Chapter 796 |
–How unusual.
A single swaying tendril stretched out long and tapped at the memories being dragged in.
–You say you buried your emotions, so why did you leave them untouched all this time instead of swallowing them? Tell me. I’m curious.
The King of Harmless swam gently through the fog. Silken–
–smooth, the hem of her clothing fluttered like a fin.
–It would be difficult to cut out only the parts of Han Yujin’s memories cleanly. But if it makes for an interesting story, I’ll help.
“Were you not here to help Han Yujin?”
Only then did Seong Hyunjae’s gaze turn toward the King of Harmless. Ru Ga Pheya burst into delighted laughter.
–I’m not on anyone’s side. I’m only a fragment of a dream woven from memory. As long as you catch my interest, that is enough for me.
A cup of coffee appeared in Seong Hyunjae’s hand. He took a sip of the café mocha heaped high with whipped cream.
“Too sweet.”
The coffee from some other day faded away from his shadow–covered grasp.
“I did consider it. Even after I said I had erased my emotions, even after I gave him what amounted to a warning, Han Yujin did not keep his guard up.”
He had become a little sharper around the edges, but that was all. Once Han Yujin let someone inside his boundaries, he was not the sort to cut them off easily. He even slept in the same place as Seong Hyunjae and stayed alone with him without thinking anything of it. So swallowing Han Yujin’s existence, as he had with the mana stones of his dependents, would not have been difficult.
“But even stripped of emotion, those memories alone were enough to make him interesting.”
–True. He was fun.
Ru Ga Pheya spun lazily through the air and faced Seong Hyunjae. Her long hair drifted loose like seaweed underwater, brushing across his face as though to tickle him.
“And the way he was bound between two younger brothers was worth watching as well. I was curious to see how it would end.”
–The younger brother is looking at memories from when he was this tiny, though~.
“It seems to be showing the time they first met, so Han Yujin must have been around five? Six? Somewhere around then.”
Feeling faintly regretful that he could not see it, Seong Hyunjae held one hand out in front of him. Han Yujin’s hand took it.
“So when are you going to tell me?”
Seong Hyunjae’s hand closed around the throat of the Han Yujin who whispered to him. A mere shard of memory did not react. It was swallowed without resistance.
“The power of the Nurturer title only works when the target feels goodwill.”
–So all you need are the parts that know you?
“And as luck would have it, the table and the utensils are already prepared.”
Park Yerim and the King of Harmless had pulled up Han Yujin’s memories and spread them out. The power of Plunder soaked into those memories became a fine knife and fork. Without erasing Han Yujin’s existence itself, it was possible to take only the parts he needed.
–Swallowing the very source of the power that grows others would certainly be more useful. But Han Yujin was an anomaly in several ways~. In the long term, keeping Han Yujin alive while removing only a part of him would definitely be more efficient.
Ru Ga Pheya nodded. At the motion of her hand, the fog shifted.
“Are you all right?”
“For the sake of the thrifty Mister Seong Hyunjae, should we get out and take a taxi? How about the bus or subway? I wonder if my transit card would even work.”
“Uh… your name was… Seong… something? I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere.”
“Just in case, should I write my name on your palm? Give me your hand.”
“Anyway, please, I am begging you, don’t do anything that’ll make me and Chief Song lose our minds.”
Han Yujin’s voices rang out from every direction, then overlapped one by one. They were cut away with great care, so the other memories would suffer as little damage as possible.
–Memories are organic things, so even memories that have nothing to do with you will take a little damage. Still, I’m the one handling them, so it shouldn’t cause any serious problems.
Ru Ga Pheya confidently declared that no one surpassed her in matters like this. Memories were her staple food, and cutting away only a portion to swallow so her prey could continue producing more memories was a basic act of predation.
The voices that had been chattering endlessly slowly dwindled. Only a few remained calling, Mister Seong Hyunjae, Sesung Guild Leader. Without even properly checking them, without listening to or looking at them, they clotted into a mottled mass and were devoured by the black shadow.
