part1 · 016-ep16

Episode 16: Life with Fire

The next morning. Ren woke.

The same dim dungeon as every day before. But one thing was different.

Yesterday, he had made fire with his own hands.

"..."

Ren stared at the ceiling for a while. Then he sat up.

He looked around. Yesterday's fire had gone out completely.

"Goes out after all, huh."

Ren murmured, sounding a little disappointed. But today was different from yesterday.

He knew how to make fire.

"Let's try it again."

　　　　　◇

Ren took out the stones he'd used yesterday. He gathered dry grass, too. And readied thin branches.

His hands moved more smoothly than yesterday.

He struck the stones together.

Clack.

Sparks flew. Again.

Clack.

Smoke rose.

"...!"

Faster than yesterday.

Ren blew on it, carefully. A red glow was born.

And—

a small flame stood up.

"Done it."

He'd gotten a fire going far faster than yesterday. Ren looked at the flames, happy.

"Guess I remembered."

Yesterday he had failed over and over. Today, he'd done it while remembering those failures.

This, too, was something he'd learned so he could go on living in this place.

　　　　　◇

Keeping the fire from dying, Ren looked around him. He needed fuel. He would have to gather more branches than he had yesterday.

Ren walked all around the dungeon. Dry branches. Withered plants. Anything that looked like it would burn.

He collected whatever seemed usable. And stacked it all near the place where he rested.

"This should hold me for a while."

Using fire took preparation. He'd learned that, too, in a single night.

　　　　　◇

Around midday. Ren set out to look for food.

He found the usual nuts. Picked a few. And found a small monster, too.

Ren approached carefully. He could read the monster's movements better than before. He didn't chase it around for nothing. He thought about its escape route.

Then — one strike.

The monster fell.

"...Good."

Ren carried the monster back.

　　　　　◇

He returned to the fireside. Cut the meat apart. Skewered it on a branch. And held it over the flames.

It roasted better than yesterday. He turned it so it wouldn't char. Fat dripped off the meat.

Sizzle.

A savory smell spread. Ren's stomach growled.

"..."

Ren smiled a little. He ate the finished meat.

"...It really is good."

It tasted even better than yesterday. Just having fire had expanded what he could eat.

Ren ate some nuts alongside it. Sour. But together with roasted meat, he barely noticed.

　　　　　◇

When the meal was over, Ren gazed at the fire. Until yesterday, all he'd done was search for things he could eat.

Today was different.

He had made fire himself. Gathered firewood. Roasted meat.

Little by little, the things he could do on his own were growing.

"...What can I do tomorrow, I wonder?"

Ren murmured it. The moment the words left his mouth. It felt a little strange to him, too.

He had room to think about tomorrow. Until yesterday, surviving was all he could think about. Now was different.

He could look forward to tomorrow, just a little.

For Ren, it was a small change.

In time the fire shrank. Ren added a single piece of firewood. The flames grew a little.

"...Just a bit longer today."

Ren passed the time quietly, watching the fire.

Life with fire. It was the new everyday Ren had won for himself, to live in the dungeon.