Filip woke up not because he was rested—
but because his body hurt.
Badly.
Pain burned through his hands and pulsed through his arms, shoulders, and back. Every breath felt heavy, like his body had decided to remind him of everything it had endured all at once.
For a brief, panicked moment, he wondered if it had all been a dream.
The pyramid.The skeleton.The fight.
But pain didn't lie.
"…Rio," Filip whispered suddenly.
The thought hit him like a blade.
He had passed out in the middle of a dangerous place. Alone. Without warning Rio. Without knowing if something else was still down there.
His chest tightened.
Filip forced his eyes open.
The first thing he saw was blue light.
Soft. Floating. Steady.
Oathkeeper hovered a few meters away, its glow calm and watchful.
Relief washed over him—and then his breath caught.
Rio was lying in his lap.
Asleep.
For a second, Filip didn't understand what he was seeing. Then reality settled in. Rio must have come down. Must have found him like this. Must have stayed.
Carefully, Filip tried to move his hands—and winced.
They were wrapped in bandages.
Clean ones.
His fingers trembled as he looked closer. The burning pain was still there, but muted now, dulled by careful work. Someone had cleaned the wounds. Properly.
Then he noticed something else.
His clothes.
The tears were gone. The dirt and grit that had ground into the fabric during the fight were gone too. The jacket looked whole. Almost new.
Filip swallowed.
He didn't know how long he'd been unconscious, but one thing was clear.
Rio had taken care of him.
Gently, Filip lifted his uninjured hand and rested it on Rio's head. He barely touched him.
Immediately, Rio's ears twitched. His tail flicked once, then again.
A second later, Rio's eyes slowly opened.
"…Filip?"
Before Filip could say a word, Rio pushed himself up onto his knees and wrapped his arms around him.
Hard.
Filip grunted as pain shot through his body—but when he saw Rio's tail wag wildly behind him, he endured it without complaint.
"Hey— easy," Filip muttered weakly. "I'm still kind of broken."
Rio pulled back just enough to look at him, eyes wide and shining.
"You're awake," he said, voice shaking. "You're really awake."
"Yeah," Filip smiled faintly. "Looks like it."
After what felt like the longest hug in history, Rio finally let go and sat down beside the wall, Filip next to him. The relief drained from Rio's body all at once.
His ears drooped.
His tail curled close.
"…Filip," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I let you go down alone."
Filip turned his head toward him. "Hey."
"You could have been killed," Rio continued, guilt spilling out. "Look at your hands. You didn't even know how to use a sword. And that skeleton—Filip, it had to be over two meters tall. With these bodies, that's like fighting a giant. I should've been there."
Filip's expression hardened—not in anger, but in seriousness.
"Don't say that," he said firmly. "We're both alive. We're both going to mess up. What matters is what we do after."
He lifted his bandaged hands slightly.
"These?" he continued. "They prove you did the right thing."
Rio looked away, ears twitching.
Filip knew he wouldn't fully accept it—but he hoped the words helped a little.
After a moment, Rio spoke again. "I checked everything. The whole chamber. There's nothing else down here. Nothing dangerous."
"Good," Filip breathed.
Then Rio suddenly blinked. "You must be thirsty. And hungry."
He pulled the backpack closer and opened it, offering Filip the water flask. Filip didn't hesitate—he took it and drank deeply, emptying it completely.
"…Thanks," he said hoarsely. "I needed that."
They still had another flask. Enough water for at least two days.
Rio reached for one of the canned meals, but Filip raised a hand.
"Wait."
Rio paused, confused.
"I want to do a few things first," Filip said. "Important ones."
He glanced toward the scattered bones.
"First, we get rid of those. I don't trust dead things to stay dead."
Rio shuddered but nodded.
"Then we make this place livable," Filip continued. "After that, I want to read the book. And then—finally—we eat."
Rio considered it.
"…Yeah," he said. "That sounds good."
They stood slowly, both aching in different ways.
Oathkeeper floated closer, its glow steady and calm as if approving.
Without another word, they began their tasks.