–They are memories of you, though. You have no intention of looking at them?
“It seems we are short on time.”
Not only did he have no leisure for it, they were merely memories he had already experienced. Han Yujin would be the only one forgetting them; Seong Hyunjae’s memories would remain intact.
Rumble–
The fog and the sea trembled. The world of memory, with a great bite torn out of it, began to collapse.
–Oh, my. How unfortunate. I had almost finished restoring everything~.
Saying she needed to go to Park Yerim, Ru Ga Pheya disappeared. Left alone, Seong Hyunjae looked out at the vanishing fog. It was quiet. Aside from him, nothing remained. As always, every being from the world he had belonged to, every being that remembered him, had disappeared.
He had been the last one left. He had remembered the end, only to have even those remaining memories taken from him. But this time–
“I will not forget.”
–Ye, Yerim! It’s shaking!
Sanho shouted while hanging from Park Yerim’s earring. Park Yerim, who had been watching her childhood memories with both embarrassment and longing, also looked startled.
“The skill… I think it’s coming undone!”
“No, I like Toto too. But Toto isn’t soft. And he doesn’t eat.”
Clutching the string tied to the puppy balloon, little Park Yerim made her case to her mother. She passionately explained how wonderful a real dog was and why she absolutely needed one.
“Sola said she likes dogs more than little siblings too. She said little siblings don’t listen. But Dawool’s dog can do ‘sit,’ and ‘paw,’ and ‘come here,’ and–”
Her eyes were round, and she even gestured with her hands as she tried her hardest to persuade her mother. But in the end, the little Park Yerim who failed to win herself a dog wavered and disappeared. In the meantime, the shaking all around them grew stronger. As Park Yerim struggled to control the skill, the King of Harmless appeared before her.
–Let the skill go.
“Then what about Mister?”
–All of the memories buried with the pomegranate have been restored. Except for what was stolen.
“Stolen? What do you mean?”
–Eaten. And… it seems there’s a fire, too.
“What?”
–Burning away splendidly~.
“Ha, Han Yuhyun? Which one?”
Ruuuumble–! Water surged high, then shattered into fragments that scattered in every direction. The memories returned to their owner, and the illusion broke. The fog gathered into clouds, and rain poured down. Through it, Han Yujin’s screamlike cry rang out.
“Han Yuhyun!”
Butterflies swarmed toward that desperate call. The twenty–six–year–old Han Yuhyun grabbed Han Yujin. He stepped back, using willow leaves as footing.
“…I.”
Before eyes stained red, a black butterfly fluttered. For an instant, Han Yujin’s figure showed through the gap. At his brother’s side was Han Yuhyun.
[I told you.]
The Gardener’s voice came to him. The twenty–one–year–old Han Yuhyun did not answer. Part of him was already turning into what had once been Han Yuhyun.
[Only one can remain.]
The Han Yuhyun from before the regression had died. And yet the present Han Yuhyun felt uneasy. It was more than the simple fear that his place might be taken. It was an unease that touched the root of his very existence. The one who had made him, a being that was originally fire, into Han Yuhyun was Han Yujin. If that Han Yujin accepted someone else as Han Yuhyun, then Han Yuhyun could not help but waver.
[I made a contract with Han Yuhyun, and that contract applies to you as well.]
That was what the black butterfly, the Gardener, said. The two Han Yuhyuns were different beings, and at the same time, the same being. Therefore, with only a simple agreement from one side, the contract could be transferred.
The black butterfly whispered. What if the one Han Yujin wanted was not you, but the other one? What if he chose the younger brother who had died trying to protect him, the younger brother he had searched for all this time?
[Then should you not return his younger brother to your precious hyung?]
For the sake of your beloved brother. If you take the contract in his place, that Han Yuhyun will be able to return completely to Han Yujin. Han Yujin will hold the body of the younger brother he regained and go home.
