Kai lasted four minutes after Ember left.
Four.
He counted.
At first, he stood at the cave entrance with the phoenix egg pressed to his chest, watching the sky where Ember had disappeared. The morning light swallowed her quickly. One moment she was there, massive wings cutting through the clouds, and the next she was just a dark shape fading toward the mountains.
Then she was gone.
Actually gone.
Kai stood there for another minute.
Then another.
The forest moved softly around him.
Leaves shifted. Birds called. Something small rustled in the brush.
Kai immediately stepped back into the cave.
“Okay,” he muttered. “Inside is good.”
The egg pulsed warmly against him.
Kai looked down at the sling.
“You agree?”
The egg pulsed again.
He blinked.
It was probably a coincidence.
Probably.
Kai adjusted the cloth sling and sat near the fire pit. The cave was quieter without Ember. Too quiet. Usually, there was the soft scrape of her claws against stone, the slow shifting of her wings, the occasional tail flick when she got annoyed at the egg for existing near him.
Now there was just Kai, the low fire, and the egg.
The egg glowed brighter.
Kai placed a hand over the sling.
“You’re in a good mood.”
It pulsed once.
Kai smiled faintly.
“Well, at least one of us is.”
The system appeared.
[Temporary separation event active.]
Kai stared.
“That sounds dramatic.”
[Companion Ember has departed.]
“I know. I watched.”
[Host survival is now a priority.]
Kai frowned.
“It wasn’t before?”
[Clarification: Host survival is always a priority.]
“Not convinced.”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai looked down.
“Yeah. I’m not convinced either.”
The system shifted.
[Phoenix Egg developmental status available.]
Kai sat up straighter.
“Actually useful. Tell me.”
[Species: Phoenix.]
“I knew that.”
[Bonded Host: Kai.]
“Also knew that.”
[Primary nourishment method: sustained proximity to Host.]
“So it really just needs to be close to me?”
[Correct.]
“No food?”
[No external food required at current stage.]
“No water?”
[No.]
“No fire?”
[Optional.]
Kai paused.
“Optional how?”
[Ambient heat may accelerate comfort response but is not required for survival.]
“So keeping it warm helps?”
[Marginally.]
Kai nodded slowly.
“Okay. Warmth. Close to me. What else?”
[To accelerate hatching: maintain direct physical contact, stable emotional environment, frequent verbal interaction, periodic exposure to sunlight, and secure resting conditions.]
Kai stared.
“Verbal interaction?”
[Correct.]
“You want me to talk to the egg.”
[Yes.]
Kai looked down at the egg.
The egg pulsed softly.
Kai felt ridiculous.
Still, he cleared his throat.
“Uh. Hi.”
The egg brightened.
Kai blinked.
“I’m Kai. You probably know that, since you bonded to me without asking.”
The egg pulsed again.
“Was that agreement?”
No response.
Kai rubbed the back of his neck.
“Right. You’re an egg.”
[Frequent verbal interaction recommended.]
“I’m doing it.”
[Quality may affect results.]
Kai pointed at the screen.
“You don’t get to judge my egg-talking skills.”
[Incorrect.]
Kai ignored it and adjusted the sling so the egg rested more securely against his chest.
The shell was warm through the cloth. Not hot enough to burn, but alive in a way stone never could be. Every now and then, faint golden veins glowed beneath the crimson surface, like fire moving behind glass.
Kai lowered his voice.
“So… you’re going to hatch eventually, huh?”
The egg gave a soft pulse.
Kai froze.
“That felt like an answer.”
[Early imprint response detected.]
Kai’s eyes widened.
“Already?”
[Minimal.]
“But it understood?”
[Incompletely.]
Kai looked down again.
“Can you hear me?”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai’s face slowly brightened.
“Oh. That’s actually kind of amazing.”
The egg pulsed again, slightly stronger.
Kai smiled.
“Okay. So one pulse means yes?”
The egg stayed still.
Kai waited.
Nothing.
The system appeared.
[Response pattern not yet established.]
