Self-Harm or Sacrifice? Both.
After over a month in the Calm Plains, Ray had begun to adapt to the hunger and had started overcoming his skill's limitation. He had started making nutrients using his own mana, something he couldn't do before.
He was still going.
Barely.
But still going.
But now there was a problem.
Lina was hungry.
Ray would rather starve to death than have Lina go without a meal for once.
That's just his love for her.
So he did the impossible.
"Kiddo," he said to Lina with a smile. "Just take a nap, okay? Papa will wake you up when food is ready."
"Okay, papa." Lina, being a good little kid she is, listened to him as always.
Lina laid down on the grass, the short grass gently touching her skin.
Ray made a blanket and covered her with it.
After a few minutes, she drifted off to sleep.
Ray looked at her sleeping figure, her breathing slow and steady, like there's nothing to worry about in this world.
And honestly, there isn't anything for her to worry about anyway.
Because all the worrying duty belongs to Ray anyway.
After a few minutes, Ray walked a few steps away from her and sat down.
"Let's see if it works." he muttered to himself before closing his eyes.
He sat still, focusing deeply.
It took him a while but he managed to create some food.
He created steak, some fruits and vegies.
He turned towards Lina, who was still sound asleep.
"Wake up, kiddo. Food's ready." He said as he gently nudged her to wake her up.
Lina stirred a little. Then she sat up straight, rubbing her eyes.
"Already?" she said her voice low and husky because she just woke up.
But when she saw the food, she couldn't stop herself and ran towards it.
But before she started eating, she looked at Ray.
"Papa, will you eat with me this time?" she asked.
"No. I've eaten already." he replied with a smile. It was obviously a lie. His skin was pale, his cheeks were sunken slightly, he obviously looked weaker.
But to Lina, if Ray said he's eaten, that means he's eaten. She has absolute trust in her fa-...
father.
"Papa, come on! We haven't eaten together in so long!" she complained while pouting.
"Sorry, kiddo." Ray rubbed his forehead as he walked towards Lina and sat down beside her. "But I promise I will eat lots with you some other time."
That was enough to make Lina happy.
"Okay!" she said before immediately devouring the food. The steak, the fruits, the veggies(good kid), all of them.
Ray watched Lina eat with a smile on his face. But inside, there was something else going on.
"Thank goodness it worked!!!!" he said to himself internally in a voice that resembled panic and relief at the same time. "I never thought it would work."
What Ray did was simple:
He used the nutrients he worked so hard to create and put them into the food he created using his mana, eventually making food that could fill someone's stomach.
It wasn't easy. Extracting nutrients was hard as he had to squeeze it out of himself from wherever he stored it, which was both painful and difficult.
"I can do this like what, five more times?" he thought to himself. "Thank goodness I didn't use the nutrients myself. That was a smart move."
Smart, he says. It was smart for him to starve.
But again, this is Ray. If for Lina, he would do it a thousand times if he has to.
"Don't you worry, kiddo." he thought. "I'll make sure you never have to worry about anything. Like I've always did. And I'll continue to face anything if it means you'll be safe. You're the only one I have in this world."
Ray then looked up into the sky. "And I'll change the world for you. I'll keep my promise."
Will Ray be able to continue doing this for Lina?
Or will he ever hit a wall?
Or will he even be able to keep hos promise?
What even is the "promise" to begin with?
To be continued...