Chapter 834 |
The road of dreams where children became adults.
What was that even supposed to mean?
While I was still trying to make sense of it, Han Seol threw his arms around Han Byeol the moment she came tumbling out of the light. Hangyeol grabbed Chirp and scolded him, saying he shouldn’t have done that. Moon Hyunah continued explaining.
“It’s connected to the world of dreams. I’m still basically a dream myself, too. Nothing happened, right?”
“Nothing? Unnie, you haven’t woken up for five days! And we still couldn’t connect to the dream world, and our Guild Leader, Director Han, Haeyeon’s Guild Leader, and Chief Song are still inside it. We haven’t heard a single thing from them!”
“No news is good news, so they’re probably still fine. And over here…”
Hwang Rim appeared behind Moon Hyunah. In his arms were two sleeping children.
“You haven’t seen them before, right, Soyeong? Sigma, the Puppeteer, and the porter.”
“Yes, yes. Please call me a stroller.”
“They turned little?!”
“Are they new younger siblings for Gyeol? Are they dragons?”
“Think of it as a small side effect. The time that made this passage belonged to the Puppeteer and Dal. It’s a kind of synchronization. Apparently they’ll go back to normal once the passage disappears.”
Unlike Moon Hyunah, Hwang Rim had a physical body in the real world, and he stepped out into the rooftop garden. Word must have spread already about the strange phenomenon at Dodam’s Breeding Facility, because helicopter rotors were beating overhead. Before the helicopter could even land, Noah and Liette dropped down into the rooftop garden.
“What happened?”
“Huh? That’s Hyunah.”
“Good timing. Take care of that porter and the two kids for me. To put it simply, if you go in through here, you can get back to the dream world. Only adults can’t go.”
“I’m already a dream, so I can enter,” Moon Hyunah added.
“Byeol’s ability only works on children, so there’s no way around it. They say it’s just like a real dream, so it’s not dangerous, but there’s no need for you to come. Obviously. If you do go in, then…”
“You can become whatever you want to be!”
Han Byeol shouted at the top of her lungs. Then she tugged on Han Seol’s arm.
“Let’s go see Dad!”
Dad.
Hangyeol looked at the white light. Dad had told them to stay home because it was dangerous. But he wanted to see Dad. Just then, the baby reindeer strode forward. As if he had sensed something, Sorok leaped without hesitation and sprang into the light.
“Sorok?”
– Bleeeeh!
His cry still had the thinness of youth in it, but only for a moment. His white body began to grow. Four straight, sturdy legs stretched beneath him. Silvery fur spread thickly over his powerful neck. On his large head, a splendid pair of antlers sat like a crown. Sorok stamped one forehoof against the ground in satisfaction, and Moon Hyunah stared at her Monster Mount with her mouth hanging open.
“Sorok! You look incredible!”
Moon Hyunah reached out and gently stroked the reindeer’s neck. Then she jumped onto his snow-white back.
“Let’s go!”
The reindeer kicked off the ground and charged into the light. A moment later, the two of them vanished into the whiteness.
“Hurry, hurry!”
Hangyeol stamped his feet, unable to bear it any longer, and then darted forward. Han Seol immediately followed his younger sister, and before anyone could even see his form change, he had already gone beyond the light.
“Seol! Byeol!”
Hangyeol cried out in panic. Dad had told them to stay home. He had promised to listen. But Hangyeol wanted to go to Dad, too. He wanted to help.
His hesitation did not last long.
“I’m coming too!”
The pink Fairy Dragonkin rose into the air with all his strength, chasing after his siblings. Hangyeol, too, disappeared into the light.
“Is… is this really okay?”
Kang Soyeong asked in alarm, but no one there could answer her.
With a little maa, the baby lamb also toddled toward the light. She disappeared without changing from her tiny form.
Perhaps he knew he could not go. Peace let out a low, regretful whine and sank down where he was. The Horned Fox beside him got up. If he went in there, he could grow up, too. As that knowledge seemed to reach him, Horang began hopping eagerly as well. He dipped all four paws into the light.
– Kyihing!
The baby fox swelled in size in an instant. But he looked nothing like an ordinary adult Horned Fox. His spotted, glossy fur was dyed red, and a full golden mane grew around his neck. His body was also three or four times larger than other Spotted Horned Foxes. He looked almost like a Flame Horned Lion and a Horned Fox had been mixed together.
– Grrrrr!
Horang roared proudly. Then he looked back at Peace as if asking why he wasn’t coming.
– Keng, keheng!
Peace, still seated, thumped his tail against the ground. Horang tilted his head, then backed out of the light. The moment he became a tiny baby fox again, he seemed displeased with himself. He spun around, went back into the light, and when Peace still did not come, hesitated before finally returning to the rooftop garden. He trotted over, pressed his rear against Peace’s side, and whined in disappointment.
