Epilogue (9)
– Gasp! You got a fourth kid already? I even joined the Gyeol–Seol–Byeol fan club! What’s the fourth one’s name?
The giant flower bounced in place, then changed into a human. Now his human form felt unfamiliar. Honestly, the flower suited him better. Park Hayul did follow me well, but he still was not someone I could fully trust, so I had not told him about the Origin. Even before, he had kept secrets well enough, and I figured he would keep his mouth shut. The problem was, he also felt like the type to cause an accident while keeping his mouth shut.
“Yubin. Han Yubin.”
“Biiiiin! Then it’s Gyeol–Seol–Byeol–Bin!”
“What fan club are you talking about?”
“An organization dedicated to gathering information and deifying you, hyung! I worked really hard and got the internet connected. Life’s gotten so much better thanks to that! Oh, I also built a statue of you!”
“No, I’m good.”
I refused immediately, but that bastard Hayul acted like he had not heard a word.
“It’s right here!”
“I said I’m good.”
“I made a flower field too!”
“I said no.”
“Isn’t it amazing?”
The scenery around us shifted. In the middle of a field packed with vivid blue flowers, a statue of me towered high. The sight of that enormous statue, raising the God–Slaying Spear with a cloak billowing behind it, made me want to stab my own eyes out. I could not believe there was someone even worse than Shishio. Park Hayul looked up at the damned statue with sparkling eyes.
“The hero who saved the world!”
…I was going to die of embarrassment. He started cheering. He looked ready to bow down and worship it. Two doves flew in carrying a flower crown and placed it on the statue’s head. Then the clouds split, and a beam of light poured down in brilliant glory… Mm. Anyway, you’ve been doing very well, Hayul. Really, I never need to worry about this guy for the rest of my life. I decided not to look at the statue and turned my head away.
– Hello, what a cute child.
A jellyfish that had appeared at some point circled lazily around me and peered down at Bin. Reflexively, I lifted my arm and shielded the baby. Unlike Park Hayul, that one was sharp. I had to be careful.
“You’re still in jellyfish form?”
– It’s cute.
The jellyfish shimmered, swaying lightly. Maybe Bin thought it looked like a mobile, because he reached out toward it. No. Bad. That’s dangerous. Brightly colored creatures are usually venomous, you know.
– I decided to keep using the same name too. I like it. Even if I’m not the King of Harmless.
“Can you do that? You said you were a different being. I heard your appearance isn’t that different either.”
– It’s only a name. Even twins with the exact same name become different people in the end if each of them lives their own life. As long as you don’t waver yourself, it’s fine.
A tentacle stretched out and tapped my cheek. I had gotten somewhat used to tentacles by now, but a shiver still ran straight down my spine.
– You’ll be the same. Even if everyone thinks you’re dead, if you keep living, then eventually, you’ll become a living person. More than anything, you’re not the type to give up.
“Of course I can’t give up.”
I would prove the living me existed, one way or another, and go home. The jellyfish turned into human form and laughed softly.
– The easiest and fastest method would be to get rid of every human who thinks you’re dead.
“…What kind of insane thing are you saying?”
– Their memories.
Oh. She meant their memories. Right, Ru Ga Pheya was that kind of being.
“That’s only easy and fast for you. Actually, wouldn’t it be hard even for you now? You don’t have as much power as before.”
– He could help. The master of the world where all the dreams of your world are connected.
“Just say the word!”
Park Hayul threw both arms into the air. At the same time, Myungwoo and Haneul frowned. They were not related by a single drop of blood, but their expressions really did look alike. They must have been rubbing off on each other.
“Yujin, I really do think that guy is a little dangerous.”
“That’s right, Honey. Leaving the dream world to either of them makes me nervous.”
– Chirp!
Chirp, perched on my head, lifted one wing as if in agreement. But what could we do? The dream world was like the protective barrier around our world, so we could not get rid of it. I honestly wanted to hit him over the head from behind and put him back to sleep.
“Speaking as someone who’s lost his memories a few times, that feels disgusting. Even if it’s only a little. Besides, if something goes wrong, my entire existence might get erased instead. Right, Myungwoo?”
“It’s entirely possible. If that happens, Yujin, you’ll never be able to return at all.”
“You heard him. Both of you, don’t try anything stupid. Messing with other people’s memories is absolutely forbidden.”
“Got it, hyung. Don’t worry!”
– Hm. Boring.
Park Hayul answered right away, but the jellyfish looked away and played innocent. So even the personality that would do anything as long as she thought it sounded fun was still the same… In the end, I repeatedly told Hayul to keep a close eye on Ru Ga Pheya.
Flutter—
Just then, a single golden butterfly flew in from somewhere. I wondered whether Park Hayul had created it.
