Chapter 284:

"■■, what’s wrong?”

Huh?

A familiar voice woke me up. In front of me, I saw a table filled with appetizing dishes and white plates.

Alongside, I felt the cool sensation of a fork in my hand. The sight of it brought an odd sense of unfamiliarity.

“...Is something wrong? It’s been a while since I last cooked, so I’m honestly a bit uncertain.”

“I even used expensive Korean beef, so it’d be disappointing if you don’t like it.”

“Do you really need to bring that up, even today? You used to say the same thing...”

“No! Dad! I was just a little distracted!”

Just like before, my parents were on the verge of a quarrel.

Quickly, I stabbed the bread on the table with my fork. With a crisp sound, the bread broke, and rich juices oozed from its gaps.

Drawn by that intense aroma, I grabbed the bread with my bare hands and shoved it into my mouth. It was so hot it should’ve burned me, but the taste was so overwhelming I couldn’t even notice the heat.

“Are you eating with your hands? What’s the fork for?”

“So? How is it? Delicious, isn’t it?”

After enthusiastically chewing and swallowing, I silently raised my thumb.

Seeing that, Dad grinned widely.

“Well, you already got my present. Now it’s your mom’s turn.”

“I know.”

“A present?”

Surprised, I stopped sucking my fingers, savoring every drop of the juice.

My mother rarely ever gave me presents. Ever since I’d been in the hospital, it had been hard just to see her, since she was a famous actress, always busy.

“A present from Mom?”

“Exactly. Even I was surpris—oh, wait a moment. I’ll be right back.”

Dad stepped outside with his phone, leaving just Mom and me in the kitchen. After a brief hesitation, Mom pulled something out from under the table.

A large box decorated with an illustration of a headgear-like device—a VR headset I knew well from all the advertisements. I stared at the present in my hands, dazed.

“I asked my manager what’s popular these days and bought it for you.”

Her voice sounded slightly awkward, unlike her usual tone. I was left speechless.

“Cost a lot for such a trivial thing...wait, are you crying?”

“Huh?”

Just as she said, I could feel warm liquid streaming from my eyes. I wiped them with the back of my hand, but the tears wouldn’t stop.

Of course, I was happy to receive a present, but not enough to cry. So why am I like this?

“Hey!”

I set the gift down and hurried to the bathroom. I heard Mom’s worried voice, but I couldn’t look back.

Once I locked the bathroom door, I turned on the faucet.

The sound of the running water gradually calmed my racing emotions.

I think I understand why I reacted that way just now.

Having spent most of my childhood in the hospital, I’d always dreamed of spending a happy time with my family. Everyone sitting around the table, sharing a meal in a warm, cheerful atmosphere. When that dream seemed to come true, I unconsciously started crying.

I splashed water on my face and looked in the mirror.

“Huh?”

There was a small sticky note in the corner of the mirror. It had three characters written on it.

The moment my finger instinctively touched the note, the bathroom plunged into darkness.

The water on my face turned into a sticky mucus, and the clothes I wore morphed into a suffocating cocoon that tightened around me.

‘What was that just now?’

Up until now, all the visions I’d seen in the cocoon were fragments of past memories.

But this time, it felt different.

In my memories, there was never a time when my family had happily shared a meal together. Both Dad and Mom were always too busy. By the time I’d entered college, they were living separately.

‘And the last thing.’

That sticky note.

It felt like an important word, but I couldn’t remember it. Like it had been completely erased, leaving just that part blank.

‘...Will I be able to see it again when I evolve into my adult form?’

Since I’d seen visions every time I entered the cocoon, I should be able to see it again later.

I tore open the cocoon and emerged outside.

As I felt the cool air, the sight in front of me was a container with its doors wide open, and there, standing at the entrance, was the griffion woman.

The Mother of the Sky was just about to take a bite of the apple in her hand when she noticed me and met my gaze.

「...What? Why?」

She gave me a look as if I’d caught her sneaking in some midnight ramen and bit into the apple with a crunch.

