Beyond the sliding stone door was a large open hall with a low dome-like ceiling. Almost every surface was covered in the same weird symbols. The only difference between the desert temple, the ruins in the caves below the mountains, and this place was that the symbols here reminded Astel more of scribbles rather than a uniform design or a message.
"What is this place?" he asked out loud, knowing his little friend wouldn't answer.
'What kind of animal built this? Or has it always been here?'
He thought, looking around.
'I'm sure the other me would've loved this.'
Even though he didn't want to admit it, he was also enjoying the mystery and joy of finding that which was forgotten and lost. All through the hall were lit torches providing light to the entire space.
"Did you do this?" He looked at Monte while pointing at the fires.
Monte blinked, slowly nodding in confusion. 'Is he asking me about the fire? Has child never seen a fire?'
Astel could feel that his new friend was taking pity on him.
"Hey, I know what fire is, okay?" he said, trying to defend himself — but it was for naught.
Looking around more, Astel noticed nets lined with cloth hung around the fires. He pointed at them and asked, "Are those what I think they are?"
Monte stared at him even more pitifully. 'Does the poor thing not even know what cheese is?' A tear formed in his eye.
This made Astel slightly angry.
"Okay, that's enough. I'm putting you down." He reached to grab Monte — but with a hiss, he was instead scratched.
"Ow! What was that for?"
Frowning, he moved his hand through the air, hoping to ease the pain, when suddenly something crawled beneath his skin. The slithering feeling wasn't necessarily painful, but it was extremely uncomfortable — until the thing reached the scratch on his hand. The cut seared, making it feel like his blood was boiling, but after a few seconds it disappeared, as if it had never been there.
Astel carefully inspected where the cut used to be.
It had already closed.
A wave of tiredness suddenly washed over him. His eyelids began feeling unusually heavy. His breaths turned short, like he was gasping for air, sweat pouring down his forehead. Before long, he collapsed to the cold stone ground, almost crushing Monte who was still wrapped around his neck.
'Are you alright?' Monte asked, panicked, brushing his paws over Astel's face before accidentally scratching him again. 'Oops. I didn't mean to do that.' He looked around before rushing off to bring water.
Meanwhile, the thing slithering beneath Astel's skin made its way to his face, closing the shallow scratch. This time it wasn't instant — but within a few minutes, the scratch was gone. Astel, however, looked even worse. His complexion turned incredibly pale beneath his tanned skin as more sweat poured out of him.
Days passed until Astel finally opened his eyes again.
The hall hadn't changed. The fires were still lit, the cheese still hanging, the scribbles still the same as before. Astel took a deep breath, calming himself down before getting up. He noticed that Monte was lying beside him, waiting for him to wake up. He had also brought a bowl filled with water and opened one of the cheeses.
It was mostly white with a yellowish tint — the texture smooth yet firm, the outside lightly smoked. The smell was incredible, making his stomach rumble.
He smiled lightly, petting Monte as he took a large bite.
The texture was unlike anything he'd had before. So different from the grilled meat he was used to that it almost made him cry. The taste was quite strong — it quickly coated his tongue, filling his mouth with creamy, smoky goodness.
It was maybe too rich.
He quickly reached for the bowl of water and took a large sip. It was strange — although it was true that he hadn't eaten in two months, he thought he was eating and drinking far more than usual. But he didn't dwell on it. After all, his new friend had gone through all the trouble to prepare this for him. How could he refuse?
After finishing everything, he felt his head spin. His stomach growled in a way it hadn't before as the weird slithering sensation returned — only this time it wasn't in just one place.
He felt himself quickly losing consciousness.
'Oh no. I think… It likes food.'
He thought it right before he fell back down toward the ground.
Shortly after, Monte stirred awake. Noticing that Astel had finished everything he had prepared, he smiled — blushing a little.
'I'm glad he liked my cheese that much. Though I wish he'd left me a piece.'
He lay down just a little closer to Astel.
Another few days later, Astel woke up again. His stomach growled immediately.
'Are you still hungry?' Monte asked.
Astel only heard squealing.
"Sorry… Are you mad I ate your cheese?" He paused. "It was very delicious." He rubbed his stomach absentmindedly.
Monte shook his head. 'If you're hungry, just say so,' he thought, before rushing to open another of his cheeses.
Astel stared at it as if he had been handed gold. "Are you sure?" he asked, knowing the question was mostly pointless.
'Go on. Eat,' Monte squealed, nudging his head toward the cheese.
After filling his stomach, Astel thanked Monte by petting his head before asking, "What now, little friend?"
Monte couldn't understand him, of course — but something about that question made him think.
'Ah, right. I just remembered I'm supposed to meet Felix in a few days. How could I forget?'
Astel stared at the strange creature who had gone deep in thought. Monte raised his head, meeting Astel's gaze.
'You know what? I'll teach you to read while we have time. I'm sure Felix will be delighted.'
Astel tilted his head, watching his little friend rub his tiny feet together.
"What are you plotting?" he asked, slightly nervously.
Astel found himself sitting cross-legged before an empty part of the wall, while Monte — holding a stick — drew weird symbols. He would always intensely stare at Astel after each symbol, as if expecting him to understand what was happening.
"Um, I don't want to interrupt, but what exactly are you trying to show me?" Astel asked, not expecting an answer.
But for some reason, it felt like Monte could understand him. The little furry companion brought one of his paws below his face and started stroking his chin.
"Are you thinking?" Astel asked, confused.
Then Monte stopped. His head turned toward Astel before he came closer. Using the stick, he pointed at Astel's hand and then wrote something onto the stone floor.
The symbol was both simple and oddly complex — it seemed to move, like those optical illusions where straight lines appeared to bend.
Astel always liked those. The other Astel, at least.
"What am I even looking at?" he said, starting to become frustrated.
Monte once again pointed at his hand, then at the symbol.
"My hand? What do you want me to do with my hand? And what the fuck is with that ugly symbol."
Monte lowered his head, his ears flopping down.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it. That symbol really isn't ugly, trust me."
Suddenly Monte raised his head, his eyes shining like never before. He quickly erased the symbol and drew another one. This time, he pointed upward with the stick.
"Hey — I think I know that symbol. I think I've seen it before, in some ruins." Astel tilted his head. "Let's see… Doesn't it mean God, or Gods, or something? I think that's what Max said."
He asked it without ever looking up.
'I wonder how Max is doing.'
Monte ignored him, still pointing his stick — snapping Astel back to the present.
"Yes, yes, I know. God is above us and watching us or something. What do you have next?"
Monte smiled. 'Did he understand I meant the sky and not the roof?'
He quickly erased the symbol and continued, gradually pointing at anything he could — the cheese, the fire, the walls, the ground, even himself.
Of course, Astel didn't get any of it. Instead, he just smiled and clapped, thinking Monte was putting on a play to pass the time.
'Is he an idiot?' Monte thought, after trying to teach him the symbol for sleep. 'I still don't get why Felix is so infatuated with this kid — he's much inferior to the last one.'
Then Astel started petting him on the head.
'Okay,' Monte purred. 'Maybe I understand a little.'
'Slightly to the left, please. Oh — yes. Right there.'