What is this feeling, I wonder?
The Nameless was in chaos.
As he opened his eyes, airships were crashing down from the sky.
The upper echelons of the alliance, who had never shed a tear in their lives, were all gathered before one man, weeping tears of joy.
Yoo Jin?
That name kept popping up.
Familiar yet strange.
A name he couldn’t possibly forget, no matter how hard he tried.
Swish.
Bringing his hands above his head, the Nameless let out a gasp.
Why? Why had he forgotten?
Swish, swish. Following that man’s rough touch, the expression on the Nameless’s face twisted into a grimace as he began to weep.
‘Why?’
Why am I running away right now?
Did I do something I shouldn’t have?
That’s not me!
‘Why?’
Why did you deceive me?
Why didn’t you say it was you from the beginning?
Why hide your identity?
‘Why?’
Why did you abandon me?
Suddenly, without a word?
‘Why?’
Why did you take me in at all?
For what reason?
Why, why? Why…?
The Nameless’s mind was filled with question marks.
He couldn’t understand.
It truly made no sense.
“Hah, hhuu…”
After running fiercely and tirelessly, the Nameless reached a deep corner of the air raid shelter.
In that dark place, now empty of people, the tip of his fingers ignited a small light.
The magic circle of the Nameless began to color the floor and walls.
Thus, the completed magic circle started to reconstruct the Nameless’s memories.
It was the magic he had painstakingly spent years crafting.
“Ugh…!”
Threads of light connected to one another and began to caress the Nameless’s head.
The sensation replicated from the hazy memories surrounded the Nameless’s mind.
Indifferent yet meticulous touches.
Rough yet gentle hands.
The hands of the master he both hated and longed for.
The Nameless had continuously used this magic to remember him and to ignite the hatred within.
“Oh?”
It was wrong.
Only then did the Nameless realize that for the past three days, he hadn’t used this magic even once.
Why? Why did he suddenly stop using it after doing so every day?
The only change during those three days was… that man.
Creeeak.
The Nameless’s teeth clenched.
He should have noticed sooner.
If there was evidence, it was already scattered everywhere.
“I wanted to question you… I wanted to pry into every little detail…”
Why did he run away?
Ultimately, it always returned to this question.
He had prepared countless words to say when he met that man again.
But now, those words felt like blank pages.
His memories of Yoo Jin had faded, leaving only a gentle touch behind.
It had happened in his childhood.
Because of that, Yoo Jin was merely an object in the Nameless’s view, not an individual.
If they were to meet again…
Actually, he thought that wouldn’t happen.
He was just an object to blame, nothing more, nothing less.
But that man had suddenly appeared before the Nameless; something felt off.
He was human, yet not human.
A person from the current world, yet not someone of this world.
The Nameless felt an inexplicable kinship with that person.
It was as if he was detached from the world and the people around him.
The difference was that this person was truly and literally erased and separated from existence.
While he didn’t fully trust him or feel close, he somewhat understood his situation.
A person who made mistakes, felt guilt, and struggled to turn back.
A normal person seeking normality amidst the extraordinary; striving to be special within the ordinary.
He was just like me, the Nameless thought, but in reality, it was the opposite.
The Nameless was the one who resembled him.
That person was Yoo Jin.
The Nameless’s hated human.
The person he longed for so deeply.
“Why, why, why…!”
Frustration began to swell.
The Yoo Jin in the Nameless’s imagination was no longer there.
The image of a cold, unfeeling individual vanished, replaced by Yoo Jin’s face.
The hatred and resentment lost their target.
Now, he didn’t know what to say to him.
He didn’t know how to treat him.
Should he hate him or not?
He just became completely clueless…
.
.
.
“Yoo Jin. Go after the Nameless. That child has been waiting for you for a long time.”
“But do I even have the right…?”
“What right?”
Cornelia chuckled and took my hand, her eyes saying it was a truly adorable concern.
Cornelia wrapped her hands around mine, sending warmth like a boost of courage.
“Do parents need a right to return to their child?”
“But I’m not really like a parent to the Nameless—”
“That’s exactly right. Maybe you don’t think so, but at least to the Nameless, you are like a parent. Go comfort him. Though he seems grown up, he’s still a child. No matter the circumstances, a child who’s been away from their parents for a long time tends to get very upset.”
“…”
Indeed, it was as she said.
Wasn’t it already settled since the moment he took in and raised the Nameless?
He had taken on a responsibility almost like that of a parent.
Then, he shouldn’t abandon that responsibility till the end.
He almost made an irreversible mistake just now.
I bumped my forehead against Cornelia’s, who looked up at me.
Her eyes were filled with a trust that said she believed I would do well.
“Don’t worry about me and go.”
“Coming back now feels a bit off because the situation’s too chaotic. I’m sorry.”
“The overwhelming feelings have calmed down a bit now, and it’s bright here, plus there are many people around… so let’s save the real reunion for later tonight, just the two of us.”
Cornelia’s whisper felt like it was melting my ears.
I could feel the overwhelming urges I barely managed to suppress emerging as I faced those three.
I was losing it.
As she lightly kissed the palm of my hand and pulled away, Cornelia looked so alluring.
