Chapter: 895
When I think of my mother, honestly, I don’t remember that much. I was too young back then, and since several decades have passed, I can only recall a few things.
One is that she especially loved winter. Whenever it snowed, she would always hold the hands of me and my brother and take us for a stroll down snowy streets.
Did she say she liked pure white? I think that’s what she mentioned.
And, because of that, maybe she liked white flowers too. It seems like she liked anything that was white.
But.
‘She loved our hair, didn’t she.’
My mother, who liked everything white, strangely adored our black hair. Didn’t she say that she was just glad that our hair was black while hers was as pure white as snow?
It’s quite absurd, actually. But she really did say that.
Those were happy times.
If I think about it, every day felt like that. Those were days without worries, just enjoying the passage of time.
—Son. Do you like it?
—Yeah.
On snowy days, I would lie down on the floor, taking a nap on my mother’s lap.
My mother’s arms were warm.
But, paradoxically, while all the members of the Gu family were hot-tempered, my mother, who adored winter, often got cold.
What did she say was the reason? I remember it sounding strange…
Ah, right.
—Mom, I get cold without fur.
I believe that’s what she said. I still find it confusing, but I guess it just means she felt cold more often.
Anyway.
I liked that kind of mother.
No, I would have liked her.
I can’t recall the details clearly, but I believed that’s how it was.
‘Therefore.’
I guess I’m still dreaming about those times now. A dream that I probably can’t return to and will only miss.
—Our son.
“…”
I could feel something brushing against my hair.
Maybe it’s because it’s been a long time since I’ve had this dream, but the sensation is vivid.
The touch of the hand was gentle.
It felt as though I was truly being petted…
“…”
I sensed something odd.
‘Doesn’t this seem too real to be a dream?’
It felt strange. As I felt this, I slowly opened my eyes.
“Ah.”
“…”
What greeted me as I opened my eyes were purple eyes looking at me and a familiar, beautiful face.
“Hi.”
I immediately sat up at the expressionless greeting.
I put some distance and glared at the figure in front of me.
“Ugh.”
The Cheonma seemed disappointed at my reaction. I frowned at that.
“…What are you?”
It felt somehow vivid for a dream, but it seemed I had been laying on Cheonma’s lap all this time.
Rubbing the back of my head in great annoyance, I thought, What a mess.
How did I end up like this?
‘Did I lose consciousness?’
It seemed that might be the case. As I recalled my last memory, before I fainted…
“…!”
I remembered.
‘Blood Demon.’
The moment I came to find Cheonma, the Blood Demon appeared. Cheonma and the Blood Demon fought.
I took out the White Flame to stop them…
‘The moment I saw that, the Blood Demon tried to kill me.’
The Blood Demon, who had been smiling ominously, stiffened at the sight of the White Flame and attempted to kill me.
At that moment…
‘…Mother appeared.’
My mother showed up, wrapping herself around me.
To be exact, it was her energy that enveloped me, but it was definitely my mother.
She even showed up and subdued the Blood Demon.
‘That monster…’
The moment I sensed her energy, I got a gut feeling.
What I realized is that the Blood Demon was a much more formidable entity than I expected.
But if my mother can suppress such a Blood Demon, does that mean her status is higher than that?
No. More importantly,
‘It seemed like the two knew each other.’
It’s troubling that they had some prior connection.
I had already known for a while that my mother was no ordinary person.
Didn’t I hear about that?
‘Disaster.’
If the Blood Demon was the first disaster, then the mother who appeared later was the second disaster.
One of those two entities had failed, leading to the current world, they said.
Was there any reason for my mother and the Blood Demon to recognize each other in this context?
‘The Blood Demon called my mother “Man-gye.”’
All Worlds.
The master of all worlds.
Muah referred to my mother in those terms.
It signifies that my mother is the master of some realm…
‘Let’s say that’s true…’
But how could my mother have appeared at Shinryongwan as well?
And what did she mean when she disappeared?
‘She said never… to look for yourself.’
Why?
I was clueless.
As I furrowed my brows in confusion, I heard a voice.
“Are you okay?”
“…Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue at the voice I had heard previously.
‘Right, there’s that too.’
I had more than just my mother and the Blood Demon to think about.
It was about time to check with Cheonma standing in front of me.
That was what the Blood Demon had said—claiming Cheonma was his daughter.
“You.”
I was about to pose a question while pondering that.
“…”
In an instant, I wrinkled my face and scanned my surroundings.
Something felt odd.
“What?”
I realized it too late.
“Where is this?”
This wasn’t the familiar fields.
Where had the space where everything was visible gone? Now everything’s filled with trees. Even…
‘What is this tree?’
The tree was strangely thick and enormous.
