Chapter 5:
1539 Words
Mianna's heart clenched violently.
The memories continued to churn.
A white-haired boy barged in.
Thin and wiry, with a stubborn look in his eyes.
Then he began being beaten too.
Another figure appeared—a tiny black bird, huddled in a corner while handful after handful of feathers were plucked from its body.
Then came a cave.
Dark.
Damp.
And deep inside it, a pair of golden beast eyes gleamed in the darkness...
The memories became more chaotic.
Faster.
Until everything finally froze on the white-haired boy's screaming face—
and a blinding explosion of light.
**BOOM!**
Mianna jolted awake.
She gasped for breath, her chest heaving violently.
The animal hide beneath her was soaked through with cold sweat.
Golden sunlight streamed through the gaps in the walls of the grass-and-wood hut, scattering patches of light across the room.
It was already morning.
“Mia, you're awake? What's wrong? Are you hurt anywhere?”
A pair of warm hands gently grasped her shoulders.
Mianna turned her head.
It was Azari.
His face was filled with worry, his deep brown eyes full of panic.
“Ah... I-I’m fine. I just... had a dream...” Mianna answered in broken breaths, her voice still weak. “I'm really okay.”
Azari didn't say anything, but his brows remained tightly furrowed.
He carefully helped Mianna sit up, supporting her against the bedding. His movements were so gentle, as though she were something fragile that might break at any moment.
He turned around and brought over a small stone bowl of water, holding it to her lips.
“Mia, drink some water first. I'll go get the Healer to examine you.”
The stone bowl was still warm against her lips.
Mianna froze for a moment before obediently taking a few sips.
The warm water slid down her throat, spreading a soothing warmth through her stomach and clearing her head considerably.
She shifted slightly and was pleasantly surprised to find that she had much more strength than yesterday.
Looks like the combination of her ability and the Lifesaving Herb was working pretty well.
After finishing the water, Mianna looked at Azari, who was once again kneeling beside her bed.
Thinking about the dream from last night, she didn't know whether it was because of those memories, but Azari now seemed strangely familiar and comforting.
The scars covering his body.
The horn that had been broken in half.
The faint exhaustion in his eyes...
Wait.
Had this guy been watching her all night?
【That's right, Host! Azari faithfully stayed by your side all night! What a good male mate he is! (´∀｀)】
At some point, Quad had floated into the air again, happily spinning in circles.
【!!@！Quad! You scared me again!】
Mianna almost failed to keep her expression under control. She secretly rolled her eyes before taking a deep breath and turning back to Azari.
“Morning, Azari.”
She carefully chose her words.
“You... weren't watching me all night, were you?”
Azari lowered his eyes, his eyelashes casting a small shadow across his face.
His strong body tensed slightly, and his voice grew quieter.
“Mm... You were sick. I was worried you'd feel uncomfortable during the night... P-please don't be angry...”
Mianna froze.
Angry?
Why would she be angry about that?
She was about to say something when she suddenly remembered that this seemed to be the original owner's private bedroom.
Quad had mentioned it briefly before.
Apparently, the original owner didn't allow her male mates to stay overnight, much less let anyone keep watch beside her bed all night.
That was why Azari was so nervous.
He was afraid she would be “angry.”
For some reason, Mianna felt a little uncomfortable in her heart.
“I'm not angry.”
She softened her voice.
“I just think you must be tired. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Azari looked up, his expression lighting up with surprise.
Then he quickly lowered his head again, seemingly embarrassed.
His skin was fairly dark, so Mianna couldn't tell whether he was blushing.
“I-I'll go get the Healer!”
He shot to his feet and hurried toward the door.
But just before leaving, he stopped and pointed toward the bed.
“Mia, I brought some new clothes for you. Try them!”
Then his footsteps quickly faded into the distance.
Mianna couldn't help smiling.
【Host, you're smiling!】
Quad floated over.
