Even if it was created as fiction, that world exists as a creation.
“That’s the answer.”
I was confirmed the truth by God.
“So, why am I here?”
“I… no, Judas Defecit. You used the Sun Symbol held high on Christmas. And the master of your body, Judas, prayed on Christmas that he didn’t want to kill.”
Judas definitely said that in the memories shared with Eliya.
He prayed not to kill.
It’s also true that I used the Sun Symbol on Christmas.
“And finally, the third. Eliya de Bevel. She too prayed on Christmas. She wanted to escape from the dull and boring things. She wished for something to take her away or to liberate and save her from this miserable world.”
“……”
“This is, precisely that image.”
God opened His hand.
A transparent orb floated above it, forming a shape.
A young Eliya is visible.
It’s Christmas with falling snow.
Lonely in bed before sleeping, she prayed alone.
‘I want to escape….’
A revenge she never wanted to start.
She momentarily weakened, sniffling and wishing.
‘Someone, save me….’
Eliya missed Maria.
But at that time, Maria was disguised as a dead person.
Thus, Eliya wished for someone else to save her in place of Maria.
“Judas Defecit, Eliya, Judas. You three made wishes at the same time based on the absolute time of the grand universe. You’ve become one. A truly astonishing coincidence, truly a miracle. And the Sun Symbol that contains your wishes is an item that brings miracles in that world.”
A stunning coincidence.
Indeed, it’s no different from a miracle.
I don’t know if it’s a good thing.
In the end, having met Eliya, it must be a good thing.
“Ugh… that thought just now is a bit much. You’re quite a simpleton.”
“……”
“Uh, I’m God. Don’t hit me. Ease up the strength in that fist.”
“Yeah, whatever… but why did I have to go through this?”
Unfortunately, it’s true that I was possessed by Judas, the assassin of Eliya who almost killed Maria.
Since Judas made a wish.
But why did Eliya and I have to reach this conclusion through such tragedy?
Did we have to experience such an absurd fate?
“Well… that’s not my area, so I don’t know.”
“Aren’t you God?”
“By your human standards, yes. But if you expand the concept, it’s not quite so. The entire universe just moves along an ‘inevitable’ flow with no will. The reason I possessed you and provided quests and rewards is all a role of that inevitability. I’m a sort of support for that inevitable flow… more like a ‘messenger’ than a god in your terms.”
“Then… what about Sun Gods or Evil Gods?”
“Well… I don’t have the authority to access the secrets of that concept, so I don’t know. Except that they are parts detached from the inevitable. I can only speculate that they are messengers of lower rank than I.”
“God doesn’t know much… then what about magic or miracles….”
“That’s… hard to explain in the language you use. If I use my language, your brain might melt… Simply put, it’s one of the rules that compose the world. Like gravity, electromagnetic force, strong and weak forces, and so on.”
“Hmm….”
Grand universe. Inevitability. Rules. Concepts.
Words that are difficult to understand keep popping up.
They seem to convey meanings beyond the simple definitions they carry.
God doesn’t seem to want to explain the contents of these higher terms.
“You’re quite perceptive.”
Yeah, I received confirmation from that mouth as well.
I’m not that curious anyway.
I’d probably not understand even if I heard it.
Anyway, I’ve heard what I needed to hear.
If I hear more, my head will explode.
At this rate, I might forget why I came here.
I just want to go save Eliya.
“Shall we wrap this conversation up? Are you satisfied?”
“Quite enough.”
“Then let me know. What price must I pay to bring Eliya back?”
“Memory.”
“…Memory?”
“Continuity of existence… let’s stop with such words already. It’s simple. To retrieve Eliya, you or her must sacrifice a memory as payment.”
“Then… does that mean I’ll completely lose a memory?”
“Not necessarily. I will take the most important memory that constitutes the subject. The part of you that can no longer exist as you are now. So it could be all your memories, or just some. That will only be known when the time comes.”
I nodded dully.
“In any case, it means I can resurrect her.”
“It’s not something you can accept lightly… Are you truly capable of handling this? Losing memories is not as easy as you think.”
“What I’m worried about is…”
I stood up.
It was about time to wrap up the conversation.
“The possibility that Eliya might die forever.”
Seeing my answer made God nod and smile contentedly.
“Yeah, I knew you’d respond that way. It’s good. It’s nice and fiery. Being that determined, I’ll send you. To the world of the dead.”
God stood up following me and waved His hand.
