The lingering warmth of the teacup in Vikas's hands felt like a fragile anchor against the chill that had settled in his chest.
Earlier that afternoon, the moment they stepped out from the suffocating darkness of the dungeon, Vikas had paused under the harsh daylight, rubbing his forehead in quiet contemplation.
"Man, I haven't seen a single leaf of tea anywhere in this world," he had murmured to himself, staring at the unfamiliar cobblestone streets. "Is it even possible to find the right ingredients here? God, I miss it... it's been so long since I had a proper cup."
Driven by a quiet, aching sense of nostalgia, Vikas had navigated the dense, sensory-overload of the royal market. He stopped at a small dairy stall first, handing over a system coin in exchange for a clay jug of unpasteurized milk. Next, he wove through the crowded spice alleys, his eyes scanning every burlap sack until he spotted dried, aromatic leaves meant for herbal infusions, alongside a jar of golden, unrefined honey.
Back in the quiet kitchen of their rented residence, Vikas had stared down at the dried leaves with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
"It looks so strange, though..." he mused, watching the bright green hues catch the faint sunlight filtering through the window. "I've never seen tea leaves like this back home. Whatever... let's just make it."
Vikas snapped back to the present, his eyes widening as his gaze swept across the bare wooden counter.
"Wait," Vikas gasped, a sudden wave of panic hitting him. "What am I actually going to cook for dinner?!"
He paced back and forth, mentally running through their current state. They had all been pushing their physical limits to the absolute brink in the lower dungeon floors. A lazy, light meal wouldn't cut it. Their muscle fibers were torn, their energy reserves were depleted, and without a heavy, protein-rich recovery meal, tomorrow's training would be useless.
"No junk, no shortcuts. We need real, heavy meat," Vikas resolved, rushing back into the evening dusk.
He made his way directly to the butcher's district, stopping before a massive, stall framed by hanging cuts of heavy game. Behind the counter stood an imposing man—easily six feet tall, broad-shouldered, with a dense beard and a thick handlebar mustache that shadowed his stern face.
Vikas leaned over the worn wooden slab. "Hey... what kind of meat do you have available today?"
The butcher wiped a massive cleaver on his stained leather apron, his low voice rumbling like distant thunder. "Everything you need, kid. From fresh river duck all the way to wild monster game. Name your pick."
Vikas grimaced slightly at the mention of monster meat. "Goblin meat? Yeah, absolutely not."
"Do you have fresh duck and chicken?" Vikas asked.
"Oh, daily stock! Coming right up," the butcher grunted, his heavy blade making precise, practiced cuts through the poultry. As he wrapped the thick portions in butcher paper, he paused, his sharp eyes lingering on Vikas's face.
"Hey, kid... you're one of those new faces, aren't you? The ones who fought during the kingdom's breach?"
Vikas blinked, slightly caught off guard. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I hear things," the butcher replied, leaning his massive forearms against the counter. "Word traveled fast from the frontlines. A handful of young outsiders—barely adults, looking just like you—stood their ground when the breach happened. A lot of seasoned high-rankers folded or died when that towering monstrosity broke through, but a few kids held the line and survived. You fit the exact look. Were you there?"
Vikas looked down for a moment, rubbing the back of his neck as a modest smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah... yeah, I was one of them."
The butcher slammed a heavy hand down on the counter, a rare, genuine warmth breaking through his rugged face. "Then this meat is on the house. Take it. Not a single coin from you."
Vikas's eyes widened, his hands instantly waving in refusal. "Wait, no! Man, I can't just take all this for free, that's way too much!"
"Listen to me, kid," the man said firmly, sliding the neatly wrapped package directly into Vikas's arms. "Don't be stubborn. Consider it a small token from someone who still has a roof over his head because of what you kids did. Thanks for risking your neck out there."
Vikas gripped the package tightly, a quiet weight settling in his chest at the man's words. "Thank you... truly. I'll remember this."
He hurried back through the fading twilight, stepping into the kitchen with a renewed sense of purpose. Activating his culinary proficiency, Vikas got to work—slicing, seasoning, and searing the meat over an open flame. The sharp sizzle of fat and the mouthwatering aroma of garlic and herbs quickly filled the house, and for a brief moment, Vikas found himself humming a familiar melody from home, lost in the therapeutic rhythm of cooking.
CREAK—!
The heavy front door swung open. Rei and Aryan walked in, supporting a visibly trembling Nakamu. The guy was drenched from head to toe in sweat, his limbs visibly shaking from the grueling 200-kilogram weight run Aryan had forced upon him.
"If I don't wash this sweat off right now, I might actually collapse and die," Nakamu wheezed, his voice barely a whisper.
