The island they had claid was relatively ta, a rare plateau of stability in a realm built on collapse. No twisted trees grew from its soil, no bleeding stones cracked beneath their feet. The last Nightmare Creature had died screaming hours ago.
A small fire crackled within a circle of shattered bone. The sky above shimred with a false aurora, as though the Dream Realm was pretending to be peaceful for once.
White sparks danced at Sunny’s side, swirling in lazy spirals before coalescing into a single object. The Covetous Coffer appeared with a quiet click. Small, spindly legs unfurled. It’s wooden lid peeled open in a yawn, revealing rows of jagged teeth.
Accepting the chest’s peace offering, Sunny’s arm seed to magically sink into it’s maw as he reached into the spacious insides. Having learned from last ti, he didn’t bring folding chairs so that he could save space. Instead, he passed around sleeping bags.
Monts later, skewers were turning over the fire — fat sizzling as a thick, fragrant smoke filled the air. Sunny crouched beside the flas, rotating one of the makeshift spits with the sa focus he reserved for murder.
March leaned in with a glimr in her eyes.
"Is that... real at?"
Sunny humd as he pulled out so seasoning from the Coffer.
"Nightmare Creature at is real at too, you know?"
She furrowed her brow.
"That’s different!"
Dan Heng, who had been silent until now, glanced up from his book.
"How so?"
March crossed her arms, puffing her cheeks slightly.
"Because it’s gross."
Sunny turned a skewer and tapped the wood with a fingertip, testing its heat.
"You didn’t say that the last ti you were eating it like it owed you money."
"That was survival! Totally different!"
Seele shifted on her sleeping bag and gave March a skeptical look.
"You devoured that thing like it was gourt steak. You even asked for seconds."
March scowled.
"I was hungry! Besides, no one told it was made from a six-eyed wolf-beetle hybrid!"
Sunny sprinkled so cracked red seasoning onto the at.
"Sounds like you’re just being picky."
"I have standards."
Sunny blinked.
"Since when?"
"Since forever!"
Dan Heng looked up again, deadpan.
"You once tried to eat a rock because you thought it was Dream Realm candy."
March flailed an arm.
"Because it glowed! Glowy things are supposed to be edible here!"
Sunny arched an eyebrow.
"Really? What logic is that based on?"
March pointed at the fire.
"This place runs on dream logic! Things don’t make sense!"
Seele chid in, sounding half amused and half exhausted.
"So your excuse is that you’re too logical for actual logic?"
"Exactly!"
There was a pause. Sunny turned the skewers again.
"Anyway, this at is actual at. From a cow. Or sothing cow-adjacent."
March leaned forward, sniffing eagerly.
"Wait, wait, how long has it been in there?"
Sunny shrugged.
"Who knows? Ti works differently in there, I think."
Dan Heng closed his book.
"Is that true?"
Another shrug.
"I don’t know."
March recoiled slightly.
"You’re feeding us temporal at?"
Sunny poked a skewer with his finger.
"Better than corrupted flesh from soul-warped beasts that feed on suffering."
"Okay, true, but—"
"It’s also vacuum-sealed. I think."
Dan Heng raised a brow.
"You think?"
"I didn’t read the back."
March looked like she was on the verge of either throwing up or crying.
"You’re literally guessing. We could die."
Sunny looked at her with a flat expression.
"Out of all the things that could kill us, this is the last thing I’m worried about. I think our bodies would just take it like a champ..."
"That’s not the point!"
"It kind of is."
"It isn’t!"
Seele sighed.
"Just eat the at, March."
"Are you all trying to kill ?"
Dan Heng sipped from a tin mug that Sunny had also pulled from the Coffer.
"No. But if we were, it wouldn’t be with overcooked mystery at."
Sunny tilted his head thoughtfully.
"Speak for yourself."
March threw her hands into the air.
"I’m surrounded by lunatics!"
Sunny corrected:
"You’re surrounded by highly adaptive survivalists. There’s a difference."
"Highly adaptive survivalists don’t eat at pulled out of a murder-chest that might predate recorded history!"
Sunny nodded.
"Exactly. We eat it without complaining. Also, I didn’t know you knew such big words. I’m almost proud of you."
"I hate all of you."
Seele plucked a skewer from the fire and blew on it.
"You’re still going to eat it."
March stared at her. Then stared at the at. Then at Sunny.
"...Maybe."
Dan Heng closed his book again and reached for a skewer.
"You will. After pretending not to."
March pointed at him, wounded.
"You don’t know !"
Seele deadpanned.
"I know you once licked a Nightmare Creature because you ’wanted to know if it tasted like chicken.’"
"That was science!"
Sunny coughed.
"Well, it did taste like chicken. You should have killed it first, though. Your screams are annoying."
"Because it bit !"
"It tried. And my point still stands."
Dan Heng stared into the fire.
"This might be the dumbest argunt I’ve ever heard."
March folded her arms.
"Don’t act like you’re not part of it."
"I’m not. I’m eating."
Sunny tossed him a second skewer.
"Good man."
Dan Heng caught it.
March stared at both of them.
"...Fine. I’ll eat it. But if I die—"
"You won’t."
"If I do—"
"You won’t."
"If I do die—!"
"You won’t."
March took the at, chewed it suspiciously, and then went eerily quiet.
Sunny narrowed his eyes.
"Well?"
She swallowed.
"...Okay. That’s insanely good."
Seele rolled her eyes.
"Of course it is."
Sunny nodded.
"It’s , after all."
Seele scowled."
"I take it all back."
March looked at the fire, then at the Covetous Coffer.
"...Does it have dessert?"
Sunny blinked.
"It might."
March leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with dangerous intent.
"What kind of dessert?"
Sunny slowly reached back toward the Coffer.
"...Sothing glowing. You like glowing, right?"
March’s expression turned suspicious.
"Wait. Define glowing."
Dan Heng spoke without looking up.
"Don’t."
Too late.
Sunny pulled out a shimring blue cube.
March took one look.
"...That’s soap."
Sunny paused.
"...Is it, though? Look closely..."
Dan Heng sighed.
"I give up."
March muttered:
"Evil. Actual evil."
Seele bit into her skewer.
"At least it’s better than the beetle stew."
Sunny poked the fire.
"You never said that before."
"I was trying not to cry."
March brightened.
"Hey, next ti, can we try cooking up one of those flying things? The ones that scream like babies?"
Everyone went silent.
Sunny stared at her.
Dan Heng slowly looked up.
Seele blinked.
"...Great idea!"
"I’m confiscating your skewers."
"Agreed."
Sunny began to ponder the taste of those flying things that scread like babies.
The fire cracked.
Above them, the false aurora shimred gently.
The island was quiet.
Too quiet.
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