【Do you think Azari is cute? (¬◡¬)】
【...Quad, do you have to keep watching me all day?】
【I'm your system! If I don't watch you, who else am I supposed to watch~ (｀∀´)Ψ Hehe.】
Quad sounded completely unapologetic.
【Oh, right, Host. You dreamed about the original owner's memories just now, didn't you?】
Mianna's smile faded.
She nodded.
【Mm. I dreamed about a lot of things. What's going on? Is the original owner's soul still here?】
【Well...】
Quad floated in front of her and, for once, became unusually serious.
【The original owner was born with an incomplete soul, so it was already extremely weak. Sorin's attack completely shattered it. The reason you're dreaming about these things is because your soul is currently merging with this body. Naturally, you're beginning to recall its past memories~】
【Merging...】
Mianna pondered this.
【Will I become her?】
【No, no!】
Quad hurriedly explained.
【You're still you, Host. The original owner's soul has already disappeared. You're simply receiving the memories stored in this body. Your personality and thoughts are still your own. Don't worry!】
Mianna breathed a sigh of relief.
Good.
She still wanted to be herself.
The room finally grew quiet, giving her a chance to examine the neatly folded stack of animal hides beside the bed.
On top was a light camel-colored dress.
The hide had been tanned until it was incredibly soft, almost like suede.
It had a round neckline, no sleeves, and fell to about mid-calf. A thin cord of the same color wrapped around the waist, allowing her to adjust the fit.
The design was simple, but the stitching was remarkably fine.
Every seam had been carefully sewn with a bone needle.
She unfolded the dress and looked underneath.
There was a dark brown short-sleeved top and a matching knee-length skirt.
The two pieces were designed as a set, and the neckline of the top was slightly wider than that of the dress, revealing her collarbones.
Beside the bed was also a pair of light brown ankle boots, also made from animal hide.
A thin layer of fur lined the openings.
Mianna picked up the boots and turned them over.
Several layers had been stitched together for the soles, with some dried grass tucked inside for cushioning.
They probably wouldn't hurt her feet when walking over hard ground.
The laces were thin leather cords that could be wrapped around the ankles and tied securely.
A thought suddenly occurred to her.
Mianna looked down at herself.
She was still wearing yesterday's old animal-hide clothing, left behind by the original owner.
It was already somewhat dirty.
She touched the pile of clean clothes and noticed that both the dress and the two-piece outfit were only single layers.
There was no undergarment.
She froze for a moment and searched through the pile again.
Sure enough, there was nothing else.
“There aren't any underclothes...?”
She muttered under her breath, her cheeks growing slightly warm.
Thinking about it, people here probably simply didn't wear them.
Animal hide was thick enough that a single layer provided sufficient coverage.
And...
Mianna looked down at herself.
Her figure wasn't much different from before.
She was rather slender, and her ex-boyfriend had even teased her about it once.
She had laughed it off at the time, but deep down, it had bothered her a little.
Well, now she wouldn't have to worry about it.
She sighed and picked up the light camel-colored dress, preparing to change.
The hide was soft and comfortable against her fingers.
She slipped it over her head.
It seemed slightly loose, but once she tightened the cord around her waist, it fit perfectly.
The neckline wasn't particularly low, revealing just enough of her collarbones.
The hem fell to mid-calf and swayed gently whenever she moved.
It was prettier than she'd expected.
The only problem was the empty feeling underneath.
She still wasn't used to it.
Whatever.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do!
She put on the ankle boots and walked around the hut a few times.
The soles were soft and fit comfortably.
Much better than walking barefoot on the ground.
She looked down.
The boots fit snugly around her ankles, and the leather cord was tied into a small knot on the outside.
It actually looked rather cute.
Standing beside the stone table, Mianna touched the dark brown two-piece outfit and quietly made a mental note.
If she got the chance, she would have to find some thinner, softer animal hide and make herself some underwear.
She wondered if there was anything like cotton in the Beast World...
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