The level of medicine in the lower world.

Boreas devoured the plasma soup in seconds, grabbed the vegetable, and locked himself in his room. Meanwhile, Caelus and Orion struggled to finish what was left.

"If you want, you don't have to eat it all," Orion whispered.

Caelus looked at the bowl, hesitating. "I think it's not good to waste food. I won't always have the chance to eat."

Orion smiled, satisfied. "That's the spirit."

After they finished eating, Orion began preparing to leave.

"Where are you going?" Caelus asked.

"To the crater."

"Again? Why?"

"Because it's part of my job: looking for supplies and injured people."

"Isn't it dangerous?"

"No. Once the supply crates fall from the sky and the armies leave, the fighting stops."

"Then I'm coming with you."

Orion shook his head. "No, you're injured. You need to rest."

"But you said it wasn't dangerous."

"Even so. You'll slow me down."

"Says the slowpoke," Caelus retorted with a defiant grin.

Orion rolled his eyes. "You really want to come?"

"Yes, I can't stand sitting here staring at the walls."

"Alright then. But we need to find some clothes for you."

"But I like my clothes."

"You can't go out like that. You're unprotected. And besides, your skin is too pale; it'll burn in the sun."

Orion led Caelus to one of the house's rooms.

"Are you planning to bring your pulseboard?" Orion asked.

"I always carry it."

"Then I'll make a cover for it. It's not good to show it around. A lot of people might attack you just to steal it. Does it get damage if it gets wet?"

"No."

"Even better. Most of the electronics I use would be useless if they got wet. Especially my arm."

Orion picked out some old clothes, tore them up, and sat on the bed to sew an improvised cover. Meanwhile, Caelus looked around the room. He noticed that the environment didn't match Orion: pink-painted walls, feminine clothes scattered about, and photos of a girl on the dresser.

"Here," Orion said, handing over the clothes. "I used light fabrics to reflect the sun and keep your style."

Caelus looked at the clothes, skeptical. "But it's so hot. Wouldn't it be better to wear nothing?"

"Trust me, it's better to be covered than burned. Let's head to the workshop."

In the workshop, Orion rummaged through some metals and found a pile of walkie-talkies he'd recently collected. He gave Caelus a small smile before grabbing some prepared metal pieces. He assembled an improvised kneepad and shoulder pad and fitted them on Caelus.

"This should do for now. Remember to always wear these clothes when we go outside," Orion advised.

In one corner of the workshop, something covered by a tarp caught Caelus' attention. Orion pulled the tarp away, revealing a wheelbarrow.

"I'll open the garage door. Help me push this outside."

Once they opened the garage, they pushed the wheelbarrow out.

"With this, we can bring back anything useful we find."

The two walked toward the crater. Caelus was awestruck by the sight: scattered metallic debris, smoke rising from piles of rubble, and abandoned bodies. Orion gave him a light slap on the shoulder to snap him out of it.

"Try to find any intact metal plates. They'll be good for reinforcing houses."

As they searched through the wreckage, they came across dead bodies and broken weapons. Orion explained:

"Almost forgot to mention—grab any weapon you find, even if it's broken."

"Why broken ones?"

"We can salvage some components. Plus, Boreas uses their ammunition to make plasma soup. He says that Red Army's ammo tastes like strawberries. Although they're harder to find."

"Wait a second! You're eating ammunition?"

"You ate it too!" Orion laughed but quickly grew serious. "Whatever it takes to survive."

Caelus spotted a broken weapon and reached out to grab it. Suddenly, a bloodied hand gripped his arm. He froze, staring at an injured man, his face covered in dried blood.

"Help me..." The voice was hoarse, barely audible. The man's hand clung desperately to his arm, hot blood dripping and staining Caelus' pale skin.

"Orion!" he shouted, his voice cracking.

Orion rushed over and examined the man's wound. He lifted the shirt, revealing a deep, infected gash in the man's abdomen. A sharp stench filled the air.

"There's nothing we can do," Orion said grimly. He placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "I'm sorry."

The man released Caelus' arm and collapsed to his side, his eyes staring into nothingness. Caelus felt his stomach churn and glanced at his own wound, panic rising.

"That could've been me," he thought.

Orion grabbed the wheelbarrow and continued scavenging through the wreckage. Caelus, still shaken, followed silently.

Back at the camp, they brought the wheelbarrow to the workshop. Boreas was shouting joyfully from his room.

"I did it! I did it!"

The two boys went to the room, and Orion knocked on the door.

"What did you do?"

He opened the door, revealing a small greenhouse he'd built with the Aurora Flakes planted inside.

"The greenhouse is working!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Orion smiled, visibly moved. Caelus found it fascinating.

"Now we just need to expand it, and we'll have food for the winter!" Boreas explained enthusiastically.

"That's great. I won't have to travel as much then," Orion reflected.

"I made a list of the materials I used. I'll share it with the rest of the camp so we can start gathering supplies."

"Sounds good."

A desperate man suddenly appeared at their house.

"Boreas! Are you here?" he shouted.

"What happened?"

"Old Carmen, she had a crisis."

"I'll go to her," Boreas replied, rushing to the medical area.

Caelus, confused, turned to Orion with questions about what he'd heard.

"But she said she was taking medicine."

"Her illness is terminal. There's no cure."

"No... But my mother is being cured."

Orion paused, thoughtful. "It seems that where you're from, medicine is far more advanced than ours." He sighed. "You need to understand that here, any injury can be a death sentence. That's the level of medicine in the lower world."

Long minutes passed, and Boreas returned with the sad news that Carmen hadn't survived.

At the funeral, some adults carried an improvised coffin to a spot away from the houses. Others had already dug a grave. People wept silently, while some shared their final words.

"Does anyone else want to say something?" a woman asked.

Caelus stepped forward. His voice was hesitant but filled with emotion. "I spoke to her yesterday. All she wanted to know about was the floating city. Even when everyone said it was a myth, she believed. And the city exists! It's called Zephyra, and it's where I'm from. I hope that wherever she is now, she finds peace knowing that."

As the coffin was buried, silence fell over the gathering, heavy like the suffocating air of the lower world.