Chapter 26

After hearing the whole story through Siho, I was left with a blank expression.

I also met Siho’s mother, Kim Ji-sun, and talked with her directly. She was clearly Siho’s mother, and there was nothing strange about her. But to think that she had actually died?

“How?”

“It’s the Space Movement ability.”

“That doesn’t bring people back to life, does it?”

“It’s not bringing her back.”

Siho pulled her knees up and buried her face in them.

“I brought her here.”

“Am I too stupid to understand?”

She shook her head.

“Do you know what a parallel world is?”

“You mean a parallel universe?”

It’s a realm of science fiction, but of course, I know about it.

A parallel world is simply a split timeline.

World A is where I ordered chicken and ate it.

World B is where I didn’t order chicken.

In this way, two worlds are created at every decision point, branching infinitely.

Seeing my puzzled expression at the mention of parallel worlds, she began to draw two circles in the sand.

“This is A, the world we live in. And this is B, the world where that incident didn’t happen.”

Hearing that, my eyes gradually widened.

“Wait a minute. Don’t tell me.”

“I brought Mom here from that world. To be precise, I projected the space from that world onto this one, so it’s more like a copy. Like bringing a reflection in a mirror and making it move with my will.”

It seemed to involve more complex things, but Siho skipped the detailed explanation and simply drew a line connecting World B to World A.

A copy, then. So, the Siho’s mother I saw was essentially created through Siho.

Hearing that, I was momentarily stunned.

Is that even possible by common sense?

No, before that, just how powerful is Siho’s Space Movement ability?

‘There has never been an S-class Space Movement user before.’

There have been A-class Space Movement users, but S-class users are extremely rare.

‘No, there’s also Dimensional Movement.’

It’s not necessarily impossible.

It’s just that Siho’s ability is far beyond my imagination.

“But if I release my power, Mom will go back. Even if I bring her back, she’ll be an empty shell, just like at the beginning, without any of the memories from the past four years or any of us.”

Siho seemed truly afraid of that fact.

An empty shell.

Siho must have felt a sense of alienation from the mother she had brought back long ago.

Over the past four years, she filled that void, changed, accumulated, and carried on, becoming the Kim Ji-sun we know today.

It took that long for that sense of alienation to disappear.

Now, to her, the current Kim Ji-sun is another mother.

A mother who has lived with her for the past four years.

“So that’s why you were rated as an A-class in the Hunter assessment.”

Siho slowly nodded.

To maintain her mother from the parallel world, Siho was constantly using her ability.

Just then, a nosebleed started.

The reason she often had nosebleeds or looked weak was because she was continuously maintaining her power.

Yet, she was rated as an A-class, which shows just how absurd her output was.

“My spatial ability, if pushed, can block small-scale Dimensional Gates. If a Dimensional Gate appears nearby, the space becomes unstable, making it hard to maintain…”

Finally, the answer became clear.

The reason she had been struggling to block Dimensional Gates was to protect her mother.

“…If I send Mom back, we can return immediately.”

Feeling guilty, Siho buried her face in her knees again.

“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? My real mom is gone. Siho is just clinging to a fake.”

Seeing Siho laugh self-deprecatingly, I frowned.

I knew what emotions she was pouring into those words.

“Miss Siho, what kind of habit is that to say to your mother?”

At that moment, Siho looked up at the sound of someone scolding her.

Her round eyes were slightly wet.

“The mother I saw is not a fake.”

Kim Ji-sun, who cared for and looked after Siho more than anyone, was clearly Siho’s mother.

There is no such thing as a fake in this world.

If Siho considers her current mother as her own, then the Kim Ji-sun I saw is Siho’s mother.

The family I saw seemed very happy.

We shouldn’t take away what a child is desperately holding onto.

When Siho grows up and can stand on her own, she should be allowed to make her own choice, not have it taken away by others.

“If you say something like that again, I’ll scold you on her behalf.”

I can say that much.

Even if it doesn’t comfort her, if it can ease her guilt, I’m willing to do it.

I didn’t want Siho to experience the pain of losing her mother again.

“So let’s wait. Whether your ability returns or a solution comes.”

After all, our current situation is something time can solve.

The World Returner Association would have heard the story through Orzia and would be looking for us, and Ha Seo-ho would be moving after hearing about Siho’s disappearance.

With the combined forces of an S-class Hunter and a Returner, we should have results within a few days.

“Miss Siho, to me, you will always be an A-class Space Movement user.”

After hearing my words, Siho, who had been silent for a while, began to sob softly.

It must have been a story she couldn’t tell anyone.

The moment she told it, it would be like denying her mother herself.

Emotions are always consuming, and bottled-up emotions gnaw at people in ways they don’t realize.

Even if all I can do is listen, I hope her tears can flow far, carried by the waves.

I wished for that.

—

The next day passed.

Having somewhat adapted to life on the deserted island, I shivered a bit from the cold last night.

I thought laying down some large leaves might help, but it didn’t do much.

Even though the sun is strong, with the sea nearby, the temperature drops sharply once the sun sets.

If we stay here for a few more days, I might have to think about making a campfire.

Just then, I felt something moving in my arms and looked down.

Siho, who had been sleeping a bit away from me yesterday, had somehow ended up burying her face in my chest, sleeping soundly.

Maybe she instinctively sought warmth due to the cold night.

