In a dimly lit room, Elia, who had been resting her head on the desk, was biting her lips.
“Could it be…?”
It had been quite some time since she had stayed here, and there were crumpled pieces of paper piled up beside her.
‘Did I spend time in another timeline…?’
While continuously scribbling and crumpling paper, Elia suddenly smirked at a half-baked thought that popped into her mind.
“This can’t be it….”
The sound of writing and the rustling of paper filled the room again.
How much time had passed?
‘…Who could it be?’
Elia was brought back to her senses by a presence, straightening her furrowed brow and putting on a smile.
“Saint.”
“Oh, Lucius.”
Lucius wore a worried expression,
Elia tried to ease his concern by intentionally raising her voice.
“Weren’t you practicing?”
“I came to check on the Saint because I was worried.”
As Lucius said, Elia’s face looked haggard to the point of being dry.
“…You don’t look so good yourself, Lucius.”
Feeling shy about showing her own fragile state, Elia puffed her cheeks and subtly averted her eyes.
Yet, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, as if she quite liked Lucius genuinely worrying about her.
However, Lucius, who couldn’t see Elia’s smile, looked as if he was greatly shocked that the Saint had turned her gaze away.
“Uh, um… I’m sorry…?”
Like a broken toy, he was flailing his arms, sweating bullets.
“Pfft-”
Elia, watching him blankly, seemed to have lost all traces of her previous fatigue.
“Ahaha-!”
She laughed cheerfully like a child,
Lucius scratched his head, feeling awkward at her joyful demeanor.
“Why are you laughing so suddenly, Saint?”
“Nothing, just.”
She laughed so hard that she wiped the tears at the corners of her eyes and continued.
“More importantly, what’s the matter?”
“As I said earlier, I’m worried about your health—”
“Get to the point, please.”
Elia interrupted him sharply,
and Lucius, shivering slightly, peeked at Elia’s face a few times before he sighed and finally spoke.
“…Can I truly trust Cheon Ha-rang?”
He muttered the words, gnawing at his lips like they were hard to get out.
Although he wondered if it was inappropriate to have such impure thoughts about someone who had helped him,
Lucius couldn’t comprehend Elia’s judgment in leaving the traces of the man he had been pursuing to Cheon Ha-rang.
“Are we back on that topic again?”
“…”
“Don’t worry, Harang isn’t that type of person.”
Seeing Lucius still unsatisfied, Elia shook her head and reached out to ruffle his hair.
“Rather….”
As Elia continued her words,
somehow her speech started to become tinged with moisture.
“Harang is exceptionally kind compared to the trials she has faced.”
Lucius, sensing something off, looked up at her.
“It makes one wonder why I’m the Saint and not her.”
“… Saint.”
Within Lucius’ eyes, he could see Elia, who was now tearful and dazed.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Upon noticing Lucius was dumbstruck, Elia seemed to realize she was crying and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
“This shouldn’t be happening.”
Nevertheless, as the tears wouldn’t stop, Lucius slowly approached Elia and embraced her.
“I shouldn’t feel pity, but I keep recalling what the gods showed me.”
“It’s okay, you can cry freely.”
Elia’s arms wrapped around Lucius’ waist as his hand rested on her head, comforting her with gentle strokes.
“I’ll hide you from the gods.”
“Sniff.”
In the dimly lit room, Lucius shielded Elia from the flickering light of the candle.
*
Suddenly, an unbearable itch in his ear made him wince.
“Master? What’s wrong?”
“Hmm, it feels like someone’s talking about me….”
As he scratched at his ear, Nameless, frowning as well, muttered to himself.
“…Who in the world is talking?”
“What.”
What does this guy think of me that he believes I wouldn’t be mentioned in someone else’s conversation?
… Well, I guess I can’t blame him.
He sighed deeply, resting his head on Nameless’s knee.
If I close my eyes and open them again, maybe I’ll have arrived at my destination.
I fell asleep praying softly.
*
…Where am I?
Grabbing my throbbing head, I scanned the surroundings, but saw nothing.
It was an abyssal darkness where not even an inch could be seen,
Struggling to decipher the situation I found myself awakened in.
