-74- Doma and Her

"Doma, don't be afraid."

"There's nothing to fear, Doma. You can get out of here, you can do it!"

"Doma, believe in yourself. You're the child of a hunter, so you can survive. You need to stay calm, Doma, be even calmer, have more composure!"

"Father once said, the more dangerous the situation, the calmer you should be. Stay calm, and you'll find a way out."

In the dim and lightless underground, a little girl who was unexpectedly swallowed into this world, now tightly grips a bone-made dagger in her hand, cautiously surveying her surroundings.

Her name is Doma, the daughter of a hunter from a nearby village.

Right now, eleven-year-old Doma looks up, but she can't see the sky. It's as if she has entered another world.

Doma doesn't know how she ended up in this place; she has no idea what happened. She only remembers wanting to catch grass lizards in a small oasis. But her vision dimmed, and when she woke up again, Doma found herself here.

Now, with courage in her heart, Doma places the bone-made dagger in front of her and carefully feels the damp wall with her other hand, walking along the cave's wall.

"Father said, in a cave, to find an exit, you have to use your ear, use your nose to sense."

"I can do it. My nose is good."

Doma takes a deep sniff, sensing the smell, and then, with self-spoken excitement, she says, "This, this is the smell of wind. The exit is right there!"

Feeling that she has found the direction, Doma puts in extra effort, propelling herself forward with her two short legs.

She is truly brave, so brave that she, in a situation she knows nothing about, has been walking alone in this environment for three hours.

It wasn't until three hours passed that Doma felt disheartened, and the thought of giving up crossed her mind.

Her stomach growled audibly; Doma was hungry.

She wanted to find something to eat, but it was evident that there was nothing edible nearby.

This was a strange world, a lightless, damp underworld.

"Will I die?"

Leaning against the wall, Doma, after stopping, realized she was both hungry and cold.

Then, a strange sound echoed.

"Thud, thud."

Doma quickly stood up, alertly looking ahead. During this time, no matter how she spoke or made noise, there was no response, but now there was an odd commotion!

Nervously watching the source of the sound, something slowly rolled in.

"Gulp."

It was the sound of swallowing saliva.

In front of Doma, a plump fruit rolled out. It was a honeydew melon, about the size of Doma's head, a precious fruit that she could only eat on special occasions.

And now, a whole melon lay before her.

"Who are you?!"

But Doma wasn't overwhelmed by the sudden appearance of food; instead, she cautiously asked.

There was no sound from the front; instead, another fruit appeared. It was a sandfruit, and Doma recognized it.

"Are you giving these to me to eat?"

Doma put down her guard and asked softly.

A voice came from over there.

"Mmm."

Very light, somewhat hoarse, but a gentle voice.

"Thank you!"

Doma quickly ran over to pick up the honeydew melon and sandfruit. Then she ran back to her original spot, opened her mouth, and took a hearty bite. However, her eyes remained fixed on the front.

She still hadn't let her guard down, even though she felt the other person meant no harm.

But that's the instinct of a hunter.

She is the daughter of a hunter.

"After you finish eating, follow me. I'll take you out."

The person said again.

Doma became alert. She took another bite of honeydew melon, joy appearing in her tired eyes. However, she said, "But you haven't told me who you are. If you don't say, I can't follow you. You're very dangerous."

The person was silent for a moment, then spoke with a tone that seemed to contain some admiration for Doma, saying softly, "But you have no other choice, do you?"

"Sometimes, following the strong is the instinct of the weak."

Doma listened in silence, but soon, she pursed her lips, nodded, and said, "You're right. I have no other choice."

"I have to thank you first. If it weren't for you, I might have given up."

"No need," the person said again. Doma felt that the other person seemed quite indifferent.

But can an indifferent person extend a helping hand to a helpless little girl?

Doma didn't know.

But she spoke up, saying, "By the way, my name is Doma. What's your name?"

"You don't need to know my name."

Doma was very obedient.

She was a strong and obedient girl.

Knowing it wasn't the time to be stubborn, Doma nodded vigorously and then eagerly started eating the fruits.

Because she was really hungry.

Then, a voice came from the other side.

"Are you full? If not, I have more here."

"Um, I'm full."

Doma quickly wiped her mouth.

It was a honeydew melon the size of a head and a sandfruit the size of a fist. Of course, she was full.

Then, the person said, "Good, follow me."

Doma stood up and walked forward.

"Whatever happens, remember to hide first."

"I understand."

-------------------------------

The third day in the underground cave.

Doma had been in the underworld for three days. If she weren't there, Doma thought she would have gone crazy.

The place was pitch-black, and even though her eyes had slowly adjusted, it was too oppressive. Doma's nerves were constantly on edge, and there wasn't a moment of relaxation.

But at least she was there.

Following her, Doma would stop and rest every once in a while, as if she knew Doma had pushed herself to the limit.

"Hey, big sister."

"I'm not your sister."

"But you're older than me."

This made her silent.

Doma knew she was also a girl because there was a strange sound in the cave once, and calmly, she told Doma to hide. Doma obediently followed her instructions and peeked out from behind a rock.

In the dim cave, a piercing sound echoed, frightening Doma. It was the roar of a monster.

That was definitely not a human sound.

What followed was a battle.

It was a fight between her and the monster.

But what surprised Doma was that the battle ended very quickly, and the victor was the girl who had been helping her.

And Doma, bathed in a strange purple beam, saw her face.

It was a very beautiful face, more beautiful than anyone Doma had ever seen.

But Doma only saw her for a moment, not even enough time to remember her features.

Doma only knew she was beautiful.

Doma liked beautiful things, and she was a child who knew how to be grateful.

This helpful and beautiful sister—Doma believed in her and wanted to get closer to her.

But she was always so indifferent.

Just like now.

She was particularly indifferent.

"You're right, but I'm not your big sister."

"Why?"

Doma, puzzled, said, "My dad said, as long as someone is older than me, I should politely address them. If it's a man, I call him big brother; if it's a woman, I call her big sister. You're a woman and older than me, so I should call you big sister, unless, unless you're not human?"

Doma just wanted to play a small joke with her. After all, being with her was too cold.

Of course, she was human.

She could speak, and she looked so beautiful.

A beautiful big sister.

But what happened next made Doma's heart beat faster.

She responded to Doma's words.

However, she didn't argue, and, of course, she didn't agree either.

She just spoke in a strange tone, saying lightly, "I don't know either."

Doma didn't know what to say and could only silently watch that figure.

After a while, Doma saw her move.

"Let's go, Doma."

"We're in this together."

Doma quickly caught up with her.

Doma believed in her.