Ch-24 The Paradise Spring

Jasper had already entered the Everawake Jungle but he was oblivious of this fact and it didn't even matter to him because he was unaware about the lore of the Everawake Jungle.

Jasper kept searching for a water source and did not realize the passage of time, until he saw the sun setting.

Realizing that the night was about to come, he changed his priority of search from water source to a shelter. If he couldn't survive the night, then there was no point of finding a water source. He knew from experience that finding a shelter was a must to survive the night.

During the two weeks the siblings travelled through the forest, many ferocious creature attacked their shelter at night, but luckily these beasts were not strong enough to be Jennifer's match.

However, Jasper was terrified by the ferocious creature and understood from watching the battle that meeting them meant certain death with his current strength. He was just not strong enough to challenge them yet.

Before proceeding with his search, he finds a long and hard piece of wood and ignites it to help his waning visibility during the night. He was also hungry after not having eaten anything except fruits for the last 3 days. But, food was something he had to worry about later.

Jasper quickened his pace and combed through many area quickly until he was greeted by a spectacular sight.

Clear water as clean as a whistle without any blemishes cascading down a waterfall to form a refreshing spring below. As the water cascaded down it formed white bubbles upon striking with the ground and the musty and ancient trees surrounding the spring formed a picturesque sight that was too perfect and Jasper was unable to look away from it.

Jasper was mesmerized by the breathtaking sight but there was something else also going through his mind.

' Master once told me about the power of healing held by a natural spring. Although it wouldn't mend Jennifer immediately, it would help in speeding up her recovery. Staying here is a risk I must take. '

Jasper was strong in Blue World but all his experience in Arcane World had taught him that his strength meant nothing here. It was a cruel fact to except when he regarded himself as one of the strongest but none the less, this was now his reality.

If he wanted to live longer than his only plausible option was to wait for Jennifer to recover and live under her wings until he was strong enough to support himself. For this to happen, he had to keep tending to her wounds while surviving the harsh condition and predators of the jungle.

After making the decision of staying near the beautiful spring, Jasper starts collecting materials required for making a makeshift shelter. But, during his search he comes across a cave that had been carved out of wall due to the continuous flow of water from the waterfall was cascading down on it.

The cave entrance was just small enough for Jasper to fit in, but from the inside it was modest in size not being either big or small. The space inside was just enough for three people.

Also, the cave was located in an inconspicuous place giving him some confidence about it not attracting any dangerous beasts. He left Jennifer inside the cave and came back after an hour with bags of twigs and leaves.

Upon entering the cave, Jasper immediately noticed that he would not be able to sleep on hard cold ground and came up with a quick fix to make a bed of twigs and leaves. This was the best solution he could come up with in the current situation.

Jasper had many worries and other thoughts running through his time and did not have time for sleep but sudden exhaustion hit him like a bullet piercing through his body and with a bed setup next to him, he unintentionally nods off.

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Morning rays of light fall on Jasper through the small hole of the cave, making him wake up with a start. His first thought as he got up was about Jennifer's condition and he was relieved to find her beside him still breathing.

Getting up, Jasper first started examining Jennifer's injuries and was surprised to find all of her superficial wounds healed. Mana was a mystical substance that changed everything about the body including a person's immunity.

Naturally, a Magic Users immunity was superior to a normal human being of Blue World and comparing them with residents of Arcane World who were daily exposed to mana was useless. That big was the difference between them.

The body differed even more for a Magic User who continuously stored mana and became stronger, making their body and also their immunity system better.

' Whatever the reason, it will help Jennifer recover faster. '

After waking up, Jasper heard a loud voice rumbling from inside him.

It was his stomach crying after being depriving it from 4 days of meals. For 3 days, the siblings had been escaping from the Graveyard Troupe and later he had to carry Jennifer while searching for a water source.

He was expending a lot of energy and could only replenish it by eating fruits he found on his way. After finding the spring, he was able to drink a lot of water but did not dare to search for food around the trees in fear of finding predators.

Right now, Jasper was fed up with eating fruits and preferred a change of taste. So, he started searching around the spring for food. Taking some rounds around the spring made him notice the many fishes that called the spring as their home.

He had decided to not leave the radius of the spring because if he searched further then he risked leaving Jennifer unprotected and it was unknown how much time it would take for him to return back.

Jasper only option was waiting for a beast to come near the spring and then kill it or to keep eating fruits which could be easily obtained by the trees surrounding the spring.

As these thoughts revolved in Jasper's head, he noticed the fishes in the spring and had the solution to his current food problem.

The next issue was how to go about catching fishes. Jasper did not have a fishing rod nor a fishing net to catch the fishes. His only viable option was to catch the fishes with his bare hands by swimming in the spring.

' I have never tried catching fishes with bear hands, but it does not hurt to at least give it a try once and I don't think I can last any longer by just eating fruits. The energy obtained by eating them is never going to sustain me. '

Jasper dives in the spring and starts chasing after the fishes. The task of catching them proves to be tough for him, because of their high agility while his mobility was restricted in the water.

Every time, Jasper was close to catching a fish it would use its high agility to slip though his fingers. After 2 hours of intense chasing, he was only able to catch 2 of the fishes. It was a pitiful number compared to the effort he had expended in catching them.

Jasper grilled the fishes in a small fire and ate them raw because of the absence of any other seasonings.

Jasper realized that he did not have the necessary skills and tools to catch fishes and it was impossible for him to chase hours after fishes every day.

However, in the process of catching fishes he was able get a good bath and clean himself after many days. Refreshed after having a bath and a meal he started brainstorming about his current predicament.

Jasper could go backwards, towards the places the siblings had just left. This would make things convenient for him as it was a known path.

The other option was for him to not explore the surroundings areas of the spring and wait here until Jennifer wakes up. He would only be able to eat meat when some poor beast decided to come near the spring. But this was a very unpredictable outcome since he couldn't even begin to guess when she would wake up.

His last option was to slowly increase the range of his search starting from the cave until he found a clue or perhaps if lucky a way out of the forest. He would have to leave Jennifer unprotected, but it was unavoidable.

Also, while he increased his scope of search he would hunt for any small preys he encountered. It was a risky option but did guarantee progress.

Deliberating on the 3 options, Jasper choose the the third option which was to slowly increase the scope of search.

Going back was a very dangerous endeavour because there might be people waiting to ambush them, staying near the spring was not going to improve their current predicament. So, searching for ways out of the forest seemed to be the best choice although it was also the most risky. It would also help him obtain nutritious food.