Tony said in a terrified voice, “That means… we’ve already aged billions of years? Our Earth, the humans on it… everything is finished?”

  Steve, wiping his tears, said, “I trusted science more than anyone. But I never expected this from science.”

  Neil’s eyes became wet in a second, which was equal to millions of years on Earth. He whispered to himself, “Lisa… I’ll come back for sure.”

  The AI spoke calmly, “We are not the masters of creation, humans. Space is the one that gave birth to us. You know about LUCA, right? A type of microbe considered the ancestor of all life.”

  It continued, “But LUCA wasn’t the first living organism. Many believe life began because of meteorites. And most scientists—including me—agree.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Steve asked, trying to stop his tears, “So if meteorites are responsible for life… then if we find something similar, we can study it and reverse time?”

  “Exactly,” the AI replied. “If you’re lucky enough to find a Roseworm, we can combine it with meteorite research.”

  Tony suddenly yelled, “So we’re gonna become the new LUCA and restart life on Earth! But in a better way—so we don’t miss anything this time.”

  Neil asked, “What if we try crossing the Milky Way using one of the wormholes?”

  The AI answered sharply, “If you value your life, don’t even attempt that.”

  It made a clapping sound. “Alright, shall we head toward the Moon now? We need to find one of the wormholes as soon as possible.”

  Neil said, “Life is something that doesn’t make sense… compared to living.”

  Everyone—including the AI—laughed. But who knew if Neil was joking or not?

  Suddenly, the AI shouted, “Look ahead!”

  Floating in front of them was a Compost Hole—shaped like a jar with an opening at the top. Its body was a swirling mix of blue and black, with dark fog drifting around the bottom.

  Tony said, “It’s a Compost Hole… but we wanted a Roseworm.”

  But Steve yelled, “Guys, something’s wrong! How can a Compost Hole appear so suddenly when they’re not even confirmed to exist? And look at the top!”

  Neil stared, eyes wide. “There’s… another hole. A

  Roseworm—just like we were told.”