Cleo’s eyes widened in shock. There was no way to deny the bear’s words anymore. Nonetheless, even if it happened right before him, it was still hard to believe. How could he? No sane person would think something like this was possible.
In the fantasy-like situation, he recalled the giant lizard. He started to suspect that it wasn’t a mere delusion, but like the strange bear in front of him, real! A giant lizard with wings on its back, he could only think of one fantasy creature that he knew of—a Dragon!
Even though he never had time to read or watch any kind of fantasy entertainment, a Dragon was so popular that even an ignorant person like him knew them! Something mighty like a Dragon roaming the world right now? Thinking about this, he got worried about his parents and family. What if the Dragon—apparently responsible for his plane crashing—was now attacking the city? His family would be in grave danger!
He must go home as soon as possible, but he didn’t know when his rescuer would arrive.
"Wait, is there even someone looking for me? After all, if the world is in chaos, the government won’t have time to investigate the plane crash!"
He stood up and walked back and forth, as he needed to think of a solution to go home. Glancing at Duk, an idea popped up in his head. Maybe Duk could help him return to his family! Although he was so eager, to the point where his whole body moved like he had a spring on his feet, he didn’t interrupt Duk, as he was afraid something bad might happen if he obstructed him while using his ability. Therefore, he waited until Duk finished what he was doing.
The light disappeared the moment the seed completed its form. He didn’t even wait for Duk to explain the seed. He rushed closer to the unaware bear, wanting to ask him, as his worry was too overwhelming for him to handle. When he reached a close enough distance, he grabbed Duk’s shoulder—unknowingly—with force.
Duk couldn’t help but be surprised by his sudden action; he almost dropped the newly created seed from its paw.
"You said earlier that your kind will flood my world, right?!" He asked in a hurry.
"Y-yes!" Duk exclaimed while his voice trembled.
"What is the purpose? Are your kind here to attack us?" He was so agitated that he shook Duk's body.
"N-no w-we’re not here to attack your world. Mortals are important to us Spirits, as we need them to send Life Force to our Realm," Duk explained. His whole body trembled as he looked at him with fear.
Seeing this, he realized that he was scaring Duk with his actions. Slowly letting go of Duk’s shoulder, he looked at him with guilt. Duk hastily distanced himself from him and hid himself behind the shelter; fear was obvious in his body movement.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt or scare you. I’m just really worried about my family."
"W-why? You don’t have to worry, as we Spirit have no ability to hurt your kind without a contract," Duk asked while hiding behind the shelter.
"What do you mean?" He asked with confusion. "Then why did a Dragon attack us? Aren’t they Spirit too?"
"What?! A Dragon came to this world?!" Duk yelled, then popped his head behind the shelter. "A Dragon isn’t exactly a Spirit like us; that’s why they can indeed hurt your kind without a contract, but they don’t usually attack, as they also need to follow the rules unless one provokes their authority! In the first place, it should be impossible for a Dragon to enter this Mortal Realm!"
"What do you mean, how can we even provoke something like that? What could we possibly do?" He screamed as he was frustrated from not knowing what he did wrong.
Duk pulled his head back behind the shelter and lingered for a moment before answering. "I-I don’t know. A Dragon is a prideful Spirit Beast, and anyone who dares to attack them or fly in the same sky as them will be considered a provocation to their might."
The weight in his heart doubled when he realized that he had raised his voice to Duk. The timid answer from Duk tore his heart apart. How could he blame something or someone who couldn’t even think of hurting others for his own gain? However, when he heard Duk’s explanation, he understood the reasoning behind the attack. Perhaps the Dragon was provoked by the plane, as it was flying in the same sky.
Still, his frustration wouldn’t be extinguished by the knowledge. Nothing changed; he was still trapped on the island because of a prideful Dragon. But the information brought him a bit of ease, knowing his family would be safe as long as a Dragon wasn’t provoked. He just wished the Government was smart enough to consider the consequences.
While contemplating, the smell of something burning entered his nose. Because he was concerned for his family, he completely forgot about the sweet potatoes. He must take them out, or they might turn to ashes! Regardless of how immediate the situation was, he didn’t forget to use a stick to remove the sweet potatoes from the fire.
When he finally managed to take them out, four sweet potatoes covered in black, like charcoal, welcomed him. The sight wasn't appetizing at all, but he still hoped the fluffy insides could survive the hellish fire it suffered. Thankfully, he didn’t need to wait long for them to cool down, as the wind became stronger with the sun setting. Even though the sunset was beautiful, he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it, as his worry for his family occupied his mind. How he wished they were here to enjoy the scenery with him.
But before thinking of anything else, he had another problem—he created himself—that he must solve. Duk stayed still in his hiding place, not even producing a single sound. It seemed he scared the little bear too much with his crazy antics. Now, he couldn't even ask if he had a method for him to return to his family. He must suck it up, as it was his fault to begin with.
"What can I do so Duk can forgive me? Maybe food will work? It works for the monkey; why not for a bear?"
