"Mirek," she said urgently, keeping her voice steady despite the fear tightening her chest. "Look at . You need to stop circulating your energy."
His eyes flickered toward her, unfocused but still aware as he registered her presence.
"Do not force it," she continued quickly. "Let it settle. Don’t fight it head-on."
His jaw clenched as another pulse wracked his body, but he followed her words, cutting off his instinctive control and allowing his energy to slow.
The pressure did not disappear, but it stopped escalating.
Lavayla exhaled shakily. She shifted Vai higher against her shoulder and crouched carefully beside Mirek, her mind already racing through what she could do.
She did not have much knowledge about chaotic energy. Whatever she knew ca secondhand, filtered through manuals and Nessa’s explanations. If she wanted answers, she would have to ask the system.
But first, they needed to leave this place and return to the cave.
Lavayla rose to her feet and reached for Mirek’s arm, steadying him as he pushed himself upright. His muscles were rigid beneath her grip, his body coiled as if restraining sothing violent.
She stared at his tense expression, worry tightening her chest. Just as she was about to speak, he shook off her hand and straightened.
"It’s alright," he said, his voice low but firm. "I can walk on my own."
Lavayla hesitated, studying him for a mont, then bent down to pack away the Cloud-Silk Moss. Relief washed through her when she saw how much he had gathered. The bundle was generous, far more than they had expected to find.
Thank goodness he had been fast.
From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Mirek crouching beside the serpent’s corpse, claws digging into its skull. With practiced precision, he extracted the beast core, wiped away the blood, compressed it, and secured it against his arm.
When he stepped forward, she imdiately opened her mouth to scold him.
"I’ve already suppressed it," he said before she could speak. "With your help. It’s not affecting much."
Her brows knit together.
"Not affecting you much?" she repeated, unease deepening. "That still ans it’s affecting you. What’s wrong?"
They walked in silence for several steps, the sound of water and mist filling the gap between them.
Then Mirek spoke, his voice quiet and restrained.
"I feel restless," he said. "And violent."
Lavayla glanced at him. "Like you want to kill sothing?"
He paused, then gave a single, tight nod.
"Yes."
Her grip tightened around Vai instinctively. "Then we’re getting back to the cave. Now."
She hurried ahead, careful not to leave him behind, but the world seed determined to test her patience.
Despite not actively searching, Lavayla kept stumbling across resources as though the forest itself was placing them directly in her path.
The first ca barely ten minutes after they resud walking.
Low-growing shrubs clustered near the edge of a semi-shaded clearing, their branches heavy with small, deep-blue fruits dusted with a pale, waxy sheen. They hung in tight bunches, ripe and untouched.
Lavayla slowed, eyes narrowing slightly.
She recognized them instantly.
A familiar panel flickered into view.
[Na: Wild Blueberries]
[Origin: Fruit native to Earth]
[Description: Small, deep blue berries coated with a natural waxy bloom. Sweet with a slight tang. Rich in antioxidants and beneficial to stamina recovery and circulation.]
She crouched and plucked one carefully, rolling it between her fingers before tasting it. The flavor burst bright and fresh across her tongue.
Earth fruits, growing freely in the Beast World.
She gathered a generous amount and stored them away, unease curling quietly in her chest as she stood.
Fifteen minutes later, the forest offered her another gift.
This ti, they were scattered along a gentle slope where sunlight filtered through thinner foliage. Small plants hugged the ground, their runners creeping through the damp soil. Nestled beneath the leaves were tiny strawberries, far smaller than the cultivated ones she rembered, but vivid in color. So were bright red, others a deeper shade, almost wine-colored, their seeds dotting the surface.
Another familiar fruit appeared.
[Na: Wild Strawberries]
[Origin: Fruit native to Earth]
[Description: Naturally occurring strawberries with intense flavor. Smaller in size but higher in fragrance and sweetness than cultivated varieties.]
Lavayla sighed softly and gathered them as well.
"This is getting ridiculous," she muttered under her breath.
They continued onward.
Not long after, her boot brushed against sothing firm beneath the mud. She paused, crouched, and brushed away the damp soil.
A knotted, golden-orange root erged.
Her breath stilled.
Turric.
[Na: Turric Root]
[Origin: Spice native to Earth]
[Description: A rhizo with strong dicinal and culinary properties. Known for anti-inflammatory effects and the ability to stabilize internal circulation when refined.]
Lavayla stared at it for a long mont before carefully extracting the rest of the cluster. The roots were thick, healthy, and plentiful.
