CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER -359

’God.’

Kaya pushed herself off the bed and walked to the kitchen, her bare feet silent on the wooden floor. She grabbed a glass and dumped a spoonful of sugar into it, then filled it with water from the clay jug. God knows where that idiot Sparrow was with his stupid lemons.

She gulped down the sugary water in one long pull, trying to calm the fire raging through her body. It didn’t help. Not really. But at least her throat wasn’t dry anymore.

She set the glass down harder than necessary, the sound echoing in the quiet house. Outside, she could hear the Vultures shifting positions, their presence a constant, irritating reminder that she wasn’t alone even when she wanted to be.

Kaya pressed her forehead against the cool wood of the table, closing her eyes. The heat pulsed through her in waves, relentless and maddening. Whatever this was—bond, fever, curse—she needed it to stop.

But it didn’t. It just kept burning.

As Kaya looked around desperately for relief, her eyes suddenly lit up. In the kitchen corner sat seven or eight large pots—all made of clay. The earthenware gave her a perfect idea.

She rushed to her room—or what passed for a room in this useless inn. It was barely more than a bed separated by a hanging cotton curtain. Kaya opened her bag and pulled out several rolls of cotton cloth she’d been saving to make clothes or use for bindings.

She unfolded the cotton, not much but enough, and folded it into three equal squares. She dunked them in water and let them soak for a full minute. While they absorbed the moisture, she filled all the clay pots and jugs from the large ceramic drum of water in the corner.

She placed the filled pots near every window and opening in the room. Then she pulled out the soaked cloth and hung them completely across the big window. Immediately, the room filled with an earthy, mineral scent. As the breeze passed through the wet fabric, it created a chilling sensation. It was so relaxing, even if only slightly.

Then Kaya turned to the biggest pot—more like a bucket, really, but still made of clay. She didn’t know why she’d brought it from the market, but now it would be useful.

She found a decorative pot with a plant growing in it. Without hesitation, she ripped the plant out and dumped all the soil. Then she placed a smaller pot inside the larger one and filled the gap between them with the loose soil. She wet the soil thoroughly with water, then poured clean drinking water into the inner pot. She covered it and left it alone.

Kaya walked back to the bed, resisting the urge to wet a cloth and drape it around her neck. Right now she was just feverish—if she actually got sick on top of this, she didn’t even want to think about it. So she controlled herself.

After about half an hour, the room temperature had dropped by two or three degrees. It wasn’t much, but it was noticeably better than before. The evaporative cooling from the wet cloth and clay pots created a primitive but effective air conditioning system.

Kaya lay back on the bed, finally able to breathe without feeling like she was suffocating. The fire inside her still burned, but at least the air around her wasn’t an enemy anymore.

Small victories. She’d take them.

..

.

.

Kaya barely managed to fall into a restless sleep. But as the sleep deepened, a strange dream surfaced—completely different from any before.

She saw a small child. The face was blurred, as usual, but Kaya could make out a little girl trembling against a wall, her small body shaking violently.

In front of her was a bloody scene. Two bodies—dead, mutilated—lay sprawled on the ground. They were beastmen. Ears, tails, both clearly visible. One looked female, the other male. They were dressed in beautiful, rich clothing. Like royalty.

Kaya couldn’t see their faces clearly, but a dull, aching pain bloomed in her chest. It was so hard to ignore. She felt like crying, even though she didn’t understand why.

The setting was strange. It was a forest area, yes, but the place looked... wrong. Even though trees surrounded them, just behind the bodies was a really beautiful house. It didn’t look modern, nor did it look like any ancient structure she’d seen in this world. It was a small mixture of both.

The house was completely made of strange stone. It looked like a cave at first glance. But no—it was like someone had broken through a cave wall and, bit by bit, transformed it into a modern storehouse. Yet none of it actually looked modern. It was completely strange, foreign, like something from a dream within a dream.

Suddenly, Kaya felt a sharp, violent headache explode in her skull. It was too painful. Like something was clawing at her mind, trying to break through, trying to make her remember something really important.

It hurt so much she clenched her fists, nails digging into her palms. She couldn’t even wake herself up. The pain was too strong, trapping her in the dream.

She screamed and collapsed to the ground, hands covering her head, her voice raw and desperate.

The small girl, who had been crying on the side, suddenly stopped. She turned and looked directly at Kaya. Then she walked toward her, standing above her trembling form, and glared down with eyes that were far too knowing, far too cold for a child.

"How could you forget this?" the girl hissed, her voice echoing with a terrifying, otherworldly tone. "How could you?"

Kaya was trembling, unable to move, unable to speak, trapped under the weight of those words and the searing pain in her head.

"Kaya! Kaya!"

Suddenly, Kaya jolted awake, drenched in sweat. Her entire body was shaking, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps. She looked up and saw Cutie’s worried expression hovering above her, his hands gripping her shoulders.