– Shiii.
Belare also looked back and forth between Chirp and the light.
– Chirp.
– Shh!
The baby jewel snake flicked her tail, then swiftly slithered toward the light.
Park Yerim only watched them go. For the past few days, she had been saying over and over that she wanted to hurry up and become an adult. Yet now that the path had actually opened, for some reason, she couldn’t move her feet.
– Kyurrr!
“…Mar?”
Behind Park Yerim, the baby Water Dragon had slipped out of the mini pool at some point and was approaching with wet, slapping steps. The white snow piled across the ground was dragged into long tracks by his fins, leaving behind marks like a path.
“You want to try going too?”
– Kyuk!
“There won’t be any water there, though…”
If she wanted to send Mar into the dream world, wouldn’t she have to go with him after all? As Park Yerim hesitated, she made a large bubble of water. The bubble carrying Mar floated toward the light. His round, plump body lengthened, taking on the shape of a massive Water Dragon. Deep blue scales rippled across him, a sleek pair of horns rose from his head, and his pectoral and tail fins spread wide like pleated curtains.
Up to that point, he was not very different from other Water Dragons, like Asserna.
But Mar’s transformation was not finished.
“Huh?”
The fins on his back grew larger. Two appeared on each side, four dorsal fins in total. The front pair stretched out long and huge in a streamlined shape, while the rear pair settled behind them at about half the size. The four thin, translucent fins, like delicate veils—
No. Wings.
They beat broadly through the air.
“Mar, you—!”
– Grrrrooo.
The Water Dragon, who without water could do nothing but crawl slowly with his belly dragging on the ground, flew. He climbed along the light as if he were swimming through it. He did not cross over. Instead, he danced in midair as if urging Park Yerim to come.
“Yerim, I think Mar’s waiting for you.”
Kang Soyeong spoke while staring at Mar with sparkling eyes. Park Yerim swallowed dryly.
“…The thing is.”
“What’s wrong?”
“I don’t think that light just makes things grow. I think it’s different for everyone. So…”
Sorok had simply become an ordinary adult. Little Song, for some reason, had not changed at all. Horang had grown into something similar to Peace. Mar had gained wings.
Was it making each of their wishes come true? Their possibilities?
In that case.
Park Yerim wrinkled her nose slightly and said in a small voice, “I’m a little less sure now. What if I don’t turn out that different from how I am now? What if I don’t get much stronger, and I’m just the same, or worse…”
She had always gone around saying she would become the best. That once she grew up, she would be stronger even than Han Yuhyun. That she would become the world’s number one Hunter. She had said it all with absolute confidence.
And yet, the moment she was given a chance to check her own future, fear had crept in.
Could she really become the adult she wanted to be?
Kang Soyeong looked at Park Yerim with round eyes. Then she smiled brightly.
“Yerim, you’re already the coolest person I know.”
“Unnie! That’s not what I mean!”
“I think you’d be an amazing adult even if you stayed exactly the way you are. But say, for example, that you didn’t get stronger at all. Say dungeons and Awakened people disappeared, and the world went back to normal. Say you and I both became ordinary adults. Even then, I think it’d be okay.”
“…Then dragons would disappear too.”
“Ahhh! No, that can’t happen!”
Kang Soyeong screamed dramatically, then smiled again.
“But as long as Comet doesn’t disappear, even if Comet became an ordinary lizard, as long as we could still stay together, I’d be okay. I’d miss the sky I used to fly through on a dragon, but those times would still be mine. I was Dragon Knight Kang Soyeong, you know. And you, Yerim—”
“Me too?”
“Park Yerim, Ruler of Water! That’s already yours, and it won’t disappear. You were the best, and you’re still the best, so your future’s bound to be the best too.”
– She’s right, Yerim. You’re the best.
Sanho whispered, and Park Yerim smiled a little. Kang Soyeong still let out a low groan.
“Honestly, I’m scared too. I’ve been like that lately. Everyone keeps saying no one knows how the world’s going to change. And I really don’t want Awakened people to disappear. I’m trying to steady myself and brace for it, but…”
What she had said just now seemed to have come from those worries as well.
This time, Park Yerim smiled radiantly. She slapped Kang Soyeong lightly on the arm.
“It’ll all be okay. Then I’ll be back. Mar!”
Park Yerim flew up toward the Water Dragon waiting for her.
“Byeol?”
Two round balls of fur, one large and one small, appeared with the light. The larger ball of fur changed into a little girl and came falling toward me. I quickly caught Byeol in my arms.
“Dad!”
– Chirp!
“Wh-what, Chirp! Don’t tell me you brought Byeol here!”
It was dangerous here! Was this a dream? No, even if it was a dream, it wasn’t safe.
“Hayul! Hurry and send the kids back!”
