Chapter 35: Chapter 35: The New Hearth
Kellar stood by the wooden window frame, looking out at the vast white landscape. The bedroom behind him was quiet, the air still holding the thick, musky warmth of the night. His three beautiful women lay tangled together naked in the straw, their pale skin glowing in the faint morning light.
As an engineer, he had spent years training his body to survive on minimal sleep, a habit that remained even in this world.
"I need to start early," said Kellar. "Shit, there is so much to do."
Mila shifted in the straw, her eyes snapping open the moment she realized his warmth was gone from the bed. Her sudden movement woke Maya and Meli, who sat up rubbing their eyes, their dark and light brown hair falling messy over their bare shoulders.
"What is wrong, Kellar...?" asked Mila.
"I must start early today," said Kellar. "I will finish building the hearth and the ventilation so we can officially start."
He paused, looking down at the three of them naked on the straw, his eyes tracking the curves of their pale bodies before he licked his lips.
"Our family," said Kellar.
Maya laughed, while Mila and Meli smiled, crawling out of the straw to wrap their bare arms around his warm frame from all sides.
"Yes, family," said Maya.
"I am going back to the village to retrieve our winter furs and tools," said Kellar.
"We are coming with you," said Meli.
"The path will be freezing, you should stay here," said Kellar.
"We are not leaving your side, boy," said Meli.
Kellar nodded, knowing there was no arguing with them. The four of them pulled on their rough leather tunics, securing the knots against the cold. When Kellar slid the thick main door open, the entire valley had been transformed into a blinding, endless white.
"Look at this..." whispered Mila.
The wind had died down compared to the roaring storm of the night, leaving the thick blanket of snow to trap the ambient heat and keep the air still. Seeing their white breaths puffing into the crisp, quiet air, the four of them broke into a fast run, charging through the deep snow back toward the village.
As they dashed through the snow, a flash of white blurred across the drifts. With a silent leap, the white cat landed on Kellar’s shoulder, digging her small claws into his tunic. It had become her favorite spot.
"Master, I found a threat nearby yesterday," said the cat, her voice echoing into Kellar’s mind through their mental link. "It wanted to attack you all. However... I could not kill it. I am sorry."
Kellar slowed his pace , his eyebrows furrowing. The white cat was lethal; he hadn’t expected her to fail a hunt.
"Don’t worry about it now," thought Kellar. He glanced sideways at the small creature resting on his shoulder. "Besides, I haven’t even given you a name yet. Calling you just ’white cat’ doesn’t sound right for our relationship. From now on, I will call you Freyja."
The cat purred against his neck pleased with the name of the ancient northern beauty.
"What is it, Kellar...?" asked Mila, noticing him staring at his shoulder.
"Nothing, just my little friend who decided to return," said Kellar, pointing to the cat resting on his shoulder.
Freyja looked down at the others with an arrogant, superior glint in her eyes. Mila, who was the only one who truly knew how powerful and lethal that small creature could be went rigid. She kept her guard up, keeping a close eye on the cat and praying it wouldn’t turn hostile.
However, Freyja did nothing. She remained perched on Kellar’s shoulder, enjoying the ride until they made it back to the village entrance.
"Go pack your belongings," said Kellar. "I will come help you as soon as I gather my own things."
Maya and Kellar split from the other two, heading straight back to their own hut. Inside, nothing had changed since the day before. Kellar began sorting through the mess, picking only useful survival gear like spare clothing and thick furs. Most of the items in the hut looked worn out, regular junk to his eyes. Maya, however, didn’t want to leave anything behind clutching old clay jars.
"Leave those behind," said Kellar. "I will make much better ones once we get back to the house."
"Fine," said Maya putting them down with a sigh.
As Kellar shook out his old clothing from the day before, a small object tumbled out of the folds and hit the dirt floor. It looked like a tiny, wrinkled red fruit.
"What is this...?" muttered Kellar.
It was the Vitality Nutrient Potion he hadn’t checked the day before. As his eyes locked onto it, the familiar system interface projected a floating blue screen in front of him. He tapped it, bringing up the item details.
> [Item: Vitality Nutrient Potion]
> Description: A rare, condensed fruit harvested from the Yggdrasil Sprout Tree.
> Effect: Enhances the user’s base Vitality and physical stamina.
"Vitality...?" thought Kellar. "I guess it will just make me healthier and give me more endurance."
Without hesitating, Kellar tossed the wrinkled fruit toward his mouth. But before it could clear his lips, a flash of white blurred past his face. Freyja snapped it right out of the air with her jaws.
"Hey...!" said Kellar.
"Master, this looks delicious," Freyja’s voice echoed in his mind, her jaws clamped around the red fruit as she landed on the floor. She looked up at him, her slit pupils widening with resentment. "You promised you would feed me, yet you haven’t given me anything to eat."
Kellar blinked, his hand freezing mid-air as he looked down at the cat.
He remembered the system prompt from before. The only thing this lethal white cat consumed to survive and grow was vitality. But according to the rules of this world, the source of vitality she was supposed to eat from him was his semen.
If this wrinkled red fruit from the system could satisfy her hunger... did that mean the fruit contained the exact same type vitality as his own seed?
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