[The soft crackling of fire in the kitchen]
[The gentle sizzling of oil on the wooden griddle]
[The faint rustling of wind outside]
By the time Arjun reached Veerbhadra’s small residence, the sun was preparing to set.
After an entire day of rushing around and the harsh truth he had heard inside the healer’s tent, the house felt different today.
The same old walls.
The same wooden floor.
The same simple courtyard.
And yet, an invisible heaviness seemed to cover everything.
As though even the house understood that this evening would not be an ordinary one.
Veerbhadra sat quietly inside.
A small pouch of tobacco, a pipe, and several pieces of chopped wood lay before him.
He had not said anything yet.
He had simply lit the fire and allowed the smoke to slowly rise.
Arjun looked at him.
He was still the same man—strong, steady, firmly rooted in his place.
But his skin had grown pale, and deep lines of exhaustion had appeared around his eyes.
[The faint sound of the pipe catching fire]
Veerbhadra took a long drag and slowly exhaled the smoke.
“How was your day?” he asked.
Arjun placed his bag on the floor.
“Long.”
A faint smile appeared on Veerbhadra’s face.
“That answer isn’t new for you.”
Arjun said nothing.
He knew there were now fewer words to speak and far more meaning hidden behind each one.
The Great Healer’s words still echoed in his mind.
Do not cultivate.
Do not perform strenuous breathing exercises.
Otherwise, the old injury would awaken.
And death would be certain.
And then there was the other name.
The Life Flower.
A name that sounded like hope…
and fear at the same time.
Veerbhadra put down his pipe.
“Sit.”
Arjun sat down.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then Veerbhadra stood and walked toward the kitchen.
His steps were slower than before, but they still carried the same old discipline.
He returned with a small bag containing cleaned snake meat.
Arjun looked at it.
Veerbhadra caught the reaction on his face.
“You said you liked snake meat, didn’t you?” he asked lightly.
Arjun nodded.
Veerbhadra smiled faintly and picked up a knife.
“Then that’s what we’re having tonight.”
[The sound of a knife striking the wooden board]
He began cutting the meat into small pieces suitable for cooking on the griddle.
Some chopped roots that resembled onions.
A little wild garlic.
A few reddish-brown dried leaves used as spices.
Everything was arranged neatly on the table.
Then he heated the griddle.
He added oil.
[The sharp sizzle of oil]
Arjun quietly watched.
He had often seen Veerbhadra cook like this.
Simple.
Careful.
Almost as though the kitchen were another battlefield and every flavor were part of a strategy.
He never rushed.
Everything was done in order.
Everything was guided by habit.
The pieces of snake meat landed on the hot griddle.
The aroma of spices rose into the room.
Arjun’s hunger suddenly awakened.
Without looking at him, Veerbhadra said,
“Be patient.”
“Let it cook.”
Arjun gave a slight nod.
The wind outside the courtyard grew a little stronger.
The camp’s activity had changed as well.
Tonight, it wasn’t merely the sound of trade and work.
There was something different in the air.
A sense of departure.
As though some people were preparing to leave, while others had already begun leaving in their hearts.
Veerbhadra turned the meat.
[The sound of a wooden spatula]
Then he added something resembling salt, stirred everything quickly, and covered the griddle for a while.
An unusual calmness rested on his face.
The silence was beginning to feel heavy to Arjun.
After a long while, Veerbhadra spoke.
“Grandmaster Albus told you everything.”
Arjun gave no reply, but his expression became serious.
Veerbhadra continued calmly,
“It wasn’t easy to hear.”
“But the truth is what it is.”
Arjun looked directly at him.
“Is there any way?”
Veerbhadra waved the smoke away with one hand.
“A few more years.”
“Perhaps.”
“If the Life Flower can be found.”
Arjun’s fingers tightened against his knee.
Veerbhadra noticed.
“Don’t make that face.”
“I’m not dying yet.”
He said it like a joke.
But beneath his words, Arjun could hear a thin layer of exhaustion.
Veerbhadra continued,
“I’ve purchased a residency permit.”
