bonded Campmate"]
"A camp becomes a home when someone offers their story and is not interrupted."
Evening – Full Bellies, Fewer Walls
The two sat side by side, steam rising from a clay pot of herb stew and fresh bread between them.
Lyla took a long breath.
"…This place feels safe."
Kazuto nodded. "That's the idea."
"Feels like something important's being built here."
Kazuto poked the fire with a stick. "Maybe."
"Do you think it'll last?"
He looked up at the stars.
"I don't know," he said quietly. "But I want it to."