Akira moved cautiously through the dense jungle, each step deliberate, as though the earth itself might betray him.

  He didn’t know if the toxin from the mushroom would still affect him, and now he had no weapon to defend himself, having chosen to leave the giant mantis claw behind in exchange for the gray orb.

  Carrying the two spheres in his hands as if they were newborn children, Akira moved cautiously through the jungle underbrush, occasionally stopping to listen or look for anything that might prove of danger to him.

  “I need to find some water.” Even though he had feasted on the flesh of both beasts and fruit, the blood and the juices weren’t permanent substitutes for water, they had their limits in how much they could hydrate Akira.

  The trees here were dense, their canopies so thick that sunlight barely pierced the layers of green. The air was thick with humidity, making every breath feel heavy, but no sign of water presented itself.

  Minutes stretched into what felt like hours as Akira wove his way through the jungle. His movements grew more sluggish, his legs aching with every step.

  Averting his gaze to the canopy, Akira saw the sun filter through the leaves and vines, it had reached its peak and he had yet to find any source of water.

  He knew that his hunger, while satisfied for now, would also start acting up soon enough.

  With a defeated sigh, the boy stopped under the shade of a smaller tree and rested his back against it. While the thick canopy did offer shade while he walked, the heat itself was still oppressive.

  Akira closed his eyes for a moment, allowing the faint breeze that filtered through the jungle to cool his sweat-soaked skin.

  He let out a dry chuckle. “I can’t believe it, after everything I’ve done until now, I might actually die from something like thirst.” Akira’s time here might have been short, only a little over a day to be precise, but every second of it was intense.

  Shaking his head softly, his black hair moved, freeing his vision a little. “No, if there are creatures living here, there must be water.”

  Akira pushed himself off the tree, his limbs aching from the exertion. He needed to keep moving.

  The thirst gnawed at him, but the thought of dying from something as simple as dehydration stung his pride. He wasn’t going to let this jungle, or whatever twisted force ruled it, claim him like that. Not after everything he’d already endured.

  Every now and then, he paused, scanning his surroundings for signs of streams or even puddles. But the only sound that filled the air was the hum of insects and the occasional rustling of leaves as unseen creatures moved in the distance.

  Minutes passed, or maybe hours, Akira couldn’t tell anymore. Time blurred together in the suffocating heat. He stumbled forward, his steps unsteady, his breath ragged.

  But just as he was about to take a rest and try to recuperate his strength, he heard it.

  Cutting through the air, the sound of water falling and splashing.

  Akira's head snapped up, his silver eyes wide with sudden hope. The sound was unmistakable, the rush of water cascading over rocks, a gentle yet persistent splashing that echoed through the jungle.

  “That's it… it's water.”

  His heart surged with a mix of desperation and relief, and without a second thought, he started moving in the direction of the sound.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Each step felt like a battle against his own body. His legs trembled, but the promise of water pushed him forward.

  The leaves and vines seemed to part before him, almost guiding him toward his goal. The sound grew louder with each passing moment, fueling his determination. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could last, but he refused to let thirst claim him. “It's close, I’m sure of it. I can almost feel it.”

  The dense foliage thinned as he moved, and there, nestled between a cluster of low, twisted trees, was a crystal-clear stream. The water cascaded from a small waterfall into a shallow river, the sound of it crashing against the rocks ringing out in the still air.

  Akira staggered forward, his feet dragging with exhaustion. The sight of the water was like a beacon, its cool clarity almost too beautiful to be real. He knelt at the edge of the stream, hands trembling as he let the two globes in his hands fall at his sides, he cupped them together, desperate to scoop up the water.

  The cool water lapped against his palms, and for a moment, Akira almost forgot about the world around him. His mind was consumed with the thirst that had plagued him for so long, and he greedily drank from his cupped hands, feeling the refreshing liquid cascade down his throat.

  Water was like a balm to his parched body, reviving him with each swallow. His hands trembled less as he drank, and the dizziness that had clouded his vision seemed to lift, if only a little.

  He let out a deep, guttural sigh of relief, savoring the sensation of moisture spreading through him, nourishing him in ways the blood and fruit never could. “Nice, this is really nice.”

  Looking down at his body, the white tunic he wore was now stained with red and his skin dirty with grime and dried blood.

  Removing his hands from in front of his vision he saw his own face once again.

  His frightened white-gray eyes were now sharper and more focused.

  He started taking off his tunic, he was dirty, and so was the clothing he wore, and he at least wanted to change that.

  Akira’s fingers fumbled at the edges of his tunic, the fabric clinging to his skin from the sweat and grime of the jungle. He pulled it over his head, the movement slow and deliberate, feeling the weight of his exhaustion in every motion.

  As the tunic came free, he glanced at it, the bloodstains on it a cruel reminder of the horrors he had faced, of what he had become.

  He tossed the garment to the side, not caring where it landed.

  For a moment, he just stood there by the stream, only covered by a cloth that wrapped around his waist and under, covering his groin. His chest rising and falling with deep breaths as he tried to steady his racing heart.

  Taking a step forwards, his foot sank into the water, it felt cold, but that was the least of his worries.

  Akira stood in the river, the coolness of the stream washing over his feet and ankles, the shock of it sending a shiver up his spine. His breath steadied, though his heart was still pounding.

  He took another, then another, until the water finally covered the bottom half of his body just above his waist.

  Cupping his hands into the water once more, bringing it to his face, the coolness of it a shock against his skin. He splashed his face repeatedly, trying to wash away the grime, the blood, and the memories of what he had done.

  “I’m here, I’m alive.”

  He splashed some more water over himself, over his small back with barely any muscle or meat on it to the point his spine was visible, his skinny arms that looked like twigs, his slender waist like that of a young lady.

  Water flowed down his body like a cascade, cleansing his body as he stepped out of the river.

  The tunic he discarded earlier lay on the ground near the two crystals, he picked it up and started to wash it in the flowing water quietly. “I need to find some way to store a bit of water, I need to keep moving, and I can’t keep coming back here whenever I need it.”

  As Akira scrubbed the fabric of his tunic against itself, he felt the roughness of the cloth against his hands. The bloodstains resisted at first, the dried crimson reluctant to yield to the water’s touch. But with each vigorous motion, the stains began to fade, swirling away into the clear stream like memories dissolving into oblivion.

  After rinsing his tunic to the best of his ability, he laid it out on a flat rock near the stream, allowing the sun to do the rest. The warm rays were a stark contrast to the chill of the water, a reminder that life here could be both beautiful and cruel.

  He sat beside it as it dried, as soon as his skin touched the rock, it sent a shiver down his spine.

  Perhaps it was the peace or the view, but without even noticing it, he found himself… taking a nap…

  Opening his eyes abruptly, he saw the sun was setting and its orange hue was starting to envelop the world around him, surprisingly, he was still alive and fine.

  “I… I fell asleep?” How could he have done such a stupid thing? In the open near a water source to add to his idiocy. “I really let my guard down.” He let out a sigh. “Well, there’s no point in lingering on it.”

  Akira turned to see his tunic was now still pretty soaked but wearable.

  With a smooth motion he put it over his body, the wet feeling slapping against his skin as he tightened the rope around his waist.

  Finally he turned back to see the crystals… they were gone.