"Lu, you alright?"
I regained my vision and hearing.
"Why did you push yourself too hard?"
Moostein.
"Next time you want to show off, make sure you don't end up looking lame."
"Yeah right, Sehkt. Big word."
Moostein interrupted Sehkt, mocking his words before bursting into laughter.
Sehkt gave him a stare and stated, "Shut up Mr. Roadblock." Then he walked away.
"Thanks, Mr. Coolguy," Moostein replied, continuing his playful banter. Sehkt just waved him off as he kept laughing.
This was something I couldn't understand about them. They had such a strong dynamic, yet they seemed to enjoy mocking each other.
"But seriously, Lu, you should thank Sehkt for saving your life. Though, to be fair, he should also thank you for chasing down the Bearhorn and slowing it down. If you hadn't, the spear he's so attached to could've been lost forever."
He's right.
"I'll be sure to thank him. But what happened to me? Could it be because I've been depriving myself of what you call food?"
"Woah, woah– Are you saying you're not aware of Algorith?" Moostein asked, surprised.
"No, I'm not," I replied.
Moostein looked amazed and dazed at the same time.
"Really?! I'm stunned, to say the least."
"I'm trying to process and comprehend your whole existence and presence. How did you survive this whole time?"
He paused for a moment, as if reassessing my every being.
"You look like you're an adult . How can you not know about Algorith?"
"I don't know how your kind developed, but I was created less than a year ago—maybe even just half a year. Most of what I know was rapidly integrated into my mind."
Moostein curled his eyebrow.
"What do you just say?"
"I was created by a player named Deus not long ago, growing from an infant to who I am now in a short span of time."
Moostein froze, his gaze blankly locked on me, brow still furrowed. His eyes blinked rapidly, and his mouth hung open.
We stood face to face, silently looking at each other for a long moment.
"What the heck are you two doing?"
A voice suddenly broke our moment of silence—or rather, Moostein's moment of confusion. He snapped back to reality as the voice rang out beside us, unnoticed until now. Even I had unknowingly been drawn into Moostein's speechlessness.
"I couldn't understand a word Lu was saying—it mentally exhausted me. Sehkt, would you mind giving me some food? I feel like I've burned through my Algorith just from talking to him."
Sehkt tossed a crystal towards Moostein and walked directly towards me.
"What did you do to this big oaf?" Sehkt asked while pointing his spear at my neck.
So, I explained the same thing I had told Moostein. Sehkt scratched his head hard, then started pacing back and forth biting his fingernails.
I waited in silence. Moostein kept his distance, while Sehkt tried to process what I had told him.
…
Was this the first time they were made aware of our existence?
They struggled to grasp the concept of my creation. It was likely because their experiences and memories were so deeply rooted in the world around them, and everything they knew had been gained through discovery and learning.
"Hey, Lucien."
Sehkt called me. It was the first time he called me by name.
"Did you know about the story of the first, Archia?"
Archia, this was the first time I heard the word.
"No, I don't."
"It's about the first being to gain knowledge, awareness, and consciousness. Are you trying to imitate her? Acting as if you are her?"
I couldn't read his expression—there was both seriousness and an underlying threat in his words.
"I don't know about her, but I'd be glad if you could enlighten me."
"Don't take this lightly, idiot. Even someone as kind-hearted as Aliche might be offended by what you're claiming."
It was as if written in my mind that I cannot be offending anyone. Should I just stop asking about it?
"That's the last thing I want to happen. I guess I'll just keep this to myself—and between the two of you—until I can understand it on my own."
Sehkt's eyes pinned me with an unyielding stare, as if attempting to measure the sincerity of my words.
"That's what I'd prefer you do. I'll tell Moos to forget what you told him. Be thankful Nehka wasn't here—she'd tear this apart until she broke you."
I didn't know how to respond to that. Should I say anything?
"Thank you for telling me."
Was thanking him the right response?
Sehkt scoffed. "You said you wouldn't slow us down—this is one way you have." Then, he turned and started walking.
Moostein, who had been lying on the ground a short distance away, was called over by Sehkt and told that we would continue our journey.
I wanted to ask about Algorith, but I guess Sehkt was right—I had already slowed them down. It would be better to ask at a different time.
At least now I knew I had to carefully calculate how much I should us to avoid draining it completely.
"Man, I think I need to rest. My body isn't absorbing the food properly, and my Algorith feels unstable." Moostein complained to Sehkt.
"You only used your brain for a short time. Don't overreact, blockhead."
"Don't act like it didn't wear you out too, Sehkt. You look stressed to me right now."
I followed them from a short distance behind as they debated whether to stop and rest or keep going.
"Alright, we'll rest. But only so we can go over the nonsense this idiot just shared with us."
"I knew it was all nonsense."
Moostein agreed.
They made a campfire. Warming themselves up.
We stayed for over an hour, giving Moostein time to recover.
"I'm all good, we can continue our travels." Moostein claimed.
Sehkt stood without saying a word.
While Moostein followed through and said, "Let's go. Lu. We're already late. Apologies for the delay."