The appearance was also off. It was a type of tree I had never seen before.
If a tree is this huge, shouldn’t it be considered a centuries-old tree? Could so many ancient trees possibly be crammed in one area like this?
If you were to look for them, you might find such thing, but as far as I know, there are no forests like this in Hanam.
And.
‘Why is the air like this?’
Even breathing felt strange.
The air felt intensely heavy and it seemed to fill my lungs more than usual.
‘…Does the air have this much density?’
The amount of energy accumulating through my breathing felt several times higher than normal.
It’s not just strange; it’s overwhelmingly strange.
I don’t know this place. That is to say,
“Where the hell have you brought me?”
Did Cheonma bring me to this place? I asked with certainty.
“…?”
Cheonma tilted her head, expressing confusion. It seemed like she had no intention of taking responsibility.
“Don’t act dumb. If it wasn’t you, then who else…?”
As I was about to push back, Cheonma raised her finger instead of replying.
I was prepared for an attack, but it didn’t seem to be that.
She pointed at the sky.
Observing that, I looked up.
“What do you want me to see?”
I glanced up, but all I could see was the star-studded night sky.
‘What? Are you trying to figure out how long I was unresponsive?’
I had lost consciousness at dusk, and now it was night. I assumed I’d been out for an hour or two.
As I assessed that and inspected the night sky more closely…
“Uh?”
I spotted something peculiar.
Hwaruk—!
As soon as I noticed that, I hastily lit a flame and soared into the sky.
I rapidly climbed to the top of a tall tree.
Then I could finally see the vast expanse of the sky clearly.
“Crazy….”
Upon realizing this, I let out a long sigh.
“What is this?”
The Milky Way vividly spread across the night sky before my eyes.
This exceptionally beautiful Milky Way appeared to have a violet hue, and shimmering auroras danced above it, captivating my breath.
How can such an ethereal view exist?
Despite it being my first sight of such grandeur, I couldn’t help but be utterly speechless.
“…Wow…”
At the center of this starry cluster, the moon floating in the air became a problem.
Actually, to be precise, it wasn’t just one moon—there were “moons.”
“Damn.”
Two moons hung in the sky—a blue moon and a purple moon.
I have experienced numerous phases in my life.
I’ve tried giving up on being human, even killed my father with my own hands. I’ve gone back in time at least. Thus, I once imagined I wouldn’t be surprised by anything anymore.
Oh, I was stunned when that little brat who looks just like me turned out to be a child of the past, but we can set that aside.
Anyway, believing I had encountered all of life’s spectacles, I thought I wouldn’t be astonished anymore.
“Life.”
I must lament my hubris.
It seems like there are still many things in this world I am unaware of.
Damn it.
“Ha…”
A sigh slipped out from me.
It had to be like that.
After wandering for about an hour, I returned to square one after wandering for quite some time.
Now was the time to acknowledge the truth.
“Crap, where am I…?”
Initially, I thought perhaps this was a realm similar to Bukhae.
‘…There wouldn’t be two moons there, right?’
Even without visiting, I knew there was only one moon there.
If that’s not the case…
‘Is this the Blood Demon’s doing?’
What if the Blood Demon had played some trick on me?
Why wasn’t I aware of it? Just like when my senior sent me back in my previous life, did he do something similar to me?
‘If I look at it that way…’
The last energy that enveloped me was not of the Blood Demon, but of my mother.
Then is it my mother’s doing?
‘…Why me?’
If it were my mother, there wouldn’t be a reason for her to send me to a place like this.
Guh!
No matter how much I think, I don’t understand. The only thing I could figure out is…
‘This isn’t the Central Plains.’
This doesn’t seem like the world I once knew.
It may sound nonsensical, but that’s the only conclusion I could draw.
Surrounded by the first sight of ancient trees and feeling the distinct air in my lungs.
Moreover…
‘It’s bizarre that there are two moons. To begin with.’
Two moons floating in this beautiful night sky.
It’s clear now that this isn’t the Central Plains.
Ouch… I’ve got a headache.
“Phew…”
I touched my forehead amid the absurd situation. Have I really ended up in another world?
Then how should I get back to where I was?
‘Tomorrow is my father’s court date.’
Considering I might have to upheave the entire Murim Alliance, I can’t afford to waste any time here.
‘On top of that…’
Looking behind me.
‘Even with her trailing me?’
I noticed the Cheonma following me.
“Hey.”
“Huh?”
When I called, Cheonma turned to me.
“Why do you keep following me?”
“I’m not following you.”
Isn’t that following? She’s stuck to me for almost an hour!
“Then what is it? If you’re not following me, then what? Am I following you?”
“It’s not about following; it’s about going together.”
“Ugh.”
