one step away from reality to dream

As Huo turned and walked away into the dense wilderness, Haruno stood silently, watching his figure slowly disappear into the horizon. The wind carried with it a sense of both hope and uncertainty, and her heart felt heavy with the weight of the moment. Ravihiro, sensing her unease, stood beside her, his face unreadable.

"He will return, Haruno," Ravihiro said, breaking the silence, though his voice carried an edge of doubt. "But for now, we focus on your well-being."

Haruno nodded but didn't speak, her thoughts still with Huo. As Ravihiro led her back to their home deep within the Beast Forest, a new sense of responsibility settled over him. He had always protected Haruno, but now, the stakes were higher—her pregnancy made her vulnerable, and he needed to ensure her safety more than ever.

Ravihiro had grown accustomed to solitude, and now, with Haruno relying on him, he found himself in unfamiliar territory. He was fierce and strong in battle, but when it came to taking care of an expecting Haruno, who was growing more irritable by the day, things weren't as simple.

One day, while sitting at the wooden table in their modest home, Ravihiro was reviewing some cultivation scrolls. Suddenly, Haruno's voice broke the silence.

"Brother! I'm craving something spicy, and we're out of ingredients! Can you get me some?"

Ravihiro looked up from his scroll, slightly annoyed. "We don't have time to waste on cravings. Your cultivation is more important."

Haruno narrowed her eyes. "I don't care about cultivation right now! I'm growing a human and a beast inside me—I need food!"

Ravihiro sighed deeply. "Fine. I'll go get the spices." He muttered under his breath, "How did I become a babysitter?"

As Ravihiro ventured out to gather the herbs and spices Haruno demanded, he couldn't help but think about how much simpler life had been before this. He was a master cultivator, a warrior—but now he was also a reluctant caretaker.

While searching through the forest, he accidentally stepped into a nest of wild foxes, which immediately began to chase him. Dodging left and right, he muttered curses to himself.

"I faced soul beasts, cultivators, and assassins... but these little furballs are giving me trouble? What has my life become?" Ravihiro groaned.

Back at the House

When Ravihiro finally returned, bruised but victorious with the herbs, Haruno greeted him with a laugh. "What happened to you?"

"Don't ask," Ravihiro grumbled, tossing the ingredients onto the table. "Just eat."

The weeks continued, and Ravihiro found himself in increasingly strange situations. One day, he attempted to make a simple stew but accidentally overused a rare spiritual herb. The result? A soup that caused Haruno to breathe fire uncontrollably for a few minutes.

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" Haruno gasped between bouts of fire.

Ravihiro's face was a mixture of panic and disbelief. "How was I supposed to know that would happen?!"

As the months passed, Ravihiro grew somewhat more accustomed to his new role, but he couldn't help but feel out of place. Protecting Haruno from external threats was one thing, but handling her fluctuating emotions, cravings, and unexpected situations was entirely different.

Trouble in the Beast Forest

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon and cast an orange glow over the forest, Ravihiro sensed a disturbance in the protective formation around their home. His senses sharpened, and he quickly went outside to investigate.

Several beasts had gathered near the outer edges of the formation, seemingly agitated. These weren't ordinary beasts but mutated ones, drawn by something powerful.

Ravihiro realized that Haruno's aura had begun to attract attention. Her pregnancy was amplifying her beastly energy, drawing creatures from far and wide. He quickly fortified the formation, reinforcing it with additional layers of protection, but the pressure was immense.

"We're attracting too much attention," Ravihiro muttered to himself. He knew the real danger wasn't the beasts—they could handle those. It was the humans, cultivators who would come once they caught wind of this unusual phenomenon.