Kai sighed.
“You could have let me have that.”
[No.]
Kai spent the rest of the morning trying to create a routine.
First, he checked the cave entrance. The branch screen Ember had complained about was still in place, though after seeing what attacked last night, Kai had to admit she was right. It was not exactly strong.
“It’s more of a suggestion than a door,” he told the egg.
The egg pulsed.
“I agree.”
[Projection likely.]
“Let me believe things.”
He pulled extra branches into place and tied them together with vine-cord. It would not stop anything strong, but it might slow something down. And if the egg aura worked the way it had before, most weaker creatures would not get close enough to test it anyway.
After that, Kai carried the egg outside for sunlight.
Not far.
Just the flat rock beside the cave entrance.
He sat there with his back against the stone, one hand on the egg, weapon beside him.
The egg warmed quickly in the sun.
Its glow softened.
Kai watched the light move beneath the shell.
“You like that?”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai smiled.
“Good. Sunlight goes on the list.”
[Sunlight exposure: beneficial.]
“I figured that out myself.”
[After instruction.]
“Still counts.”
He stayed there until every sound in the forest started making him nervous, then moved back inside.
The egg did not complain.
That was nice.
Kai made himself lunch badly.
Without Ember, there was no one to threaten the soup, insult his rope, or accuse the vegetables of looking suspicious.
Somehow, that made the meal worse.
Kai stirred the pot with one hand while keeping the other on the egg.
“You know,” he said, “Ember would say this soup is dangerous.”
The egg pulsed sharply.
Kai paused.
“That was a weird pulse.”
The egg pulsed again.
Harder.
Kai looked down.
“What? You don’t like when I talk about Ember?”
The egg went still.
Too still.
Kai narrowed his eyes.
“That’s suspicious.”
[Emotional imprint response detected.]
Kai glanced at the system.
“What kind?”
[Possessive agitation.]
Kai blinked.
“Possessive what?”
The egg pulsed against his chest.
Almost proudly.
Kai slowly looked down.
“Are you… jealous of Ember?”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai froze.
“That was not a coincidence.”
[Response clarity improving.]
Kai stared at the egg.
“You’re happy she’s gone?”
One pulse.
Kai’s mouth fell open.
“That is rude.”
The egg warmed pleasantly beneath his hand.
“Kai,” he said to himself, “you are scolding an egg.”
The system chimed.
[Correct.]
“Not helping.”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai frowned.
“You’re agreeing with the system now?”
No response.
Kai sighed and stirred the soup again.
“Listen. Ember is important.”
The egg gave two sharp pulses.
Kai stopped.
“Was that no?”
Another two pulses.
Kai stared.
“Oh, absolutely not. You do not get to vote no on Ember.”
The egg’s glow dimmed slightly.
Kai softened despite himself.
“Hey. I’m not mad. But you can’t be jealous of her.”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai frowned.
“That felt like yes.”
[Interpretation probable.]
“I said can’t.”
The egg pulsed once again.
Kai rubbed his face.
“You’re already difficult.”
The egg warmed against him, content.
That was when Kai began to understand the real problem.
The egg did not just want to be close to him.
It wanted him to itself.
By the second day, the pattern became impossible to ignore.
If Kai talked about food, the egg pulsed calmly.
If Kai talked about the cave, it pulsed curiously.
If Kai talked about the system, it barely reacted.
But if Kai said Ember’s name, the egg either went coldly still or pulsed in sharp little bursts, like sparks snapping from a fire.
“Ember,” Kai tested.
Sharp pulse.
“Ember.”
Sharper pulse.
“Ember.”
The egg flashed bright enough to light the cave wall.
Kai held up one hand.
“Okay. That one was on me.”
[Repeated provocation unwise.]
“I was gathering data.”
[Host is not qualified.]
“Rude.”
The egg pulsed softly.
Kai looked down.
“And you stop agreeing with things that insult me.”
No response.
Suspicious.
Still, Kai did what the system told him.