[ZZ ZZZ (You could have just told me sooner)]

「How could I, when I know exactly what you’re thinking? You’ve been wanting to evolve as quickly as possible.」

She was right.

The momentary silence from eating was soon broken as she spoke again.

「But I had no idea your mother was such a famous actress. I heard she won awards at foreign film festivals before you arrived here.」

[Z ZZZ (Yes, she did.)]

「Seems like acting runs in the family?」

[ZZZZ (It might.)]

After her small joke, she looked at me with a serious gaze.

「This is just a guess, but... what if the visions we see change based on the goals we set?」

[ZZ ZZZ (What do you mean?)]

「You aimed for ascension from the beginning, didn’t you? I was a bit different. I liked this world more than the ‘real’ one.」

[ZZZ (True.)]

「Unlike me, you saw an ideal future rather than unpleasant memories. Wouldn’t that give you far stronger ‘motivation’ than before?」

Her idea was that the visions we see are linked to the goals we choose.

‘Visions connected to our goals.’

There weren’t enough cases to confirm this, but her idea was intriguing.

The vision I saw upon entering the cocoon to create my unique trait.

It was an ideal family, one I’d never experienced before. If I wanted that happiness, I would have to return to reality.

‘But why would they show us such a vision?’

She believed it was to provide motivation, but that couldn’t be the whole story. There must be a reason we both experienced these visions.

‘...This needs further investigation.’

Visions constructed from memories. It might even be related to the reason we ended up in this world, beyond the ultimate goal of ascension.

With no more to discuss, our conversation ended there. Still, it had been helpful, and I expressed my gratitude.

[ZZZ (Thank you.)]

「Oh, don’t mention it. It’s just a few words.」

[ZZ ZZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (I’ve always thought so. You have no idea how grateful I am.)]

「...Enough with that nonsense. Go and prepare to evolve into your adult form.」

She seemed embarrassed by my heartfelt thanks, turning her head away. I bowed slightly to her and crawled out of the ship.

The barren metallic ground greeted me. With almost no light, it was barely distinguishable from the void of space, but I had my auxiliary organs.

I crawled toward the location I had scouted in advance. There was a crater not far away. Slipping into the giant pit formed by an ancient meteorite impact, I found a suitable spot.

‘Now, then.’

「‘Pre-adult’ -> ‘Adult’ evolution conditions met. Proceed with evolution?」

The long wait was over.

The familiar transparent text box appeared, asking for confirmation.

My response was always the same.

Before the cocoon’s fluids could even dry, my body was already preparing to advance to the next stage.

I closed my eyes.

And when I opened them again, I was in a space filled with light and color, not a dark abyss.

Before me was a familiar door.

‘This place?’

A rusty hinge, a smooth, well-worn doorknob. It was the door to my old one-room apartment.

Inside, I could hear someone yelling furiously.

"Damn it! Interrupting my evolution? You’ll regret this!”

That voice—it sounded very familiar.

As if in a trance, I reached out and grasped the doorknob. It felt oddly familiar, as if I’d done this before, yet I couldn’t remember.

The knob turned, and the door opened.

Inside, on the bed in the cramped one-room apartment with an attached bathroom, lay a man wearing a VR headset.

His frame seemed average, but his body was anything but ordinary. Dressed comfortably in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, the burn scars stretching from his right leg to his arm, shoulder, and neck were clearly visible.

"How many times has it been? Why do they keep following me? Do they think I’m easy to mess with?”

Completely oblivious to my presence, he was shouting passionately.

His appearance, his movements—they were all so familiar.

‘Something isn’t right.’

I needed to escape. But my body moved on its own. My elongated, winged arm reached out and removed his VR headset.

“What the...oh?”

As he emerged from the world of Space Survival and saw me, his eyes widened to the point of tearing.

‘...No way.’

A man with burn scars on the right side of his face.

It was the face I saw every morning in the bathroom mirror.

“Aaagh! Monster!” he screamed, louder than I’d ever heard.

And his identity... was me.