The days in Arcadia began to pass differently.
Now, there was routine.
Every morning, the group left the cave divided into almost natural roles. Some went out to hunt. Others gathered fruits, wood, and useful stones. Meanwhile, those who stayed near the cave continued modifying the place little by little, trying to make it safer and more comfortable.
And as time moved forward, small changes began to appear.
More spears started leaning against the stone walls.
The campfires began lasting longer.
The pelts used to fight against the cold also improved. As time passed, the humans accumulated a large amount of rabbit leather, and Steh and Rosy eventually discovered a simple way to connect the pieces together. By making small holes in the leather and using dried grass fibers like thread, they were able to tie different parts together, creating larger coverings that were far more effective against the cold.
That made the nights considerably more bearable.
In addition, better tools began to appear. Using sharper stones, they developed rudimentary knives that made skinning animals and cutting apart hunted prey much easier.
They also discovered something unexpected.
When they heated meat over the fire, the taste changed.
Until then, they had eaten everything raw.
Ariana watched everything from high above the skies.
Every movement.
Every change.
She did not want to miss anything.
The humans continued evolving day after day. Better tools began appearing inside the cave—rudimentary axes, sharper stone knives, and sturdier spears.
Now they could cut wood far more easily.
And little by little, the shelter itself also began to change.
The old improvised wall made from branches, mud, and stones no longer existed in the same form. In its place, large pieces of wood were raised side by side, tied together with ropes made from carefully twisted and braided dried grass fibers.
The work was exhausting.
Calluses began appearing on the humans' hands. Small cuts could be seen across their arms and legs, while their skin slowly became marked by the constant sunlight.
Even so… they continued working every day.
Ding!
[+3 Faith Points]
The blue notification appeared before Ariana, making her blink in surprise.
It had been quite some time since she had received Faith Points without a system mission.
"What is this, System?" she asked.
[Due to the evolution of your living beings, the System provides proportional rewards.]
The solemn mechanical voice echoed calmly inside her mind.
Ariana fell into thought.
Three points felt small considering how much the humans had evolved. Even so, when she imagined Arcadia completely filled with life in the future…
Humans.
Animals.
New races.
Entire civilizations.
…she realized something.
In the future, Faith Points might begin appearing constantly.
The thought brought a small smile to her face.
Then Ariana made a decision.
She wanted to reward them.
At that moment, only Rosy and Steh remained inside the cave. The two were sitting near the entrance, working on a few stone tools when a soft voice came from outside.
"Heey."
Ariana slowly peeked her face through the cave entrance while waving her hand.
The two were startled immediately.
"A-Ariana…," Rosy said, standing up too quickly.
Steh also rose to her feet almost instantly.
It had already been several days since the last time they had seen her.
And yet, Ariana looked exactly the same.
Impeccable.
Her long green hair swayed gently with the wind, while her white clothes remained far too clean for someone walking through that world.
She looked… divine.
"I see things have changed quite a lot," Ariana commented with a small laugh as she observed the cave and the tools scattered around it.
"What brings you here?" Steh asked, still clearly cautious. Instinctively, her hand touched her own arm, remembering the burn and the absurd way Ariana had extinguished the fire with a single gesture.
"I came to bring something for you."
Rosy and Steh immediately looked at one another.
Curiosity.
Anxiety.
Expectation.
"W-What is it?" Rosy asked.
Ariana slowly closed her hands.
When she opened them again, several small seeds rested on her palms.
"This."
Steh frowned slightly.
"Aren't those the bad things inside fruits?"
Ariana stayed silent for a few seconds.
"You threw the seeds away…?"
The two merely tilted their heads, not understanding the problem.
Ariana quickly gave up thinking about it.
Of course… there was no way they could have known.
So she decided to explain.
"These are called seeds," she said calmly. "They are what make trees grow and produce fruit. But these ones are different."
She knelt down near the cave entrance.
"They won't become trees."
Using her fingers, Ariana opened a small hole in the dirt and placed one of the seeds inside before covering it again.
"You only need to give them water every day."
Rosy and Steh watched attentively.
"After some time… new kinds of food will grow from here. I call them vegetables."
A soft glow appeared in Ariana's eyes.
Then small leaves began sprouting from the ground.
Steh's eyes widened.
The leaves grew rapidly, expanding until a large head of lettuce formed before them.
"Of course… it normally doesn't grow this fast," Ariana added shortly afterward.
"H-How did you do that?" Steh asked.
"Magic," Ariana answered naturally.
Then Steh asked something that made Ariana blink in surprise.
"Can we do that too?"
"I-I think so…?"
Rosy still stared suspiciously at the lettuce.
"Is that edible?"
Ariana nodded before tearing off a leaf and placing it into her mouth.
"It's only missing some salt and vinegar…," she thought while chewing.
"Be careful not to lose the seeds," Ariana said with a small smile.
Before Rosy or Steh could respond, her body had already begun slowly rising toward the sky.
Her long green hair swayed with the wind as she disappeared above the clouds only seconds later.
Rosy and Steh remained staring upward for a while, still carefully holding the seeds in their hands.
Meanwhile, Ariana flew silently through the skies of Arcadia.
She wished she could have stayed longer.
She wanted to talk more.
The idea of finally existing alongside other beings capable of thinking, speaking, and answering her questions made something inside her feel lighter.
For most of the time, Arcadia was far too silent.
When she was not watching the humans, Ariana usually spent her time playing with Kon through the forests or wandering alone through the endless skies of her world.
She rarely visited the World of the Dead.
And whenever she did, conversations never lasted very long.
The Goddess of Death would immediately kneel the moment she saw Ariana, treating her as an absolute existence above all else. She rarely spoke beyond what was necessary, limiting herself to answering questions in a direct and respectful manner.
It quickly became exhausting.
Humans were different.
Unpredictable.
Curious.
Sometimes even funny.
And for the first time, Ariana no longer felt so alone.