He kept the egg touching him at all times.
He took it into sunlight every morning.
He sat near the fire every evening.
He talked to it constantly.
At first, most of his talking was awkward.
“So… this is a spoon.”
The egg pulsed once.
“I use it for soup.”
No response.
“Ember thinks soup is suspicious.”
Sharp pulse.
Kai sighed.
“We have to work on that.”
By the third morning, the egg had developed clearer answers.
One pulse meant yes.
Two pulses meant no.
A soft flutter meant happy.
A sharp pulse meant upset.
A long warm glow meant it wanted Kai to keep touching it.
That last one happened a lot.
Kai sat on the flat rock outside the cave, egg in his lap but still touching his stomach. Sunlight warmed them both, and the forest was quiet enough that Kai almost relaxed.
Almost.
“Do you like sunlight?”
One pulse.
“Do you like the fire?”
One pulse.
“Do you like the sling?”
One pulse.
“Do you want me to put you in a basket?”
Two sharp pulses.
Kai laughed.
“Okay, okay. No basket.”
The egg glowed warmly.
“Do you like Ember?”
Two pulses.
Kai groaned.
“We’re not doing this.”
The egg pulsed twice again, firmer.
Kai tapped the shell lightly with one finger.
“Ember helped save us. She protects me.”
The egg went still.
“Don’t sulk.”
Stillness.
“I know you’re sulking.”
[Emotional withdrawal detected.]
Kai stared at the system.
“It can emotionally withdraw?”
[In a limited but dramatic capacity.]
Kai looked down at the egg.
“You’re not even hatched and you’re already dramatic.”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai sighed.
“That was not a compliment.”
A soft flutter.
Kai smiled despite himself.
“You’re impossible.”
Another flutter.
The cave felt less empty now.
Not full.
Not like when Ember was there, taking up space with her wings and tail and impossible confidence.
But less empty.
The egg liked that.
Kai could tell.
It liked being the only one near him. It liked when his hands stayed on its shell. It liked when his voice had nowhere else to go. It liked when he talked softly because there was no one else to answer.
And Kai, dense as ever, thought that was sweet.
Mostly.
Until the system ruined it.
[Warning: Exclusive attachment pattern developing.]
Kai frowned.
“Exclusive?”
[Phoenix Egg currently benefits from lack of social competition.]
Kai looked down.
The egg glowed very innocently.
Too innocently.
“You are happy Ember is gone because now you get all my attention.”
One pulse.
Kai stared.
“You are shameless.”
One pulse.
“That wasn’t a yes-or-no question.”
The egg fluttered.
Kai sighed and leaned back against the cave wall.
“Well, enjoy it while it lasts. Ember is coming back.”
The egg pulsed twice.
Kai shook his head.
“Yes, she is.”
Two pulses.
“She promised.”
The egg went still.
Kai’s voice softened.
“And I want her to come back.”
The egg dimmed.
For a moment, Kai felt bad.
Then the shell warmed against his palm, soft and needy.
He rubbed it gently.
“That doesn’t mean I don’t care about you too.”
The egg pulsed once.
“Exactly. There’s room.”
Two pulses.
Kai stared.
“What do you mean no?”
The egg glowed brighter and pressed warmth into his chest like it could argue through heat alone.
Kai rubbed his temple.
“Oh no.”
[Host awareness increased.]
“Oh no,” Kai repeated.
[Correct.]
Kai looked down at the egg, then toward the sky where Ember had vanished days ago.
The egg pulsed warmly, satisfied to have him all to itself.
Kai swallowed.
“When Ember gets back,” he said slowly, “you two are going to fight, aren’t you?”
The egg pulsed once.
Kai closed his eyes.
“That was not the answer I wanted.”
[Preparation recommended.]
“For what?”
[Domestic instability.]
Kai opened his eyes.
The egg fluttered happily against his chest.
Kai sighed.
“Great. My unborn phoenix has beef with my dragon.”
One pulse.
“Please stop being proud of that.”
The egg did not stop glowing.