Chapter 97: The System’s Message And The Revelation!
After Neve had shared his secret with everyone in the cave, they had all gone to sleep.
For the first time since bonding, Cael was behind Neve with his hand tightly wrapped around him on the bed. The leopard’s arm was draped across Neve’s waist protectively, holding him close like he was afraid Neve might disappear if he let go.
Neve felt a huge weight lift off his chest after he told them everything. It felt like he had been carrying stones on his shoulders for so long and someone had finally removed them. He was genuinely glad because next time, he did not have to hide anything. Next time, he would not need to hide when bringing something new out from his system inventory or Purse. They all knew the truth now. They all understood, at least to some degree.
He started snickering quietly when he remembered what they had said about attacking the lion tribe for what happened to him in his other world. It was so ridiculous. So protective. So unnecessarily fierce.
He remembered the lions from his previous world. The ones in the enclosure. They had not even touched him really. They had just come over, sniffed him, realized he was dead, and then walked away. They had treated him like he was not worth their time. Like he was just another dead thing in their space.
He stopped laughing and exhaled deeply, placing a hand on his chest.
He needed to wake up tomorrow and start using his reward from the system. He needed to build good houses for the tribe members. He needed to work on his missions. He needed to level up and get closer to that market in his original world where ramen existed.
Suddenly, the system dinged.
A popup appeared in front of his face, glowing softly in the darkness of the bedroom.
{Bonding Progress Update: You have achieved 40% bonding with your mates through emotional vulnerability and truth sharing. Next milestone: 50% bonding.}
Neve’s eyes widened.
Forty percent. Just by sharing his secret. Just by opening up to them and telling them the truth about where he came from and what he was, his bonding progress had jumped significantly.
He clenched his fist, feeling determination flood through him.
"I need to work even harder," he told himself quietly.
The moment the words left his mouth, Cael’s grip around his waist tightened. The leopard mumbled something in his sleep, his warm breath hitting Neve’s ear.
"Hmm, work hard. Work hard," Cael said sleepily, clearly dreaming about something.
Neve stretched his hand behind him and gently ruffled Cael’s hair, being careful not to wake him. He shut his eyes and tried to sleep, hoping tomorrow would be productive. Hoping he would have energy to start building. Hoping the day would bring progress toward his goals.
.
.
But when morning came, Neve’s hopes were crushed immediately.
He could not stop vomiting.
It was his fifth time already since he woke up. He had crawled to the edge of the cave entrance to throw up in a designated area far from where everyone ate. His stomach was completely empty but the retching continued anyway.
He had tried drinking water to calm down whatever he was feeling. But the water just came back up a few seconds later. He did not even have any appetite to eat. The smell of food made him feel even more nauseous.
"Should I call Gideon?" Cael asked, his face etched with worry.
The leopard had wanted to leave thirty minutes ago to continue the security work on the village. But seeing Neve weak and suffering, he could not bring himself to leave. He kept hovering nearby, watching, ready to help if Neve needed anything.
"I’m fine, I’m sure it’s just some kind of irritation," Neve said, his voice weak. He reached up and touched Cael’s face gently. "Just go. You have more important work than me."
"You must take care of yourself," Cael said seriously. He turned to Kelly who was taking his shift watching over Neve today. "Do not leave him out of your sight. If anything happens, send someone to get me immediately."
"I wouldn’t even look at someone else," Kelly grinned from where he was standing. "I’m here to take care of Neve. That’s my only job today."
Cael looked back at Neve and kissed his forehead gently.
"Want me to bring some fresh meat?" he asked. "Fresh roasted meat, not dried ones for winter. I can hunt something for you."
"Sure," Neve replied weakly. Fresh meat sounded much better than the dried supplies they had been eating. Then he remembered something important. "While digging for traps or gates, if you see any blue root underground, get them for me. I need numb-root for medical purposes."
"Sure," Cael nodded. "I’ll look for them while I’m out working."
He looked at Neve seriously.
"Take care of yourself, Neve," Cael said. "If anything goes wrong. If you get worse."
He leaned down and kissed the bond mark on Neve’s wrist gently, his lips lingering against the light blue and silver mark.
"I’ll come running," he finished. "No matter what I’m doing, I’ll come running to you."
Neve laughed despite feeling miserable.
"I know you will," Neve said, watching Cael leave the cave. He walked with Cael to the entrance, waving like a wife seeing her husband off to work.
As soon as Cael was gone and out of sight, Neve turned back to Kelly and Ryker, holding his stomach tightly.
His expression had changed from weak to clearly in pain.
"Get Gideon here immediately," he said, wincing. He had been hiding the real pain from Cael. He did not want to worry the leopard unnecessarily. But now that Cael was gone, Neve could not hide it anymore.
"Are you sick?" Popi asked, walking closer to him with concern on her face.
Neve rubbed his stomach carefully, trying to figure out what was happening to his body.
"No, I think," he said slowly, his eyes widening as realization hit him. "I think I’m pregnant."
The words hung in the air for a moment.
Then everyone in the cave reacted at once.
"What????!!!!" they all chorused together.