Chapter 336
Chapter 337: Listening Mother (3)
At the words spit out by the World Tree, I stood there, dazed as if hit with a hard shock to the head.
How could I not be?
“My mother is a calamity?”
From all the information I gathered from the World Tree until now, a calamity was a being that sought to eliminate all living creatures on the surface while also finding and eradicating the original owner of the world.
If the first disaster that occurred was the Blood Demon, the next being that should come to mind had to be the Heavenly Demon.
“What nonsense are you talking about right now?”
I spat out in a growl.
Not the Heavenly Demon.
But rather, it was our mother?
“Does that even make sense?”
[Calm down, Apostle.]
“Calm down?”
Flame Burst.
Losing control of the emotions rising to my throat, flames inexplicably erupted from my body.
Never before had my unresolved emotions boiled over to such a peak.
I pondered long and hard about what kind of being resided within me.
If it had been attached to me in my previous life as well.
That could be possible.
If it indeed awakened because of something I ingested in this life, dubbed as an opportunity, that too I could understand.
I tried to at least make sense of it somehow.
But…
“A calamity…”
A being that would wipe out all living creatures in this land and turn the world upside down wasn’t supposed to be our mother.
Crash.
With a footstep filled with emotion, the floor cracked and dented beneath me.
“…Where does this ridiculous talk even come from?”
I tried to cool my head and listen, but my heart wasn’t cooperating.
The story of my mother, that had always resided in my heart like a knot, was flowing out this way, and I never expected it.
And still, too much information had flooded in, amplifying my confusion.
Yet, I had to do this.
The opportunity to gain such information was only present right now.
“What reason do you see that my mother is a calamity?”
[Apostle.]
“Yes.”
Despite my voice laced with fury, the World Tree remained impassive.
As if it expected my reaction to be like this.
[What do you think a calamity is?]
…You’ve already explained everything until now.
It was said to be the representative sent by the world.
I had heard that at least three times.
At my frown, the World Tree seemed to add to its explanation as if it had been waiting.
[Then what do you think such a being comes from?]
“Excuse me?”
Upon hearing the World Tree’s words, a strange expression crossed my face.
Where does it come from?
[To know about your mother, you need to understand what they are.]
“What do you mean by that?”
Do I need to understand what a calamity is?
As I racked my brain to interpret the meaning, the World Tree seemed to answer in such a manner as to say not to think so.
[What you think of calamity… is precisely the Master of Another World.]
My eyes widened at the words spat out by the World Tree.
The Master of Another World implied—
If indeed my mother was a calamity.
Then it meant she was a ruler of another world.
When I heard that the being within me was also a master, I expected that not all masters would take forms like the World Tree before me.
But even the Blood Demon was simultaneously a master of another world.
‘…Does that mean my mother wasn’t even human from the very start?’
I recalled my mother’s face, which had shone brightly with a smile.
In my memories, my mother was an ordinary woman with no substantial differences from others.
She loved taking care of children, enjoyed the seasons, and was simply a kind woman who particularly adored flowers.
If that mother was a calamity destined to annihilate all beings in the world…
“…That’s impossible. Then how is the world so peaceful?”
Things shouldn’t be going on like this if it were true.
Let alone the existence of a Master of Another World.
Could they really cross over to another world like this?
If a calamity had come, if indeed my mother were a calamity…
‘What about Father?’
As the thought flashed by, I clenched my fist.
If this story were true, did Father know about it?
“My mother was an ordinary woman. Not a calamity.”
Just like the Blood Demon.
Just like the Heavenly Demon.
With their forms hidden from being seen as humans, and with their overwhelming presence alone, it was clear they were no ordinary figures.
As the World Tree said, if the Blood Demon was the Master of Another World, then it wasn’t particularly surprising.
However, if my mother was a calamity, that was something I simply couldn’t comprehend.
Even worse, if that were true…
‘Then I’m not human either…’
My questions about my own identity only deepened.
