After I took the first bite of the food Arthania had prepared, the others finally began trying it as well.
It felt as if they had been waiting for me to test the path for them or something like that... but I did not care.
It was not as if she would poison us or something... well, she did not need to.
I took another bite of the Rank 4 monster meat... it really tasted amazing, with a bit of an herbal flavor, perhaps due to the way Arthania had cooked it.
After spending days eating that canned food, this was a welcome change.
It was not that we had never thought about eating monster meat... but let us say that all the monsters we had encountered had not been appetizing.
Only the giant birds seemed edible, but there was no way for us to try taking down a bigger monster.
After Izel swallowed her first bite, her expression changed and her eyes lit up as if she had just discovered something wonderful.
"Oh... this is unexpectedly delicious." Then she added with a quick look at me.
"And free."
I raised a brow at her words while Arthania smiled as she sat on one of the chairs opposite me.
"I do not know what she is saying, but it seems the food pleased her."
She looked at us. "It is better that you rest after eating. You obviously have not had much sleep recently... especially you." She pointed at me with those last words.
And honestly, she was not wrong. The headache was getting worse with time and was probably obvious on my face, so sleep was not a bad idea.
But thinking that we were in a city where the youngest person here was a few hundred years old made me tense all the time.
It was true that so far, I had not seen anything unnatural, and perhaps the strange phenomena happening in this city were due to what happened after the sky shattered...
Well, that was the only logical explanation.
...
After we finished the food Arthania had prepared, we separated from the girls and went up to the room.
And even now, my sense was still spread across every corner of this house and far beyond.
With a tired sigh, I sat on the bed, which let out a faint creak as if complaining about my weight.
I looked at the other two as they adjusted the bedding on the floor...
"So, do you feel anything strange?" I asked.
Elliot looked at me, or rather at the bed I was sitting on; it was obvious what he wanted, but in the end he answered.
"No... nothing feels unnatural to me... well, if we forget what Arthania said."
When he said that, I looked at Kyle, who nodded his head, indicating that he had not felt anything strange either.
When I saw that, I lay down on the bed, ignoring everything.
It was not the most comfortable bed I had ever tried in my life. Well, compared to a bed in the Axis, it felt like sleeping on a pile of tree leaves and moss.
Anyway, who was I to complain...
Slowly, I closed my eyes, and the essence stopped flowing through my body. My sense vanished, and the sensory information stopped flooding into my head.
Without realizing it, I let out a relieved sigh, as if I had moved to a quiet place after being drowned in noise for several days.
With that feeling, darkness slowly consumed my consciousness until all the sounds and sensations around me faded away.
...
In another room, where the three girls were sleeping together, both Ellen and Izel were deeply asleep from all the exhaustion that had accumulated over the previous days.
But not everyone could sleep, because there in front of the window overlooking outside stood a girl with dark blue hair and clear eyes staring out.
In that city of beautiful white stone and its small streets lit by a few lamps.
Sometimes, a bit of light seeped in from the windows of other houses, showing that they were not just empty structures.
So far, they had not met anyone else besides Arthania; she had said that after the day and night cycle changed, they reorganized the city’s time and created a designated sleeping period that replaced the night, and another in place of the day, so the residents would wake up after a few hours and begin their new day.
Then Arthania would take them around the city and contact some other people who might be able to help them return... to the island they had lied about.
Leona let out a breath as she raised her hand to rub her forehead. Lately, she had been feeling tense all the time, to the point that sleep had become harder and harder for her.
And now here she was, discovering that she was on the ancient earth... that world from which humans had come... her ancestors.
It was true that she and Ellen had thought about the possibility that this was another world separate from their home, but thinking it and knowing it were two different things.
She turned her head and looked at her two sleeping friends before moving and heading toward the door.
With a few steps, she reached outside the room and found herself in a small corridor.
She walked toward the stairs without any clear destination, just walking around. Maybe she would be able to sleep after that.
In the silence caused by everyone sleeping, the only sound was her footsteps on the stone floor.
But as she neared the stairs, another sound entered her ears, like a foot striking step after step.
It only took a few moments for her to find that the source of the sound was this strange house’s owner.
There, in front of her, Arthania appeared, her hazel eyes settling on Leona while the same gentle smile remained on her beautiful face.
"Can’t you sleep?"
It was just a simple, routine question, but Leona could barely understand it because of the language barrier.
Leona tried to return the smile as she brushed away a strand of hair. "Yes... I have been having a bit of insomnia lately."
"That is normal considering the circumstances you are going through."
Arthania descended and reached Leona before pointing downward and beginning to go back down to the first floor. "Come with me. I was planning to drink some tea because I do not feel like sleeping... and fortunately, it seems I will not be enjoying it alone."
Leona had nothing else to do or any reason to refuse, so she simply went down behind her.
...
After some time, Leona found herself sitting at the same table they had eaten dinner at earlier, while Arthania stood there in front of a simple stove with a brass kettle on it.
As its contents heated and boiled, a soothing aroma spread through the place, making Leona even more relaxed.
After a few moments, Arthania turned off the stove before carrying two earthen cups and placing them on the table.
Then she went back and brought the kettle before tilting it over the cup on Leona’s side, and the fragrant tea began flowing out with a faint sound as foam formed at the top.
After pouring another cup for herself, Arthania sat opposite Leona, who reached for the cup and brought it closer, sensing the warmth spreading into her hand.
The first to lift the cup was Arthania, who took a small sip before setting it back on the table with a relieved breath.
"Aaah... are you feeling afraid being away from home?"
Leona smiled at Arthania’s question as she held the cup and took a sip, while the slightly bitter taste spread, leaving a distinct flavor on her tongue.
"I would be lying if I said I was not."
She spoke while staring at the dark liquid inside the cup.
"Do you miss your family?" Arthania asked again with a hint of curiosity, while Leona nodded, her hair swaying with her movement.
"Yes... I do, a lot."
All Arthania did was smile at that answer, then after another sip from her cup, she looked toward the window overlooking the city.
"Leona, do you know what humans need the most?"
Leona raised a brow at the question. "What is it?"
Arthania turned her head back toward Leona, the strands of her dark hair swaying with the motion.
"It is home, Leona... home is everything to us."
"It is the beginning and the end."
"Home." Leona murmured, while Arthania nodded.
"Yes... it is the thing where you place your emotions and your bonds, the thing you are willing to sacrifice for and stay close to no matter what happens..."
"Whether it is family or a partner... or a homeland." She emphasized the last word strangely. This time, Arthania was the one looking at the contents of her cup.
"At least, that is how it is for me... for me, no matter how great a human’s goal is and no matter how strong their will is, they will end up lost without a place to return to."
Leona sipped the tea while pondering those words; however much she thought about it, she could not deny them... because she could not imagine a life without bonds.
Leona sat there with Arthania, exchanging words with her, and without realizing it, hours passed while they remained like that.
Until she heard a loud sound echoing from the direction of the city.
The sound of a massive metal bell being struck reverberated everywhere.
And before Leona could ask, Arthania answered.
"It is time to wake up."