"…Guess we're camping one more night," he muttered.
Above them, the cave suddenly darkened as night crept in.
Si Hon looked toward Hana. She was already asleep on Nivalis's soft, broad back.
"Wow…" he muttered.
He jumped down from Nivalis and headed toward the tent. Inside, Arven was packing—scrolls, potions, supplies laid out with practiced efficiency. She glanced up when he entered.
"Hey. Can we use your bag?" she asked.
"Sure."
Si Hon stepped back outside, pulled his spatial bag from where it rested against the cave wall, then returned and tossed it beside her.
"Also," he added, already reaching, "can I borrow your blanket?"
Arven stared at him.
"ಠ_ಠ… sure. Though you're already taking it."
Si Hon fully pulled the blanket free, clutched it to his chest, and left the tent without another word.
Beside Nivalis's stomach hung a rope, thick, sturdy, woven like a ladder. Sixxy barked behind him.
Si Hon glanced at her. "I don't understand what you're saying."
Sixxy snorted.
He ignored her and climbed up anyway.
Back on Nivalis's back, he carefully draped the blanket over Hana, tucking it around her small frame. Then he sat down beside her.
He glanced at the saddle.
"…So the rope ladder's connected to that thing," he muttered. "How does that even work…?"
After a second, he shrugged. "Meh."
He ignored it.
Then—
"System," he muttered.
A transparent window appeared.
「Distance to Target: 27,014M」
"…Huh?"
***
(Somewhere in the Snowfall Mountain.)
Snip.
The Munches collapsed soundlessly into the snow.
"I will find that thief…" the woman said coldly, lowering her hand as the creature's body still.
Then—
The darkness shifted— no sound, no breath, yet something moved, a presence pressing against the cold air as if the night itself had taken a step forward.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…And who might you be?" she asked softly, already turning.
The snow behind her crunched.
Slow. Heavy.
From the shadows emerged a massive silhouette, horns scraping stone, breath steaming in the freezing air. Scales seen, fur rippling beneath them.
A hybrid dragon/wolf stood within the shifting darkness, its massive form silent as it stared forward, eyes burning with a cold, knowing intent— so oppressive that the tree beside it began to melt and warp despite the frozen air of Snowfall Mountain, snow hissing as it slid from bark that should never have warmed.
The woman clicked her tongue.
"Isn't this extinct, huh?" she murmured.
The beast lunged.
Her body reacted, she easily spun and ran, feet barely touching the snow as she dodged between jagged rocks.
"Tch," she muttered under her breath. "If I had my sword…"
She glanced back once.
"…I'd kill that thing."
The chase vanished deeper into the storm.
***
「Distance to Target: 27,014M」
"…Huh?"
The numbers flickered.
「Distance to Target: 26,914M」
"Huh??" Si Hon muttered, frowning. "Oh… well. Probably just running around."
He dismissed the window and gently reached out, caressing Hana's head. She smiled in her sleep and murmured softly,
"Thank you, Dad…"
With a small yawn, Si Hon slid down from Nivalis's broad back and headed toward the tent. Inside, Arven had completely finished packing— one adventurer's bag rested beside the bed, along with Si Hon's spatial bag. Arven herself was already lying down, arms folded behind her head.
"Hey," Si Hon said, glancing back toward the cave, "about outside… should I light the torches?"
"Yeah," Arven replied lazily. "Go ahead."
"…How?" Si Hon asked.
"Oh." Arven sat up and reached into her bag, pulling out a lighter.
No— a familiar lighter.
"Here," she said flatly. "Use your lighter, of course."
Si Hon eyes twitched.
"…Alright."
He took the lighter— his lighter— and stepped back outside.
As he walked, he muttered to himself, "I really thought she was gonna give me something cool to light the torches with…"
One by one, Si Hon moved through inside the cave, lighting each torch. Flames bloomed softly against the stone, chasing away the darkness as warm light spread through their shelter.
The night settled in.
Si Hon let out a slow sigh and leaned back, letting the quiet settle.
He glanced toward the tent.
Arven is inside her tent…
Then his gaze shifted to Nivalis. Hana was still asleep on her broad, warm back, wrapped snugly in the blanket, breathing softly.
And Hana's sleeping…
Boreas lay nearby, massive body rising and falling steadily. Nivalis hadn't moved an inch. Sixxy was curled between them, tail tucked in, fast asleep.
