It was already very late at night, and morning was not far away. Vyren was tightly wrapped in the blanket Chandrel had given him, holding it close as if he was freezing badly. But the truth was, Vyren was less scared of the cold and more scared of the lie he had told. He was sitting while facing Chandrel, but Chandrel was standing outside the hut. Vyren could only see his back and a partial side view of his face. Seeing Chandrel so calm made Vyren feel a strange kind of pressure. It was a kind of stress he had not even felt when he was once directly in the target range of a tiger.
Vyren was overthinking so badly that he completely forgot this was supposed to be just a dream universe. But by now, he knew the truth. Dream travel was not just lucid dreaming, where you stay aware inside a normal dream. No. Dreams were whole different universes, existing in other dimensions. Just like Earth was real and original for him, this world was real and original for Chandrel. From Chandrel's side, Vyren must look like someone who came from a dream or another realm. And honestly, Chandrel was not wrong. Both universes existed, just in different realms. Yeah. That was it.
I need to wake up from this dream, Vyren thought. But I cannot wake up on my own unless morning comes or something sudden happens, like a shock or a nightmare that scares me awake. I just slept a while ago; I cannot wake up so easily. I am lazy anyway. I sleep ten to twelve hours daily. But I still need to escape somehow. If I do not, Chandrel might expose me sooner or later. I was a little proud of myself for hiding the truth till now, and hopefully I could keep hiding it. I was not arrogant about it, but yeah, I was intelligent. No lie.
But then suddenly, Vyren felt something strange.
Wait. Where is this burning smell coming from?
The smell felt like it was coming from outside. Vyren tried to focus more. What is that smell? What the hell? Vyren froze for a second. Chandrel's clothes had caught a little fire from the woods he had burned to reduce the cold. Chandrel was already wet, his clothes were dirty too, and now this. Why am I wasting time thinking useless things, Vyren scolded himself. I am a legit idiot. I should learn how to handle serious situations from Chandrel.
I am a doctor. I deal with critical cases daily. I have seen the worst situations possible. I have seen people lose their loved ones. Someone loses their closest friend. Someone loses their only child. Someone wants to live, but fate stands against them. Seeing all this every day has made me cold in some way. Because if I cannot control my emotions, how will I treat people? At the end of the day, I am just a doctor, not a god. My job is to do my best. The rest is fate. I do my karma. That is all.
But then why is Chandrel so calm in situations like this? I will literally die of fear before anything even happens. I am not joking. And the fire is still spreading slowly. Chandrel always talks about precision and accuracy but look at this. If I call his name, he will turn toward my voice. If he moves, the fire could spread faster. What should I do?
Vyren slowly crawled toward Chandrel, almost silently. His movements were careful, his breath controlled. Finally, he reached Chandrel. Without wasting another second, Vyren used his hands to put out the fire. His hands got slightly burned, but at least the fire was gone. He finally felt some relief.
Chandrel was shocked. He could feel a burning sensation and smell smoke, but he did not know that his own clothes had caught fire and that Vyren had just saved him. Chandrel shouted loudly, louder than ever before.
What the hell are you doing? I am feeling a burning sensation. What was that? Will you speak, or have you decided to play dumb?
Vyren felt anger rise inside him. I saved his life, and he is shouting at me? What a rude man. But Vyren controlled himself.
Your clothes caught a little fire from the woods, Vyren said calmly. I smelled something burning. I followed the smell and put out the fire. That is it. I hope it is clear now.
Chandrel went completely silent. Guilt started sinking in. He had shouted at Vyren for no reason, instead of thanking him for saving his life. The silence lasted for sixty seconds. For Vyren, those sixty seconds felt like sixty years.
Finally, Chandrel spoke. I am sorry. I am such a fool. I jump to conclusions before listening or understanding properly.
Vyren replied softly, You do not need to be sorry. You have protected me from danger since the beginning, so this was just…
Suddenly, Vyren placed his hand over Chandrel's mouth. His hand was shaking badly. Chandrel was blindfolded, but he could feel Vyren's fast heartbeat, his rushed breathing, and his trembling hand.
Vyren whispered near his ear, Be silent. You are blind, and so am I here. But I am a doctor, and you are a warrior. We can be each other's guide.
At first, Chandrel raised his eyebrows. Why should he be someone's guide? But seeing Vyren's fear and understanding the seriousness of the situation, Chandrel nodded slowly.
Vyren was about to speak again when they both heard a sound. It felt like someone wearing boots was walking over dry fallen leaves, moving closer toward them.