All three headed straight for the bathhouse, scrubbing away the grime, blood, and dungeon dust. By the time they emerged, draped in clean tunic robes, Vikas had already set the long wooden dining table.
"Man, that smells unbelievable, Vikas!" Aryan called out, his stomach letting out an ungodly rumble as he pulled out a bench.
Moments later, Junie and Miku walked through the entrance. The subtle tension that had hung between them earlier seemed to have softened; they looked close, conversing in hushed, quiet tones before washing up and taking their seats.
Vikas walked out from the kitchen carrying steaming wooden platters laden with perfectly roasted duck and tender chicken, placing them squarely in the center.
"Alright, dig in while it's hot," Vikas said warmly, turning to place a fully loaded plate at an empty spot near the edge of the table.
Nakamu, picking up his utensils, paused mid-motion. His eyes drifted to the extra setting.
"Hey, Vikas... who's that plate for?"
Vikas froze. His hand hovered in mid-air over the ceramic rim, and his expression instantly shattered. His heart sank straight to the pit of his stomach as the realization hit him—he had set that spot out of pure, unthinking muscle memory.
Its Ayush's.
"Oh..." Vikas's voice trailed off into a fragile, hollow whisper. He slowly pulled the plate back toward himself, his fingers trembling slightly. "Sorry... my bad. Force of habit."
A quiet, suffocating stillness descended upon the room. The cheerful warmth of the meal instantly evaporated, replaced by an unbearable weight. No one moved. No one spoke. The empty chair at the end of the table seemed to grow larger, a stark, painful reminder of the companion who wasn't there to share the meal with them. The silence stretched, thick and aching, as everyone stared down at their food, unable to swallow the sudden lump in their throats.
Seeing the atmosphere turn so deeply tragic, Miku swallowed hard, her fingers tightly lacing together in her lap. She drew a slow, shaky breath to break the silence.
"We... Junie and I tried everything at the archives today," Miku began, her voice soft, carrying a heavy burden. "We combed through every single historical index, geographical chart, and territorial record the kingdom has. But... every single path led to a complete dead end. There is no record of that continent anywhere. It doesn't exist on any map. And that man—the one who led the attack... there isn't a single line of text written about his existence in any text."
Aryan's hands clenched into tight, white-knuckled fists beneath the table, the wood creaking under his grip. "Still... there has to be something. A reference, a myth, an old legend! Anything! Is there really not a single clue?!"
Junie and Miku remained silent, keeping their gazes fixed on the table. Aryan slowly let his shoulders drop, a bitter, hollow disappointment washing over his eyes as he leaned back against the wall.
Miku bit her lower lip so hard it nearly bled. She looked up, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
"There's... there's something else I haven't told you," Miku confessed, her voice trembling with raw guilt. "I kept it hidden because... because I couldn't even make sense of it myself when it happened. When our ship was pulling away from that shore... I kept staring back at the horizon. The island was right there. I could see the mountains, the dark sky, everything. But then... in a single, silent instant..."
She looked straight into Aryan's eyes, her voice cracking. "...it just vanished. The land, the atmosphere, the birds, the ocean currents around it... the entire continent completely ceased to exist. It was gone."
DEAD SILENCE.
Aryan's breath hitched in his throat. The color drained from his face as a cold, paralyzing dread gripped his entire body. Beside him, Rei's calm demeanor shattered completely, his eyes wide with disbelief. Nakamu, Junie, and Vikas sat frozen, as if the air had been sucked out of the room.
BANG—!
Aryan slammed his palms onto the table, standing up so violently his bench flipped backward, clattering loudly against the stone floor!
"WHAT?!" Aryan yelled, his voice strained with pure shock and rising panic. "How is that even possible?! Why... why the hell didn't you tell us this from the start?!"
Miku flinched, a tear finally escaping and running down her cheek as she bowed her head in sheer regret. "I'm sorry! I know how it sounds! I knew that if I told you the island literally erased itself, everyone would lose their mind! We would have fallen into total despair thinking he was gone forever! I didn't want us to give up... I want to save Ayush just as much as you do! I just wanted us to keep holding on!"
Before the tension could explode any further, Vikas reached across the table, his grip firm and steady as he caught Aryan's trembling forearm, pulling him back down.
"Sit down, Aryan. Just breathe," Vikas said softly, his own voice carrying a quiet, heavy sorrow. He looked over at Miku, his eyes devoid of anger, offering only gentle understanding.
"It's not Miku's fault, man. She wasn't trying to deceive us... she was just trying to keep our hope alive when everything else was falling apart. Don't direct your frustration at her." Vikas offered Miku a small, reassuring nod. "And Miku... don't worry. No one here is angry with you. We're just... crushed. But please, don't shoulder secrets like that alone again. We're in this together."