“Yujin!”
Myungwoo pulled me back, and Park Hayul stepped in front of me. Haneul looked startled too. What? What was it?
“Hyung! That butterfly came in from outside! It’s hard to enter this place at all unless you’re connected to our world!”
“What?”
For a moment, I thought it might be a transcendent who had timed this perfectly and intruded to target me and Bin. Then another person’s face came to mind. Someone from our world who was outside of it, like me and Myungwoo. No way.
“Firstborn.”
The golden butterfly scattered apart and transformed into a human shape. It was not the person I had expected. But it was still a face I was very glad to see.
“Elder!”
Young Chaos looked at me from between Myungwoo and Park Hayul. Myungwoo stepped aside in relief, and Park Hayul tilted his head. Come to think of it, Park Hayul did not know much about the Elder. Had they never met? Even if they had, it would not have been when the Elder looked like an adult, as he did now.
“Is he an elder relative of yours, hyung?”
“Something like that. What brings you all the way here, Elder? Didn’t you say you were going to the third Origin? You said it was so far away even Chirp couldn’t reach you.”
– Chirp.
The five Origins formed something like a circle, I had been told. The distance was so immense that even transcendents who used the system connection could not move there in one leap unless it was an adjacent Origin. Chirp had been able to travel to the fourth Origin beside the fifth by using Seong Hyunjae’s head as coordinates, but after Seong Hyunjae headed toward the third, Chirp had been unable to go to him.
“It is not my real body.”
Chaos lifted one hand as he spoke. That fact was even more surprising. Haneul’s eyes widened too.
“Elder, you’ve finally learned how to use magic in a way that isn’t force!”
“I don’t use petty tricks like that.”
The Elder cut him off flatly.
“Menial labor always falls to me.”
Another voice came from behind Young Chaos. It was Seong Hyunjae. It had been nearly four months since I had seen his face, but nothing about him had changed. A familiar face, a familiar coat hem swaying. Chirp fluttered over and settled down on top of that faded hair.
“Mr. Seong Hyunjae!”
“A transcendent who was after me in the world of the third Origin taught me as a reward, among other things. The Elder failed to learn it, however.”
“I told you I had no need for it.”
Seong Hyunjae shrugged, and the Elder clicked his tongue. I had been worried even while receiving letters and postcards from them, but seeing them like this made me think they had been doing well enough.
“I’m glad you two seem to be getting along.”
“Though he did use me as bait to fish for transcendents because he was bored.”
“That’s rich coming from the bastard who ignored me when I told him to stay hidden quietly while I took care of something.”
“I had no idea you expected nothing to happen after leaving me alone for three whole days. I naturally assumed you had predicted the accident and were, in fact, looking forward to it.”
“Was I mistaken?” Seong Hyunjae asked, wearing an innocent expression. Mm. Honestly, I felt like the Elder was at fault here. Leaving that man unattended for three days? That was more than enough time for him to ruin an entire country.
“Look at this bastard. He won’t lose a single exchange. Fine. Next time, I’ll hang you upside down so you can’t move before I leave.”
How peaceful. If I could tell Chief Song about this, he might feel at least a little reassured. The Elder gestured for Myungwoo and Park Hayul to move away. Then Seong Hyunjae’s magic wrapped around him, me, and the baby. It seemed intended to block sound.
“Your tricks have gotten much better, Mr. Seong Hyunjae. Does that mean Hayul can’t hear us either?”
“I received the Elder’s permission and have effectively made this place the Elder’s domain, so even most transcendents wouldn’t be able to break through. I cannot maintain it for long.”
He said that because Park Hayul had not resisted either, there was even less chance of information leaking out. The Elder looked at the child in my arms.
“So that is the child.”
“Yes. He is the child of the Origin, born through my brother’s reincarnation.”
“I cannot sense anything especially distinct yet. He is not ordinary either, but for now, perhaps he is at the level of an Origin–Rooted One’s sprout.”
“That’s a relief. Would you like to hold him?”
“…No.”
The Elder briefly shook his head. A complicated expression crossed his face. The Origin he had spent his entire life blocking had appeared before him as a newborn baby, so of course his feelings had to be something else.
“He seems to resemble Han Yujin–gun.”
“Really? He is my child, but we don’t share blood anymore.”
“Families come to resemble one another even without blood ties. I expect he will grow even more like you.”
Would he? Of course, no matter what he looked like, he would be just as lovable. Even if he grew into a race other than human. Since he was the Origin of all beings, Yubin probably had no fixed limits or restrictions on how he could grow.
“How are the fourth and third Origins? The fourth Origin was the Jewel of All Colors, and the third was the deepest spring, right?”
