Chapter 121- Mysterious Forest (Part 2)
The trio landed safely with the parachutes in the heart of the forest. For one reason or another, the place was oddly quiet and there was no presence of animals anywhere.
"This place is hot," Eva murmured to herself as she looked around.
The first thing she noticed about the forest was the sheer concentration of Origin here. It was far more present and way purer. Well, not as pure as the Origin in the Frozen Plains but it was still impressive.
"Hmm, there are some rather expensive fruits growing up here." Kaya walked toward a tree and picked up one of the fruits. "Uhiaquat. These things go for thousands of dollars a pound." She said as she put the fruit in her pocket.
"The supply of food here is abundant. You won't need any of the food you bring with you." Kai said.
"... Excuse me?" Eva asked with a confused expression.
"You will be hunting what you're going to eat. If you don't hunt then you're not going to eat." Kai explained as he cut some tree branches that obstructed his way and started walking.
The two girls looked at each other before they sighed and nodded their heads.
'This is going to be a struggle.' The two thought to themselves. Neither Kaya nor Eva were huge fans of meat, especially fatty meat like that of wild animals. But, since Kai told them that they will have to eat that, they would do it no question asked.
The trio continued their journey through the forest quietly for quite a while until Kaya felt like she needed to ask.
"Where are we going exactly?"
"You will see soon."
"..."
A few minutes later, they reached what seemed to be an open area with a small hill in the middle. It was grassy and even like a plain and right in the middle of it stood a small wooden house that seemed to be as old as the forest itself.
"This is the place," Kai said coldly. A weird hint flashed in his eyes for a second seeing that house. The wave of nostalgia that hit him was huge but he was able to keep his composure as if nothing happened.
"A wooden hut? Why is such a thing here?" Eva murmured.
"How did you know that there is such a thing in the middle of this forest?" Kaya took the opportunity to ask.
"It's because I lived here when I was young," Kai said as he walked forward, ignoring the shocked expressions on his companions.
"You lived here?!" (x2) They said at the same time with a loud tone.
Immediately, Kaya and Eva started looking around again, engraving the details better this time. Who thought that their beloved had actually lived in the middle of a forest when he was young?
'This place is even prohibited for Origin users to enter because it's dangerous and yet Kai lived in it when he was merely younger than 8 years old.' Eva thought to herself. Well, it was the least expected from Kai.
The trio continued walking to the cabin in silence. The two girls felt rather nervous now that they realized how important this place was. Depending on what they could find inside, it could reveal some of Kai's childhood to them.
There was a small terrace at the front with a swinging chair near the balcony, overseeing the beautiful forest. The whole place was filled with dust.
Looking around, Kai's aura calmed down for a bit as if he was paying respect to the place silently.
Looking at the swinging chair, he was about back to memory lane when he quickly averted his eyes and continued walking toward the entrance. It wasn't time to start remembering things.
"This place looks beautiful even though it has been left alone for a long time." Kaya praised honestly.
There was a sense of familiarity around this cabin that she liked. It was as if even though the people that lived here a long time ago have already left, their memories still protected this place and kept it calm and serene, just how they wanted it to be.
'I guess Kai's life here wasn't as bad as I thought?' Eva had the same thoughts.
Opening the door, Kai stepped inside the cabin and a whiff of woody smell entered his nostrils that almost knocked his head back to 12 years ago.
"It didn't change, huh." He murmured.
The interior was a rather simple setting. There were exactly three bedrooms, one living room, one small kitchen, and one bathroom. There was simple furniture inside and even utensils for cooking put in an orderly fashion above the kitchen counter.
"Woah! I like this place."
"Me too. Its simplicity is really charming." Eva added.
"Put your luggage down and come back here. We will need to clean this place up before settling in." Kai said as he walked toward one of the bedrooms.
"Isn't Kai acting slightly weird?" Eva whispered to Kaya secretly.
"Maybe he's remembering his childhood? I don't know." Kaya replied with the same confused expression. Her eyes squinted slightly as she watched Kai's back while he got his clothes out of the bag.
"Well, let's just clean up this place. Don't fall behind, old hag. I know you're suffering from back pain." Eva said to which Kaya rolled her eyes.
"Right, I remembered to buy a feeding bottle for you to drink milk before sleeping."
"Bitch!" Eva glared at Kaya.
"Hey, hey, kiddo. Don't be that eager to get the bottle from my hand. I also got you a cute teddy bear to hug for sleep."
"Hahaha, I doubt that will be needed. Coming to think of it, I got some big diapers for you to… you know, not turn the bed sheets yellow during the night, old hag." Eva retorted.
"Ugh…"
The two continued their banter as they walked inside.
After that, the trio started cleaning the place thoroughly. Using water that Kai created with Origin, the process was quick enough not to take the whole day. By the time they finished, it was already afternoon.
After that, Kai made a simple lunch for them to eat and finally made them settle down on the couch as he stood in front of them.
"Now, we will start the first step of the training."
The two girls felt excited as they eagerly waited for Kai to speak.
'Are we going to fight some creatures in the forest?'
'Or maybe we will have to spar against Kai?'
'Or maybe he will give us new Talents to learn?'
Their ideas were endless but they didn't want to talk as Kai seemed to have already decided what it will be.
"The first lesson is: meditation."
"..." (x2)
"You two will return to the very basics of Origin manipulation and that's why I need to see what level of mediation you can reach."
It would be a lie if Kaya and Eva said they weren't disappointed. Meditation, although useful at the start of one's journey as an Origin user, is simply too boring for the two of them. They were two of the strongest Origin users in the world, for god's sake and yet they will have to return to beginner exercises?
Why would Kai need them to do that?