‘A path is appearing.’
In a moment of despair about how to find the Nameless.
The light of my ultimate technique drew a line along the path itself.
The place I needed to go.
It led to where the bond awaited.
That light connected me to everyone around us.
Thick lines led to Cornelia, Yerina, Yulia, and Jill.
But one line stood out strangely, twisting and winding into a bizarre shape.
Following that line, I ventured deeper.
Even while rummaging through the alliance headquarters, I had never known such a place existed.
People grew fewer.
The light faded.
Only darkness remained in the abyss, where something sat still.
Silently, just waiting.
Gently stroking with a formless hand made of mana, that touch felt oddly familiar.
“Hhurk, hhnng…”
Unable to hold back the tears, the Nameless kept sobbing incessantly.
The confusion filled her so much it overflowed and soaked the surroundings.
I approached the Nameless as if enchanted, extending my hand.
“…”
Then, swish, swish.
I gently patted her now larger head.
Though the size had grown, the state of her hair remained the same.
It truly mirrored the past.
“…?!”
At first, the Nameless didn’t seem aware I had arrived, showing no response.
But as my touch mixed with something unusual, she began to tremble.
Rustle.
The Nameless turned around, her eyes wide with surprise.
“You…!”
Thwack!
The Nameless slapped my hand away, letting out a scream.
Surprised by her own outburst, the Nameless covered her mouth with her hand.
“Right now… I’m not ready yet… Can we talk later…?”
“Nameless.”
“Why, why… Why are you suddenly calling me that…?”
“I’m sorry.”
“…What for?”
The atmosphere grew tense in an instant.
The Nameless, who had been trying to avoid me because she wasn’t ready, abruptly sat up.
Glaring at me with eyes aflame with rage.
“What exactly are you apologizing for?! For abandoning me? Or for hiding your identity and deceiving me? Which one is it?!”
“All of it. Whatever it is, if I’ve hurt you, I’m sorry for everything.”
I threw away any thoughts of trying to justify myself.
I didn’t want to be a parent making excuses to a child.
Though I wasn’t her true parent.
I needed to stand before the Nameless with a sense of responsibility, at least equivalent to that of a parent.
“My priority was to regain my existence, and I didn’t think about what would follow. As a result, everything about you was pushed aside.”
“From the beginning… did you know… I was the Nameless…?”
“No. I noticed during the process. I realized when you mentioned your master.”
“That was when…?”
The Nameless paused, sobbing as she struggled to continue.
Biting her lip, she took a step closer to me, finally voicing her feelings.
“Do you have any idea how lonely I was?”
“…”
“I didn’t know who I was, where I came from, or why I was different from others… I was losing my mind because there was no one to ask these questions…! Why am I alone? Why am I the only one who’s special? And why did that man leave without teaching me even this…?!”
Only then did I understand.
The Nameless wasn’t looking for an answer.
She didn’t want to know her identity or origins precisely.
What she needed was a “person” to provide her with that answer.
Whether that person knew the answer or not didn’t matter.
What mattered was whether the Nameless could seek answers from that person.
And there was only one such person.
It was me.
It was I who took in the Nameless, who raised her.
I had engraved my touch into her mind enough to stick.
“Nameless.”
“…”
It was such a simple story.
No need to twist it or painstakingly unravel it.
It was so absurdly simple and easy that…
“I was too late. I’m sorry for making you feel insecure and confused… From now on, that won’t happen again.”
“…!”
“I won’t go anywhere anymore. I won’t disappear or leave again. So you can relax.”
“What… what delusion are you having… Who would wait for someone like you…?”
It’s a defense mechanism everyone has.
When someone is judged to be about to leave, it naturally leads to treating them coldly.
Even though one knows to cherish connections that could end at any moment, instincts reject that notion.
Especially since the Nameless was still just a four-year-old child.
The defensive mechanism was expected to be extreme.
And all I needed to do was reassure this Nameless.
“Who would miss someone like you…? The things I wanted to question weren’t truly about missing you; it was simply resentment!”
“…”
“Do you have any idea how hard it was for me because of you? How lonely I was? Now, after everything… after everything… Hhuh…”
“…”
The Nameless’s face contorted as she burst into tears.
Her body shook fiercely as she lowered her eyes.
In front of such a Nameless, I slowly knelt to match her eye level.
As I gradually opened my arms, the Nameless hesitated but slowly approached me.
Her head was still turned away.
Her will to turn away was strong.
Yet, against her instincts, she slowly fidgeted, ultimately unable to hold back the flood of tears and rushed into my arms.
“Waaaah! Really! Why did you come now?! I hate you! I hate you so much! Hhuup, hhuup. You bad guy! Bad guy! I hate you to death…!”
It was such a simple story.
All she really needed was someone to give in.
Even with all the irritation towards a parent who suddenly returned after leaving without a word, that was all.
The Nameless felt the same.
“When everything’s done… remember the promise we made… You promised to grant me one wish…”
“That’s right.”
After sobbing heavily for quite some time.
The Nameless spoke in a somewhat calmer voice, occasionally sniffling.
“I’ll use it now… Please, don’t ever abandon me again…”
Wish granted.