[Your mother is indeed a calamity.]
“And why do you think that? I’ve been asking this.”
[…]
As I grilled, the World Tree fell silent for a moment.
As if choosing its words, a quiet stillness came and went before it reached out a branch to gently comb my hair as if to say sorry and spoke.
[To be accurate, she is already the vanquished Master of the world, but this is something you should hear from your father.]
“…What?”
At the World Tree’s words, I gulped down my breath.
“Are you saying my father knows too?”
How long had it been since I uttered the word “father” out loud?
Probably a significant amount of time, especially if including my previous life.
Perhaps it meant the shock was overwhelming.
And…
“So you also know… my father.”
The World Tree also knew my father.
How deep was the entanglement? Where did it even begin and where did it end?
[…]
In response to my question, the World Tree often lapsed into silence.
It was unclear if it was choosing its words or for some other reason.
But I currently despised that silence.
As I was close to reaching the end of my patience, the World Tree seemed to sense this and finally spoke from the stories it had been withholding.
[Long, long ago.]
According to this world’s standards, it was indeed a long time ago.
[When your father found this place.]
“My father came here?”
[Yes, he was holding the hand of a woman with pure white hair.]
Pure white hair?
Who could that be?
In an instant, I thought of my mother, but she had black hair and black eyes.
[How could a human come directly to this place? I was quite surprised.]
Came directly?
How could that even be possible?
If it weren’t for the powers of the Steel Line, I wouldn’t have been able to come here myself.
This place was not an ordinary Demonic Gate.
Hearing the truth only amplified that feeling.
[From the moment I laid eyes on her, I could tell she was the second calamity.]
To recognize her as a calamity meant the woman with white hair that the World Tree spoke of was my mother?
‘But my mother’s hair…’
It definitely wasn’t that color!
[I did not know why the woman sought me. There was no reason for her to visit me.]
The former owner had already been sealed away and was absent from this world.
If it were a calamity impacting the earth, it would merely be about erasing all living beings.
Yet the woman sought out the World Tree.
“…What on earth was she seeking you for?”
[To find a way to lift the karma attached to her body. She asked me to tell her.]
According to the World Tree, my mother asked to be freed from the calamity that had been placed upon her.
“Is that even… possible?”
The logic set down by the world was so significant that the World Tree became trapped here, and Yeon Ilcheon could only reverse time with its power but ultimately couldn’t seal the Blood Demon.
Yet, was there truly a method to erase a calamity?
[No, it is impossible.]
Just as expected, the World Tree rejected that notion.
Even I, who could merely look at it as a human…
No, even if I considered myself a human, it was still a dubious subject.
Setting that aside for now, could such a thing truly happen?
In such a situation…
[However, your mother thought it might be possible.]
“Excuse me?”
[As I asked at the beginning, to understand what your karma is and what the being within you is, you needed to know about your mother.]
I had heard that before.
[Even though they are different masters… not everyone can be the same.]
Not everyone can be the same?
Just like how the Blood Demon and the World Tree were not alike.
Even if my mother was a master of the world, did that mean there was something different about her?
I still couldn’t believe that my mother was not human.
Nor could I conceive of her existence being something entirely different, just as the World Tree, with which I was conversing.
No matter how much I thought about it, my mother simply remained an ordinary woman in my mind.
I gazed at the World Tree as if I found it utterly unbelievable.
Yet it seemed my gaze didn’t seem to bother it at all.
[The Master of Another World.]
The World Tree continued speaking to me.
[This is your mother’s true name.]
Just hearing it made it clear she was no ordinary being.
In a cold, airless underground chamber.
A mist coiled around the freezing vapor rising from the ground.
A woman in a veil knelt with her head lowered.
She was what you’d call a ‘dancer.’
She had no other name.
Such was how her master referred to her.
That was her name.
Though it was a fleeting moment, she stayed completely still, choosing her breath.
How long has it been?
