Ch 10

  With that, we split up. Ankit and Rocky headed to their homes, while Maya, my uncle, and I walked toward ours. As soon as my mother saw us, she began to run. I could see the tears streaming down her face and the redness in her eyes even from a distance. I hated seeing her in such pain, so I sped up to meet her.

  "My children! What have they done to you?" she wailed, her voice breaking as she saw ocharred shoulders and the raw, unhealed skin on my face. She looked at Maya, my brother and my uncle, seeing they were in the same battered state. Without a word, she activated her healing power.

  I felt her Prana—gentle and desperate—entering my body. But because she was only Level 4, the effect was minimal compared to the massive damage I had sustained. I felt a surge of warmth in my heart seeing her try so hard, but also a pang of sadness. She was crying uncontrollably, her soul aching for the wounds she couldn't fully mend.

  "Come now, my dear Mummy, let’s go inside. It isn't safe to stay out here," I said softly, guiding her toward the door. She clung to me, buried her face against my chest, and sobbed uncontrollably; it felt as if her tears would never run dry. I looked over at my father.

  He was standing perfectly still, enveloped in a heavy silence, but I could see the lingering shadows of pain in his eyes. He simply nodded at me, a silent acknowledgment of my survival. Between us, no words were needed.

  The moment we stepped inside, my mother frantically tried to heal the four of us again. Her hands were trembling as she channeled her meager Prana. I gently stopped her, urging her to rest. "We can heal ourselves over time, Mummy. We are out of danger now, so please, just take it easy." Only after repeated assurances did she finally begin to calm down.

  I watched as my aunt hurried toward my uncle, her face etched with worry as she began to tend to his wounds. We eventually settled in the courtyard, the familiar surroundings offering a strange sense of normalcy amidst the chaos. As the weight of the day finally began to settle on our shoulders, we simply sat there in the quiet of our home.

  My eyes drifted toward the trees standing outside our house—ancient giants that had skyrocketed to forty or fifty meters in height. The trunks were massive, some two meters thick, and the surrounding grass had evolved into a dense, waist-high thicket. But as my gaze climbed the branches of one particular tree, I froze. My jaw dropped in utter disbelief.

  "Is... is that a papaya?"

  It was a vibrant mix of pale green and golden yellow, hanging like a divine fruit from the canopy. My mouth watered instantly. The size was staggering—nearly a meter and a half in length and equally wide. Growing up in this village, I had seen a papaya tree in almost every backyard, but the largest I’d ever seen was maybe thirty centimeters. This thing was a titan.

  Despite the lingering fatigue, the temptation was too great. I manifested my Silver Bow, my hands feeling significantly better thanks to Fatima’s healing. I looked at Maya. "Maya, get under it. Catch it gently." Even Maya was stunned, but she moved into position beneath the towering branches.

  I took a steady breath, aimed for the thick stem, and loosed a precise arrow. The fruit snapped clean and tumbled through the air; Maya caught it with a grunt, her arms wrapping around the massive weight.

  It was colossal—over a meter and half long and nearly fifty centimeters wide.

  "Amit, the skin feels like armor," Maya said, struggling to carry the giant fruit toward us. Her eyes were wide, mirrored by the shock on the faces of my brother, Ajeet, and my parents.

  I decided to test it. Using my [Space Manifestation], I crafted a serrated, glowing blade. I activated my [Strength Attribute], feeling the power surge back into my muscles, though it came with a dull ache. I pressed the blade into the skin. At first, there was a strange resistance, as if I were cutting through reinforced leather, but once the blade pierced the rind, it slid through as if cutting through butter.

  The moment the fruit split, an aroma so sweet and rich erupted that it filled the entire courtyard. My stomach roared in protest. I realized then that we hadn't eaten since the world turned upside down; we had gone from peaceful morning to a war for survival without a single bite. Looking at that glistening, orange flesh, the hunger hit me so hard I felt like I could devour the entire thing in one sitting

  The fragrance was so intoxicating that I couldn't wait a second longer. I sliced through the thick rind, expecting the interior to be as tough as the skin, but to my amazement, the flesh was incredibly soft and tender, just like a normal papaya. It was as if the evolution had only hardened the shell to protect the treasure inside.

  I carved the titan fruit into massive sections, and we began to eat. The moment that golden-orange flesh hit my tongue, it felt like an explosion of pure bliss. I had never tasted anything so divine in my entire life—so succulent, so unnaturally sweet. Every luxury or delicacy from the old world seemed pale and tasteless compared to this single bite.

  I looked around at the others through mouthfuls of fruit; they were in the same state of trance, completely lost in the overwhelming sweetness. Our morning of starvation was forgotten as the fruit filled our stomachs, bringing a profound sense of peace.

  Before we knew it, the entire meter-long papaya was gone. I lay back on the ground, my stomach bulging, feeling like I had grown twice my size. Maya, Ajit, and my aunt and uncle were all slumped beside me in a similar state of "food coma."

