Kogan slowly opened his eyes and turned his head slightly.
'Tsk'
The handsome young man had vanished.
Hinako stood there, her hands clenched in front of her.
"Don't get the wrong idea… You got injured while saving me… So helping you bathe is the least I can do."
Her face was flushed red, and she was trembling from nervousness.
She was no longer afraid that Kogan would assault her—she had confirmed that it wouldn't happen, or at least not anytime soon.
What she feared now was that Kogan would abandon her.
Without turning around, Kogan raised his left hand and gestured for her to come with two fingers.
"Oh." Hinako quickly walked toward him.
"The place is safe for now. Bathe quickly and come back," Kogan stood up, leaving the place.
Hinako sighed and remained silent.
Kogan returned to the forest, adjusted his paper skirt, and sat on the ground, resting his back against a tree with his hands behind his head.
'Looks like my intuition was right.'
He thought as he gazed at the sky before him.
Its bright blue hue had faded, and there wasn't much time left before complete darkness settled in.
After a short while, Hinako returned, her long hair still wet. She adjusted her torn shirt, which no longer bothered her by riding up all the time.
"What will we do now?"
"We'll sleep here tonight," Kogan replied with his eyes closed, already relaxed.
"Is this place safe? Since we're near a river, predators could come at any moment," Hinako spoke anxiously—she didn't want the same incident to happen again.
Before, she could say it was a good thing she got rid of that scum. But now? What would happen if something bad befell Kogan?
Her chances of survival without him were nonexistent.
"Then, when those predators come, wake me up," Kogan said, completely calm.
"You can rest then. I'll keep watch until you recover your energy, and then we'll switch roles," Hinako said as she sat on the ground, leaning against a tree beside Kogan.
Finally, complete darkness settled in, and visibility became very poor—barely reaching three meters or so.
***
"Hmm…" Kogan opened his eyes.
Darkness surrounded him, and beside him, Hinako lay on the ground in deep sleep.
"So this is what they call keeping watch?" Kogan smiled, then stood up and stretched his body slightly.
From how he felt, he could guess that he had slept for several hours.
He looked toward the nearby trees and picked a few fruits to eat. They were all strange fruits he had never seen before.
After finishing his meal, he walked toward the river to wash and drink.
The path ahead was extremely dark, but he could, with difficulty, make out a few more details than Hinako could.
He reached the riverbank and began to hear the sound of flowing water.
'Did the water level drop?'
Standing in the spot where he had bathed before, he found the ground dry.
He continued descending slightly until he reached the water.
Crouching down, he leaned forward and cupped his hands to scoop up some water.
'Hmm…'
His hands stopped in front of him, and he didn't dare to continue drinking.
A deep, resonating suction sound echoed—not far from him.
'What is that?'
Sweat poured down Kogan's forehead. He glanced to his left from the corner of his eye, unable to muster the courage to turn his head.
A massive creature plunged its head into the river and began drinking nonstop.
He couldn't see it clearly in this darkness, but the darkness couldn't conceal its immense presence and terrifying aura.
'I need to get away from here before…'
Kogan swallowed hard and began retreating ever so slowly.
With trembling steps, he distanced himself from the place. And just before disappearing into the trees, he gathered his courage and took one last look.
A mountain—its color seemed to be a deep shade of orange.
That was all he could make out before returning to where he had come from.
'If it wanted to eat me, it would do so with ease. The thought of escaping from that thing?... That must be pure madness.'
He sat down and wiped the sweat from his face. Looking to his side, he saw Hinako sleeping peacefully.
What would have happened to her if she had been in his place? Feeling the presence of that thing? She would have died instantly.
Kogan had survived for the same reason that had allowed him to kill the giant ape with a single slap.
Comparing the ape to this entity? Don't even think about it.
Kogan wouldn't dare lift a finger against it. An ant against a mountain.
Where did it come from? Why hadn't Kogan sensed it? And why didn't it attack him?
Kogan didn't want to know. Even if he did, he wouldn't find the answer.
'How long will this night take?'
He sighed in relief and remained silent in his place, waiting for the day to ignite.
***
"Wake up, the day has arrived."
"Huh…?" Hinako slowly opened her eyes and saw Kogan standing, looking at her.
The sky was a bright blue, gentle on the eyes, and the air carried a fresh, pleasant scent.
"What happened? Oh… Don't tell me I fell asleep and left the watch!" She quickly stood up as she remembered.
"Let's move. We don't have much time."
Kogan set off immediately without wasting a moment.
"But we haven't had breakfast yet."
"You can carry some fruits and eat on the way."
Hinako quickly picked two fruits and followed Kogan to the riverbank.
Last night, the place had been foggy and overcast, but now it was clear—and more than that, it was…
"Oh… my God…" Her lower jaw dropped uncontrollably, and her pupils widened.
"Where did all the water go…? How long did last night even last?"
The river, which stretched from the east of the land to the west, had completely vanished in a short time—without a trace.
A river of such size, or at least the part they had been able to see, should have taken years to drain.
"We're crossing to the other side—as fast as possible."
Kogan didn't answer her questions. Why would he bother explaining? Was there anything she could even do?
The riverbed was almost as deep as the mountain itself. It was a solid ground filled with stones and completely devoid of trees, unlike the outer side of the mountain, which was lush with fruit-bearing trees. The bottom of the river was covered in sand, with scattered rocks here and there.
They bid farewell to the mountain peak that overlooked an endless expanse of greenery.
Staying there and taking in the view could make one feel as if they owned the world.
They hurried down the slope. Hinako didn't understand the reason for their sudden rush. If she had seen what Kogan saw last night, she might have taken off running—assuming she would even remain alive.
In reality, one might not need a convincing reason to hasten toward their destination.
Kogan himself didn't fully understand how the river had vanished so quickly. He could connect it to what he had witnessed the previous night, but that alone wasn't enough for him—or perhaps it was simply too terrifying to fully accept.
A colossal entity had drunk the river dry—a river vast enough to drown a continent.
'There's a high chance this river could be refilled at any moment.'
'I don't know how, but it will happen—and it could happen right now.'
'This is also a great opportunity. I was wondering how we'd cross to the other side, and now the answer is right in front of me.'
Kogan's heartbeat quickened as he thought about it.
He wanted to reach the opposite bank as fast as possible. The longer they took, the higher the chances of danger.
Even though the forest was dangerous—strange, unpredictable, and possibly filled with ambush predators—it was still an enclosed space. Just as that gave an advantage to their enemies, it also provided them with cover to hide and escape.
But their current location was wide open. They were like meat on a cutting board, exposed to any lurking threat with no way to defend themselves.
"This is going to be a long and exhausting journey, and on top of that, we didn't bring any supplies."
Hinako looked at the long, daunting path ahead.
The mountain terrain was rocky, unlike the other side, which was oddly different. To their left and right, there was nothing. Ahead of them, they could only assume it was the same mountain they were standing on—like a giant wall guiding the river's flow.
From where they stood, the opposite bank looked like a ten-meter-high wall.
The moment you step into this place, you'll feel insignificant—just a passing traveler.
The flood may come and sweep you away, carrying you to an unknown fate, endlessly.
What if the flood returns and washes me away before I reach the peak?
If you're afraid of being swept away, you can stay where you are—in your false sense of safety—forever.
Even if the path is blocked by the flood, I'll swim. I'll reach my destination.
Swimming in the flood requires greater courage and effort, but you won't reach your desired peak—you'll find yourself on another peak, one chosen for you by the flood.
And you might fail—you might drown in the depths.
Or worse, you might keep swimming forever, carried by the flood, never reaching your true destination.