Chapter 596 – The Stolen World (11)
—
– User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
– Date: Day 226
– Current Location: Searching…
– Sage’s Advice: 3
—
– Han Kain
Just as I was about to send Ari into Eunsol’s dream, a deafening roar echoed like the world was crumbling around me.
— Rumble!
The Dream Kingdom, unable to withstand the pressure from the tablets, began to collapse!
“Eek!”
Had it weakened from the prolonged torment? Ari screamed in a completely uncharacteristic way, losing her balance.
“Get in!”
“You, you’re—”
“Just go already!”
Desperately sending Ari towards Eunsol, I turned back to confront the unbelievable scene before me.
The Dream Kingdom, filled with gray mist, was being torn apart by a pitch-black chain!
It was like a demon wielding a dark marker, ruining a beautiful painting.
In a situation like this, could I even return to my dream safely? What would happen to me if the Dream Kingdom was destroyed while I was inside?
Gritting my teeth, I summoned the Divine Sun.
If it came down to it, I would take on that damned tablet and break free!
“Ah?!”
An incomprehensible gaze appeared before me.
…
I woke up in a pure white space, filled with light.
—
“So, you met that eye after sending me to Eunsol, huh?”
“Maybe it’s the ego of the Dream Kingdom?”
“That thing sent you to the ark too?”
“Probably.”
Ari pulled out the ‘Dream Kingdom’ from her pocket.
“The condition doesn’t look good.”
Was it a result of the tablet’s attack? Or perhaps it had to exert itself to send both Ari and I to the ark?
It could be both.
In any case, the Dream Kingdom was in a half-destroyed state.
Black lines marked its canvas.
“Can it be used again?”
“Maybe. But, it’ll need some recovery time.”
Ari nodded lightly as she looked at the drawing.
“Thank you.”
“…”
“You say it back too.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“… Let’s rest for five more minutes. That should be enough for my old blood to get back in the game.”
“Okay. We’ve got a lot to talk about anyway.”
—
A castle filled with pure white light.
It was my first time arriving inside the ark, and it made me think.
Considering its lofty purpose of preserving humanity from the apocalypse, it almost felt like a heaven crafted by clumsy human hands.
The creators of the ark must have wished it to be a pure and beautiful salvation for humanity as well.
— Fidget!
“Stay still.”
“That thing, be careful not to die.”
Sadly, the ark was humanity’s first corruption.
Knowing this, its very existence felt like a black comedy.
“Ari, we’re free from the tablet’s pressure now, right?”
Ari replied with a bitter smile.
“Not completely. Once the ark is 100% complete, the tablet will come after this place too.”
In the past, the Silent One, who was once the husband of the clairvoyant, had said that if one could endure until the end, they would gain freedom from the tablet.
Recalling Ari’s words made the story seem simple.
Once the ark departs, the tablets will fade into the next loop, granting those left behind freedom.
“So, we’re safe for now?”
“That’s true.”
“Then that’s good enough for me.”
— Twitch!
“Here we go again.”
“Take care. You’re still useful.”
Questions that had long puzzled me were slowly unraveling.
Bringing Ari to the ark was not a bad choice after all.
“How pretty.”
Ari gently caressed the ark’s inner walls, her expression slightly dazed.
Having learned the truth about the ark after being promoted to the Silent One, this was her first time seeing it in person.
The first question.
Why hadn’t Ari and the other agents known about the existence of the ark?
“Did you not know about the ark before entering the hotel?”
“Half and half.”
“What do you mean?”
“I figured there must be something in place for the end times. I didn’t have someone tell me; it’s just something anyone would think working at an organization like the Administration Bureau.”
Even primitive people prepared food for winter, so if an organization like the Administration Bureau wasn’t preparing for the apocalypse, that would be a serious dereliction of duty.
“I didn’t know about the specifics of creating pseudo-deities or splitting people into numerous smaller humans.”
They suspected something was in the works, but they didn’t know the concrete concept of the ark.
“How could they not know about the loud happenings during the ark’s creation?”
A sudden rapture occurred, and masses of people were taken. Such a bizarre event didn’t just happen once; it happened dozens of times throughout their world cycles.
“How could they not know?”
“Originally, the ark isn’t supposed to be this loud.”
“Really?”
