"My child... Ren..."
I woke with a start at the table, my mother's voice echoing in my ears.
When I opened my eyes, there it was—my favorite meal spread before me. Steam rose from the dishes Mom had made, carrying that familiar, mouthwatering smell I knew so well.
I didn't hesitate. I dug in.
Mom watched me eat, her eyes soft and warm.
"Honey, I'm heading out now. Ren, behave at school and don't stress your mother out, okay?"
"Bye, darling."
"Mm."
In the background, I could see Dad opening the door, heading off to work.
We weren't rich, but I was lucky. A caring mother, a hardworking father—I couldn't ask for more.
Soon I finished eating.
Mom smiled as she handed me my school bag and walked me to the door.
"Listen to your teachers and eat your lunch on time, okay?"
I smiled and nodded.
Outside, the morning sunlight made everything bright and alive. It was so refreshing.
I took a deep breath.
But then...
Why did everything look so blurred?
I looked up in confusion, squinting at the morning light.
Why was it suddenly so cold?
Without warning, the golden light dimmed to a cold blue, as if filtered through an ocean. The light remained, but the warmth was gone.
---
"...He's still sleeping?"
"...Yeah..."
Faint voices drifted into his ears.
Ren stirred, his eyes struggling to open. A dim, unfamiliar ceiling greeted him.
The sound of his movement caught their attention.
"Oh! He's waking up."
A surprised voice rang out.
He turned his head slightly toward the sound.
His vision slowly cleared.
There she was.
A beautiful girl with silky white hair framing her pale face. Long, slender ears added an otherworldly charm. Her unusual but striking eyes—white-blue and luminous—gazed down at him through long lashes.
As she leaned closer, a fresh, clean scent reached him.
"Isn't this... Asylia?"
Looking at her face, Ren felt stunned as memories flooded back—everything since he'd arrived here.
"...I see. I'm not on Earth anymore. That warm home was just a dream."
A moment passed before he came back to himself.
He was lying on a bed.
Ren pushed himself up with both arms, propping himself against the headboard.
"We meet again—"
Asylia began, but he cut her off.
"You're right."
Ren nodded, still processing everything.
"Asylia, take a look at this."
Another female voice called softly.
She was holding what looked like a small transparent disk with light glowing at its center.
"Alright."
Asylia walked over and began tinkering with it.
The other girl handed it over and came to check on him.
Her footsteps made no sound on the floor. Ren suddenly understood how she'd managed to appear behind him earlier without him noticing.
"Hey, are you okay now?"
She asked coolly, sitting in the chair beside his bed.
"Y-yeah. I'm fine now."
Ren was caught off guard by her concern.
"You collapsed earlier, but you seem fine now."
She explained calmly, her eyes scanning his face and finding nothing wrong.
"But you were really brave back there."
A slight smile crossed her face, the frost in her expression melting for just a moment.
"Huh?"
He froze.
Embarrassed by the praise, Ren turned his head toward the ocean visible through the glass.
"It's nothing, really. I just did what I had to do."
"It's not nothing. Others wouldn't have done that. Like Kyle."
She corrected him.
Changing the subject, he asked, "What happened after I lost consciousness?"
Though he could roughly guess, he still needed to be sure.
She recounted the events.
After he'd passed out from exhaustion—from using his talent—she'd cleaned up the bloody mess in the room and put him to bed. A little while later, Asylia came knocking. She'd already called her using a short-range communication device.
Hearing the story, Ren nodded thoughtfully.
"Then can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Why did you save me earlier?"
He said curiously. If it weren't for her warnings and guidance, he wouldn't be here now—he'd probably be in the monster's stomach.
"Well..."
She didn't answer right away.
"At first, I just thought it wouldn't hurt to include you when we evacuated with the teacher."
"But as it turned out, even he couldn't save himself."
After a pause, she spoke slowly, a hint of sadness crossing her face. But she quickly shook it off.
"We're all on our own now."
Her voice dropped, then rose again.
"So now—"
"Now we have to escape this dangerous restaurant ourselves."
Another voice continued her sentence.
A hand reached into his field of vision, stopping just inches away.
The palm was fair and smooth like jade. In it rested the transparent disk, now embedded in a tiny dark-blue metal square covered in complex lines.
"Here. For you."
Asylia placed it in his palm.
"What's this?"
Ren asked, taking the strange object. He could feel its cool temperature and solid weight.
"One of the safety measures for the underwater restaurant in case of an accident. It's an underwater suit with oxygen that can last a long time."
Asylia chuckled lightly.
"It was originally just for peace of mind. I didn't expect we'd actually need it."
She paused, then added, "Speaking of which, I never got your name. We should be acquainted by now, right?"
She smiled naturally.
"Eh?"
Ren's eyes widened. He hadn't considered what his name would be here.
The other girl nodded thoughtfully.
"Right. You can just call me Serein."
Serein calmly announced her name.
"My name's Asylia."
Asylia extended her hand, asking curiously, "What's yours?"
"I... Ren. My name's Ren."
In his panic, Ren blurted out his real name.
"Ren, huh?"
Serein murmured, testing the word. Her light azure eyes—like a clear sky or shallow ocean—brightened.
"I see. Ren... good name. So, Ren, are you ready to follow us and save ourselves?"
Asylia's soft face took on a hint of seriousness.
She'd just received bad news, and combined with the scene she'd witnessed on her way here, she realized they really needed to escape on their own.
Help wouldn't be arriving anytime soon.