Chapter 613 – The Stolen World (28)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 242
Current Location: Searching…
Sage’s Advice: 3
—
— Han Kain
Staring at the hazy illusion, I pondered.
4. Control and Management
According to T. Albert’s research from AS 4731, a ‘crown’ can control a stage 2 Ark. This hypothesis was verified in AS 4738 during Martian experiments—
Finally, the Moon’s weakness and the control device for stage 2 soul constructs: the crown!
If I can just figure out how to get that, I can turn back time, right? The thought dried my mouth in anticipation.
But how do I find the crown?
Advice: 3 -> 0
‘Is there a way to obtain the crown?’
“Seek aid from someone who knows the Moon better than you.”
It’s no surprise all three pieces of advice just vanished. The crown is an original weakness that has existed since the stage 2 soul constructs were born, so finding an answer wouldn’t be easy.
But who knows the Moon better than I do?
“…”
The former Wisdom? Or perhaps the Raiders?
They wouldn’t know anything more than I do, let alone the crown’s location. They’d probably be shocked to learn such a thing even exists.
Searching with Ari’s compass?
Well, it’s not like Ari knows the Moon any better than I do, and we wouldn’t even have a clue what the crown looks like, so that’s out too.
Is there anyone out there who knows more about the Moon than I do?
Even if someone somehow found out about the crown, the Moon wouldn’t just let them be—
Actually, there is one person.
Someone who’s had a longer interaction with the Moon than I have.
Someone who always calls the Moon “Prince”.
That person could potentially uncover the crown’s location and, even if they know about it, the Moon might tolerate them.
That’d be the Holy Mother, Aidiya.
The meaning behind that advice? It’s telling me to recruit the Holy Mother to find out where the crown is!
“… No way.”
Is it possible to recruit someone who’s been devoted to the Moon for thousands of years?
—
— Miro
Out of nowhere, I found myself flying at breakneck speed, held by Songee!
— Bwoooom!
I felt like I was going to throw up!
“Eek! Aaaaah!”
Losing my grip, I bit into Songee’s hand.
“Ah! Are you really a dog? Don’t bite me!”
“Where are we going?!”
“I told you! We’re going to meet the Holy Mother!”
“W-What for?”
“I have something to ask her!”
“What’s that?”
As my messy hair whipped around in the wind, a faint gleam caught my eye, and a glowing sentence appeared before me.
Is this some sort of illusion showing different perspectives just in case the Moon listens?
“You may be able to persuade the Holy Mother to betray the Moon.”
No way!
Someone who has devoted their life to worshiping the Moon wouldn’t just betray it!
I bit into Songee’s hand harder, thinking this dumb high school girl can’t be trusted!
“Argh!”
“Ugh! Stop biting me! Am I a dog to you?!”
“I’ll send you back right now!”
“Go ahead!”
While I was having a very serious conversation with Songee, suddenly, clouds resembling cotton candy filled the area!
“Uh? Whoa! What is this?”
Songee just slapped my head instead of answering!
“Yow!”
“You really are hopeless! You should’ve just been dropped from the sky!”
“What—the heck are these clouds?!”
A voice that seemed to answer from nowhere replied.
“I made them.”
That voice belonged to Aidiya!
“You two were flying too fast, so I had to stop you.”
With a calm voice, Aidiya descended from the clouds.
Without Han Kain here, her tone was a bit sharper.
It feels like we’re just enough of a presence for the Holy Mother not to harm us since we’re associates of the Saint.
“Hello!”
“….”
Everything that had happened till now.
When I opened the door, I found a subway underneath, and Songee flew us up through the roof with tremendous speed.
Now, did she come down from the clouds to stop us?
It felt surreal, like something out of a surrealist movie!
I finally began to sense that what Songee said about “being in a dream-like world” was true.
Aidiya, sporting a slightly annoyed expression, spoke.
“You have the ability to summon companions, huh?”
“… Yeah.”
“Is that why the Saint brought you here? Anyway, how did you find me?”
“Uh?”
“How did you find me?”
I just got swept away by Songee’s hand, flying like a rocket, that’s how!
Fortunately, Songee answered.
“I have a similar power to find the people I want.”
“Oh, is it like your ability? Do you have a sort of clairvoyance?”
What a lie!
Songee, you don’t have that ability to find people!
How on earth did you find the Holy Mother?