“Let’s say the apocalypse is expected in 2030. In that case, the usual routine would start selecting people slowly beginning around 2020. Think about it. Isn’t that much more efficient?”
“…”
“The awakening of the moon is speeding up. This time was particularly severe.”
This time, the apocalypse was hastily approached, causing the ark to be created with all the noise. Usually, it would progress slowly over an extended period.
Thinking about the colossal uproar caused by the traveling ark, I began to understand.
“Still, chaos ensues. There are far too many missing persons. A few people’s memories would be wiped. Perhaps even my memories… I can’t say for sure since no records go that far back.”
“Why erase them?”
“Because the existence of the ark itself is a means by which the Silence controls the Administration Bureau.”
“A means to control the Bureau?”
“The Bureau consists of returnees and ordinary people supporting them.”
Returnee agents and the staff supporting them.
“The latter, the group of ordinary people, feels a peak jealousy toward the agents.”
“…”
This was something Eunsol and Jinchul had occasionally mentioned when they were partly involved with the Bureau.
Even a top-ranking Korean branch leader like Park Hyunmin occasionally couldn’t mask his jealousy towards agents.
“To the highest echelons of the Administration Bureau, agents are useful weapons but also burdensome presences. They become strong enough that the Bureau struggles to keep them in check as they repeat loops.”
The previous Wisdom’s faction was a prime example.
“So, they demand unwavering loyalty from the ordinary people and subtly sprinkle information.”
“…”
“You, ordinary folks, have the means to glimpse what comes after the apocalypse. Therefore, give your loyalty.”
This is similar to how, in real history, royals used aspiring commoners to keep high-ranking nobles in check.
No matter how grand interpersonal relationships may be, aren’t they all ultimately similar?
“In summary, ordinary agents like my past self didn’t know about the existence of the ark and ended up dying. There’s a sudden mass disappearance—what’s going on? Then they’re hit by the light that summons the end.”
“Light that summons the apocalypse…”
The second question.
What on earth is the light that summons the end?
“I learned information on the light that summons the end from Room 207. The source of that light was the mirror.”
“Yeah.”
“I believe it’s the same in reality.”
“Exactly.”
“After gathering information, I found that the ‘biggest piece of the mirror’ was used by the Administration Bureau in the ark’s creation.”
“Wasn’t it the same in Room 207? The owner of the mirror was Aidia.”
Just as Ari had said, in Room 207, the owner of the mirror was the Vatican, and the light that summoned the end was a phenomenon created by Aidia.
“…”
“The parts of Ga-in’s thoughts might be half right.”
Seeing Ari calmly affirm that, I was left with no choice but to draw an awful hypothesis.
“The light that summons the end is a phenomenon created by the Silent Ones?”
“Not quite. It’s exactly a phenomenon caused by the ‘ark.’”
“…”
“Once completed, the ark develops a sort of self-awareness.”
The origin of the light that calls forth the end is the mirror, and the largest mirror is within the ark.
Thus, the light that summons the apocalypse emanates directly from the ark.
“Why does the ark create this light that summons the end?”
“To prevent the growth of the moon.”
The reason the completed ark generates the light that calls for the end is to stop the moon’s growth.
…
The group, spearheaded by the former Wisdom, which proclaims the destruction of the ark, argues that the very existence of the ark is the reason for humanity’s corruption.
Ari acknowledged that this argument has truth to it.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t those defending the ark need to find an alternative?
They’d have to find a way to suppress the biggest issue—the moon.
The answer to that is the ‘light that summons the end.’
The third question.
“Then, what exactly is the moon?”
“By now, you might have an inkling.”
“I have a hunch, but I want to know precisely.”
Ari responded, her expression grim.
“Remember when I appeared in your dream and we had a cryptic exchange?”
“It’s still vivid, like it was yesterday.”
Ari’s three tales.
First, an entity opposing the Demon King exists in reality.
Second, the issues often overlooked in reincarnation stories.
Third, the picture in the temple, where the ark travels while turning its back to the sun.
Many interpretations could be drawn from these.
“Most of it was about the moon.”
“…”
“It opposes the Demon King, underground on Earth.”
“And then?”
“Many reincarnation stories skip over the world after the reincarnator.”
“…”
“What happens to the world once the protagonist reincarnates? Does it vanish as soon as the protagonist disappears? Or does the world’s own time continue?”