– Hyung, I told you, this isn’t a dream. That means I can’t do it without their consent. Yerim was on your team, so I could send her back right away. And even that was only when my domain was big. Now I can’t send anyone back even if they agree. The connection itself has been cut off.
It wasn’t a dream.
My heart dropped.
Before I knew it, Seong Hyunjae had stepped in front of me and was holding back the garden surging toward us. The thunder sounded exactly like lightning striking out of a clear sky.
“Byeol, be good. Let’s go home, okay? Chirp, hurry and take Byeol home with you.”
My voice shook on its own. The image of Liette falling from the sky suddenly flashed through my mind.
Completely unaware of the fear clawing through me, Byeol innocently lifted one small hand.
“Help Dad too.”
“Byeol!”
I shouted before I could stop myself, and Byeol’s eyes went round. Seeing the startled look on her face, I quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, Byeol. But you can’t be here.”
– Chirp, chirp!
“Byeol made a grow-big path with Chirp.”
“…What?”
“Big Uncle gave me this.”
White light gathered in Byeol’s palm. Park Hayul, perched on top of my head, saw it and immediately began making a fuss.
– Hyung! That’s time!
“…Time?”
“Chirp says he’ll help too.”
– Chirp chirp!
Chirp hopped onto my head, right beside Park Hayul. His tiny beak caught one of Park Hayul’s petals and tugged.
– Aaah, what the—! Huh? Yujin-hyung, this one is space.
“Byeol and Dad and Chirp and Flower are going to make a path.”
…
I had no idea what she meant. Only anxiety flooded in.
“Byeol, Chirp. Please. Let’s go home, okay?”
– Hyung, we should at least hear them out.
“Is this the time for that? Why are you so calm?”
– I think Chirp can go back whenever he wants. So it’s probably better to stay calm, listen, and persuade them.
– Chirp!
I took a deep breath. Right. Byeol and Chirp weren’t in immediate danger. Unlike when it had been Yerim, they could apparently go back at any time.
“…What is this path? And where did you get that power called time?”
“Big Uncle.”
…
Who the hell was Big Uncle supposed to be? I only had a younger brother, so the only uncle should be “Uncle.”
“Who’s Big Uncle? What does he look like?”
“He’s bigger than Dad.”
Byeol, there are countless people bigger than Dad. For starters, all S-Ranks except Yerim are bigger than me.
“His hair is long like this.”
“…Could it be the Puppeteer? Does he look like Dad?”
Byeol nodded.
The Puppeteer had given Byeol time? I couldn’t begin to understand what was going on.
“Byeol made Chirp and Oppa big.”
Oppa. The moment she said she had made Gyeol grow, the King of Predation flashed through my mind. When Seol had fought the great serpent, that subordinate of his, Gyeol had once grown. Had that been Byeol and Chirp’s power?
“Dad, okay?”
– Chirp chirp chirp.
“The nurturer adds more, too. Flower helps make the passage.”
– Chirp chirp chirp chirp.
“Chirp and Flower open the road, and Byeol and Dad make them big.”
It seemed as if Byeol was translating Chirp’s words. Park Hayul fluttered his leaves.
– I’m ready, Hyung!
“No, before that. Chirp, what exactly are you…”
– Chirp!
The little white bird hopped down in front of me. Round black eyes looked up at me.
‘…White bird.’
I had suspected Chirp might be connected to the white bird.
Or perhaps he might be the white bird itself.
But the white bird I had seen in Yuhyun’s memories had said it could no longer interfere in what was to come. It had sounded as if it could look into the future and set things in place, but could not give direct help in the present.
Yet Chirp was undeniably here right now.
– Chiiiiirp!
“Chirp says he likes Dad. Byeol likes Dad too.”
– Hyung! I like you too!
“…Dad likes Byeol and Chirp too.”
He was suspicious in every possible way. Even so, I didn’t think Chirp would do anything bad to me.
I wanted to believe that.
“But if you make them big… you mean you’ll make them grow, right? Instead of making a passage, can’t you use it directly on Seong Hyunjae or Chief Song?”
“Adults can’t.”
“…What?”
Adults couldn’t? So it was a power that could only be used on children? Was that why they had made Gyeol grow back then?
“Then no. I can’t call Byeol’s hyung and oppa here.”
The garden was only plants, and at most butterflies, but there was no telling what danger might come next. I could not drag children into this.
At my firm words, Byeol and Chirp both puffed up their cheeks.
“Dad!”
– Chirp!
“Children don’t do dangerous things.”
“Byeol wants to!”
– Chirp! Chirp!
“It’s a dream, Dad. A dream children have!”
– Chiiiiirp.
“Dreams are supposed to be dreamed.”
Byeol tilted her head and asked, “Is it bad to dream?”