A short distance away, sothing else caught her attention.
Thin vines crept along a fallen tree trunk, bearing clusters of small, green berries that had begun to darken.
She plucked one and crushed it lightly between her fingers. A sharp, familiar scent rose imdiately.
[Na: Black Pepper Berries]
[Origin: Spice native to Earth]
[Description: Dried berries produce black pepper. Enhances blood flow and improves absorption of dicinal compounds when combined with other ingredients.]
Her expression turned complicated. What was going on? Why was she finding so many plants at once? And they were not even native Beast World flora.
They were Earth crops.
Lavayla straightened slowly, her gaze sweeping across the surrounding forest. The trees were ancient, the soil rich and untad, the air heavy with mist and ambient energy. There were no signs of cultivation, no cleared land, no deliberate planting.
Yet everything she had found so far belonged to her original world.
Her unease deepened.
She took several more steps forward, her boot brushing aside a layer of fallen leaves. Beneath it, rounded bulbs peeked through the soil, their papery skins tinged with pale gold and white.
Lavayla froze.
She knelt and brushed the soil away more carefully, revealing several full clusters, mature and healthy, their scent faint but unmistakable.
Onions.
[Na: Onion]
[Origin: Vegetable native to Earth]
[Description: A layered bulb with strong aromatic compounds. Known for antibacterial properties, immune support, and stabilizing internal circulation when cooked or refined.]
She had not even finished storing those when she spotted the last one.
Short, hardy plants with narrow leaves grew stubbornly through the damp soil ahead, their fruits small, tapered, and vibrant red.
Lavayla closed her eyes for a brief second.
"...Tomatoes too."
She reached out, gently lifting one of the fruits.
Another panel appeared.
[Na: Tomato]
[Origin: Fruit native to Earth]
[Description: A juicy fruit rich in nutrients. Supports blood recovery, hydration, and internal balance. Highly compatible with dicinal refinent.]
After picking more than two handfuls, they resud walking. Lavayla checked on Vai first, then glanced at Mirek. He t her gaze and gave a clipped response.
"I’m okay."
She did not believe him, but she let it pass.
Twenty minutes later, Lavayla was convinced the basin had finally exhausted whatever strange generosity it possessed. She took a step forward, then looked down and slowly ca to a stop.
Opposite each other, growing in open defiance of logic, were two familiar plants.
Chili peppers and potatoes.
Her lips parted slightly.
How the hell could this place have both?
Clusters of slender plants clung to the damp soil on one side, their narrow leaves framing small, vivid red fruits that practically radiated heat. On the other, half-buried near the stream bank, a thick tuber jutted from the earth, its surface rough and unmistakable.
[Na: Wild Chili Peppers]
[Origin: Spice native to Earth]
[Description: Potent spice with heat-inducing properties. Stimulates circulation and temporarily boosts energy output.]
Lavayla straightened slowly, her gaze drifting over the forest around them.
A single tuber, thick and heavy, was half-buried near the stream bank.
Everything she had gathered so far ford a complete set, the kind normally found only in a well-stocked kitchen. Not scattered randomly through an untad Beast World basin.
Her eyes shifted to the tuber by the water.
She crouched and pulled it free, the weight solid in her hands.
[Na: Potato]
[Grade: Common]
[Description: A nutrient-dense root vegetable rich in ambient energy. Often used to restore stamina and stabilize the body after exhaustion.]
She gathered them quickly, almost chanically, barely sparing them another glance as the information chid softly in her mind.
This was no longer a coincidence.
Lavayla rose, her expression tightening as unease settled fully into her chest. She scanned the mist-laced forest once more, the ancient trees standing silent and indifferent around them.
She swallowed hard and glanced at Mirek.
He had stopped walking.
He stood a short distance away, his posture tense, eyes fixed on the plants with a predator’s wariness. He did not look confused. He looked cautious.
"This place," he said quietly, "does not feel natural."
Lavayla nodded slowly, her thoughts racing.
Earth fruits. Earth spices. Earth vegetables.
All growing deep within the Beast World, without human hands, without explanation.
And she had not been searching for them.
They had appeared in her path, one after another, as if placed deliberately.
Her fingers tightened around Vai as a cold realization settled in her chest.
This forest was not just rich in resources.
It was wrong.
And whatever had caused it might not be sothing she wanted to et while Mirek was carrying unstable chaotic energy in his body.
"We’re leaving," she said firmly.
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