Arjun immediately raised his head.
“Where?”
“Laughing Pines,” Veerbhadra replied.
“It’s far from here…”
“But not impossibly far.”
Arjun stared at him for several moments.
“You’re leaving?”
Veerbhadra uncovered the food.
The aroma immediately filled the room.
Then he answered,
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow morning.”
[One moment of silence]
Arjun’s gaze remained fixed.
There was no long story.
No dramatic speech.
Yet the words pierced through him like a knife.
Veerbhadra saw the emotion Arjun could not hide.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he said quietly.
“If I stay here, you’ll have to watch me slowly break down every day.”
“That wouldn’t be good.”
Arjun said nothing.
Veerbhadra served the food onto a plate.
Then he brought out two bowls.
He placed a large piece in the middle.
As always, he separated one portion for himself and another for Arjun.
[The sound of bowls being placed down]
“Eat.”
Arjun looked at the meal.
Hot snake meat.
A faintly charred layer from the griddle.
A sharp, slightly sweet aroma from the spices.
Everything about it seemed designed to fill the body with warmth.
Arjun took his first bite.
[The sound of the first bite]
The flavor was not delicate.
But it was real.
For the first time in a long while, he was eating a meal without fear.
He ate slowly.
His eyes remained focused on every part of the food in front of him.
Veerbhadra glanced at him once or twice before returning to his own meal.
For some time, the two ate in silence.
Then Veerbhadra spoke softly.
“When I leave, you won’t be alone.”
Arjun looked toward him. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Veerbhadra continued while chewing.
“There’s Cross.”
“Apex Raptor.”
“And a few others whose trust isn’t complete yet…”
“But they’re useful.”
Arjun memorized the names.
But his mind was caught on something else.
“Will you come back?” he asked.
Veerbhadra did not answer immediately.
He stared at his bowl for several moments.
Then he said,
“If time allows…”
“I will.”
The answer felt incomplete to Arjun.
But he accepted it the same way he had learned to accept every incomplete thing in this world.
Night deepened.
After they finished eating, Veerbhadra brought out a small bottle of alcohol.
He took a sip.
Then held it out toward Arjun.
Arjun did not take it.
Veerbhadra laughed softly.
“You’re not old enough for this yet.”
Arjun replied calmly,
“I don’t need it.”
Veerbhadra looked into his eyes.
Then nodded.
“That’s right.”
[The night breeze]
After a while, Veerbhadra stood and walked into the courtyard.
Arjun did not follow him.
He simply watched from the doorway.
Veerbhadra looked up at the sky.
Then he slowly rolled his shoulders.
As if he were finally allowing an old burden to loosen.
His voice was extremely quiet.
But Arjun still heard it.
“It has been so many years…”
Veerbhadra then turned around.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll leave.”
“Focus on your own work.”
“You remember what I told you about the Black Forest?”
Arjun nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then don’t do anything foolish for now.”
Arjun answered without hesitation,
“I don’t.”
A small smile appeared on Veerbhadra’s face.
“That’s the problem.”
“You don’t…”
“And yet things keep becoming more dangerous around you.”
Arjun said nothing.
That night, he remained awake for a long time.
He sat quietly in his corner, his bag resting close beside his arm.
The camp outside was peaceful.
But inside Arjun’s heart was a different kind of restlessness.
Veerbhadra would leave tomorrow morning.
And his departure was not merely the departure of one person.
He was Arjun’s foundation.
His first true support.
The person who had begun showing him the direction of this strange new world.
Arjun closed his eyes.
The Life Flower.
Laughing Pines.
The Black Forest.
And the old man who now understood the price of every breath.
For the first time, Arjun felt something within himself that was greater than hunger.
Responsibility.
[The distant rustling of the wind]
Chapter CliffhangerWill Veerbhadra really leave the camp tomorrow morning?
How will Arjun survive in the camp without the person who has been his first support?
What new turn awaits him in Laughing Pines?
And will the search for the Life Flower now become Arjun’s true goal?