The chair disappeared, and a boat appeared.
A long, thin wooden boat.
“Get in this boat. Then I will guide you to where you desire.”
“Oh, before we go, can you do me a favor?”
“…A favor?”
“I’m talking about Maria, Eliya’s biological mother. Frankly, I’m not sure of her situation. I don’t know if she’s dead or alive. So can you do something about that? Help me out.”
“What…? Hey, what kind of crazy person are you…! No way! I can’t just casually interfere with that!”
“Oh come on! Just do it! I listened to your stories to keep me entertained! Originally, I had the right to go directly to find Eliya as a reward for the dimension portal, but I spent time with you!”
“…Why is it that you only get smart and logical during such times?”
He sighed as if resigned.
Thus, I became the person who made God sigh.
I’m not particularly happy about it.
“Ha… it feels like things are getting weirdly complicated… But fine. I’ll try my best.”
“I need a clear promise, not an ambiguous answer about your best effort.”
“I got it, I got it! I’ll do it, ugh…”
“Thank you.”
“…You’re polite again.”
God smiled as if taken aback.
“But remember this. I can send you, but finding Eliya is solely your responsibility. You might never find her until your world is destroyed. It’s very, very vast. That place isn’t under my jurisdiction, so I can’t directly help you. Still, your decision doesn’t change, right?”
“Why are you meddling so much when I’m saying I’ll go find my master?”
I retorted at the chirpy God.
Then He smiled as if satisfied.
“…Yeah. As I thought, you are indeed a remarkable intellect just as I knew.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
After glaring at him stonily, I sat on the seat of the boat.
The boat began to sway slowly.
Left and right, as if yielding to the waves.
My body and the boat grew increasingly transparent.
God waved at me.
“Honestly, it’s been entertaining. So, besides Maria, I’ll prepare a few gifts for you.”
“I’m not the kind to refuse anything offered. I’ll accept gratefully.”
“Good luck.”
With those final words, my consciousness was drawn somewhere.
*
God watched the boat passing through the white veil.
“…It’s truly fascinating. Indeed, we are what we are.”
As he watched him grow distant, he smiled bitterly.
Unlike himself, he hoped that Judas wouldn’t fail.
“To do that, I’ll have to prepare gifts for him.”
*
The boat continued onward.
There was no oarsman, yet the oars on either side moved on their own.
Very vigorously.
There was no sound of oars rowing, nor the rippling of water.
Just silence.
The surrounding scenery was the same.
A very vast darkness.
Twinkling starlight all around.
The boat was traversing through the cosmos.
This place was a void in the universe.
‘It’s vast….’
Only unfathomable darkness filled it.
Even the closest light felt painfully far away.
Due to the profound sense of space, the boat seemed to move slowly, but I knew.
This boat was indeed moving at an exceedingly fast pace.
I had never seen the speed of light, but it must be close.
Yet the boat remained steady.
I looked at the wooden cup placed at the bow.
It contained water.
When the boat began to sail through the universe, a voice from God explained.
‘Water of Memory.’
By drinking this water and placing the empty cup back, the boat would take Eliya and me back to our original world.
However, drinking the water would cause me to lose memories.
The water continued to fill, no matter how much I tried to pour it out, and no one else could drink it.
Only I or Eliya could.
If I were to lose the cup, I could return with this boat, so there was no need to worry about that.
‘Memory….’
Eliya and I.
Whose memory must I sacrifice?
‘Nothing is easy….’
While pondering, the boat arrived at a certain light.
As if the colors of low-density paint were swirling in my vision.
And when I regained my senses, the boat was docked at a landing spot.
The fog was thick.
I stepped off the boat onto the ground.
Squish. The damp grass was beneath my feet.
The air at the dock was very humid.
‘This is where Eliya is….’
The netherworld. The afterlife. Whatever name it goes by.
‘Now I have to find Eliya here….’
They said it was a place so vast it was hard to fathom.
There must be countless souls of people here.
Finding a needle in a haystack might be easier in the desert.
I didn’t care.
I stepped forward boldly.
‘Still, I will succeed.’
After taking a few steps beyond the fog, a white shadow flickered ahead.
‘…A person?’
The white was clothing.
The figure had long hair, and it was black.
A woman.
An image I had no choice but to be familiar with.
“Eliya?!”
The woman in white fluttered away somewhere.
As if beckoning me to follow.
“Eliya-!”
I ran after that figure.
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