“It’s not bad, but…”
No matter how much they called it a dream.
But children could dream about saving the people they loved. I could not stop them from doing that.
“Still, Dad isn’t raising you all for this. Not for something like this.”
I thought of Gyeol.
The child I had once tried to raise for the sake of my own wish.
“Dad.”
– Chirp.
“Byeol will become what Byeol wants to be.”
“…Huh?”
“Hyung and Oppa will do what they want too.”
– Chirp chirp.
“All of them. It’s a dream where you become what you want to be.”
A dream where children did what they wanted to do.
If that was the kind of dream this was, then did I have the right to interfere?
– Try it once, Hyung! If I think it’s not a real dream and it’s dangerous, I’ll stop it immediately. I should be able to, since I’m the passage. Sounds fun. I’m still kind of young too. Wouldn’t it work on me?
After hesitating, I nodded. I was still uneasy, still worried, but Park Hayul said he would set up a safety measure. Most of all, Byeol and Chirp did not seem willing to go back quietly. In that case, it seemed better to let them do what they wanted and stop it if things went wrong.
“All right, Byeol. What does Dad need to do?”
“Say, grow big and strong~.”
“G-grow big and strong~.”
Byeol changed back into a baby monster. She floated up as if climbing onto a round ball of light.
– Pyuit!
– Chirp!
– We’re connecting! To our world!
The light grew dazzlingly bright, and Byeol and Chirp disappeared. Even so, the light remained. It grew larger and larger, stretching up into the sky. Like an enormous rainbow rising from the ground.
I stared blankly at that light.
“Han Yujin-ssi, what happened?”
Chief Song retreated slightly toward me and asked if the child had returned safely.
“I think she went back, but…”
– We’re coming again!
Thud!
Something kicked hard off the ground. From within the pure white light, a pure white shape burst out. Antlers like a crystal crown shone brilliantly, and beyond them I saw a familiar face.
“Hyungnim! You’re safe!”
“…Hyunah-ssi?”
Wait. Then that reindeer was…
No way.
“Sorok? Is that you, Sorok?”
– Piiii!
Like when he had been young, but in a much higher, finer voice, the white reindeer shook his head as if greeting me.
Sorok had grown up?
Moon Hyunah drew out her spear and said, “Did Byeol explain? She says it’s a safe dream. So don’t worry too much.”
“I did hear that, but she said the Puppeteer helped.”
“Dal persuaded him, and he trusted me. This isn’t a garden. It’s a forest.”
Moon Hyunah looked back at Seong Hyunjae and Chief Song. “You all look terrible,” she said with a laugh, then raised her spear forward.
Sorok stamped hard.
With a boom, the two of them charged forward as one. The reindeer drew in a white breath, and all four of his hooves began to gleam like ice. Then, with a sharp crackle, a road of frost spread outward. Vines and trees froze white, and Moon Hyunah’s spear shattered them all to pieces. Around Sorok alone, shards of ice whirled through the air as if winter had descended.
– Dad!
Byeol’s voice sounded again. I whipped my head around.
“Byeol…?”
– Ppaaang!
…
A round, cute yellow car hopped into the air. Seol was sitting on top of it.
“Our Byeol… wanted to be a car.”
The moment I saw the yellow car spinning around and around, all my worries seemed to vanish.
It really was a dream.
A dream where you became what you wanted to be.
But Seol still looked exactly the same as before. When his eyes met mine, he hesitated a little and said, “I… like myself the way I am right now, Father. I don’t really want to grow up yet.”
“Right. You can stay that way as long as you want!”
I had been worried because Seol almost never showed emotion, but he had been living happily after all. Hearing that he liked himself best right now was such a relief.
“…Dad.”
Then came a voice I did not know, but somehow recognized.
I turned my head and froze.
It was Seong Hyunjae with silver hair.
So… that had to be Gyeol, right…?
Gyeol, on the verge of tears, ran to me.
“Gyeol turned into this!”
“G-Gyeol.”
“So that was it.”
Seong Hyunjae had come close at some point. Seeing Gyeol, he smiled faintly. At that slippery look in his eyes, Gyeol burst into tears and threw himself into my arms.
“It’s okay, Gyeol. That can happen.”
“He does… help Dad a lot. Dad relies on him too. And I might have been just a liiittle jealous! I did think, maybe, Gyeol would grow up like that too! Once or twice!”
“Uh, well, he is a pretty capable… an adult who knows how to do a lot. Calm down and turn into a dragon. You can transform, right?”
Gyeol gasped, then quickly changed into a dragon. He had the shape of the adult Fairy Dragonkin I had seen before. Then he glared pointlessly at Seong Hyunjae before snapping his head away.
It really was about becoming what they wanted to become. But seeing how different each of the children looked from one another made me laugh.
It made sense now.
–TL Notes–
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