The next morning, before anyone else woke up, Elene was cuddling Sneakers. She didn't dislike the darkness, but if it weren't for the consistent sound of Aldar's light snores and the warmth of Sneakers curled up next to her, Elene felt she might go insane. "Sneakers, I'm so glad you came with me. I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here." Elene whispered as she smothered the cat with love. Sneakers nuzzled her cheek knowingly.

  Elene's stomach growled. Ignoring it, she continued to lovingly stroke Sneakers' furry spine for comfort. Elene had little to do as she kindly waited for Aldar to wake up. All she could do to fill the time was whisper to Sneakers and think. So Elene thought a lot, grasping onto the necklace that had hung around her neck for years. She started muttering, an old habit that let her keep her thoughts straight.

  Elene had a few pieces of information. First, this was another world in which they didn't use sight to get around. Some sort of echolocation was Elenes' best guess. She mentally put this on the list of things for her to figure out.

  Second, she and Sneakers were pulled into this world by a purple light, which turned out to be a portal. Elene now knew her mother was likely summoned somewhere in this world, like she was. The glowing light that brought Elene and Sneakers here was too similar to her mother's disappearance to be a coincidence. Or rather, Elene was certain her mother was summoned by someone to another world besides Earth. She just had to believe it was the same world she had been summoned to. Briefly heartbreak threatened to take over her tear ducts, but her 'gifts' helped her force it down to a more manageable amount.

  She continued like nothing had happened, preventing herself from dwelling on it. Third, she was going to be trained by Aldar. She wasn't sure what that would look like, but she was certain it would have to mean going outside; otherwise, she wouldn't get anywhere. It was darker than the night inside the cave. Finally, her blessings included 'Halved Hero.' A hero, according to Chief, were heralds of change, knights, or skilled in disaster prevention. She wasn't sure which category she fell under, so she put that to the side. Elene remembered the chief also mentioning 'Halved Hero' being an unusual title.

  The word halved could be interpreted a few ways. The first way it could be interpreted was that she had a second, hidden class. Second way to interpret the word halved was that her duties were split with someone else. Third way it could be interpreted was her duties had multiple facets, so she could be guiding the Clan to a new era by defeating a great disaster, or defending the weak from a disaster, or be heralding change by defending the weak, or a couple other versions of combining the three known Hero routes, or even a completely new route. Or, more depressingly, she would only be able to do a half baked job.

  Elene felt like she was getting a headache just thinking of all the unknown variables. However, of all the information she had on hand, the hope that her mother was alive in this world was igniting a dream within Elene. She didn't want to abandon the Clan, she had just agreed to help them, but if she managed to gather information, maybe she could find her mother and they could go home together! Elene quietly decided her goal for her adventure in this world as Aldar stirred.

  "Are you awake already?" Aldar asked in exhausted disbelief. "Whatever. I'm sleeping a bit longer. Don't bother me." Aldar said, and rolled over. Not a second later, Elenes stomach growled lightly again. Elene blushed but didn't say a word. Unbeknownst to her, Aldar grudgingly directed his senses in her direction. With a long sigh, Aldar stood up. Aldar silently walked over to the food pile. He took a few chunks of boiled meat, and two pieces of fruit, the amount allocated to the Saviour for lunch. He returned to his crevice, set the food down next to Elene, and went back to sleeping.

  Elene was somewhat touched that he disturbed his precious sleep to feed her. She traced the shape of the food with her hands to get an idea of what he had brought her. Two pears and what seemed to be a duo of chicken legs. At the very least, they were legs of some sort. Elene delicately took a bite of the chicken legs. They were merely boiled, and Elene found the flavor lacking, though it was clearly salted and flavored with an herb or two- it certainly didn't help that they were cold. Elene ate most of both cheeroo legs, but made sure Sneakers got enough food too. Elene set aside the largest of the two available fruit, and nibbled on the remaining piece.

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  The fruit she tried was very sour as she bit into it, and she thought to spit it out, but the fruit quickly melted into a sweetness that made her feel like she drank a glass of lemonade. She devoured the rest of the fruit, the occasional puckered lips interrupting her timidly pleased smile. When she was done eating it, she was very sad the experience was over and seriously considered eating the fruit she had set aside. After careful deliberation, she reluctantly set the fruit down. Elene remembered the state of Aldar's scrawny, though deceptively muscular body, and knew food was probably not very easily supplied. She thought maybe a small gesture of respect to her new mentor could go a long way, and besides, she was full, although she almost wished she wasn't.

