CHAPTER 41: FIRST MEAL AFTER A MONTH

Being called a kid amused Tatehan. Although technically his body was one, his mind wasn’t, and that alone was a massive difference.

If not for the incident that destroyed Earth, he would have been married by now, maybe even expecting kids. A completely different life. A normal life.

But well, he decided to play along. It seemed he was the only special case here. This man probably came to Mars normally,by himself, his body and identity still intact. He wasn’t a reincarnated soul trapped in a stranger’s body.

Tatehan was a completely new person on this planet, in ways Kael couldn’t possibly understand.

He thought carefully about how to answer without giving too much away. He didn’t want to let Kael know that his real aim for fighting the Mauler was to extract the core from its head.

That would surely raise uncomfortable questions. Kael would wonder what Tatehan wanted to use the core for. Something like that was extremely valuable and was probably used for something significant, maybe even dangerous.

So Tatehan replied carefully, his voice weak, "I don’t know, to be honest. My brain’s aching at the moment."

Kael, who had been watching his face intently, expecting a more substantial answer, seemed disappointed with the vague reply. He turned his gaze away and focused back on his sword and the fire crackling in front of him.

Tatehan looked around the cave one more time, seemingly searching for something. After a moment, he asked, "Where’s my backpack?"

Kael’s expression didn’t change. He continued examining his sword, moving it side to side in the firelight, inspecting the edges with careful precision.

"I forgot where I kept it," Kael finally replied, not looking up. "But if you’re asking about the food items inside it, yes, I ate them."

Tatehan was shocked when he first heard the words. The first thoughts that rushed through his mind were immediate and panicked:

What do I eat?

What do I drink?

Shit.

But then, after a moment of clarity, he realized it was stupid to be worried. The food items couldn’t have lasted a month without spoiling. He was certain they would have gone bad within the first week anyway.

Kael stopped sharpening his sword and looked at Tatehan with mild curiosity.

"Can’t blame me," he said with a slight shrug. "It’s been a long time since I ate something that fresh and different. Besides, it would’ve spoiled if I hadn’t eaten it."

He paused, then furrowed his brow as if remembering something he’d forgotten to mention.

"What made me wonder, though," Kael continued, "was how you got something as fresh and well-preserved as that in the first place. You must live in one of the rich cities."

Tatehan’s mind seized on the word "cities." So there truly were cities filled with humans on Mars. Of course he’d known before, even back at the spaceship. But seeing none with his own eyes had left him in a state of constant hoping.

He could only hope for many things at this point. Hope that civilization still existed somewhere out there beyond the wasteland.

"Well, is there anything I can eat?" Tatehan asked, looking at Kael directly. He wasn’t offended that Kael had eaten his food and drunk his water. Being offended would be insulting, actually. He literally owed this man his life.

Kael didn’t say a word. He simply stood up and walked over to the makeshift shelf, rummaging through supplies until he found a sizable piece of dried meat. He tossed it to Tatehan without ceremony.

Tatehan caught the meat on his chest where it landed, then examined it curiously. Since arriving on this planet, he hadn’t eaten any meat. Not that there were many appealing options back at the spaceship’s area.

The brutenecks, though they had plenty of meat on their bones, felt absolutely disgusting to even consider eating. He couldn’t even formulate the thought without his stomach turning.

The spaceship had a well-stocked kitchen with preserved food items, so he’d had an effectively unlimited supply. The thought of eating bruteneck flesh had never crossed his mind.

Tatehan sniffed the dried meat cautiously, hesitant to take the first bite.

"Where did you get the meat?" Tatehan asked.

"I hunted and killed them," Kael replied simply.

"From which monsters?" Tatehan pressed.

Kael hesitated, then grinned slightly. In his mind, he was probably thinking something like, "Typical teenager."

"I wouldn’t call the creatures monsters," he said carefully. "Back on Earth, they might actually pass for normal animals."

The words sank deeply into Tatehan’s mind. He noticed that Kael was deliberately vague with his word choice, almost evasive.

Tatehan was certain this was monster meat. But then again, there didn’t seem to be any normal animals here on Mars. Only monster-like ones.

So when Kael said he wouldn’t exactly call the creature a monster, Tatehan understood what he meant. It was just a matter of perspective. A matter of what you considered normal in a place like this.

With a shrug, he began eating the meat. As soon as the first bite hit his tongue, he realized this was one of the best meats he had ever tasted in his life. It was also well-seasoned, he could taste salt and pepper clearly. He had always loved spicy foods.

Kael handed Tatehan a water bottle, an ancient-looking container made of some kind of durable material. Scratched and worn, but functional.

Tatehan drank and ate the meat in comfortable silence. It was delicious and substantial in size.

As he chewed, Tatehan realized it was a tremendous miracle he had survived a full month without food or water. His partial regeneration was certainly a major factor, but maybe it was also because of his enhanced body’s resilience. The combination of both had kept him alive when he should have died.

He wanted to ask Kael more questions as he ate, but before he could even formulate the first one, Kael spoke as if sensing what was coming.

"Rest. It’s nighttime now. Tomorrow we talk."