Everyone was out.
Slowly— very slowly— Si Hon's eyes drifted toward the far end of the cave.
The pond.
Faint steam rose from its surface, the water reflecting a faint torchlight in gentle ripples.
A wicked smile crept unto his face.
"…Oh?" he muttered.
Then he sniffed himself.
"…Okay, yeah. I'm kinda stinky. Not that stinky, but— still."
Decision made, he quietly slipped back into the tent.
"Ahem."
Arven opened one eye.
"Arven," Si Hon said, his head turned away, eyes very obviously side-eyeing her, "do you… have a towel?"
She stared at him for a second.
"…Yeah?"
Arven's eyes lingered on him longer this time.
Only now did she notice it— the dried dirt smeared faintly along his cheek, the exhaustion clinging to his features, his hair a complete mess, sticking out in every direction like he hadn't touched it properly in days.
She blinked once.
Was he always this bad?
Her gaze traveled over him slowly, then she sighed.
"Oh. You're gonna…" she paused, then nodded. "Alright. Sure. Just give it back when you're done."
She stood up, grabbed the white towel hanging beside the tent entrance, and tossed it at his chest.
Si Hon caught it instantly
Then, as she turned away, she muttered flatly,
"…Damn. Is that really how you've looked this whole time?"
He bolted.
Slipping around the back of the cave, he stopped in front of the pond. The warmth hit his face immediately, steam curling lazily upward.
He crouched and dipped a finger in.
Warm.
"…She wasn't kidding," he murmured.
Then he froze.
"…Wait. Isn't this where we get water?"
Panic.
He straightened, cleared his throat, and whispered urgently, "System."
A window popped up.
「ಠ_ಠ …What.」
Si Hon shuffled his feet, clutching the towel.
"S-so… um. This is where we get water, right? And I was gonna take a bath, and… uh… I don't know what I'm supposed to do here."
The system paused.
Then the text shifted.
A glowing ring formed, slowly circling the pond before stopping directly in front of him.
「Pond: Natural self-cleansing water source.
Cleanses itself every 30 minutes due to the cave's absorption properties.
Water temperature is naturally elevated because of ████████」
The text paused.
「…Oh. ಠ_ಠ Spoiler, Si Hon. That explanation would make your run more interesting, so I'm not saying it.」
Another line appeared.
「Conclusion: Bathing is permitted.
You will not contaminate the water.
Please stop panicking.」
Si Hon stared.
Then—
"YESSSSS!!! alright, alright, I really don't care about that now."
He clenched his fist quietly, grinning like a madman.
"Okay," he whispered excitedly. "Quick bath. Quiet bath. Don't wake anyone."
He glanced back once— toward the sleeping figures, the tents, the softly glowing torches.
Then turned back to the steaming pond.
"This is so Amazing…" he muttered.
Si Hon then quietly set his things down beside the pond— jacket folded first, then his shirt and pants stacked neatly atop it. He placed the towel last, smoothing it out, as if afraid the night itself might complain if he was careless.
He took a breath.
Then slowly stepped into the water.
His body twitched the instant the warmth wrapped around his feet, the contrast against the cold cave air sharp enough to make him hiss under his breath.
"Oh… wow."
He moved carefully, one step at a time, ripples spreading gently across the pond. The warmth rose up his legs until the water reached his waist, steam curling around him in soft, lazy strands.
"…This is nice," he murmured.
Feeling around with his foot, he found a smooth rock beneath the surface and lowered himself onto it. The stone was warm too— and almost perfectly shaped, as if it had been waiting there just for this.
Si Hon leaned back slightly and exhaled.
Slowly, he lifted his feet, letting them float as he rested against the rock, shoulders finally loosening. The tension bled out of him with each breath, the quiet broken only by the faint sound of water and distant wind echoes.
"…Man," he muttered, eyes half-lidded. "I could fall asleep like this."
That was when he noticed it.
Near the edge of the pond, partially embedded in the damp ground, a scroll stood upright— its surface faintly glowing, runes barely visible through the steam.
Si Hon stared at it for a second.
Then looked away.
"…Yeah. Nope," he said flatly. "Even if I asked that's definitely a spoiler."
He leaned back again, closing his eyes, letting the warmth seep into his bones as the night continued to settle around the cave— quiet, watchful, and unaware that something far away was already moving closer.