Han Yuhyun wavered, but he did not fall entirely. That Han Yuhyun was a dead man. His brother himself had said he was dead. He had only been given a brief reprieve. Once the time he had been granted came to an end, his brother would return with him. So all he had to do was endure a little while. Just a little while.
But Han Yujin–
[The twenty–five–year–old Han Yuhyun became twenty–six years old to Han Yujin. Do you think it will end at twenty–six? Twenty–seven, twenty–eight– he will keep aging.]
The butterfly laughed.
[Because Han Yujin’s time was a gift from his dead younger brother.]
Even though time had been turned back, his brother was not with a twenty–year–old younger brother, but a twenty–five–year–old one. And so, the dead Han Yuhyun had passed a birthday and grown one year older.
“Yuhyun!”
Han Yujin’s cry rang out. The butterfly covered even that sound and blocked it.
“…The contract.”
The part of him being devoured, the part that still remained as Han Yuhyun, spoke. I have to return Han Yuhyun to my brother. His blurred mind thought so, and his strengthless lips moved faintly. The butterfly settled over his mouth.
[The fire the white bird mentioned must be you.]
A pure flame that held a fragment of the First Flame. The Gardener’s contract transferred from Han Yuhyun to Han Yuhyun. Before the body losing itself could collapse as fire, butterflies hurriedly coiled around him. If “Han Yuhyun” disappeared, the vessel that held the fire would disappear as well.
[Fire that loses its vessel scatters.]
To keep that fire contained, “Han Yuhyun” was necessary. The butterfly hardened into a translucent shell. Han Yuhyun’s eyes closed, and he sank into a deep sleep. His consciousness was put to rest so he would not waver and crumble any further, and he was buried as he was, wrapped inside black glass.
“What did you do to my brother!”
Beyond the black glassy surface, Yuhyun’s unconscious figure showed faintly. My throat seized up, but I kept shouting. Before I could even try to reach Yuhyun, however, my other younger brother, the one holding me, let out a low groan. My heart, already pounding violently, lurched again.
“Yuhyun, you–”
“That one… is still all right.”
–Th, that’s right, hyung. He’s still okay!
Iryn climbed onto my shoulder and spoke.
–Yuhyun hasn’t been completely swallowed. Actually, that thing the butterfly changed into looks like it’s protecting him.
“Then shouldn’t we wake him up?”
Yerim, who had been creating an ice spear, asked when she heard Iryn. If that glass shell was wrapping around Yuhyun and stopping him from being swallowed by the First Flame. I tried somehow to calm the thoughts stampeding through my head.
“Wait. Just wait a second. So Yuhyun is safe, huh!”
At that moment, the willow leaf supporting Yuhyun’s feet vanished. Yuhyun was running low on mana. As we plummeted, Peace quickly transformed into his adult form and caught us.
“Thanks, Peace.”
–Grrr!
Damn it, the others. I hurriedly looked around. Chief Song and Liette were down below as well, standing on an ice platform Yerim had made. For the moment, everyone seemed safe.
“That thing took my contract.”
Yuhyun spoke while gathering what little mana he had left.
“Because we are also the same being. I was freed… and it seems the twenty–one–year–old Han Yuhyun was caught instead.”
Just as he said, the black butterflies that had been circling the twenty–six–year–old Yuhyun were gone without a trace. That damned Gardener bastard… I quickly pulled the exhausted Han Yuhyun into my arms.
“Drink a mana potion and take my mana. We have Grace, so it’ll be fine.”
–Chirp!
Just then, Grace popped out and flew toward Iryn on my shoulder. After hearing Grace’s chirping, Iryn jumped.
–Hyung! The mean bird says she’s going to eat Iryn!
–Chiiirp! Stupid lizard! Chirp!–
…It was true that Iryn was technically contracted to this Yuhyun too, but still.
“What are you talking about, Iryn?”
–This bird only gives mana to hyung, but if Iryn goes all the way inside the Fountain of Mana, then Iryn can receive it too. Because Iryn is a spirit.
Ah… Come to think of it, in the world where Sigma had been, the Fountain of Mana had also been a place where spirits stayed.
