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Chapter 624: Power

Chirp! Chirp!

The sound of birds tickled my ears.

The sunlight shone warmly.

The breeze, as if expressing the season, blew refreshingly and was faintly cool.

The leaves, imbued with vitality, were beautifully tinged as if welcoming the upcoming autumn.

What a breathtaking sight!

So beautiful.

A truly lovely place this is.

If I were to stroll here alone, I might unknowingly stop to gaze at the scenery.

It was such a stunning place, yet…

‘What is this?’

I couldn’t simply admire the landscape with joy.

Just moments ago, the world was filled with the sound of burning ash.

Why has it transformed into this?

Even more so…

‘Why?’

My eyes surveyed the surroundings, which were shaking as if an earthquake had occurred.

This was a place I’d never seen before.

No, although I’ve wandered many places, perhaps I passed by here before.

Still…

‘Why does it feel familiar?’

It shouldn’t feel this familiar.

A strange mix of longing and sadness washed over me, as if I had visited this place long ago.

‘What on earth is this place?’

Why do I feel this way?

Though it seems like something I’m seeing for the first time, a sense of strangeness and nostalgia coexists.

It was a sensation I’d never felt before.

Clank!

The sound of the waterwheel brought me back to my senses.

I focused straight ahead.

What I needed to pay attention to now was the figure, not the scenery.

‘Mu Myung (Nameless)?’

Nameless.

She introduced herself that way.

Recalling this, I looked at her. But…

‘I can’t see her.’

Her figure was still unrecognizable.

It was hazy.

Her presence was so clear, yet for some reason, I couldn’t fully perceive her.

It felt as if my mind was rejecting the idea of recognizing her.

‘What is her identity?’

I knew there was something within me.

But right now, Noya and that rascal were out of the picture.

So, I could only think of two beings.

Among them, if it’s not Blood Qi…

‘If it’s not the Divine Sword either, then what could it be?’

I couldn’t comprehend.

At that moment.

Hehe.

I heard the woman’s laughter.

“Still wearing that same expression.”

“What…?”

“The expression you always had when you were troubled. It brings me uncontainable joy.”

I had to frown at her laughter laced words.

It felt as if she knew me all too well.

I moved my hand slightly.

Flame Burst—!

In an instant, flames seemed to gather before disappearing.

‘I’m losing my marbles.’

This was supposed to be my realm of the heart.

And yet, I couldn’t use my power as I wished? What a ridiculous situation!

“Who are you, and what is this place?”

So, I asked first.

The woman turned her head slighty and looked around.

“Well?”

Then she asked me back.

“…What do you mean?”

“Isn’t it pretty?”

“…”

I didn’t respond to her question.

I thought it was silly to even answer it.

But…

“Perhaps it’s beautiful. Because it’s the place you loved the most.”

She continued speaking as if my answer didn’t matter.

“When autumn comes, the colors become particularly rich around here. It was a place abundant enough for people to live comfortably.”

She picked a falling maple leaf and handed it to a child in her arms.

The child still had a terrified expression but didn’t refuse the leaf.

“So, I visited countless times. I watched you from afar as you sat here quietly, gazing at the sky. This place holds such memories.”

“…What nonsensical story are you telling?”

Her words were filled with incomprehensible tales.

I had never been to such a place.

“Should we call this a memory? Or a remnant? What do you think?”

“…”

“No, you don’t have to answer.”

She smiled.

“If it were you, you would have probably said it’s a remnant without hesitation. Because that’s who you are.”

Her laughter, somehow, made my heart ache.

It felt painful. And cold.

Also heavy.

Those were the emotions I felt when looking at her.

And that’s why.

Even with so many questions, I couldn’t voice a single one. That must be the reason.

[Huff….]

The child in my arms shrank back.

The woman gently stroked the child.

“It’s okay, dear. It’s alright.”

[Wha…mom….]

“…”

When the child called her ‘mom,’ she momentarily froze.

Yet, she didn’t stop her soothing hand.

Seeing this, I realized again.

Now is not the time to hesitate.

I approached the woman and said.

“Give it to me.”

“If I hand it over, what do you plan to do with it?”

“I’ll kill it.”

Despite the words spilling out without hesitation, her expression didn’t change.

“Why?”

She simply asked. I answered her too.

“Because it must be done.”

It was something that needed to be done.

Yeah, it was something that had to be done.