Aidiya and Songee continued their conversation.
“I’m Yu Songee. I’m Han Kain’s companion, aka the Saint’s ally.”
“I see. Looks like you’re reviving too.”
Reviving? Ah!
The Holy Mother thinks I just summoned Songee who was revived somewhere!
That question, “Did you summon allies?” held that meaning.
Since seeing the time-warp school, I couldn’t grasp the principles; it’s a natural misunderstanding.
“I came to ask a question. I can’t help but be curious by nature!”
“… What is it?”
“What is this place?”
A somewhat bizarre question met with a clear answer.
“A world of salvation created by the Prince.”
“A world of salvation? Like paradise or heaven?”
“Something like that. Here, everyone can live the life they desire.”
As Aidiya extended her hand into the air, the scenery began to change again.
The sky was filled with cotton candy clouds, and the ground transformed into soft earth, revealing fields of golden barley all around.
A breathtakingly beautiful sight like something out of heaven left my mouth agape.
“Wow…”
Seeing my reaction, Aidiya seemingly relaxed and smiled.
Her tone became softer, too.
“How is it? Isn’t it beautiful?”
“Y-Yeah!”
“What about this?”
As Aidiya gestured again, this time white birds descended, chirping cheerfully.
“It really looks like heaven!”
At that moment, Songee asked again.
“Does everyone live here forever?”
“… What do you mean by that?”
“Well, it’s ultimately a space that feels like an illusion, right? It doesn’t seem quite real.”
“So?”
“If the Prince wins, will everyone live in this illusion or something like that?”
Aidiya chuckled lightly as she replied.
“Is that what you’re worried about? The reason everyone lives in the Prince’s embrace is that we haven’t yet claimed the world.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once the Prince drives away the usurpers, all the forsaken people will get a new life.”
“…”
“The newly born world will be similar to this one. A paradise where everyone can fulfill their dreams… This is the blessing promised by the Prince to those who are saved.”
If the Moon wins, the dream world inside becomes a reality.
In this process, all the souls consumed by the Moon gain a new life.
This is why Aidiya serves the Moon.
Songee’s expression darkened slightly.
“You really are a virtuous person, Holy Mother.”
“What?”
Unlike Aidiya, who seemed puzzled, I understood Songee’s words.
Just like in Room 207, the Holy Mother has a righteous nature even in reality.
“Does the Prince think the same?”
Aidiya’s expression slightly stiffened.
“I’ll consider that question a sign of ignorance. I’ll forgive you once, but not twice.”
“I’m sorry if I upset you.”
“Creating paradise is a promise the Prince made to everyone. A rock that will never waver forever.”
My breath caught in my throat.
Why?
Because I just came from the Ark, receiving the insight of what’s to come!
A prophetic memory filled my mind.
A crimson moon illuminating the darkened sky.
An empty land void of any trace of the intellect tainted by pain, sorrow, and despair.
In a world of complete silence, nothing that could even be called a ‘paradise’ existed.
Even the once elusive seer had merely knelt, hoping for one last mercy.
Right after this, visions born from various perspectives danced before my eyes.
“Aidiya, aren’t you being deceived?”
I nodded slightly.
You’re right, the Moon’s promises are all lies!
If the Holy Mother finds out, she might just come to our side!
“How do I convince her?”
“…”
Right! How do I convince her?
If I tell her I saw the future with the help of the seer, will she believe me?
She wouldn’t just betray the Moon over some words from strangers she isn’t close to, especially after being bound together for so long.
I can foresee that much.
Even Seungyub, who’s dumber than Pero, might come up with that thought.
As Songee and I fell silent, Aidiya chuckled lightly.
“Is this all you have to say?”
“….”
“You came to ask what will happen once the Prince wins? Well, it’s only natural to be curious.”
Thinking about it, maybe Han Kain has tried to convince her at least once.
Making the enemy’s close associate betray them has historically been a well-known strategy.
Why didn’t Han Kain attempt such a thing?
Because he probably thought it was impossible.
He wouldn’t want to say something unnecessary and have Aidiya turn hostile, causing even more trouble for us.
At that moment, Songee bowed respectfully to Aidiya.
“I’m sorry for wasting your precious time, Holy Mother.”
Whoa!
You’re giving up that easily?
“… It’s fine.”
“As an apology, let me present you with beautiful music.”
“Music?”
“Music?”
