Celestia stared at Ice, dumbfounded. She couldn't understand how he could even consider eating that thing. With its thick scales, jagged teeth, and foul stench, she had never imagined it might become their next meal.
"Are you serious?" she asked, blinking in disbelief as she watched him walk toward the monster's corpse.
"Do you see any other options?" he replied without turning back. Celestia wanted to argue, but she knew he was right. They didn't have the luxury to be picky. This forest had no vegetation—only endless trees. No bushes, no grass, not even weeds. The chance of finding anything remotely edible was close to zero. She sighed and stood up to follow him.
Ice grabbed his sword and approached the monster. He had no idea how to skin such a creature, especially not with a sword of that size, but he had to try. Clumsily, he managed to remove its hide, hacking away until the flesh was exposed. Then he began cutting the meat into pieces, separating anything that looked remotely edible.
Surprisingly, there wasn't as much usable meat as he had expected, considering the creature's massive size. Still, it was enough. If they rationed it properly, it could last them for weeks.
While he practiced his crude butchering skills, Celestia crouched nearby, watching him with an unreadable expression.
"Stop looking at me like I'm some kind of evil genius," Ice muttered. "Go prepare a fire or something."
Celestia smiled faintly and shrugged. "Can't I just admire the skills of the supreme butcher?"
Ice raised an eyebrow. "Supreme butcher… you know what, I don't even want to ask."
Once the work was done, he searched Ray's clothes for the lighter he had used earlier. This time, he found it easily. Together, he and Celestia gathered wood, built a fire, and finally began cooking the meat.
About thirty minutes later, they were ready to taste what would likely become their staple food for the foreseeable future. Ice cut two chunks of meat and handed one to Celestia, who eyed it as if it were cursed.
Ice, on the other hand, didn't hesitate. He bit into the meat without expecting much, especially considering how he had cooked it. But strangely enough, it was edible. Almost… good. Or maybe it only seemed that way because he was starving and his only reference point was Ray's disgusting, gelatinous food.
Seeing him devour his portion so eagerly, Celestia reluctantly followed his lead.
"Let's hope it's not poisonous," Ice said casually, still chewing.
Celestia let out a weary sigh, already used to his bleak humor. "Did you really have to say that out loud?"
Ice simply smiled and continued chewing diligently.
"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Celestia asked softly, her gaze averted. Since waking up in the darkness, that question had been haunting her mind. And now that she could finally glimpse the light, she realized it wasn't through it that they would find salvation.
Ice stopped eating and looked at her with his most detached smile. She was getting better at hiding her fears.
"Honestly, I don't know if I can give you the answer you want. I'd love to lie, but you're far too smart to believe in comforting lies. We're neither strong nor prepared enough for this place—and that's our reality."
He then raised his eyes, gently extending his hand toward the eternal sun of the Repentant. "But if will alone is enough, then I can promise you there's no place in this world that can hold me."
Celestia watched him, her eyes full of light. It was perhaps the most perfect answer she could have hoped for. Will—that was all she had.
"I wish I had your confidence," she murmured with a sigh.
"I wouldn't call it confidence. Conviction, at best," he replied, lowering his hand. "Like you, I'm amnesiac, so my personality is still forming. I have no idea who I am, but I'm certain of what I'm not—someone who gives up just because the path to freedom seems nonexistent. I'll achieve every one of my goals, even if I have to freeze the entire world to do it."
As she listened to him speak each word with such calm, only one thought crossed Celestia's mind: this man was insane. Her brother was a deviant.
"So, we're having a good time, huh?" came a hesitant voice. They heard footsteps, then Ray appeared, walking toward them. "To think he was about to impale us just a few hours ago… and now we're about to feast on his flesh." He was holding his shoulder but moving without much difficulty.
Ice smiled and cut a piece of meat for him. "Glad to see you back in one piece."
Ray took the piece and sat down with a grunt. "Yeah… still trying to figure out how he didn't kill us," he said, shaking his head.
Ice grinned. "Maybe we're just too good to die. Between that and Celestia's ability to guide us in the dark, I'd say we might be destined for great things."
Ray rolled his shoulder with a grimace. "For now, I think the greatest thing we can achieve is staying alive."
Celestia placed a hand over her face and sighed dramatically. "Are all boys like this? Talking about nearly dying like it's some kind of joke?"
That only made Ice and Ray burst into laughter, which clearly irritated her even more. Noticing the way she glared at them and how she was ready to throw her meat in their direction, Ray wisely decided to change the subject.
"Anyway, Ice… we've been here for a few hours, I think."
Ice immediately understood what he meant. His expression grew serious. "Yeah. And the sun hasn't moved an inch," he said, glancing at the sky.
Ray followed his gaze, then sighed. "Looks like we won't have night here either."
Just as there was nothing but darkness in the Paradoxal Double Moon, it seemed this area—the Repentant—would be forever trapped in daylight.
Still, this place was far less hostile. At least they could see where they were going, and the temperature was pleasant thanks to the thick canopy of trees.
But that didn't change their reality. They were no closer to escaping, and time here flowed differently. The weight of Ray's earlier words—five thousand six hundred years—was beginning to press down on them all.
"So, when are we leaving?" Ice asked, glancing at Ray's injured arm.
Ray rotated his shoulder a few times, testing it. "As soon as we've rested. We'll head out."
Ice gave him a tired grin. "Perfect. We've got a few millennia of history to shatter, after all."
They all chuckled faintly, though exhaustion was clearly catching up with them. None of them were in any condition to stay awake. Ray was still recovering, and Ice had gone more than two days without sleep. They decided to rely on Celestia's heightened hearing for the night. None of them had truly rested since waking up in this strange world.
Leaning against the nearest trees, they slowly allowed themselves to drift into slumber. Whatever happened, tomorrow they would see.