  "I've never eaten anything so delicious," I groaned, my body heavy with satisfaction. "I want more, but I think my stomach would literally burst if I took another bite."

  Maya and the others simply nodded, too full to even speak.

  But then, the atmosphere changed. A strange, creeping warmth began to radiate from the pit of my stomach. Slowly, it grew into a searing heat, spreading through my veins and into every limb.

  For a moment, panic flared—had we made a mistake? Was the fruit toxic? My skin began to glow with a faint, amber radiance, and I could feel the heat intensifying until my entire body felt like it was smoldering. I glanced sideways and saw the others experiencing the same thing—we were all burning from the inside out.

  The intense heat spreading through my body forced us into action. We scrambled for the water pump and began drinking frantically. The moment the cool water hit my stomach, the internal fire began to subside. It felt incredibly good.

  It was then I realized we hadn't consumed actual food or water since the invasion began. The Prana points had healed our wounds, but our bodies were severely depleted of raw energy. The System might provide stats, but it couldn't negate basic human needs.

  The heat slowly faded, replaced by a deep, cooling sensation. A wave of profound relaxation washed over me. My muscles, which had been tight with fatigue, suddenly felt loose and refreshed. When I looked at my hands, I felt a surge of new strength; it was as if my muscles were denser, more powerful.

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  I noticed my Defense attribute felt different, too. It confirmed my theory: allocating Prana points into the Earth Chakra increases your base stats and defense percentage, but the body still requires actual nutrition—real-world energy—to run the system effectively. You need both Prana and food to grow stronger.

  After a few minutes, the burning sensation was completely gone, and my stomach felt empty again. But when I flexed my hands, they felt light and powerful. I felt rejuvenated, better than ever before.

  I decided to test my theory further. I channeled my Water Prana (17) throughout my entire body, and the feeling was incredible. I could actually see the residual redness and burns fading from my skin as the Prana combined with the new energy from the evolved fruit.

  I looked at Maya. The minor burns on her face and shoulders were still visible. "Maya! Quickly!" I commanded, "Channel your Water Prana through your body!"

  She did as I said, and the speed at which her burns faded was astonishing. The others did the same. We could feel the itching as new skin rapidly formed. The evolved fruit, combined with our Prana, was the ultimate healing elixir.

  "Amit! Your face... the burns on your shoulders! They’re actually vanishing!" Maya exclaimed, her voice filled with a mixture of shock and pure, radiant joy. She looked at me as if she were witnessing a miracle.

  "You should see yourself, my beautiful Maya. The same is happening to you," I teased her, watching the redness on her skin fade into a healthy glow.

  For a while, we sat there, letting the combination of the Evolved Papaya and our Water Prana work through our systems. I could feel the deep-seated fatigue and the bone-weary exhaustion finally lifting. However, I could still sense a lingering trace of tiredness; it wasn't completely gone. It was a vital lesson learned: Prana and Stats are the engine, but food and water are the fuel.

  Even with my high Defense (17) and Earth Prana, my body couldn't maintain its equilibrium without energy. I realized then that normal, old-world food wouldn't be enough anymore. To support our evolved bodies and sustain our high-tier skills, we would need to consume Evolved Nutrients—fruits, vegetables, and perhaps even meat of the Rifts. Our survival now depended on harvesting the very world that was trying to kill us.

  "Ajit! Go find Ankit and Rocky," I ordered, the heavy sweetness of the evolved papaya still lingering on my tongue. "Tell them to eat the evolved fruit or vegetable planted back of the houses. It heals faster than any Prana."

  "Okay, Brother," Ajeet replied, and with a burst of Air Prana , he was out the door and gone in a flash of motion.

  A short while later, the front door creaked open again. It was Lori. She padded inside, her nose twitching, the air filled with the rich, sugary scent of the papaya we had just devoured. She sniffed around the empty husks of the rind on the floor, her tail flicking with primal instinct. She looked up at us, her eyes wide, as if judging us for our gluttony.

  "Oh, come here, Lori-Beti (Daughter)!" my mother cooed, her maternal instincts kicking in instantly. Her demeanor shifted completely from silent terror to affectionate nurturing. "Amit, go pick another papaya! We must feed our precious girl!"

  I knew this would happen. The moment the cat arrived, my status as the world-saving warrior evaporated into the background. I smiled and headed out to the garden.

  After retrieving another titan-fruit, I returned to find Lori already enjoying her feast. I quickly changed my clothes inside the house, and Maya and I emerged into the courtyard. The recovery phase of the village had begun.

  Construction was in full swing. Men were already moving the massive, iron-like lumber from the groves, while the women had organized to harvest the tough, wire-like grass for roofing and armor. I approached a group of survivors to understand the plan.

  "We're going to build one massive structure first," one of the builders explained, his hands already rough with labor. "We'll worry about individual rooms later. For now, we just need a reinforced roof over everyone's heads."

  It was a smart strategy. The sounds of chopping axes and the tearing of grass filled the air—the new music of survival. I watched the builders, their movements fluid and precise, perfectly suited to their System professions. They might not be warriors, but their skills were the bedrock of our new civilization.