With my vision blocked, I waved my arms but touched nothing.
There was no smell either, no sound apart from my breath and footsteps.
“Where on earth is this…?”
It had certainly been a carriage just a moment ago, yet nothing surrounded me.
I felt alert when I should have been asleep.
Could it be that Lili had pulled me into this dream?
…But that doesn’t seem likely.
There’s no lingering sticky energy unique to Lili.
“Sigh….”
I sat on the ground, rubbing my face.
Even excluding Lili, there was no distinct energy,
and with no reason in sight, I figured it best to disregard this altogether as a simple dream.
But….
What a vivid dream this is?
“Tch.”
How insufferable it is.
I hissed lightly and got up, brushing off my knees.
“…Should I go?”
Staying still won’t resolve anything,
Of course, I couldn’t tell the direction due to the darkness,
but I’ll follow the same path as before.
“My path is the answer.”
Without hesitation, I took a step forward.
*
“…”
It felt as though I had walked for days without encountering anything.
There was nothing besides my presence.
The horizon of nothingness,
If I had to express the path I walked on, it would be this.
“Tch, this place suits the title ‘End of the World’ better.”
Muttering something rather pointless, I stretched my legs.
Having all senses blocked affected my mind more than I anticipated,
and if I didn’t talk to myself, my sanity might just unravel.
The fact that I’m not going insane is surprising enough.
Well, maybe it’s odd that my head is still intact even now?
“…Hmm….”
How can I maintain my sanity?
I dived into thoughts about that question, but
the answer came to me swiftly, even to the point of a sigh at my own ineptitude.
I had a similar experience once.
“Shortly after falling into this world.”
Complete darkness, no direction, and uncertainty about whether the path I tread was the correct one.
There had been no guiding light, but I couldn’t stop moving.
If I stopped, it would be the end, eliminating every chance of hope.
So I clenched my teeth and persevered.
What helped me hold on during those maddening times?
It was simple.
At first, I thought of my waiting family and friends.
When that reached its limit, I confessed all my sins.
And when that didn’t suffice, I cultivated a hate for the aimless wandering.
Thus I endured.
I created a flimsy notion of why I had to keep going.
After establishing a reason to survive,
I began to think seriously about survival with a hardened heart.
And soon, I put it into action.
I never skipped a day of training, and with the little knowledge in my head, albeit not very trustworthy, I practiced breathing exercises.
I chewed and swallowed plants, unsure if they were edible or poisonous, and hunted beasts three times my size every day, living tenaciously.
Reflecting on that life felt akin to an insect, yet now it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Well, that’s all in the past.”
I smirked and continued to walk.
Returning to the point at hand, what should I focus my mind on right now?
This contemplation didn’t take long either.
“My only disciple, Cheon Mu-myeong.”
It felt like I could see a path ahead.
*
“…-sama….”
My head ached, and my heart felt heavy.
It was painful.
The ringing in my ears did not let up as I flailed my arms.
“…-Master….”
Could you keep it down? My head is ringing…
I buried my face deep into something enveloping me warmly and mumbled softly.
“Ugh….”
…It’s warm.
Just as I lay there with my mouth open, letting out a ‘heh-heh’ smile, I slowly opened my eyes that had stubbornly remained shut until now.
…Huh? Where am I?
Everything was dark, obscured by something.
“Ugh….”
It was hard to see, and just as a hint of fear began to rise,
“Master.”
A voice reached my ears, belonging to Nameless.
“Is that you, Nameless?”
As if a reflex, I turned my head and was met with Nameless, who was smiling brightly for some reason.
“I’m your disciple, Cheon Mu-myeong.”
“Ah….”
And now that I think about it, I remember using his lap as a pillow to sleep.
…So this was simply me waking up from a nap.
I wiped the cold sweat off my forehead and exhaled deeply.
“Tch.”
I’ve been busy recently, so I’ve accumulated some fatigue, and I’m having the strangest dreams.
Strange dreams?
Did I even have a dream?
“Ugh.”
I grasped my throbbing head once more.
…Did I get a clue about something?
“Master?”
“…It was nothing.”
I only tilted my head since I couldn’t recall.