It was a bit awkward, but given Siho’s small frame, it felt like holding a small animal, and I smiled wryly as I tried to get up.

“Ugh.”

At that moment, I felt the grip on my clothes and couldn’t fully get up, ending up falling back.

Even if she’s using her ability elsewhere, Siho is a Hunter.

And an S-class ability user at that.

Despite her small frame, the unconscious strength she exerted far surpassed mine, leaving me unable to get up.

“Huh, achoo!”

At that moment, Siho sneezed and opened her eyes.

Still holding onto my clothes, she blinked a few times before her eyes met mine.

“Miss Siho, uh, good morning.”

Seeing my embarrassed expression, Siho looked at me drowsily before burying her face in my chest again.

As my hair stood on end, Siho’s body stiffened, and her ears turned bright red.

She quickly rolled away from me, curling up like a pill bug.

“Uh, ah, ah, Si, Siho, I have a habit of burying my face in a pillow when I wake up in the morning!”

She started making excuses that weren’t really excuses.

I felt the warmth in my arms gradually fading as I got up.

“It’s okay. It happens.”

At least I don’t have to worry about getting sued on a deserted island.

Thinking that, I shifted my attention elsewhere and felt my empty stomach growling.

They say a person can survive without food for ten days.

But from my experience, that’s a lie.

Just one day without food, and I’m this hungry.

‘Well, I did run around and explore the forest all day yesterday.’

No wonder I’m tired and hungry.

Grumble.

Just then, a sound came from Siho’s direction.

She’s in the same boat as me.

“Let’s try to catch something.”

“…Okay.”

Getting up with Siho, I walked to the beach where the morning air still lingered.

As the sun rose, it started to warm up, and I felt the chill from the night fading.

“Fish would be the obvious choice.”

Fish are generally safe to eat.

The problem is whether I can catch fast-moving fish.

‘No choice but to try.’

Entering the water, I saw a lot of fish even in the shallow areas.

Rolling up my pants, I cupped my hands.

When a fish came close, I moved my hands at the speed of light.

And the fish swam right through my hands.

Huh, maybe fish are faster than light.

“Manager.”

As I was getting frustrated from missing repeatedly, Siho called me.

She had been watching me and, standing ankle-deep in the water, waved her hand lightly.

Suddenly, various kinds of fish started piling up beside her.

Seeing that, I stared wide-eyed, and Siho scratched her cheek.

“If it’s within visible range, coordinates don’t matter.”

So I wasted my energy for nothing.

From now on, I’ll respect the Hunter’s abilities and got out of the water.

After that, I gathered dry wood and started a fire, like I’d seen on TV shows.

Fortunately, the method from my memory worked, and we were able to grill the fish.

“You’re good at preparing them.”

“It’s the same as in games.”

Who knew that preparing fish in an RPG game would be so similar to real life?

I don’t know why they make it so realistic.

Using a washed-up iron plate, the preparation was a bit rough, but it was edible.

Luckily, many of the fish were ones I’d seen on that show, so I was less worried.

‘This should do.’

It’s uncomfortable, but we can probably last a few more days like this.

“Still no Space Movement?”

“Uh, yeah, not yet.”

Siho, who had been very hungry, swallowed the fish in her mouth and answered.

At 19, she’s at an age where she eats a lot, so it’s unfortunate she’s stranded on a deserted island.

“Let’s go to a chicken place when we get back. We’ll bring Ji-eun too.”

“Heh, sounds good.”

Hearing that, Siho smiled at the thought of chicken.

The prickly demeanor she had when we first met was gone, and her appearance was as cute as ever.

Thanks to yesterday’s events, it seems Siho and I have grown closer.

‘What should we do today?’

By now, everyone should be actively searching for us.

I wonder if they’re worried about me.

Just as I was about to grab another fish, a blue lightning bolt struck in front of us.

—

Siho reflexively moved at the sight of the lightning bolt in front of her.

Having been through this before, she grabbed Ha-chan and made a short-distance Space Movement into the forest.

Since it was within visible range, coordinates didn’t matter.

Thud!

Siho, who had brought Ha-chan with her, fell to the ground and quickly looked up.

“Ouch.”

Ha-chan, who had fallen in front of her, groaned.

Good, he didn’t seem hurt.

“Miss Siho, that lightning just now—”

“It’s the people who attacked me before.”

Hearing Siho’s words, Ha-chan’s face hardened.

He hadn’t expected them to arrive first.

Seeing him, Siho recalled something—the blind man who had interfered with her space along with the Russian.

They must have tracked her location through that.

She hadn’t thought of that earlier; her inexperience was showing.

Having no combat experience, especially against spatial ability users, Siho’s lack of experience was a big factor.

“It’s because of me.”

Realizing this, Siho’s face turned pale.

The enemy knows her location.

The island is small.

She can only Space Move within visible range; her coordinate setting is still a mess.

Her hands trembled.

If this continues, both Ha-chan and she will be caught soon.

“Miss Siho, Miss Siho!”

At that moment, Siho felt warmth enveloping her hands and looked up.

Ha-chan’s face came into view.

“It’s okay. Calm down. If things get urgent, we can just Space Move again.”

Even if she can’t set coordinates, it’s better than being caught immediately.

“When you Space Move, even if you can’t set coordinates, aim for the sky. At least we won’t be caught.”

“Manager?”

Just then, Ha-chan’s words felt off.

He sounded like he was making a final request, reminding her of someone.