Her gray eyes flickered with confusion at first—
—but it didn't last.
It sharpened.
Hardened.
In an instant, her gaze turned into something far more dangerous.
She scanned the fire.
The shadows.
Then her eyes settled on Likath.
"…You're traveling with a monster?"
Likath ignited immediately.
His flames surged upward a full span, like his pride had just been personally insulted.
"Who are you calling a monster?! I am a great being, you spider pie!"
Selen blinked.
"…Spider what?"
Rolin exhaled quietly and handed her a bowl of soup.
"Ignore him. He's sensitive."
She didn't take it.
Not immediately.
Her gaze dropped to the bindings around her arms.
Then back to Rolin.
"You tied me."
"Yes."
No excuse.
No explanation.
Just the truth.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I thought… you weren't a coward."
Rolin raised an eyebrow.
"If you woke up and attacked blindly, I'd have to break your arm."
A pause.
"I chose the rope."
Silence stretched between them.
Thin.
Tense.
Then—
Her shoulders relaxed… just a little.
But the caution remained.
Like a tiger watching prey… unsure if it should strike or wait.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know," Rolin said calmly. "But we're far enough from the spider's territory."
Her expression stiffened.
"…The spider."
Her jaw clenched.
For a moment, something flashed across her face—
Anger.
Something deeper.
Something personal.
Rolin noticed.
And didn't care.
"How long… was I there?"
"No idea."
He lifted his bowl and began eating, slow and steady.
She glanced at her own soup.
Suspicion flickered.
Rolin lowered his bowl slightly.
"You haven't eaten in a while."
A pause.
"If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to fight."
Her gaze wavered for a fraction of a second—
—but her eyes stayed sharp.
She rubbed her wrists slightly, then finally took the bowl, ignoring the bindings.
She sniffed it.
Her expression softened… just a bit.
"…You can cook?"
"Yes."
"And you travel with… that?" she asked, glancing at Likath.
His flames puffed again.
"This has a name!"
"Likath," Rolin said calmly, ignoring the walking ego beside him.
Selen fell silent for a moment, studying them both.
Then she asked the real question:
"What is he?"
Rolin looked at the fire.
Then back at her.
"My partner."
Likath grinned.
"I am a supreme entity of flame."
Selen froze again.
Rolin added flatly:
"He suffers from extreme narcissism. Ignore it."
"I heard that, you sack of meat! Without me, you'd be spicy paste by now!"
Selen tilted her head slightly.
"So… when you said something inside your chest was talking… you weren't lying."
Rolin frowned.
"Of course I wasn't. Why would I lie?"
…Okay, fair point.
She stared at him for a moment.
Something about him felt familiar.
Not his face.
Not his voice.
But his presence—
Changed.
Sharper.
Colder.
Less hesitant.
She took a sip of the soup.
Then said quietly:
"So… you saved me."
"Yes."
"Why?"
This time—
Rolin paused.
Just briefly.
Then answered simply:
"Because you weren't dead yet."
A beat.
"And because I might find you useful later. Consider it a debt."
She stared at him.
Long.
Then slowly nodded.
Strangely—
She looked more at ease.
"…Good."
Her voice softened.
"I never forget anything."
Rolin's expression shifted slightly.
I never forget anything…
That phrase—
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Where had he heard it before?
He shook his head.
"Good."
A faint pause.
"Because I'd chase you to hell otherwise."
Selen blinked.
Then quietly resumed eating.
Likath chuckled.
"You'll get used to him."
Selen spoke again, her eyes reflecting the firelight:
"How long have we been here?"
Rolin didn't look up.
"Eight… maybe nine days."
A pause.
"Hard to tell. I just track when the trees glow… and when they go dark."
She raised an eyebrow.
"So even time isn't real here."
Rolin replied coldly:
"Nothing here is fully real."
His mind drifted.
The voice.
The gate.
The thing beneath the tree.
The prison.
The drawings.
"…Nothing is real," he muttered.
"…at all."
Selen ignored that.
Smart choice.
She took another sip.
Warmth spread through her chest.
The tension in her shoulders loosened.
She exhaled softly.
"…It's good."
Likath puffed his flames proudly.
