章 2: The Beginning of The Change

*I don't have any connection or relationship with anyone and I don't want to either. And why should I do it? Nothing good comes from it, but until I can't find a proper place to let Ayla live, I need to help her, but after that I will disappear.*

Riox and Ayla wandered the forest for 2 days and nights, they became thirsty, hungry and tired. They searched water wherever they went, but the only spring they found was a smelly, swamp-like little pond. Riox was wary about the sickness they would get if they drank that water. They left the pond and moved forward. The winds are gentle in the daytime, but fierce at night. They needed to find a shelter each night to survive the coldness and the stormy wind.

*The situation became too dangerous for us. We don't know anything about this world ... Okay, Ayla knows a little, but she is not that sure what she told me. The most crucial thing for us is to find water and food, but water is the most important. I didn't know what I thought when I aimlessly pointed in a random direction and moved there. 2 young children in an unknown area ... as you send a baby to run down the marathon in an hour. I'm completely an idiot, but the most unpleasant part of this decision is that I'm responsible for an innocent life who follows me without asking what I am doing ...*

The second night has come and Riox and Ayla hidden under a huge trunked tree's roots that grew from the ground. The night was long, but they were so tired and immediately fell asleep the moment they closed their eyes. On the next morning, Riox woke up earlier, and after he cleared his sleepiness from his eyes, he watched for Ayla. He put his hand on her shoulder and gently shaken it.

- Ayla, wake up. It's morning.

But she did not respond. Her breathing was a bit heavy.

- Ayla? Wake up!

Riox became nervous. He stood up in an instant, but he was clueless what he should do. He crouched next to her, slowly moved his shaking hand towards Ayla's face. He was afraid to touch her skin.

*Just breathe! Calm yourself, you just want to feel her body temperature! For the sake of your idiotism!*

Riox touched Ayla's forehead, and it was hot as she has a fever. To do something for her, Riox stood up in an instant again, turned his head to every direction he could to see where he should go, but he felt himself completely helpless. As he doesn't know what he can do, the only thing that comes to his mind is to lift her on his back, his arms holding her legs while he hardly manages to put her hands around his neck. He somehow managed to stand up, but he was also on his limits. He recognized the need to care for someone else, not just himself. With hard steps, but slowly moved forward, this was the only thing he could do.

- One. More. Step. Once more! One. Two. Three. One. More. Step!

In his past, his spirit was that kept him away from the final decision of giving up. And now, that hardened will keep moving for a whole day, carrying another person on his back without any water or food. Even though his will became as hard as a diamond, his body remained the same or even got weaker. Riox started to felt dizzy,his breathing became heavier with each steps, his limbs went numb. Took another step, and he fell to the ground in his exhaustion, but he held Ayla on his back, as a symbol of his fight for her, because she did not deserve someone like him to be next to her.

- Hey! Where did you run? Fuff? Where are you?

He heard a quiet sound. Someone has talked. Riox visions turned to blurry from sharp. With his left strength, he opened his mouth and tried to ask for help, but he didn't hear his voice.

- Ah, so you are there! Fuff, don't run away like that next time! What would Mira do ... if ... Hey, you!

*So, someone has found us. Now, Ayla will be safe. What a relief ...*

Riox's eyes closed slowly as the unknown guy turned his face towards Riox and Ayla, he heard nothing from that point.

One day has passed. Riox felt something on his shoulder and heard a familiar voice. The scent he smelled was an indescribable thing for him. The memories of his mother rushed through his mind. He slowly opened his eyes while he sat up.

- Riox. Riox. Wake up! Wake up! Come on! Don't be lazy!

- I'm awake. I'm awake!

- Riox, look!

*Ayla was full of energy as the things we went through never happened. Wait, where are we now?!*

Riox turned his head around. A little house, white walls, wooden floor and wooden furniture. The thing he slept in was a bed made of straw. As a medieval age bondman's cottage. Ayla turned her back to Riox and rushed to another room. In a moment of breath, she walked back slowly with a bowl in her hands. She carefully sat in the bed, next to Riox and kept the bowl for him.

- Here, Riox! It's yours!

- Ogh, um ... Ayla. Where did you bring this?

- The next room is ...

Suddenly, an unknown woman showed up from the room where Ayla came with the bowl.

- Dear, you should eat first!

- Don't worry, Riox! I've already eaten 3 times and it was fantastic! But I feel if I eat one more, I would become sick. My tummy is already rumbling and feels a bit baaaad!

- O-kay.

Riox took the spoon and the bowl that Ayla brought to him. The food looked like soup with some vegetables. The scent of it was similar to the ones her mother made. Tasting it firstly, he felt the food he put on his tongue is a miraculous thing, and because of his happy moment of memory that came into his mind made him shed a tear.

- So tasty, it's wonderful! T-thank you ... !

- Don't worry and eat as much as you want! After you finish your lunch, I will tell you what you want to hear.

The woman just smiled back at him and winked. Riox became embarrassed, so he turned his look back to the soup and continued to eat quietly. Sometimes Ayla sighed to him to give her a little soup. Riox became red like a tomato because of his embarrassment and he did not dare to decline Ayla's request. So he fed Ayla after all. They ate the soup completely, then walked to the next room. It was a kitchen with iron tools and dishes, a furnace made by some dark toned stone, as he thought earlier, a medieval house, but not just the look, even the equipment was the same. They moved next to the table where the woman sat and drank. The woman just pointed to the chairs and put down her cup.

- Come on, sit down!

- So ...

- You don't need to say anything. I will tell you everything you are curious about. Firstly, let me introduce myself. I am Mira. Nice to meet you!

*So her name is Mira. But something still feels off. Nevermind, let's hear what she will tell us, and if something is left out, I will ask about it directly.*

- I already know your name, so you don't need to introduce yourself, Ayla and Riox. At the start, how did you get here? 2 days ago, my brother found you lying on the ground in the forest while he was on a hunt. He brought you here, and immediately left to get some proper food for you as fast as possible, so this is the reason why you don't see him around the house. So, I examined both of you. Ayla got an illness and the first thing was to cure his illness. Luckily, my healing abilities did not become forgotten. But it made me sweat, pfhuu ... You Riox fainted because of overwork and exhaustion. I gave you a recovery potion to help you, so you woke up late this morning thanks to it ...

*While she, I mean Mira, told us everything without taking a break, many things became clear. How did I wake up in a house, and so on. But I'm still curious about why they care so much about us? And this was not the only question that still banged in my head ...*

Riox didn't realize he opened his mouth and asked Mira about what he was most curious about. Though Riox asked her only in his mind, the slightly loud question turned the familiar atmosphere in the kitchen into an awkward one in the blink of an eye.

- How the hell can you heal someone without proper medicine?