After Ariana disappeared beyond the clouds, the group remained silent for a long time. The fire had nearly gone out completely, leaving behind only a few weak embers illuminating the clearing, yet no one seemed concerned about reigniting it at that moment. Her words still echoed inside their minds.
She had created the world.
Created them.
And then she had simply left.
The serious-looking man was the first to break the silence.
"We need names."
The others slowly turned their attention toward him.
"So we can communicate better," he continued. "If we're going to keep living together, we can't just keep pointing at each other."
The blonde girl tilted her head slightly.
"We'll choose our own names?"
"Yes," he answered without hesitation.
The group fell silent again, as if all of them were trying to understand the strange feeling inside them. Until a few hours ago, names had not even been something that existed for them. But now, after hearing Ariana say her own name, the idea felt natural.
The man crossed his arms briefly before speaking again.
"Then… I'll call myself Noah."
The name emerged without any specific reason. It simply felt right the moment it left his mouth.
The blonde girl gave a small smile.
"Rosy," she said shortly afterward. "That'll be my name."
The others began thinking as well.
The dark-skinned man glanced briefly at the fire before saying:
"Akile."
The more ordinary-looking young man took a few seconds longer before speaking his own.
"Kayn."
Finally, the girl whose arm had been burned lightly held the cloth wrapped around her wound before murmuring:
"Steh…"
And for the first time since they had appeared in that world, they were no longer just a nameless group.
Now they had identities.
The next step was leaving the forest.
After the events of the previous night, remaining there no longer felt safe. Dangerous creatures wandered between the trees, and even the fire—which had once represented protection—had nearly killed all of them. None of them knew whether Ariana would truly appear again if something happened.
And depending on that felt dangerous.
When morning fully arrived, the group began moving through the forest once more, following paths they had already traveled during previous days. The environment no longer felt as unfamiliar as before. Certain twisted trees, larger rocks, and even the sound of the river had begun serving as natural landmarks for them.
"This is the farthest place we reached last time," Noah said while observing the surroundings.
The group stood near the small river that crossed part of the forest. Further ahead, the loud sound of rushing water could constantly be heard.
A waterfall.
When they advanced a little farther, the scenery finally appeared before them. Crystal-clear water crashed down from towering rocks with tremendous force, scattering tiny sparkling droplets through the air. Sunlight reflected against the current in an almost hypnotic way, and for a few seconds, everyone remained silent simply admiring it.
Even in an unknown world, the scene was too beautiful to ignore.
Akile carried a large amount of fruit on his back wrapped in rabbit hide. The meat they obtained from hunting could not be preserved for very long, since it spoiled quickly. Anything not consumed on the same day ended up being discarded.
After crossing part of the forest, the trees gradually became less dense.
The light grew stronger.
And finally, they emerged from it.
The landscape ahead was completely different.
A massive field stretched as far as the eye could see, covered in tall grass and small wildflowers swaying alongside the wind. Behind them, the forest remained connected to the base of an enormous mountain, like a natural wall separating the two environments.
Rosy observed the field for a few moments before speaking.
"The forest ends here…"
"Maybe we shouldn't move too far away from it," Kayn replied while analyzing the surrounding area. "It's still our biggest source of resources."
The others silently agreed.
Even dangerous, the forest still provided water, fruit, wood, and prey.
Completely abandoning it would be risky.
They continued walking through the field for some time, exploring the surrounding area while keeping the forest within sight. The wind constantly swept through the tall grass, making the wildflowers move in gentle waves beneath the daylight.
Then Rosy suddenly stopped.
"Look at that."
She pointed toward the base of the mountain.
Between the rocks was a dark opening.
A cave.
The group immediately changed direction, approaching carefully. When they got closer, they realized the entrance was large enough for all of them to enter together, but the interior was completely dark.
They couldn't see anything beyond the first few meters.
Akile crouched near the entrance and picked up a relatively straight branch from the ground, along with some dry grass scattered between the rocks. Calmly, he began wrapping the dry vegetation around the tip of the branch.
Steh watched him and immediately felt slightly uneasy.
She already knew what he intended to do.
Rosy then picked up two stones near the cave entrance. They were already used to creating fire by this point, so the process did not take long. She struck one stone against the other repeatedly, causing small sparks to leap through the air until the dry grass finally caught fire.
A small flame appeared.
And for the first time, they had something resembling a torch.
Akile held the burning branch and slowly advanced into the cave while the others followed closely behind him.
The sound of their footsteps echoed through the stone walls as they moved deeper into the darkness. The interior was cold, and the air felt heavier than outside. They walked for about a minute before finally reaching the end of the cave.
There was nothing there.
No creature.
No other path.
Just a large empty space surrounded by stone walls.
Silence lingered for a few seconds before Noah spoke.
"I think we should stay here."
Steh quickly turned toward him.
"Here? But why?"
Noah looked around before answering.
"It's enclosed. We're protected from the wind and the cold." He paused briefly before continuing. "And maybe from other creatures too."
His eyes shifted toward the distant cave entrance.
"Besides, it's still close to the forest. We can keep gathering resources like before… just more safely."
The others began observing the place again.
And little by little, they realized Noah made sense.
The entrance was narrow enough for them to guard easily. The interior protected them from the cold night air. And the forest remained nearby.
Eventually, everyone agreed.
Meanwhile, Ariana silently watched everything from high above the skies.
From the moment they left the forest to their arrival at the cave, she had followed every decision the group made. What surprised her the most was the speed at which they were beginning to reason and adapt to the world.
Especially Noah.
The idea of names.
The choice of shelter.
The way he analyzed risks before acting.
All of it seemed far faster than Ariana had originally imagined.
Of course, she had interfered with the process to some extent.
The names, for example.
Ariana had originally intended to name them personally, but she ultimately abandoned the idea. Instead, she merely influenced their thoughts slightly, making them believe they had chosen those names on their own.
And watching them now, Ariana realized something for the first time.
Perhaps humans were learning far too quickly.