Nox used a twig to move the charcoal from time to time. He sat there fully focused and aware of his surroundings.
[Dude, do you have something in mind you'd like to talk about? ]
Nox didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed locked on the shifting charcoal, the orange glow reflecting faintly in his tired eyes. After a moment, he spoke, not in his usual, precise tone, but slower. Thoughtful.
"I've been replaying events," he said. "The patterns. The fights. The limits of this world... and myself."
He poked at the embers, sending a few sparks upward like fireflies.
"I don't know if I'm changing, or if I'm finally understanding what I am now. Either way, the decisions ahead feel heavier."
He glanced up briefly, then back to the fire.
"I'm not used to that."
[Well, I don't think the you right now is the real you. It might just be the product of the stressful situation you've been put through. You've never really handled guilt before or any sort of feelings for that matter. So I understand why you feel heavy.]
Nox lifted up his head as he read the pop-up message in front of him.
[But don't mistake the you now to be the true you. The time is too short to say that kind of thing. The experience you've had is minuscule to the things you'll eventually have to go through.]
Nox stared at the message for a long while. The flickering firelight reflected off his eyes, but he wasn't really looking at it anymore.
"...Statistical analysis confirms your hypothesis,"
He muttered quietly, almost to himself.
"Behavioral shifts under pressure are not uncommon. Emotional response patterns have not yet reached a point of reliability."
He leaned back slightly, letting the heat of the flames warm his face.
"But still... It feels real. I don't know what that means yet. Or if it even matters."
He exhaled slowly.
"Maybe this isn't the real me. But it's the one making the choices right now."
He looked back toward the sleeping cub, then to the tools beside him. The decisions weren't waiting.
"Let's see who I become... when I've had more than a handful of bad days."
[Dude, just putting this out there. But you're speaking like a whole-ass villain-to-be right now.]
Nox paused, one eyebrow twitching as the words lit up in front of him.
"...I am not plotting to unleash a mind-control virus across the world," he said flatly.
He picked up a small piece of bark and threw it into the fire with unnecessary force.
"I'm processing unfamiliar emotional input using the only methods I have. If that happens to sound like a tragic monologue before world domination, that's a coincidence."
He glanced at the cub, who sneezed in its sleep.
"...Though if I ever start laughing in the rain with a glowing eye, please intervene."
[I'm not supposed to since its a process of your change, but since its YOU who asked me to. Don't worry, I'll spam message the shit out of you the moment you laugh like a maniac]
Nox gave a sharp exhale through his nose, almost a laugh, but not quite.
"...Comforting," he muttered, dragging a piece of hide closer to the fire to check its pliability.
"There's a certain irony in relying on someone else to keep me in check."
He looked at the faint glow of the message box. He then flicked a glowing ember into the dirt and leaned back.
"Still... thanks."
rustle
Suddenly, the leaves at the entrance of the forest in front of him moved. Emerging from it was a head that Nox was not able to forget.
(Analyzing visual data... Subject: Previously encountered hostile entity — mutated bear.
Identification: Confirmed.
Status: Active.
Condition: Wounded — visible claw marks and fresh scars consistent with previous engagement.
Behavioral flag: Persistent predator.
Risk Level: Critical.
Recommendation: Immediate evasive action or tactical defense required.)
Nox's body stiffened, eyes narrowing as the bear's massive frame emerged from the brush, the dull groan of crushed undergrowth rumbling under its weight.
But now it bore new marks. Ripped flesh. Gashes still glistening, freshly torn open, not yet healed. Someone or something else had challenged it... and lost.
Nox's hand reached down, just barely grazing the shaft of a sharpened stick leaning against the fire pit.
"...You again," he muttered.
The bear looked at him while it walked back and forth in the same spot. Seemingly planning or thinking something deep within its mind.
(Analyzing inventory proximity... Tools and weapons: All inside shelter.
Current status: Exposed.
Conclusion: Tactical disadvantage imminent.
Recommendation: Retrieve equipment immediately or engage in a diversionary maneuver.)
Nox realized that he would not be able to face the bear without his weapons. He walked slowly towards the shelter, the bear still staring at him while walking back and forth.
He took careful steps as he slowly approached the entrance, then he quickly ran inside. Not for the weapon, but for something else.
When he entered, the first thing he did was to lift the cub and place it at the very end of the alcove. Piling up grasses and leaves to hide its presence, the cub trusted him and did not complain.
Nox immediately turned around and took the satchel with his weapons as he grabbed the makeshift spear he had made before that was leaning on the stone wall.
When he exited the cave, what greeted him was the huge body of the bear pouncing at him.
Nox slid right beneath its legs while he ran towards the inside of the forest.
His eyes moved, and his mind calculated plans at unprecedented speed. Measuring every tree, memorizing all the roots and tiny boulders around him.
He came up with the best plan to not just survive, but to kill this persistent predator.
After a few seconds of entering the forest, he spotted a mark on one of the trees that made him stop. "It's here," he muttered.
He took the knife inside the satchel and placed it on the vine around his waist. Holding the spear with both hands, he took a square stance for utmost defense.
(Analyzing immediate environment...
Obstacle density: High—thick trees, dense roots, uneven ground.
Visibility: Low – filtered light, shifting shadows.
Tactical options: Elevated maneuvering, choke points, and environmental traps.
Enemy: Mutated bear – injured but highly aggressive; behavior indicates territorial dominance, not desperation.)
(Conclusion: Terrain can be turned into an ally.
Plan: Utilize trees for rotational defense and forced redirection. Maintain mid-range engagement using spear. Reserve the knife for close-quarters contingency. Predict the enemy's path based on terrain limitation and funnel to a constrained kill zone.)
Nox lowered his stance slightly, his back braced against a thick trunk, feet settled firmly into the earth. He inhaled slowly, syncing breath with the ambient rhythm of the forest, the distant rustle of leaves, and the faint thump of the bear's charging weight crashing through the brush.
In his mind, vectors overlapped: entry paths, retreat angles, and danger zones. He'd mapped this area before, not in hours, but in seconds. And now, this forest was his battlefield.
His grip on the spear tightened. No hesitation. No second guesses.
Just focus.
Just calculation.
And just one outcome, survival.
...