However, seeing the burnt sweet potatoes didn’t give him confidence about the plan. How could he offer something like this as an apology? Well, he didn’t have anything to give to Duk… Wait, he did have something to give other than the sweet potatoes—the candies! He was sure Duk would love it! After all, who didn’t love sweet food?
Rushing to one of the baggage, he took out the remaining candies he had been saving when he craved something sweet. But he had more important things to use it for—a peace offering. He slowly walked closer to Duk’s position, not wanting to scare him any further.
"Duk, I’m sorry for what I did and for yelling at you earlier. I didn’t mean any of that. I promise it won’t happen again, and as a sign of apology, I’ll give you the most delicious snack as a peace offering."
It seemed he got the little bear’s attention as it slowly peeked behind the shelter. Seeing this, he raised the plastic and shook it to let Duk hear and see what he held. Duk appeared interested in the candies as he steadily walked out of his hiding place.
"Is it really good?" Duk said with a low tone. He was still cautious about him.
It was understandable; remembering what he did to the innocent bear made him want to punch himself in the face. The only time he was relieved that his wife—Nikka—wasn’t with him. Because he was sure she would give him an earful when she saw what he did to the cute bear.
"Yes, it’s very sweet; you should try it and find out for yourself," he said while giving Duk the biggest smile he could give.
His method seemed effective as Duk cautiously walked to him. Yet, before they reached each other, Duk stopped a few steps away from him. Spotting the hesitation in his body language, he ambled to the little bear. When they were finally within each other’s reach, he passed the plastic to Duk. But Duk didn’t seize the candy, and he stared at it for a while.
"Don’t worry, you can have them all for yourself; they’re incredibly good!" He over-gestured to make his point more clearly to the bear’s eyes.
Duk appeared amused by his overacting action, which led him to grab the plastic.
"What kind of fruit is this?" Duk asked, confused about the transparent appearance of the plastic.
"Oh no, that’s not a fruit… Well, kind of a fruit, as it’s apple flavor candy," he explained. "It’s an apple, processed to turn it into candy."
"Oh, I don’t know what that means, but candy sounds delicious!" Duk eyes gleamed with light. "How do you eat this?"
He recognized that Duk probably didn’t know how to open a candy wrapper. Thus, he must give an example.
"Can you give me one so I can show you how?" He asked, as he had already given them to Duk. It wouldn’t be right to take one without asking for permission.
"Of course, here." Duk extended the plastic to him.
Taking out one candy from the plastic, he ripped it open, giving him access to what was inside—a red, circle candy. The scent of apples spread to the surroundings, and a glance was the only thing he needed to imagine the sweet taste of apples. Putting it in his mouth, the sweetness of the apple expanded within. He could feel the release of dopamine in his system as his mood improved.
It appeared Duk was a fast learner, as he managed to open one by himself without difficulty. The moment Duk put the candy in his mouth, his eyes widened in joy.
"It’s delicious, isn’t it?" He asked, wanting to know Duk’s opinion.
"Yes! It’s so delicious! I’ve never tasted something like this back from my Realm!" Duk exclaimed.
This satisfied something inside him, seeing Duk back to being happy—warming his heart and soul. Now that he had managed to fix the problem with Duk, he should focus on another thing he must do—eat. Walking back to where the sweet potatoes were. He touched them to know if they were still hot or not. When his hand touched the surface of the sweet potatoes, his eagerness to eat them swelled inside him. They were already warm and must be eaten before they turn cold!
He snapped one of the sweet potatoes in half, wanting to see the condition of the yellow meat. Some were burned, but most could still be eaten.
The sleeping monkey woke up and made a sound to garner his attention. He didn’t know how to react to this behavior, as it never woke up when he was screaming his lungs earlier, but the sound of the sweet potato snapping did. Sighing, he gave it one, as he already had an intention to wake it up. It appeared the monkey understood how things worked better than him. After that, he walked back to Duk and gave him one, and the remaining two were for himself.
While eating, Duk approached him.
"Here, I almost forgot to give you this." Duk stretched his paw to him. On top of his paw was the blue seed he created earlier.
After acquiring the seed, he scanned it, wanting to see if there was something special about it, but he didn’t find anything unusual—it looked like a normal seed.
"What exactly is this seed? Can you explain it to me?" He asked.
"Of course, that seed was called Lu’na Fr’uctu’m. It’s a plant that needs 30 days to grow fully and can produce 100 fruits. But it can only produce fruit in full moon," Duk excitedly explained. "Like you requested, it’s easy to grow as it only needs moonlight. Also, it can boost your stamina regeneration for a small boost."
"I don’t know how to say that name. Anyway, 30 days? We don’t have that kind of time, and why only in full moon?"
"You don’t have to worry; with my Nurturer ability, I can hasten its growth," Duk proudly said.
"Ah, yeah, you mentioned that. Can we plant this seed and try it?"
"Of course, but I suggest doing it tomorrow, as your body still needs to adjust to the new energy entering it. You might harm yourself if you push your body too much."
"I guess that’s fine."