"Of course it is. I made the fire."
She looked at him longer this time.
No fear.
Just curiosity.
"You're not normal."
"Finally, someone with functioning eyes."
Rolin muttered:
"Don't encourage him."
She turned to him.
"Why? Will his mood ignite?"
Likath's tail flared.
"My mood is naturally fiery."
She watched him calmly.
Then looked back at Rolin.
"Eight or nine days… and you survived."
"Yes."
A pause.
"Problem?"
Silence.
Outside, the forest dimmed.
The faint glow faded—
Darkness seeped in like an ocean swallowing the world.
Only Likath's flame remained.
Selen watched the darkness.
"…Night."
"Yes."
Her grip tightened slightly around the bowl.
"That spider…"
She didn't finish.
Her expression darkened.
The bowl cracked faintly under her grip.
Rolin noticed.
Got curious.
Didn't care enough to ask.
"You'll have to pay for that."
She glanced at the bowl.
"…You're unbelievably stingy."
Rolin deadpanned:
"Yes. As you can see, dish shops are everywhere here."
She sighed.
"Fine. I'll pay you when we get out. I'll sign whatever you want as collateral."
A pause.
"…One question."
She looked at him directly.
"That spider."
A beat.
"Did you kill it?"
Rolin hesitated.
Half a second.
"No."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Then it will look for us."
He nodded slowly.
"Maybe."
Likath spoke lazily:
"It won't."
Both Rolin and Selen turned.
"…Why?"
Likath sighed.
His flames dimmed briefly.
Then returned.
"That spider was male."
A pause.
"It can't produce webs. It won't stray far from the female's domain."
Another pause.
"And I think the female is injured… or sick."
He flicked his tail.
"So it won't chase us."
They stared at him.
Rolin frowned.
"How do you know?"
Likath smirked.
"The smell."
A beat.
"Male monsters always stink. Strong and sharp."
Another beat.
"Females? Light… or nothing."
Neither of them asked further.
Somehow—
That answer felt complete.
Silence returned.
But this time—
It wasn't tense.
Selen finished her bowl and set it down.
Then looked at Rolin.
"What do we do now?"
Rolin froze internally.
…Did she just make me the leader?
When did this become a group?
Why are we a group?
We can split up, you know—
…This is bad.
He lay down immediately.
Pulled a blanket over himself like a professional escape artist avoiding responsibility.
"…Sleep."
A pause.
"I'll tell you in the morning."
Translation:
I have no idea.
Selen stared at him.
Then looked outside.
The darkness had fully taken over.
Then at the fire.
Then—
She closed her eyes.
Leaning against the wooden wall.
For the first time in days—
She relaxed.
Likath's flames dimmed.
Then faded.
Darkness swallowed everything.
---
They woke up.
No unnecessary words.
Rolin was already moving.
Erasing traces.
Scattering ash.
Wiping footprints.
Then he opened the bag.
One by one—
Utensils.
Blankets.
Tools.
Even the small stones marking the fire.
Gone.
Swallowed.
Selen watched quietly.
Then asked:
"…Is that a storage artifact? How much space does it have?"
Rolin placed the last item inside.
Paused.
Closed it.
Secured it over his shoulder.
"…Infinite."
She froze.
"…There's no such thing as infinite."
"Outside? No."
He adjusted the strap.
"But practically… it is."
She stepped closer.
Stared at the bag like it might swallow the light itself.
"…Who gave it to you?"
Rolin didn't answer immediately.
Likath stretched lazily nearby.
"…My teacher."
That was all.
She understood.
No more answers.
She crossed her arms.
"An infinite bag. A talking fire. A forest without time."
She looked at him.
"And I thought the spider was the problem."
Rolin didn't smile.
But he said calmly:
"It was just one of them."
A faint chill passed through the air.
Outside—
Something moved the leaves.
Not wind.
Selen glanced toward the narrow exit.
"…Where to now?"
Rolin answered without hesitation:
"To find a way out of this hell."
Likath sparked faintly.
"Preferably before you become a delicious meal."
Selen looked at both of them.
Then sighed.
"…Fine."
She stepped toward the exit.
"Lead the way… you pervet."