Chapter 43: Chapter 43 — Let It Out
The heavy wooden gates of the village swung wide open with a dull, metallic groan that seemed to vibrate straight through my teeth. The evening air was thick with dust, the sour stench of the warriors’ accumulated sweat, and the sickly-sweet reek of fresh blood.
Around me, the path was a seething mass of noise and euphoria. The hunters marched with their chests puffed out, raising their fists toward the dusky sky.
One of them walked past me dragging the enormous skull of a tusked boar, its lifeless eyes already gathering flies; another proudly hoisted the severed head of a steppe feline, shaking its blood-soaked mane so the droplets sprayed the cheering crowd lining the road. Women shouted their praises, children pointed in awe, and tribal pride hung over us all like a dense fog.
I, on the other hand, was dragging my feet. My hands, empty and numb, felt strangely light, devoid of any bow or spear. I kept my eyes fixed on the mud, watching the tips of my boots as I trudged forward with my head low.
The weight in my chest wasn’t physical; it was the crushing echo of the canyon, the tactile memory of my own bones shattering, and the harrowing recollection of someone else’s pain. I felt a stab of corrosive shame at the thought of returning empty-handed to the women who depended on me, but at the same time, the mere idea of drawing a bowstring again to take a life for sport turned my stomach.
The thirst for the hunt, the absurd desire for glory that had driven me into the forest that morning, had completely dissolved in the mire of that cave.
"Daddy!"
The sharp little voice cut through the clamor of drums and the crude laughter of the men. I looked up, blinking against the reddish light of the sunset.
There, right at the edge of the main square, stood them. Samira rose above the crowd, with her imposing presence and her long purple hair falling over her shoulders; beside her, Chimera watched the parade of hunters with an expression of absolute boredom. And clinging to Samira’s dress, Lia peered through the mass of people until her eyes lit up upon finding me.
The girl let go of the fabric and ran in my direction, zigzagging between the legs of the burly warriors with the agility of a small forest creature.
I dropped to one knee, opening my arms just in time for Lia to crash into my chest. Her little body was a whirlwind of warmth and pure vitality. I wrapped her tightly, burying my face in her hair, breathing in that clean, homey scent that yanked me back to reality. Her small arms clung fiercely around my neck. In that instant, surrounded by the festive carnage of the village, the weight of the world seemed to lighten a little.
I rose to my feet, carrying her on my hip, and walked with hesitant steps toward where my waifus were waiting. My face felt hot with pure shame. I could barely hold their gaze.
"Welcome home, Hal," Samira said. Her lips curved into a soft smile, unusually warm for her reserved temperament.
I tried to mirror her expression, but the result was a tired, crooked grimace.
"I’m sorry..." I murmured, squeezing Lia a little tighter against me. "I’ve come back empty-handed. I didn’t bring any trophy, any head for you... Nothing to boast about."
I swallowed, bracing for the moral blow. In my head, still accustomed to the power dynamics of the system and the pride of this savage world, I feared seeing a spark of contempt in Samira’s violet eyes. I expected her to tell me a warrior does not return without prey, or for Chimera’s gaze to turn cold at my weakness.
But their faces remained serene, without a trace of the hostility I was inflicting on myself.
"It’s all right, my love," Samira replied, stepping forward and gently stroking Lia’s cheek before resting her warm hand on my shoulder. "The hunt is fickle. Perhaps next year fortune will be on your side. What matters is that you have returned to us."
Chimera stepped to my other flank, nodding in silence with a softness in her gaze she rarely showed in public.
Without another word, Samira intertwined her hand with my left arm, while Chimera clung to my right. With Lia in my arms and flanked by the steady warmth of both, we began the walk back to our house, turning our backs on the bloody bustle of the square.
---
The rest of the afternoon passed in a haze of everyday peace. I devoted myself entirely to the children, letting myself be swept away by their laughter and simple games on the wooden floor of the living room. I made an effort to smile, to answer their curious questions, trying to use their innocence as a shield against the images of the canyon that remained seared behind my eyelids. We ate dinner together, sharing bread and hot stew in an atmosphere that felt strangely sacred after having touched death.
Finally, night settled over the village, bringing with it a deep, dense silence. The children fell asleep one by one, leaving the house wrapped in a cozy dimness.
In the main bedroom, the silver moonlight filtered through the large wooden window, drawing cold lines across the blankets of our big bed. I was lying in the middle, my back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling beams. To my left, Samira rested with her head propped on her hand, watching me in silence; to my right, Chimera lay on her side, her eyes fixed on my profile.
The weight of my secret was a burning ember lodged in my throat. I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep if I didn’t let it out.
"Girls..." My voice sounded rough in the stillness of the room. "I need to tell you what really happened today in the canyon. Everything."
Both of them sat up immediately, giving me their absolute attention, which filled me with the courage I was missing.
I took a breath and began to speak. I confessed how I had ventured into the depths of the cave in search of worthy prey and how I had come across the titan. I described to them in full detail the brutality of the attack, the unbearable crunch of my own ribs collapsing under his stone fist, and the suffocating agony of my own end.
Upon hearing that I had died, Samira stifled a moan and her fingers dug sharply into the sheet, while Chimera tensed completely, her eyes wide open in the dim light.
I continued with the account, guiding them through the haze of my own death: the absolute void, the sudden appearance of the old kitchen from my childhood on Earth, and the encounter with my mother’s soul. I told them about my shame, the regret I carried for having been a coward selfishly devoted to internet arguments while she faded away alone, and how, in that limbo, she had held me and forgiven my weaknesses.
My voice trembled as I described the painful reconstruction of my body, the violent return of life to my lungs, and the final confrontation with the giant. I told them about the runic collar I used to understand his laments, discovering that the "monster" was only a desperate father mourning the loss of his babies, crushed by the recklessness of human hunters. I confessed how I knelt before him in the mud, owning my own wretchedness, and how I used the power of the Box of Muluk not to destroy, but to work a miracle and restore life to his two small cubs.
By the time I spoke the last words, tears were streaming freely and hot down my cheeks, soaking the pillow. The weeping I had held back all day burst forth with an uncontrollable force, shaking my shoulders in a muffled, liberating sob.
Samira and Chimera remained motionless for a few seconds, absorbing the magnitude of what they had just heard. The revelation that their master had crossed the threshold of death, carrying the pain of a distant past, and that he had chosen to forgive and heal instead of subjugate, completely transformed the air in the room.
Without warning, Samira slid toward me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me with an astonishing yet infinitely tender firmness, burying my damp face against the warmth of her chest. Her hand began to stroke my hair with a slow, protective rhythm.
"Cry, Hal. Let it out, once and for all," she whispered against my ear, her voice so soft and devoid of any trace of severity that it finished shattering my defenses. "You don’t have to carry that guilt alone anymore. We’re here with you. You have us."
Almost at the same time, Chimera pressed herself against my back. She wrapped her arms around my torso, pressing her damp forehead against the nape of my neck, trapping me in a cocoon of absolute warmth that instantly dispelled the lingering cold of the cave.
"You’ve matured, Harold," Chimera murmured, her voice slightly cracked. "The man who came back to this house today is a thousand times stronger and worthier than the one who left this morning. You saved a family. You saved yourself."
I was surprised to hear such words come from Chimera’s lips, but what could I do?
Held by both of them, feeling the steady beat of their hearts against my skin and the unconditional comfort of their words, I let the tears flow until the ache in my chest turned into a peaceful exhaustion, lulled by the certainty that, in this strange world, I had finally found my true home.
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