“I heard you’re facing a great war soon.”
“Right.”
“One of my companions received a legacy, and it can strengthen our companions.”
Music followed by companion strengthening?
I have no idea what’s going on!
Can’t we just talk about it simply?
Are they doing this because they’re afraid the Moon might overhear us?
Songee looked over at me and said.
“Miro. Send me back and bring Eunsol to play the flute.”
Suddenly, Songee’s first words flashed in my mind.
She mentioned she could pierce dreams or hallucinations thanks to the power of the bracelet.
Could it be that this place is a massive human farm, as she said?
I was starting to get the picture.
The mansion, subway, sky, clouds; they’re all illusions created by the Moon, not the true appearance.
Songee is seeing through the fears of reality while disregarding the illusions.
That’s how she easily found the Holy Mother in the beginning!
“I cannot convince the Holy Mother with my legacy; the only way to instill the ‘true appearance’ in her mind might be by striking.”
“….”
Songee plans to remove the Moon’s illusion using Eunsol’s flute.
Will even the Holy Mother not see the flute as a ruse?
Being the Holy Mother, she might be able to tell the difference!
— Click!
Songee disappeared.
Aidiya looked at me with newfound curiosity.
— Click!
And next, Eunsol appeared.
Since Eunsol rarely comes out from the Time-Warping Device, she looked a bit flustered.
“Flute! Flute!”
“Mmm, I understand, whatever it is.”
Out came the flute with natural ease.
Aidiya seemed to find the situation amusing enough to smile.
“You really have a fascinating legacy! Let’s see how magnificent this strengthening really is.”
The enchanting sound of the flute tickled my ears.
Nothing happened.
“….”
“….”
Songee and I stood there in silence, and Eunsol continued to blow into the flute, still confused.
Aidiya couldn’t take it anymore and asked.
“What’s this strengthening? I don’t understand at all. Your playing skills aren’t anything special.”
Yikes! Not even the flute is working?!
Isn’t the Flute of Rest supposed to influence even prisoners’ minds?
Why isn’t it—
A chill voice echoed in the depths of my consciousness at that moment.
“The flute’s sound isn’t reaching.”
“….”
“If we’re on the painting, the flute’s like an eraser. Right now, the frame’s glass is covering the painting, so the eraser hasn’t touched the work.”
An easy-to-understand analogy.
So, what should I do about it?
“Break the glass….”
“What?”
Aidiya’s face showed confusion.
A dark blue mist erupted from my body!
With Aidiya’s eyes widening in shock, Eunsol, who was blowing the flute, became startled as well.
In the fading consciousness, I saw a ‘Pillar of Mortality’ appear in my hand.
While Aidiya set her face, ready for battle, my intentions weren’t to fight her at all, making all this preparation meaningless.
— Crack!
The spear pierced the air.
A pinhole-sized hole appeared in the solid picture frame.
All that, just for a little hole.
It was merely a small gap that, if left alone, the Moon could restore in a heartbeat.
In that gap, the flute’s power seeped in.
At that moment, the false paradise disappeared, revealing the incomprehensible.
—
Eternal Prison.
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 242
Current Location: Searching…
Sage’s Advice: 0
—
— Han Kain
“Ah~ this is seriously difficult. Ugh!”
I should at least come up with an excuse for the Prince.
“Your Highness, as you know, research is not something that wraps up in a day or two. If you could just give me a little more time, I—huh?”
— Zzzzt!
A strange sound echoed.
— Flicker!
The entire world vanished and reappeared.
“…”
This is strange.
It felt just like a brief flicker, as if there had been a sudden power outage.
Just a second that felt like it was shattered into countless pieces.
Though it was a short time, it somehow seemed incredibly long.
“…”
Suddenly, I heard someone’s voice.
“A world filled with light, a land unreachable in life! The most repugnant space in the universe! What I’ve found out doesn’t need to be known by all. The truly terrible wisdom should only be known by those who should know. That ‘one’ needn’t be ‘Han Kain.’ I shall offer myself a paradise of ignorance.”
That voice was mine.
Did I ever think like this?
“…”
Without realizing it, I reached out and tapped the status window.
I didn’t even know what prompted this action.
All I knew was, shocking content appeared before my eyes.
“* Companion Location Information
Lee Eunsol: —
Kim Ahri: —“
Both people who hadn’t even come to the Moon disappeared.
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