“The worlds of the fourth Origin had an especially large number of dragons. They were worlds Soyeong would have liked. I was also told rare minerals are abundant there, so the largest number of transcendents stay around the fourth Origin.”
“Maybe Mr. Sharlos’s hometown is near the fourth Origin.”
“We could not even get close to the Origin.”
Young Chaos spoke with a short sigh.
“The light is too strong. It is an Origin that cannot be approached at all. Once you enter a certain range, not only your sight but every sense you have becomes paralyzed. We stayed for a couple of months and searched for a way, but we found nothing suitable.”
“There were also many transcendents, so they interfered with us often.”
In the end, it seemed they had not gained much from the fourth Origin. The fourth Origin was said to be relatively active in both consumption and creation. Because it was still more intact than the other Origins, some said it might actually have been the one that appeared most recently. The numbers had been arbitrarily assigned by the transcendents anyway.
“Um, Elder. I think my title might be applicable to the other Origins too. So, not right now, obviously, but once Bin grows up a little— Ow!”
For the first time in a while, my ear was yanked. It hurt even though this was not his real body!
“Firstborn, you still haven’t fixed that habit of yours!”
“No, ow, ow! But Bin’s younger siblings, ow, ow! And the people—”
“Waaaah!”
When I cried out, Bin, startled by my scream, finally burst into tears. The Elder panicked and let go of my ear. Even with tears pricking at my eyes, I laughed at the sight of Young Chaos looking helpless.
“Bin, it’s okay, it’s okay. Dad’s fine.”
“…When he cries like that, he seems like an ordinary child.”
“He is an ordinary child. There, there. Shh.”
Seong Hyunjae had somehow taken out a rattling toy and was shaking it. Where did he even get something like that? Had he prepared it to play with Chirp?
“Hm. In any case, Firstborn, this is not your responsibility. As someone who resolved the matter of an Origin first, you may be able to lend assistance, but that is all. Of course, if you purely want to do it, then do as you please. But if this is about feeling responsible, stop.”
“Honestly, it’s hard not to feel responsible at all. The lives of countless people are on the line.”
To me, the people right beside me came before the world. But that did not mean I could pretend not to see people dying. I had an ordinary level of morality, at least.
“My kids matter more to me too, so I’m not going to throw my body around like I used to. But if I have room later, I do want to help. The Origins aren’t complete strangers anymore either.”
“They are strangers.”
“If you think about it, they’re Bin’s family, and that makes them my family too.”
The Elder looked at me with displeasure. No, but please imagine four newborns starving somewhere. How am I supposed not to care?
“Even after suffering that much, you have not changed at all, Firstborn.”
“Because he is Han Yujin–gun.”
Seong Hyunjae spoke with a smile. The Elder’s glare flew toward Seong Hyunjae too. If Bin and I had not been there, it was a look that might have smacked him in the back of the head.
“At least live quietly until you finish raising the child.”
“Yes. I plan to.”
I answered sincerely, but neither the Elder nor Seong Hyunjae looked as though they believed me.
“And there has been a change in the third Origin.”
“What? Really?”
“I faintly sensed the Origin’s will. As expected, now that one of them has been born, it seems the other four have also been affected.”
The Elder’s gaze moved to Bin, who had stopped crying. The Origins were independent of one another. Each set of worlds did not mix, remaining separated by boundaries. However, Young Chaos and the Lighthouse Keeper had guessed that it was unlikely they had absolutely no effect on one another.
One among a group of similar beings had been born as a being with a self. Would the existence of a young Origin with a self bring about some kind of change in the other Origins too?
“Do you think communication will be possible?”
If the Origins before birth gained even the faintest self. If that made it possible to communicate. Then, through conversation, we might be able to find another way for the Origins to be born. There had to be a new method aside from the nurturer title.
“Not yet.”
Young Chaos answered with a small shake of his head.
“But the possibility is visible. So, Firstborn, stop paying attention to the other Origins and focus on taking care of yourself and the child. That is also the way to protect the worlds of the fifth Origin.”
“You came all this way to tell me that, didn’t you?”
“Among other things.”
A large hand stroked my head. I suggested again that he should hold Bin at least once, but Young Chaos instead took a step back.
“He is still too small.”
“You’re better at controlling your strength than anyone.”
“Next time. After he turns one, perhaps.”
“So you’re saying you’ll come to his first birthday party. Thank you in advance.”
If I wanted everyone to be together then, I really had to work hard and get home within the year.
‘The third Origin, huh.’
It was the place Sigma had stayed, and also the home of the Mermaid Queen. Since it was an Origin of the water attribute, it made me think of Yerim too. Her spirit, Sanho, had also come from there. If the third Origin was born, maybe the child would be similar to Yerim or the Mermaid Queen.
–TL Notes–
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