I feel like I’m off on a tangent. Now my head is spinning even more.
“Get lost. I don’t want to hang out with you.”
“Got it.”
“…Huh?”
That felt oddly prompt.
What?
I looked back at Cheonma with suspicion, but in contrast to her words, she wasn’t leaving anywhere.
“Why aren’t you going? I just said I understood.”
“I told you I don’t want to hang out with you. Now I’m going to follow you.”
“…This is seriously getting absurd.”
How ridiculous is this? Is that even a sentence worth uttering?
“If you’re following or hanging out with me, just leave because it’s disgusting.”
“No.”
“This crazy woman really….”
I ground my teeth in frustration as I turned around. Already infuriated, that nonsense kept riling me up.
Just as I was about to muster power, Cheonma said,
“I don’t know the way.”
She declared with a confident expression.
I’m about to lose it.
“Then how would I know? I don’t know.”
I don’t even know what this place is. Cheonma nodded after hearing my response.
“Then we have to go together.”
“I told you I don’t like it. Why can’t you understand what I’m saying?”
“We have to go together.”
“No… Enough.”
I genuinely feel the urge to knock some sense into her. Bearing that thought, I took a step forward.
However.
“Then I can protect you.”
“…”
I froze, embracing the implications of Cheonma’s words.
—I will protect you.
I recalled the Cheonma who tried to defend me from the Blood Demon’s assault.
I also remembered myself grinding my teeth while gazing at her slender back.
I felt a tumult of emotions swirl inside me.
“Damn.”
I spat as I knitted my brows in frustration.
“What do you mean, ‘protect’? Do I look like someone who needs protecting?”
“Yes.”
“What a confident answer! Damn it, I don’t need you! How many times do I need to say this? You disgust me! If we stay together, I might just have to kill you!”
“I don’t care.”
It was a resolute answer.
“Does it not matter to you that I might kill you?”
“Yes.”
Cheonma’s expression remained unchanged.
“If that’s what you want, then it’s okay.”
“…”
I was genuinely reaching my breaking point.
Why on earth is she treating me like this?
‘Did something go wrong during the reincarnation?’
The Cheonma I knew was never a fool like this!
Though she sometimes employed excessively blunt methods, she was not naïve.
“So, let me follow you.”
The current Cheonma was entirely different from who she used to be.
“…Ah.”
My head genuinely throbbed with confusion.
Should I just leave her behind? No, would she really just stay behind if I tried?
‘Probably not.’
Now that I think of it, she appeared stubbornly attached.
‘Then is getting rid of her truly the best option?’
Would it not be better to eliminate her rather than let her annoy me?
Mulling over countless thoughts, after a lengthy deliberation, I finally spoke with irritation.
“If you keep bothering me, I swear I’ll kill you, so just shut up.”
Cheonma’s eyes widened.
Then she nodded.
I could sense a hint of delight in that gesture.
‘This is ridiculous.’
Is this really Cheonma?
Could I have been mistaken? It’s so absurd, I now wonder if I’m hallucinating.
‘Am I truly alright with this?’
Why did I allow it? I couldn’t even comprehend myself.
It would be wiser to eliminate her right then and there, yet I ended up permitting her to follow me.
‘Am I going mad too?’
I seem delusional. Perhaps I’m insane too.
‘So, I hope everything I see is merely an illusion.’
I fervently prayed and hoped, with genuine sincerity, as far as praying goes.
However.
Grrr—!!
“…!”
Something happened that publicly shattered my earnest longing, proving it was reality.
Gugugugu—!!!
The ground trembled. The vibration was truly terrifying.
Cheonma and I exchanged glances.
Both leaping into the sky from that position.
Just like before, we climbed to the top of the tree.
The sky and the moon I previously saw remained unchanged.
Even when observed again, the landscape was still breathtaking.
“…Ugh…”
Beneath that very sky,
[Goooaahhh—!!!!]
An enormous black aura emerged from below.
Narrowing my eyes at the sight.
The distance seemed far, yet I could see it clearly.
‘Is it a monster?’
It was too large to be merely a monster.
I had never encountered such a colossal beast in my entire life.
Its size was immense enough that its head brushed against the clouds.
[Goooaahhh—!!!!!]
Was that its cry? Glancing at my hands, I realized they were faintly trembling.
It exuded an overwhelming presence.
What on earth is that?
What kind of being could emit such a formidable presence? My mind raced, contemplating the unidentified entity.
‘…Should I get out of here first?’
At least it seems impossible to get closer to it.
So at that moment, I thought about retreating to a safer location.
[Kuraaaa—…]
“…Huh?”
I turned my head again to gaze at the creature.
It absolutely shouldn’t be—
“Kkureungi…?”
Something felt strangely familiar.
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