“Noah.”
“Yee…?”
As Ser tilted her head while looking at the land blanketed with spirits on the way up to Sirin’s spirit, she asked,
“Can you kill all those spirits down there, Noah?”
“All of them…?”
“Yes.”
All of them…
I don’t know how strong Sirin’s spirit is, but if she’s asking if I can fight against her spirit…
“Um… I-I don’t know.”
“Hmm, then let’s think like this. If you kill them, you can save Rubia. So, can you kill them all, Noah?”
“Yes.”
The answer burst out reflexively.
However, it’s not impossible.
If I give it my all without looking back, I could kill them all.
I will make it possible. Somehow.
“As expected.”
Ser squeezed my hand tighter.
“You seem much stronger than when we first met, Noah.”
“Well… that’s true.”
I couldn’t help but grow stronger.
I’ve been through countless combats and learned a lot from Sirin and Cartia.
“Back then, I thought I could win even with one hand, but ‘now’ I don’t think I can.”
“Ah, no matter what… it wasn’t with one hand…”
“Are you saying you don’t trust your friend’s words, Noah?”
“W-Wait, you’re saying you don’t trust me, your friend, Ser?”
Ser turned back, her face full of question marks.
I also… confronted that gaze head-on without backing down.
“Hm, the fun of teasing has vanished.”
“…That’s fine to lose.”
Ser was silent for a while.
As we almost reached Sirin’s spirit, Ser’s lips opened again.
“Can you do anything that Rubia wants, Noah?”
“…Anything except kill her, I can do.”
“Do you think Rubia feels the same way?”
A perplexing question hit me abruptly.
Does Rubia think like me…?
“Um…”
I can’t know for sure because I’m not Rubia.
But because I love Rubia, I think I can understand.
“Yes.”
Woosh- The flow of the wind guiding our bodies came to a halt.
“Are you sure?”
“…Yes.”
“On what grounds?”
Grounds…?
Well… um…
When I tried to speak it out loud, I felt quite embarrassed.
But if Rubia were to be asked this question and couldn’t answer, I might feel a bit sad…
Let’s answer.
“I… love Rubia, you see…”
“Is that an answer?”
“Yes. Because I love her, I know how much she loves me.”
“…Listening to your answer, for some reason, my ribs feel itchy, and my body feels twisted. It’s quite unpleasant.”
Whoosh- A slightly stronger wind wrapped around our bodies.
“Then, how far can you grant my request as your friend?”
“Uh…? Um… As long as it’s wholesome stuff, I can do anything.”
“In that case, do you think I would feel the same as you, Noah?”
Ser’s calm gaze was on me.
I nodded, receiving that gaze straight on.
“Just as I am your friend, you are mine too, Ser.”
Hehe- Ser’s quiet laughter scattered into the air, mingling with the wind enveloping us.
“Got it. Thank you for answering.”
When we finally arrived before Sirin’s spirit, the tremble in Ser’s hand had completely ceased.
*
“We’ve arrived.”
The hand Ser had been holding tightly let go, and at the same time, a platform leading to where Sirin’s spirit was appeared.
A platform made of magic.
Now that I think about it… Ser wasn’t supposed to be able to use magic, so how is she using it now?
“Ser.”
“Yes.”
“Are you…”
For a moment, the slightly parted lips closed.
I felt too sorry to bring up the painful memories of Ser’s past that I saw in Sirin’s memory.
“Um… It’s nothing.”
In the end, I shook my head and stepped onto the platform. One step at a time, I slowly moved towards Sirin.
I thought I’d feel scared, but surprisingly, my steps felt light. There was no hindrance.
Really… that was a relief.
“Phew…”
What will happen once I open the door?
It would be nice if options popped up like a game, but this is reality, so that probably won’t happen.
Besides, it doesn’t seem like a god would show up to ask me about my goals. There are no gods in this world.
Then… what will happen?
Will I, who have decided to become a price to complete the world, just vanish from this place?
I don’t want that.
I want to at least say goodbye to Ser, who is here with me, and to my precious friends…
After that, I want to mercilessly beat up the Nameless One, not with a great sword, but with my fists.
And… if I could wish for just one more thing.
I want to feel Rubia’s breath, her voice, her scent, her warmth, her touch, her lips, her love again.
That said, I don’t want to show them my disappearance.
No, actually, I hope they would see it.
I want them to see that scene.
I want them to remember it for the rest of their lives.
I want them to love only me for eternity.
Such a devious, wicked thought, but…
I want that.
“Noah.”
During all these thoughts, Ser’s voice came from a step behind.
I didn’t turn around or stop but answered.
“…Yes?”
“What do you think magic is, Noah?”
An unexpected question.