  "We’ll have the main hall ready by dawn," the builder grunted, his voice thick with the exhaustion of a man defying nature. "The rest can wait until tomorrow. Tonight, we just need a roof to keep the frost out."

  As the orange glow of the sunset bled into a bruised, indigo twilight, we made our way back to Fatima. Her hands, glowing with a soft, rhythmic emerald light, worked wonders on our remaining aches. The survivors from the market also received treatment; even Rocky’s father, whose leg had been broken, was already standing.

  The combination of Fatima’s Prana and the nutrient-dense Evolved Papaya had accelerated his recovery to a miraculous degree.

  Fatima herself looked invigorated. I could tell her Level was climbing steadily. In this new world, the deeper the wound she closed, the more massive the experience spike she received. I felt a fleeting urge to ask for her Status Window, to see the numerical depth of her healing potential, but I bit my tongue. We hadn't built that level of trust yet, and in the shadow of a massacre, such curiosity felt cold, almost rude.

  Night fell, swallowing the village in a heavy, suffocating darkness, broken only by the rhythmic thudding of construction tools. Restless, I climbed to the rooftop.

  From this vantage point, the Rift was a jagged, obsidian scar against the star-dusted sky. It looked like a silent, hungry mouth waiting to swallow the world again. I stood there, the biting chill of the air nipping at my skin, filled with a sudden, paralyzing dread. What would emerge tomorrow? Would my parents survive the next sun? Would Ajit, or my Maya... would they still be breathing by next week? The thought was a cold blade twisting in my gut.

  Lost in my dark contemplations, I didn't hear the light padding of footsteps behind me. Suddenly, a warm hand slipped into mine. I looked up to see Maya, her silhouette silvered by the moonlight. I hadn't even sensed her arrival.

  I pulled her into my arms, holding her with a desperate strength as if to anchor her to reality. She clung back just as fiercely, her head resting against my heart.

  "Are you okay?" I whispered, my voice thick with emotion. "If there’s anything... any fear or pain you’re carrying, you can tell me. You don't have to be strong alone.”

  Hearing my question, Maya pulled her head from my chest and looked up at me. Her eyes, red-rimmed from earlier tears, searched my face with an intense, penetrating gaze that made me deeply uncomfortable.

  "What is it, Maya?" I asked, my voice slightly hoarse.

  "You can drop the act now, Amit," she said, her voice soft but firm. "You don't need to hide anything from me. I don't know how you're managing to pull off this 'calm leader' facade tonight, but you shouldn't be. You can't usually hide your emotions, but seeing you so controlled now... it scares me more than any monster."

  This was the exact conversation I had feared. Maya knew me better than my own parents. She saw the truth behind my mask. As her words hit me, my body reacted instantly. It felt as if my consciousness was being ripped from my physical form. My mind raced, but my body became uncontrollable.

  My hands started to tremble. The shivering began in my fingers and spread through my chest like an electrical shock,. I was sweating, yet I felt an icy cold—as if I were standing naked in an Arctic blizzard, despite my high Earth Defense (17). I wanted to stop the tremors, but my muscles had a mind of their own.

  I gritted my teeth, trying to lock my jaw to stop the shaking, but it was useless. Finally, through chattering teeth, I managed to force out a single, fractured question.

  "S-s-since when...?" My voice was vibrating, mirroring the violent shaking of my entire frame.

  "Since the beginning. Since the moment I met you," Maya replied, a hiccup catching in her throat as she started to cry again. "I swear, I was more afraid of seeing you act that way than I was of the second Stalker. You were too calm, Amit! You always let your emotions show, but in the market today, you were just... a machine. It terrified me.”

  "I looked down at my hands—they were blurred, vibrating so fast. I touched my face; the skin felt cold and clammy, the muscles taut with a fear I had tried so hard to bury. After a heavy, suffocating silence, I forced the words out of my throat again.

  "Then tell me, Maya... what am I supposed to do?" My voice was a jagged whisper. "The mere thought of losing any of you... it makes my very soul shiver. Tell me, how do I stay sane?"

  Maya didn't answer with words. She pulled me into a fierce, crushing embrace, tucking my head against her chest as if trying to shield me from the world. Her warmth began to seep through my cold skin.

  "You don't have to carry this burden alone, Amit," she whispered into my hair, her voice thick with emotion. "I am here with you. We are all here. Nothing is going to happen to us as long as we are together. Just... just stay calm. That’s all I want from you. Just breathe."

  Slowly, the violent tremors began to subside. The icy grip on my heart loosened as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her like a drowning man clings to a lifeline. I was terrified of being left alone, but I was even more afraid of failing to protect them. As I felt her heart beating against mine, a new resolve began to take root amidst the ruins of my fear. I couldn't afford to be weak. No matter what happened to me, I would not let them fade into ash.

  I felt Maya's hands gently stroking my hair, and in that moment, the isolation of being a 'Slayer' vanished. Having someone stand by you in your darkest hour, someone to share the weight of your soul.