  Time passed slowly as Elene absent-mindedly pet Sneakers, who was more than happy to rest nestled in her arms. Elene was patiently waiting for Aldar to wake up when he was ready, though she really wanted to walk over there and shake him awake so they could do something. When Aldar finally stirred, Elene hopefully turned in his direction. "Food first. Then hunt." Aldar muttered grumpily. He walked to the food pile, took a chunk of meat and a vegetable resembling an onion, and despite or perhaps because he ate without chewing much at all, he finished eating them before he even finished returning to his crevice.

  He was disappointed, and comforted his stomach with a light pat. He noted his apprentice had yet to finish her last piece of fruit. Aldar's mood soured, thinking she didn't value her food enough. He sat down in his crevice silently and began to pull the weapons he planned to use that day to make sure they were properly maintained. After Elene started hearing the noise of Aldar sharpening something, she cautiously held the remaining fruit in the general direction of the sound. "I saved this for you." Elene says softly. Aldar directs his senses towards her, trying to figure out her intentions.

  "Why?" Aldar asks, not identifying anything from her body language. "Well, there doesn't seem to be a lot of fruit here, and I don't know how much food goes around. I wanted to express my gratitude, but I don't have much. So I saved the biggest piece of fruit as a thank you for being my mentor. I look forward to learning from you!" Elene says softly. Aldar feels her sincerity and, satisfied with her explanation, takes the fruit from her hands. "I have received your tribute." He says, acknowledging his students' respect for him in the traditional clan manner before taking a big bite of the fruit, pleased by the extra food. He savors the fruit more than the rest of his meal, even sparing a moment to chew on each bite, though he still finishes the fruit off quickly. After he eats and cleans up the crevice, he finally turns to the patient Elene.

  "Let's outline a few rules, Saviour. First, do not touch anyone without explicit permission from both me and them. Second rule, I'm in charge. I don't know what it was like in your world, but you are my student, which means your actions reflect upon me. In exchange for guiding you and ensuring you're able to provide your own livelihood in the future, you're expected to be obedient while under my charge and respectful towards me after you leave my crevice. Third, don't disturb my sleep. Fourth, keep 'Sneakers' under control if you want him to be able to stay here." Aldar decided to make sure their positions were obvious, so he spoke in a slightly harsh tone and phrased his rules as non-negotiable demands.

  Elene heard the toughness he was trying to exude and knew that he was serious. "Okay Aldar, I will do my best!" Elene says, determination in her voice. She had resolved that morning to survive, find her mother, and make her way home, no matter what. Aldar nodded approvingly.

  "Aldar, if it's not too much trouble, could we maybe have lunch outside after hunting? I can't see anything still, so I can't even start to feel like this is my new life. I still feel like I'm just having a bad dream." Elene explains, her voice trailing off as she rubs her shoulder nervously. A nervous tic she developed when she moved and had yet to get rid of. Aldar's heart softened. He forgot Elene was a year younger than him. Of course it was nervous and still figuring things out. He had just barely come into his own himself, so he sympathized.

  The entire world was different when you went to live with your mentor instead of your parents, and again when you went to start your own crevice. He was only the head of his crevice for a few weeks before Elene came along, and he felt incredibly lost without anyone to consider family. He was almost a stranger to this Cave, and it was a small comfort to have Elene's presence fill his crevice. Even Elene's beast Sneakers made the place feel warmer. As a hunter, he never could have imagined that he would ever admit that to himself."Sure, I don't mind." Aldar said, and chuckled softly at the joyful energy that radiated off of Elene. The clan was waking up around them, and Aldar decided they could go out now. He grabs his knives and slips them into his belt loop. "I can take you outside now." Aldar sensed Elenes' energy lighting up with enthusiasm, and he chuckled in mild amusement. He takes his gloved hand and grabs her wrist, walking towards the Rock. He was humming a tune familiar only to his ears as he began to guide Elene around. Elene walks behind him, her toes running into pebbles and the occasional ridge in the ground.

  She grits her teeth and tries to walk more purposefully. She pays careful attention to how Aldar's hand sways as he guides her, trying to make sense of how he was moving. She didn't want him to consider her too much trouble, and she was only being cared for in the unique world because of his kindness. She was the different one in this world, so she was the one who would have to learn their ways. As she hits another stone with her toe, she grits her teeth to ignore the pain, hoping she will adjust quickly.

  Aldar lets go, and Elene freezes. Her emotions had still not quite stabilized after the transfer, and feelings similar to when she watched her mother disappear welled up. Aldar walks to the Rock, not noticing Elene freezing or her earlier pain. He pushed with all his might, and the Rock rolled slowly out of the way. Light started streaming through the crack, and Elene had to close her eyes to let them adjust. Aldar takes her hand and guides her into the sun before turning to close the Rock.

  Is that some positive feelings we see you having towards Elene, Aldar? Only took you like 8k words. When I say this novel is a slowburn, I mean I am going to drag you kicking and screaming through the mud as you beg me to let them get together already. Have fun~