It was already very late at night.
Cold wind was blowing through the forest, and the trees almost felt like they were staring at me. Rain kept falling, the drops hitting the stone roof again and again. After striking the stones, tiny splashes landed on my face. Even though it was night, I could still see dark blue clouds moving slowly across the sky. The moon was unusually bright today.
This weather was my favorite.
Rainy nights like this always gave me comfort. I could never really explain it. It made me emotional in a good way, like I belonged to this kind of weather. It felt nostalgic, almost like some strange connection to a past life. This was my comfort weather.
But today, I felt nothing.
No comfort. No peace.
Maybe it was because I was shivering uncontrollably from the cold. Or maybe it was because I was pretending to be blind for absolutely no reason. And now that I had already lied, I had no choice but to keep pretending till the end.
I still could not understand Chandrel.
Why was he so rude and cold toward me? I had not done anything wrong. Sometimes he acted like I was his enemy. Other times, like a friend he hated but still tolerated.
I rubbed my hands together, trying to create some warmth, but the cold was too intense. Nothing worked.
Why the hell am I even following Chandrel's orders? I thought bitterly.
Sure, he saved me from the tiger. But the irony was that I might die here from the cold instead. And somehow, that would also be because of Chandrel. Dying because of the same guy who saved me? Hell no.
I let out a dry laugh.
Looks like my time has come. And I am not even married yet. Tragic.
I glanced outside once, hoping Chandrel might come back. But I had already lost hope.
Meanwhile, Chandrel was walking toward his home when he suddenly stopped.
He remembered.
He had told Vyren to stay inside the hut. He thought he would finish something important with Kaelith quickly, then return and take Vyren home for food. But the thought had completely slipped out of his mind.
Is he still there? Chandrel wondered.
That idiot does not look obedient enough to stay where I tell him to. He probably left already.
But what if he did not?
Vyren was not even from this world. He did not know anything about this place. And it was raining. Cold. Dangerous.
Chandrel frowned.
How did I make such a stupid mistake?
Before he could overthink it, he turned back. At least checking once would give him peace of mind.
Back in the hut, I heard soft footsteps.
My first thought was that it could not be Chandrel. He had gone off with his precious best friend Kaelith and left me here alone.
Still, my body tensed.
"Who is there?" I asked.
I tried my best not to look in the direction of the sound. After all, I was supposed to be blind.
The footsteps came closer, slow and quiet.
"It's me, Vyren," Chandrel said. "You are still here, idiot?"
I looked at him silently, studying his expression. Was he genuinely worried? Or was this just sympathy?
"Yeah," I replied. "You are the idiot. You literally told me to stay here. Remember? 'Stay here.' And by the way, where are you? I cannot see you."
I started my blind act again.
"Aren't you stupid?" Chandrel scoffed. "How would you see anything? You are blind, just like me. We are the same."
For a second, my heart skipped.
What nonsense did I just say? Thank god Chandrel was innocent enough to not catch the lie. Any normal person would have exposed me immediately.
I really got lucky.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," I said quickly. "I was just joking. Wait, I am coming toward you. I can smell wet earth. The mud on your feet is strong enough for me to find you."
I smiled internally.
I did not need to smell anything. I could see perfectly fine. But hey, if he complimented me later, I would not complain.
Still, one thing genuinely impressed me.
Chandrel was blind, yet he could do everything that a normal person struggled with. Fighting a tiger while being blind? That was insane. I wanted to learn from him. People called them specially abled, but honestly, they were warriors.
I slowly moved toward him.
"I am here, Chan… drel…"
My vision spun.
And then everything went black.
"Hey. What happened?" Chandrel's voice snapped in panic. "Are you okay?"
He quickly wrapped his own blanket around me, trying to warm my body.
Slowly, I regained consciousness.
I felt better.
Maybe Chandrel was not as cold as he pretended to be. Or maybe he just felt sorry for me.
"Are you feeling better now?" Chandrel asked. "I guess I should say sorry. You are in this condition because of me."
"Ah," I muttered. "Please do not be sorry. It is okay."
"I said 'I guess' before sorry," he replied. "I am not even sure if I should apologize. It was your fault. If I jump somewhere, would you jump too just because I told you to? Do you not have a brain to decide what is right and wrong, idiot?"
I sighed.
I knew it. This guy was not soft at all.
"Okay, fine," I said. "Then do not say sorry next time."
"But it was my mistake," Chandrel said quietly.
"Dude," I replied. "Decide first. Are you sorry or not? You are confusing me."
"I am not sorry."
He laughed.
For the first time, I saw Chandrel laugh.
All my frustration disappeared. I smiled without realizing it.
"Stop your nonsense," I said.
But deep down, I knew something.
This was only the beginning.