The raven hopped from his chest to the stone floor, wings spreading as he puffed up with what looked like pride.
’We are in the Hound’s lair!’
’Hound?’
The word triggered a memory from the flashes of his fading consciousness.
A massive paw crushing Kethran.
"...The Hound? what is going on?"
Kuro’s head tilted.
’The Hound is the one who crushed that elf to death! Saved stupid human and Kuro!’
He hopped toward the cave entrance, then looked back.
’Look, he is behind you.’
Goosebumps erupted across Damian’s skin as the sensation of being watched hit him all at once, making every nerve scream danger.
He turned slowly.
A black hound sat five meters away, perfectly still, watching him with eyes that glowed faint gold in the cave’s light.
It was small, the size of a normal dog, maybe slightly larger and had black fur.
But those eyes...
They held intelligence that made Damian’s breath catch.
It wasn’t animal intelligence, but human intelligence, or beyond it.
Growl
The Hound’s lips pulled back, showing teeth as it growled low in its throat.
The sound wasn’t threatening exactly, more like... displeasure.
Damian’s hand moved instinctively, but stopped.
’Not hostile. Just... watching.’
The Hound stood up and stretched, then turned and walked toward the cave entrance without looking back.
Kuro flew after it immediately.
’Kuro will go with the Hound to fetch some food! You can keep Gramps company!’
Then both of them disappeared through the entrance, leaving Damian alone.
He sat there for several seconds, his mind processing.
’Gramps? Who the fuck is Gramps?’
He pushed himself to his feet slowly, testing his weight on legs that should have been broken.
But everything seemed fine, except maybe some weakness.
His Self-Healing had done work while he was unconscious, but even with that, he shouldn’t be this functional after what Kethran had done to him.
’Someone must have healed me... Gave me potions maybe. Or...’
He walked toward the cave entrance, each step steadier than the last.
The sunlight hit him first, warm and bright, making him squint.
Then he saw the view.
A clearing stretched out before him, maybe fifty meters across, surrounded by ancient trees that towered overhead.
A lake sat to the left, crystal clear water reflecting the crimson sky.
And sitting on a stone bench near the lake, back turned toward the cave–
Someone in robes who seemed to be reading a book from the looks of it, their robes pooling around their frame that barely filled half the bench.
’So this is Gramps?’
Damian walked forward, his bare feet silent on grass that felt too soft and perfect.
"Hello..." His voice carried across the clearing. "Are you the one who gave me shelter here?"
The figure didn’t move and didn’t acknowledge him, just kept reading.
Damian came closer, circling around to face whoever this was.
"I don’t know how long I was–"
The words died in his throat as his feet stopped moving.
His brain stuttered, trying and failing to process what he was seeing.
The person wasn’t a person.
It was a... sloth.
An actual sloth.
Dressed in robes that looked hand-stitched, holding a book with paws that shouldn’t be able to hold anything, reading with eyes that drooped with such profound laziness it seemed like an art form.
Damian’s mouth hung open.
His mind raced through everything he’d seen since waking up in this world.
Monsters, yes.
Beasts, absolutely.
But this...
This was an animal.
The same kind of animal that had existed in his old life on Earth.
And it was dressed like a scholar, reading a book, sitting on a stone bench like this was completely normal.
’I’m... I’m hallucinating... The blood loss. The trauma... I’m still unconscious and this is a fever dream or–’
"...It’s quite rude of you to stare at me like that."
The whisper broke through his thoughts like thunder.
It was soft, barely audible, but undeniably there.
The sloth’s eyes lifted from the book, looking at him with an expression that might have been annoyance if sloths could express such things.
"Come closer."
’It... it spoke!’
Damian’s hands trembled, but his feet moved on autopilot, taking two steps forward while his mind screamed that this was impossible.
"You..." The word came out weak. "You can... speak?"
The sloth’s eyes drooped even further, if that was possible.
"You are quite a dumb one, aren’t you, boy?"
The whisper carried what might have been exasperation.
"Don’t make me speak more... Just come closer."
Damian’s legs moved again, bringing him within arm’s reach.
The sloth closed the book slowly, set it aside even more slowly, then reached out with paws that moved like they were underwater.
Before Damian could react, it climbed onto him, settling on his shoulders like it belonged there.
"Let’s take a walk."
Damian stood there, a sloth draped across his shoulders, his mind completely blank.
’A walk? With you sitting on me?’
But something about the creature’s presence made arguing seem pointless.
So he walked.
They moved toward the lake in silence, the sloth’s breathing slow and steady on his shoulder, its paws gripping his robe with just enough pressure to stay balanced.
Two rocking chairs sat near the water’s edge.
Damian stared at them.
’A sloth brought rocking chairs into a forest... A sloth that reads books and wears clothes... I’ve finally lost my mind... Haven’t I?’
His thoughts trailed off as he sat in one chair.
The sloth climbed off his shoulders, settling into the other chair like it had done this a thousand times before.
"..."
They rocked in silence, watching the lake’s surface ripple in the breeze.
The crimson sky reflected in the water, turning it red.
Minutes passed, maybe hours.
Damian lost track of time, his mind still trying to process everything.
Then the sloth’s eyes opened slightly.
"It looks beautiful, doesn’t it?"
The whisper was so soft Damian almost missed it.
"The sky."
Damian looked up at the crimson expanse overhead.
"It does." His voice came out quiet. "But soon crimson will be the ground."
The sloth’s head turned toward him, the movement taking several seconds.
"...You think it will get worse?"
"I know it will."
The chairs rocked as water lapped at the shore.
"How do you know?"
Damian’s grip on the armrests tightened.
"...Because it always does."
The sloth’s eyes studied him for a long moment.
"That’s a sad way to see the world."
"It’s an accurate way."
"...Are those the same thing?"
The question hung in the air.
Damian opened his mouth, then closed it.
The sloth shifted in its chair, getting more comfortable.
"How did you come across the raven?"
The subject change was abrupt, but somehow felt natural.
"I was training in the outer regions... One day I woke up and found him on my chest, covered in my blood."
Damian’s voice was flat.
"And then we bonded."
"Bonded..."
The sloth tested the word like it was foreign.
"As far as I know, there are no humans who ever bonded with beasts."
"I’m as clueless as you."
Silence fell again as the chairs rocked and the lake rippled.
"Cherish the raven."
The sloth’s eyes were closing again.
"If it wasn’t for him, the Hound wouldn’t have saved you." It paused. "And I’m too lazy to bother."
Damian’s lips twitched despite everything.
"...Do you know the origins of Kuro?"
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter