Beastmen: She Tames the Land-Chapter 180: The Hearth Keeper

Opening her eyes to see the chamber, Visha attempted to calm her breathing. She knew what she had just seen. The First Beast, the harmony keeper. Whatever happened with the last breath was interrupted; she tried to fix it.

The end was obvious. She died trying to keep the plant from imploding on itself. Visha hadn’t expected that this was what she would see in the lore fragment. And she was sure the First Beast looked at her.

But that’s impossible. It was just a memory; there was no way that person would be able to see her.

"Sha’mīn," Uri’s voice sounded beside her ear. His worry evident.

"I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m closing my eyes again. Just do what you need to do," she said, cupping his cheek. Then she nestled into his arms and closed her eyes.

She would check the next fragment. Though she was still in awe at what happened, she thought it was better to check now than later. The next fragment might shed some more light on what she saw.

So, closing her eyes, she activated the last lore fragment.

What she saw when she opened her eyes was not beautiful mountains, but squalid huts. The place appeared utterly devoid of any wealth. The people were sick, and those who weren’t were taking care of those who were.

Still translucent, she felt a pull and looked over to the side. There she saw a woman. She was smiling, her eyes were serene, holding a warmth Visha had never seen before. Compared to the First Beast, who was stoic, this person appeared the epitome of a saint.

Visha watched as she floated among those who were ill. Her smile always warm and gentle. She listened to their stories as she healed them. A child would cough, and the woman would hear it. She would walk gracefully over to the child, and as soon as her hand touches the child, the child stops coughing.

Visha couldn’t understand who this person was. She figured out the First Beast, but this person didn’t evoke any memories from the first lore. That was until she saw her take out a small book. She recognized the book.

It was the same one she kept in the space. Visha knew who this person was now. The Hearth-Keeper. Her book was one of the rewards from the system when she first arrived.

She followed the Hearth-Keeper as she walked among the people, writing down observations and techniques. Visha found herself learning more from this lore than she could from the book itself. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

She followed the Hearth-Keeper for years, just as she did the First Beast. And everything she saw proved the Hearth-Keeper to be someone of a good heart.

A tribe leader once asked, "Who...are you?"

The Hearth-Keeper replied, "Someone who keeps the world warm."

"From what tribe?"

She smiled airily, "From whichever tribe needs me."

Visha watched her crush herbs to hand to a woman who was ill.

"How can we repay?" the tribe leader asked.

"You can tell me stories. I collect stories." A charming smile and a tilt of her head, she continued. "Tell me your fears, your hopes, and dreams."

And in that split second, Visha heard something else. The way she said it made people think she only wanted to talk. But when Visha heard it, her skin crawled. Especially when the Hearth-Keeper looked in her direction and smiled.

That’s when Visha started to take note of it. The Hearth-Keeper wasn’t just healing, she was collecting stories. Why would she need to collect stories? What would she use these stories for?

The next few years of her walk with the Hearth-Keeper followed the same pattern. She would heal, ask for stories, and then leave. Visha no longer focused on her questions. She watched the way she healed.

It was another day of Visha. Visha doesn’t get tired in her translucent stage. So she walks when the Hearth-Keeper walks and stops when she stops. As they walk, she sees someone familiar, the First Beast.

The two walk past each other as though they don’t see each other. Visha had never had this experience with the First Beast. So why is it happening with the Hearth-Keeper?

As soon as they walk past each other, Visha snaps back to the chamber. This time, she isn’t breathing heavily. She gasped, her mouth fell open, and she grabbed Uri’s hand.

Her mind was still trying to string together what just happened. She saw it. She knows she saw it. They...

The Hearth-Keeper and the First Beast, they know each other. And they both looked at her. In that lore fragment, when they both passed each other, they looked at her. Even for the briefest moment, she saw it, she felt it.

These two crystals were nothing like the one before. One was just giving information; these two were trying to tell her something. But what? What is she missing? Are the Hearth-Keeper and First Beast enemies? Are they friends who can’t acknowledge each other?

Something is missing, and she can’t figure out what it is. Maybe the system can tell her later? She had a feeling it had something to do with those two. Then there is Krag and Chi. They know she has the system. They know the system is more than it appears to be.

She also knows they won’t tell her anything. No matter what she asks, she might never be able to say a word. She also knows she is sinking into something deeper than she intended.

She rested in Uri’s arms. She closed her eyes. This time, she wasn’t looking for lore fragments; she simply wanted to rest. There were too many things on her mind. She needed to reset.

She raised her feet and rested them on Xeno’s lap. He was close by as well, watching Visha the entire time. She could feel his eyes on her. She held out a hand for him to hold.

She squeezed it then fell asleep.