Shadow Requiem

Chapter 16: Searching

~~[1,493 Words]~~

Yuren climbed out of the water. Calm. Completely unfazed.

Then—wham—something icy crashed into his back, drenching him all over again. Baby Giant had just unleashed another blast.

Everything went quiet.

He almost dropped his soggy clothes.

And then that noise—a ridiculously cute, muffled animal sound. Baby Giant leaned in, tilting its massive head.

Boom. Yuren whirled and dove straight back into the water. No way was he letting some giant beast get the last laugh. He fired a wave right back.

Just like that, a full-on water battle erupted again.

A few minutes blurred by.

Yuren wrung out his shirt like his life depended on it, twisting and squeezing until every last drop fled.

Wooosh! Amaya barreled in out of nowhere, frantic and wild, this time with a dragonfly the size of a dog hot on her heels.

"Huh? Amaya—?"

She crash-landed on Yuren's head. Total exhaustion—though she'd never admit it.

Without thinking, Yuren whipped his soaked shirt at the dragonfly. Nailed it. The bug veered off, slicing a path through the morning mist and disappearing for good.

A silent sigh of relief slipped from Amaya. If Yuren hadn't stepped in, that dragonfly would've had her trussed up six different ways.

"So you came back, Amaya." He grinned, wringing his shirt. "I figured you might've ditched me for good. You're always jetting off into the wild—no wonder the bugs go after you. This is a forest, you know. Everything out here is bigger, weirder—especially when you're that small."

Amaya squirmed, restless—the fur allergy again. Yuren's damp hair grazed her feathers and she just couldn't take it. She twitched and gave a little shake. Her eyes glazed and—

Suddenly she toppled.

Three long spans—head to waist—seeing everything in slow motion on her way down.

Way too close.

She took off, bolting straight for the trees.

"Hey—Amaya! Where are you going now? You're just leaving us after all that?"

Yuren watched her go, eyes wide with total disbelief at the oddball companion he'd wound up with. He just shook his head. "That bird, I swear. Total menace."

Back to business. He attacked the shirt with both hands, twisting and grinding it for all he was worth. Another round of this and the fabric would give up and surrender. "Dry already—please dry," he muttered, twisting until his arms ached.

"Okay… okay, good enough," he announced at last, pulling his clothes back on.

Then he just stood there. Silent, still. His face said it all—a guy who'd never chosen, even once in his life, to wear a soaking wet shirt.

"Ugh. I hate this."

He stripped down again. The cold didn't care. It grabbed him right through the fabric, so he started over—pants, underwear, everything. He wrung every piece until even the universe couldn't squeeze out anything more.

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Finally… he stopped.

He was finished. Completely wiped out. Like he'd just done a whole day's work over a washtub.

He sighed. "Still damp. Of course it's still damp." He looked defeated, a man staring down an unfair universe. "What am I supposed to do with this? Hayyy."

He plopped down on a rock—bare, not caring how clean it was.

Baby Giant wandered over, then unleashed a blast of warm air that rolled right over Yuren from head to toe. He jumped—not from surprise, but because something finally clicked.

"Oh." His grin stretched wide. "I've got it."

Baby Giant hummed—a deep, gentle sound only Yuren (sort of) understood.

He stood up, stretched his clothes wide, and just stood there, every piece of him open to the air. No shame. Zero hesitation.

Amaya returned.

She took one look at the scene, then disappeared again even faster—like she'd accidentally walked into the wrong house.

"Alright, Baby Giant—show me what you've got," Yuren said. His game face was on now. "Let it rip."

Baby Giant gave a low hum, glanced at Yuren, and then went all in—a steady, focused burst of air shot from his mouth, right through the sopping wet shirt stretched between Yuren's fingers.

Blowww—

The wind hit hard. Not some silly animal trick—Yuren's hair danced, clothes snapped around like flags in a hurricane. The gust was sharp, clean, and strong, almost like the little beast had a wind cannon stashed in his belly.