–Chirp, I don’t like it, though!
–And this Yuhyun is also Iryn’s contractor. Iryn can pass the mana to him.
Grace flapped her wings wildly. She seemed to hate the idea of letting a spirit inside her, but she would endure it for my sake.
“Thank you so much, Grace.”
–Chirp!
“Then Yuhyun will be all right?”
–Yes! Normally, taking in this much outside mana so directly would be bad, but right now this Yuhyun is so drained that his body can’t even reject it. He’ll be okay!
Iryn nodded, then seeped into the bracelet together with Grace. A touch of red mingled into the blue jewel. At the same time, Yuhyun lifted the upper half of his body away from where he had been leaning against me.
“I’m all right now–”
“Mister! Aren’t those mana stones?”
Before I could even catch my breath, Yerim shouted. I looked where she was pointing and saw butterflies holding mana stones. The mana stones that had come out after we caught the dependents. Upon seeing them, Yuhyun spoke urgently.
“Hyung, those– no. Get away!”
“Yuhyun?”
“It’s already too late!”
“Peace! Liette!”
There seemed to be no time to explain. A powerful resistance rose in me at the thought of turning away and leaving Yuhyun behind, but right now, I could not break that glassy shell anyway. Peace spread his wings wide. Liette transformed into her dragon form and, for some reason, snatched up Chief Song, who looked exhausted, then tossed him up onto her head. Yerim immediately followed after us as well.
“Mana stones from dependents can call forth a Transcendent’s power. The wave that went against Park Yerim was drawn out that way too.”
Yuhyun said we needed to get as far away as possible. So that was why a weakened mana stone had come out of the wave.
“And with that many mana stones…”
Yuhyun looked back. I turned my head too. Red flames were leaking from the black glassy shell. Butterflies carrying mana stones gathered around it.
“…The First Flame. That’s what it was.”
“Fire is used in sacrificial rites. With that fire, probably–”
[Danger! Honey!]
[Hyung! This feels really, really dangerous!]
Messages came in one after another. Even Rookie, who had been quiet this whole time, sent a warning.
“They’ll be able to summon the Transcendent themself.”
Craaaack!
A sound like the sky splitting apart rang out. The mana in every direction twisted. It writhed as though screaming, and Peace’s wings vanished.
–Grrk!
The skill was canceled for an instant. Peace staggered, landed on the ground, and started running again. Yerim, who had fallen with an “ack,” was safely caught by Chief Song on top of Liette. Craaaack, crunch! A thunderous roar of twisting and tearing hammered at my ears. I could not even look toward the space where mana was gathering in a thick mass, so I turned my head away.
“Yuhyun, he–!”
“He’s all right. The Gardener decided to preserve him, so nothing should go wrong.”
The twenty–six–year–old younger brother told me that while the twenty–one–year–old Yuhyun had been completely sealed away, a faint connection still remained. That much was a relief, at least. Ruuuumble–
–Mana, compressed to an extreme degree, burst again and again. Yerim blocked the aftermath several times, but–
“M, Mister! This time it’s dangerous!”
I felt an ominous energy. This time really was dangerous. Liette stopped running and shot the power of Severance toward the ground. Craaaash! A section of earth was gouged out deep, and the black dragon leapt into it.
–Sweetheart! Over here!
I also made Peace hide behind Liette. Above us, layers upon layers of ice formed a wall, and immediately afterward, a mana storm swept in. Krrrrrrrk, mana scoured across heaven and earth. Even the pit we were hiding in was not spared. Yerim’s ice wall shattered instantly, and long scratches were carved across Liette’s scales. But that was not the end.
It was the beginning.
An even stronger force came racing toward us. I sucked in a sharp breath.
“Liette! Hide behind me!”
We had elixirs, so if I blocked as much as I could with Grace, somehow I could at least keep everyone alive–
Rumble!
Light flashed.
Brilliant golden currents crossed through the oncoming mana storm.
The hem of an unfamiliar white coat came into view.
–TL Notes–
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