I stumbled back into my tunnel as the sun rose. Arrows stuck out of me at every angle, including one just above my eye, cuts ran down my arms over burns from explosions, and puncture wounds covered my legs. Everything hurt and felt numb at the same time. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many monsters I killed, there were always more. They just kept coming out of nowhere to fight me. I kept fighting all of them until they burned in the sunlight. My rage faded away with the moon, and I was left standing in a field feeling empty.

I killed everything I saw last night. I got my revenge, but I didn't feel any better. My friend was still gone.

As I passed my furnace, my stomach grumbled. I knew food would help with the pain. But I didn't want it. I threw my bedroom door open and slammed it behind me. I dropped on the bed and lay there.

Sleep did not come.

I laid on my side, staring at the spot that Sigrid always liked to sleep, but she wasn't there. She wasn't watching me with expectant eyes. She was gone and I had nothing to remember her by. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the rough rock ceiling trying not to think about how Sigrid was gone, and failing miserably at that. The harder I tried not to think about it, the more I did. I kept hoping that last night wasn't real. That I'd dreamed it all up and that any moment now I'd awake to find her watching me, ready to face another day.

But I was awake. That monster had been real. It had killed her. She died trying to defend me.

Why did she have to die? I should have done more.

When the adrenaline faded away and the exhaustion of the night finally caught up with me, those were the thoughts wandering through my mind.

I slept, if it could be called that due to all of the tossing and turning, for most of the day. My stomach woke me, and I didn't feel the least bit refreshed. If anything, I felt worse. Though the arrows had vanished, my body still pulsed with pain. My limbs felt heavy, and my heart still ached. I didn't even dream. A part of me hoped I would and would see Sigrid again, but no, and so I wanted to continue to lay there until the end. However, my body had other plans.

I found myself leaving my room and grabbing some food from the furnace. I nibbled at the steak as I stared blankly out into the field, flashes of last night flooding through my mind. There had been so many monsters. My pack was filled with all sorts of items from spider eyes to gunpowder. Any other day and I'd have been excited about having so many new resources. There was too much pain today. Thankfully, with each bite, some of the pain faded from my body. My body was healing, and by the time I finished my meal as the sun began to set, every pain but one had left me. The last one was more stubborn and I knew no amount of food would fix it.

My eyes scanned the outside world once again. The setting sun painted the sky orange and the rest of the world gained a golden color. The fully grown carrots and potato plants swayed in a gentle breeze.

I should harvest those. Probably breed the chickens and cows too.

I went back to my room and closed the door. I slept through the night, haunted by visions of glowing purple eyes. I woke up the next morning, and only left my room to grab another bite to eat around noon. I did the same the next day, and the day after that. Soon enough, a week went by. And I hadn't once set foot outside of my tunnel.

On the eighth day, I ran out of food which faced me with a choice. I could stay inside until I starved to death, or I could go back out into the world. Just thinking about going outside seemed to drain me of my energy, and made the thought of starvation more appealing. However, despite how I felt that first night, I didn't want to die. Not really. I just didn't want to be alone.

For the millionth time, I missed Sigrid, and for the first time since she died, I allowed myself to think about her. I remembered the feel of her fur, the sound of her barks, and the happy look on her face. Thinking about her also reminded me of that night. I could hear the growl in her throat as she charged the monster. I could see the determination in her eyes to save me. She died so that I could live. Staying inside my room wasn't living. She wouldn't want this for me. She'd want me to go out and explore, to have fun.

Staying in my room dishonored her sacrifice. So, for the first time in a week, I went outside. While my tunnel was open to the world, the air outside my door felt fresher in my lungs. It smelled cleaner. The shade of my hill felt cool, and stepping out into the bright morning sunlight warmed my skin. The simple warmth helped ease the pain I'd been feeling. Each step into the sun became easier. Soon enough, I'd harvested all of my crops and fed the animals that I could. Thankfully, they didn't seem to mind having been neglected for so long. None of them looked worse for wear.

After handling my chores, I simply stood in the field, breathing deep and enjoying the feeling of the sun on my skin. Some of the cows watched me expectantly, waiting for more wheat, but I'd given them everything I had. The herd had grown to be bigger than my current, small little wheat field around my pond could care for, so I set out to make a bigger one. I made a full-sized plot just like I'd seen in the village for wheat beside the pond. This gave it plenty of water and kept it close to the cow pen. I could hear them mooing appreciatively as I spent the day building it.

That night, I munched on a dinner of carrots and baked potatoes and stared out across the field reminiscing. As much as it hurt to think about Sigrid, remembering her actually made me feel better in some strange way. I came to the conclusion that I wanted to build something to remember her by. Given my building skills, it wouldn't be very extravagant, but it would help me remember her. With a monument dedicated to Sigrid, I could look at it and remember her forever. I would use diorite for the monument, but after checking my building chest, I came to the unfortunate realization that I only had a single block left. I did know where to find more, but I didn't like it.

Morkmun had diorite down there. I didn't want to go down there, but I wouldn't let my fear prevent me from honoring Sigrid's memory. I'd been down there once and lived, and I could do it again. This time, I'd do things differently. I had more experience and resources that I could use to my advantage. For starters, I had an iron helmet now. On top of that, I could use all of the leather I gathered from hunting cows to make more armor. That would help keep me safe. On top of that, I had better tools now. I knew my iron sword was sharper than the stone one I had back then. It cut through the monsters better. I also had a bow this time around and a decent amount of arrows from the other night.

On top of simply having better gear, I knew how to fight, if the other night proved anything. I could handle any monsters that came my way, even without my guard dog.

Lastly, I would be smart about going back down there. I'd take things slow, bring plenty of light and food, and build an easy path out. I would not be caught off guard again.