“…”
“Each work differs in this regard. In fact, most reincarnation stories frequently skip this detail.”
“…”
“Even after the ark departs, many people remain in the world. After all, the ark flees before the apocalypse.”
While the ark flees from the apocalypse, many people still remain in the world.
What happens to them?
“It’s all speculation from here on. Since the events occur after the ark has left, the Bureau likely has no relevant records.”
“…”
“Incomprehensible harmonies occur…”
“…”
“All the souls of those abandoned after the apocalypse are being swallowed whole.”
“…”
“Does that not make sense? Swallowing not one or two, but the souls of billions of abandoned humans isn’t something one can do just because they want to.”
“…”
“Yet, such things are occurring. It seems so. The souls of billions of abandoned humans are converging towards the moon as a focal point.”
Much like the ark, the devil of the moon is born from the accumulation of numerous human souls.
The image of the ark fleeing from the sun signifies precisely that.
The essence of the moon is quite similar to that of the 104th owner!
“Funny enough, we didn’t figure this out independently. It’s a theory sprung from observing the ark’s sentience proposed by the Silent Ones.”
“What do you mean?”
“Right before it leaves, the completed ark emits the light that summons the apocalypse throughout the entire Earth.”
“…”
“As soon as the god created by the Bureau was born, it realized something. After it leaves, the abandoned people become the nutrients feeding another calamity.”
“Does it kill them by its own hand before the moon swallows them?”
“That’s it.”
My head is spinning.
The ark was created to escape from the apocalypse, yet it was the ark that brought forth the light, which in turn birthed the moon.
So the ark was created just to flee from the moon, which was born because of the ark.
As that happens, many people were once again abandoned in the process.
Thus, the ark begins slaughtering those who will remain on Earth after the apocalypse to stop the moon’s growth.
The slowed growth of the moon indicates that it became aware it had to see things through.
“…”
The ark was created to escape the moon.
Yet the moon was birthed because of the ark.
What causes what? What is the result of what?
“This doesn’t make sense—”
“Doesn’t the cause seem strange? It feels like something’s missing?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s the greatest enigma of the Administration Bureau.”
“…”
“Everyone senses the contradictions, yet no one has been able to find the answers. But we can speculate this much.”
“…”
“There must be a different origin behind the creation of the ark. Because the demon of the moon arose after the ark was born.”
—
Having regained Ari, I found answers to many of my questions.
The secrets hidden in the ark and the light that summons the apocalypse.
The tragic yet bizarre essence of the moon.
But each answer brings forth new questions.
Is the moon the cause of the ark?
Or is the ark the cause of the moon?
Or was there an original cause that everyone has forgotten?
Finally, I asked.
“What’s with putting agents who don’t know the truth into the hotel?”
“It’s like rambling nonsense, hoping someone gets it perfectly.”
“What?”
“The entering agents don’t even know what the real issue is, but they believe the hotel knows the truth and will provide the right answers.”
“… So, they trust the hotel that much?”
“Of course. It’s solved many problems like this in the past.”
—
The answers the Bureau couldn’t find.
The correct answers the hotel presented.
The clarity of mind gained this time led to one realization.
The more complex the issue, the clearer the need to return to the basics.
Didn’t the hotel give us hints?
With the power of the hourglass and one more chance, we can solve the problems of reality.
The methods for using the two tools have always been speculated.
Withstand the catastrophic moment with the hourglass, observe the situation afterward, then use one more chance to return to the past.
Thus, the answers to the issues lie in the ‘post-apocalypse.’
So, that’s why the Administration Bureau hasn’t found the answers through all this time.
The ark departs right before the end every time, for the answers are hidden in what comes after it.
For the Bureau, even repeating the loops eternally won’t provide answers.
Only those of us who possess the hourglass and one more chance can find the truth.
That’s why we emerged into reality.
— Twitch!
“This thing is all brain and no body, yet it’s wriggling around a lot.”
“Be careful. Even though Basilio has immense life force, if his brain melts, he’s done for.”
—
Always grateful for the support from my readers. As the episodes head into the latter part, it’s always been a bit tricky, but this time I’m feeling a bit more challenged than usual. I’ll do my best to provide even more fun!
+ Thanks to Dana and Withers for their generous support!
+ The earlier content has been slightly revised. I appreciate you pointing out the confusion regarding the setup with the Dream Kingdom!
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