Yuren's shirt went wild under that blast—flapping and billowing until finally it looked like he was wrestling with a furious trumpet. Baby Giant actually tried. And now Yuren just had to admit it was all going to waste.

"Alright, alright, enough," Yuren said, putting his hands up. His face did the rest of the talking.

He sighed, holding the shirt at arm's length, squinting at it like it committed some personal injustice. "Still wet. I swear, I can't keep walking around half-naked. I'm starting to feel like someone who just crawled out of the Garden of Eden." He nudged a rock with his foot and watched it plop into the stream. Then something clicked. He tapped his chin. "Wait… what if I just—I don't know—do what they did? Actually, that's not half bad."

He set off searching, pushing through thick patches of forest. He needed wide leaves, something he could wrap around himself for a little dignity. He finally spotted one—big, glossy, lurking just out of reach. He jogged over and picked it up. Nope. It barely covered his palm.

"This'll do," he murmured, lining it up against his waist. A beat. "…Not a chance." He kept hunting until he found a thick, bendy plant stalk, about as tough as electrical wire. Quick work—he snapped off a piece, looped it around his waist, and tucked the leaf in.

Good enough.

"Done!" Both fists on hips. He couldn't help but smirk. He really pulled it off.

*******

A sudden bird call rang overhead. Yuren glanced up, squinting at the sky. "A Mulawin," he said. Something else popped up in his mind. "Where did Amaya go?"

Before he could turn, his eye caught a thin stream of smoke in the trees.

"Wait—is that smoke? Is someone making a fire?" And just like that, he started grinning. Hope surged. He snatched his damp clothes under one arm and broke into a run. "Maybe that's Grandpa. Please—let me be right this time!"

"Come on, Baby Giant!"

Off they went.

"That bird?" Yuren caught a glimpse as it darted away. "Oh well—it could handle itself."

He eyed the smoke, feet pounding through brush and over roots, muscles already burning, but he didn't care. It was like a magnet—no stopping now.

They pushed through tangled undergrowth, ducked under branches—and finally, burst into something completely new.

*******

Dark rocks scattered everywhere. Little hills of earth puffed steam from their cracks. The ground felt warm through the soles of his feet. Streams hissed and spat—all bubbling with water you'd never want to touch until—

"A hot spring?" Yuren stared. He looked left, right, and then up, following the rising heat. "Did we just stumble into a volcano?" He whistled low, calm as the smoke on top. "Yeah, we did. All this smoke… I thought it had to be Grandpa making a campfire. Wrong again. Twice." He shook his head, eyes still searching. "Where is that old man, anyway?"

Looking for somewhere to rest, he settled onto one of the black rocks—

Instant regret.

"HOT!" He shot up, almost yelping, frantically patting the backs of his thighs. Those rocks were basically frying pans. But then, a grin tugged at his lips.

Actually… wait a second—he definitely had an idea.

*******

"Yes. This is living," Yuren thought as he slid half his body into the steaming hot water. He let out a sigh—every muscle, every tired bone soaking up the heat. "This makes every hot bath I've ever had back home feel like a punishment," he declared, leaning back against the edge. Across a nearby rock, his shirt and pants steamed, drying flat.

He opened one lazy eye.

Baby Giant was eyeing the water, curious. One paw dipped in—gone in a flash.

Yuren couldn't help himself—he cracked up. "Not for you, buddy," he called. "Seriously, don't do it. You'll regret it—hahaha."

Baby Giant stepped back, and for a second Yuren thought he'd decided to give up.

Nope.

Baby Giant backed all the way up, readying himself for something insane.

Dread hit Yuren. He knew. He just knew.

BOOM!——

The whole spring exploded. Water everywhere. Baby Giant cannonballed straight in—like someone just threw a bear-sized rock into the world's hottest pond.

Yuren sat there, stunned, soaked, and completely silent. Steam rose off him in thick clouds. He didn't say a word. Not a sound.

Meanwhile, Baby Giant was loving every second.

And all Yuren could do was stare into the middle distance—like the universe itself just played a private joke on him.