As someone who can’t use magic at all, she’s asking what magic is…
“…Well, I’m not sure?”
“Then, do you know the basic principle of magic?”
A strange expression formed on Ser’s face.
It seems she might have guessed what I was about to ask earlier.
“…I don’t know.”
“Well, this is common knowledge in our world, but for now, let’s talk only about magic. Magic is fundamentally based on the law of equivalent exchange. For example, if you want the heat to boil water, a corresponding payment is needed, meaning you have to expend magical power.”
Suddenly- from Ser’s hand extending beside my head, heat wafted out, enough to make my cheeks feel hot.
“That magical power usually refers to your own magical power contained within your body. There’s plenty of magical power in the atmosphere, but since it’s not yours, you cannot pay it as a price. Thus, a wizard must, at every moment, including when they’re sleeping, strive to accumulate magical power within their body without resting for even a second.”
Ser’s other hand grabbed my shoulder.
Then, spinning me around to face her, she absorbed the atmospheric magical power into her body.
“Just like this. If you get used to it, you can accumulate and release magic simultaneously, but this is something only exceptional wizards like me can do, so let’s leave that out for now.”
Anyway…
“Magic is about sacrificing what you have for the foundation of the world.”
Ser’s head tilted slightly.
It was as if she was waiting for my question.
So, in accordance with Ser’s desire,
I voiced the question lodged in my mind.
“Then, what does Ser sacrifice to use magic?”
Ser smiled softly.
“The spirit realm.”
In that moment.
Thump- Ser’s magical power pushed against me, and my body tilted from the sudden force.
The platform beneath me widened. My tilting body fell onto the now wider platform.
A barrier made of Ser’s magical power cloaked my senses. While pondering Ser’s mysterious actions, I quickly got to my feet and concentrated to dispel the barrier.
At the same time.
Thud-
A thick drop of blood splattered across my face.
Then, a voice resounded.
“I tried to watch how things unfold quietly, but you insist on crossing the line, huh?”
‘Rubia’’s voice.
I hastily widened my senses.
Before me appeared Ser, bleeding from a hole in her chest.
And there, looking at the wounded Ser with a relaxed smile, was ‘Rubia.’
Seven pairs of wings fluttered elegantly behind her.
‘Rubia’ was not frozen. She was not rigid.
As if it had always been like that, she flew naturally through the air.
Since when exactly?
Has the myth come to an end?
“The myth ended long ago. I was just watching you all flail about because it was amusing. I expected to see you crumbling before the brilliant hope.”
A response as if she could read my thoughts.
“However, Ser ruined everything. It seems Ser was aware? That my myth had ended. How did you find out…? How interesting.”
With a whoosh- chains made of divine power sprang from behind Rubia. They bound my arms. They bound my legs. Soon, they tied up my whole body, forbidding it from moving.
In a situation where I couldn’t even wiggle a finger, click-clack- click-clack- I watched as ‘Rubia’ walked towards the door of the false paradise.
“Okay. I’ll admit it. Ser, you are indeed a remarkable human. To think of claiming the spirit realm as your own to sacrifice as a price. That’s something even I, including Laila who created you, didn’t expect. But-”
Crack- A newly formed spear of divine power pierced through Ser’s body again.
“Unfortunately, you’re still just a mere human. If Ser were an angel, a demon, or an elf… perhaps the future might be different. But, what can you do? You were made as a human.”
Then, two more. Three more. Four more.
Spears of divine power shot from Rubia’s fingertips, piercing through Ser’s body.
“So, let’s end this. My interest is waning, and it seems there’s nothing left to enjoy here.”
Creeeak- The thorns that erupted from the divine spears tore through Ser’s body.
Ser swayed heavily.
Still, she didn’t fall.
Standing firm, she gazed directly at me.
Then, she said,
“Noah. Do you remember when I asked earlier… what magic is?”
‘Rubia’ spread her wings. Now, an entirely dark divine power burst forth. The power overshadowed the entire world, cloaking the skies in darkness.
The spirits awakened. Weapons were drawn. The bowstrings were pulled. Spears soared. The behemoths began to flap their wings. Jiz took to the skies. The Leviathan raised its head. The dragons opened their jaws.
Above all of that.
The black sun rose.
“To me, magic is—”
Every hair on my body stood on end.
My struggling body, trying to break free from the chains, went limp.
The earth recoiled. The sky screamed. The air sharpened. Magical power held its breath. The horizon wobbled. Curved. Twisted.
From that place.
Now not blurry.
A figure of a human rose up.
The End.
The eyes of Jong-eon opened.
And at that moment.
“It’s a miracle.”
A ray of light. The light of dawn announcing the morning.
It illuminated the darkness.
