A desolate expanse of white earth stretched into the horizon.
It was a barren wilderness, devoid of life. No grass, no trees, no water—nothing but the pale, cratered ground filled his vision.
"Where... where am I?"
Rest tilted his head in confusion.
He had no memory of the moments leading up to this. Where had he been? What was he doing?
For what purpose had he been born? For what purpose would he die?
In fact... was he even truly Rest? He felt as though he might have been someone else entirely.
"............?"
As he stood there in a daze, he studied his surroundings. The white terrain was uneven, pockmarked with hills and deep pits. It was a landscape of jagged shadows and stark light.
He was certain he had never visited this place before.
Yet, somehow, he knew it.
"Could this be... the Moon?"
The landscape, riddled with countless craters, was a near-perfect match for the photographs he had seen back in Japan.
Rest was standing on the same soil that Apollo 11 had touched, in the same place where astronauts had once walked.
It was impossible. He knew it was impossible, but when he looked up, a brilliant blue planet hung in the black sky.
It was Earth. The Earth was blue, after all.
"Oh...?"
But then, the lunar silence was broken.
A massive, pale creature crawled out from the depths of a nearby crater.
It was the size of a bear, with skin that looked white and slimy. It lacked eyes and a nose; where its face should have been, a cluster of pink tentacles writhed and pulsed.
"A monster...!"
"GYSHAAAAAAA!"
The creature let out a distorted, ear-piercing shriek and lunged at him.
Rest saw a spear clutched in its stubby hands, leveled directly at his heart.
○ ○ ○
"Rest! Rest!"
"Gah...!"
Rest’s eyes snapped open at the sound of his name being shouted.
Wait, what was he just doing? Questions swirled through his mind like a fog.
"What's the matter? You’re just standing there with that meat in your hand. Is it not to your liking?"
Yuri stood before him, her expression clouded with worry.
Her face and the sound of her voice acted as an anchor, pulling his drifting memories back into place.
(Right... I was having dinner. We were eating the food Yuri and the others cooked...)
He was still holding a meat skewer in his right hand.
The savory-smelling meat was still warm, which meant he couldn't have been "out" for more than a few seconds.
It felt as if he’d been reincarnated into yet another world... but he decided to write it off as a brief delusion.
"...It's nothing. I think I was just daydreaming for a second."
"Hmm? So it really does taste bad?"
"No... it’s not that it’s bad, exactly..."
He took another experimental bite.
The meat had a springy, gristly snap to it, much like cartilage.
There was a certain gaminess to it, but the sauce did a masterful job of neutralizing it. Seasoned with ginger and soy, it tasted remarkably like skipjack tuna.
The flavor was... surprisingly decent.
"My brain couldn't process the first bite, and my mind just... blasted off into space. But I don't know, it’s an unexpectedly addictive taste."
He wasn't just saying that to be polite.
It was genuinely good.
While it had an indescribable quality to it, one bite made him want another. It possessed a strange, almost narcotic addictiveness.
(It’s delicious... but it’s actually a little terrifying that I find it delicious. What is this meat?)
"This... this is definitely Worm meat, right?"
"Of course. It’s Dragon Species meat, after all. Why wouldn't it be good?"
"Dragon Species... Right, I forgot Worms were related to dragons."
Dragon meat was considered an ultra-premium delicacy. Since Worms were a subspecies, it stood to reason that they would be edible, perhaps even tasty.
"This soup is good, too. It has a lot of depth."
"Glad you like it. We made the broth from the Worm's bones. Though, for some reason, the liquid turned green..."
"I... I see."
Rest decided not to think too hard about the color as he sipped the soup.
Watching him eat, Urula—usually so stoic—felt a faint flush rise to her cheeks.
"...Happy."
She was clearly moved by the fact that Rest enjoyed the meal. The girl, who usually looked as expressionless as a doll, let out a tiny, joyous shiver.
"The moon... it's so pretty."
Beside her, Ostray was staring off into the distance, clutching a meat skewer as he went on a trip of his own.