When measured by time, it had barely been a few seconds.
A moment for someone else, but for her, it was not the same.
Her master was absent from this nest-like place where she resided.
Was it due to the impact of that absence?
The dancer held her breath and waited for her master.
At that moment.
Boom.
A gigantic tremor echoed through the room.
Thud, thud.
Dust fell from the ceiling due to the vibrations, causing a mess in the dancer’s hair.
Yet, she did not move an inch.
Thus, several seconds passed.
As the smoke on the floor thickened slightly…
The dancer raised her head, staring straight ahead.
Woo Hyeok.
A vibration emanated from something shrouded in mist ahead.
A faint glimmer flickered for a moment.
[Not bad at all.]
The voice of her returning master tickled the dancer’s ears.
It was a cheerful-sounding voice filled with delight.
“…Are you okay?”
The dancer asked with concern.
Naturally, for her master couldn’t carelessly leave this place.
[I’m perfectly fine. I had a very delightful experience.]
The Blood Demon spoke as if satisfied after hearing the dancer’s words.
[Only traces remained, and I was wondering what deed was performed…. It was truly amusing.]
Only remnants remained, and with nothing else left behind, the Blood Demon had been intrigued by what the master of this world had done.
And…
The reason why a being that had stepped outside the bounds of logic was able to block their way.
[It turned out to be a rather trivial reason than I expected.]
The owner who was sealed away for violating logic.
Yet even so, it seemed there was a residual determination to cling to this land.
Whatever the case…
[Though it’s not entirely unpleasant.]
Having stepped outside the logic seems to go against the world’s grant; it would again set things on track.
Yet, the sight of someone trying to veer off the path carried its own form of amusement.
However.
[The price to pay turned out to be greater than I anticipated.]
The Blood Demon sensed the upheaval that had occurred within it.
To send the former owner’s mind to the sealed realm, it required a significant amount of power.
Let alone, it had to enter a vessel that had already lost its value.
It was only natural it would be more demanding.
Dancer.
“Yes.”
The dancer’s veil fluttered in response to the Blood Demon’s words.
[Prepare the scales.]
At those words, the dancer flinched.
To say to prepare the scales.
That meant…
The long-silent Blood Demon was about to act directly.
“What does that mean…?”
[It seems the awaited time is approaching sooner than expected.]
Throughout the conversation, the Blood Demon’s voice brimmed with excitement.
It was a tone she had never heard before; a notably euphoric voice.
Listening to such a voice, the dancer carefully spoke.
“…What should be done with the vessel?”
[The vessel.]
If the Blood Demon was about to make a move, a physical body was essential.
The dancer knew the answer to that question herself.
If the Blood Demon announced it was going to take action, it already had plenty of means.
It simply hadn’t wanted to before.
Just as she was about to rise to find the method…
[The Taesaeng of the Jang family has died.]
The dancer froze at the Blood Demon’s words.
The issue with Nangong Cheonjun was one thing; but the death of the Jang family’s vessel carried multiple implications.
For the dancer, who knew the identity of ‘that,’ it was even more so.
[Still, it seems they haven’t completely died yet. But surely they will come to that end.]
Though they hadn’t fully died yet, the fact that the Blood Demon said so meant that ‘it’ would inevitably face death again.
Accepting that statement, the dancer slowly gazed at the Blood Demon and opened her mouth.
“…I will prepare a new physical body. As for the memories…”
[No, that won’t be necessary.]
The Blood Demon’s denial caused the dancer to look on with a perplexed expression.
Why would it reject such a notion?
After all, the existence of Jang Seonyeon was still needed for the Blood Demon’s goals.
So it would make no sense to push for anything else.
While the dancer gazed at the Blood Demon with such a face…
[Although I have retrieved the soul and memories, there is no need to confine the memories within a vessel.]
As if resolving the dancer’s doubts.
[I will be entering within it.]
The Blood Demon provided the answer.
