Settlement (2)

I placed my hand on the whale's white heart.

Stone-hard and cold to the touch.

But a definite pulse could be felt in that cold heart.

Thump. Thump.

A steady sound, as if it were still alive.

It was strange. The body was already dead, reduced to bones and hide, yet the heart was still beating.

"Can I even eat this?"

It was far too fresh for something like this.

What if a whale suddenly came back to life in my stomach?

[It was a spirit beast just before becoming a divine beast, so that could really happen. Heh heh. If you're scared, don't eat it—give it to me.]...