Strangely clear amidst my foggy mind, that was the only detail.

“…It must be done….”

Her nodding response made her agree.

“Right, it should be done.”

“So then, that guy here—”

“But you can’t.”

Her words twisted my expression.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but I cannot give you this child.”

“What kind of insane talk is that?”

I’m saying I’m taking what’s mine. What in the world is this nonsense?

Staring at her with disbelief, the woman tightened her grip around the child in her arms.

“As I said before, I hoped that you wouldn’t make this choice.”

Creak.

The child also clung tightly to the woman’s arm.

“Moreover, I’m sorry, but I must say it. I am also the one who pushed you into this situation despite hoping you wouldn’t choose.”

My eyes widened at her words.

You were the one who pushed me?

“What do you mean? You’re the one who pushed me out?”

“…”

Clang.

As I was wrapped in her mysterious words, the sound of the waterwheel echoed.

That was the turning point.

“It was also because you had no choice but to turn back time.”

Something began to resonate with her words.

“Ultimately, it’s also because you became a dragon to endure this turbulent flow.”

Cracks formed in my previously steady breathing.

“Thus, I placed a heavy burden on your back. Ultimately, that’s me.”

My trembling breath made it difficult to even exhale.

What on earth did I just hear?

‘What the hell does that mean?’

That she is the one who turned me back in time?

It can’t be.

That can’t be true because…the one who turned me back was…

‘The Heavenly Demon.’

The Divine Sword said so.

And the Heavenly Demon also confirmed that part.

The one who turned me back was the Heavenly Demon. It wasn’t her….

‘…Huh?’

While I was deep in thought.

I sensed something strange.

The hazy outline of her features became a little clearer.

In that moment, as I locked eyes with her, I felt I might know something.

“Don’t tell me, are you…”

A sharp pain shot through my knee, causing it to buckle.

I grabbed my head and trembled.

This wasn’t physical pain.

It was pain that came from my very soul.

It was a warning.

A warning that my soul would shatter if I remembered.

“Ugh…haah…”

Gasping for breath, I barely endured as the woman in front of me continued to gaze at me.

I couldn’t see her expression.

I could tell when she smiled, but now, I couldn’t decipher what kind of expression she was wearing.

Only…

“Even amidst countless lives, the life you desired was ultimately a normal one.”

Though I could not discern her expression, I could sense the sorrow laced in her voice.

“And so, I didn’t wish for you to live such a life. Therefore, every time you tried to choose something, I gave you doubt.”

As she continued speaking, my head started to spin.

“I slowed your choices and sometimes blinded you so you couldn’t find your way.”

Her confessions struck me.

Despite saying I would use any means necessary, I always hesitated.

Even after becoming a dragon, I was still clinging to being human.

So, was all this the doing of that woman?

“I still remember.”

The woman said to me.

“The first time this house was built. The smile you wore.”

I had no idea about that either.

“Is that why? I’m still here. Perhaps…”

I’ll remain here forever.

It was the woman’s quiet whisper.

“So, I hope you never find out in the end.”

I could hear her voice.

Yet, I couldn’t respond.

‘Her voice…!’

I couldn’t make a sound.

My body had stiffened, and I couldn’t move.

Creak!

I tried to move forcefully, but it felt as if something was pressing down on me, making it utterly impossible to budge.

“Oblivion is the best I can offer you.”

Creak! Crack!

Strange sounds came from my strained arms.

I could acknowledge it.

If I tried to muster up my strength, I’d be crushed under it.

The pain was not physical; it transcended the flesh and struck directly at my soul.

It was unbearable.

I never thought such pain could exist.

“Hence, even if you eventually learn everything…”

I barely lifted my head to look at the woman.

“I sincerely hope you don’t remember me. That is my only wish.”

I had no idea what she meant.

Not only was I perplexed by her words, but I had no clue who she was to appear inside me.

Crack!

Whenever I tried to think about it, both my body and mind seemed to block me from doing so.

“Ugh…ugh…!”

“Don’t worry. This child… I will keep her to myself and hide her from you. For you, it will be as if she never existed.”

As she spoke, the woman stood up.

Creak!

As the woman rose, cracks began to form in the sky.

I instinctively knew.

After this moment passes, my body will awaken.

“Should a miracle occur and you remember me, will you resent me? If so, that would be good.”

The woman let out a shallow laugh.

“To resent someone means you remember them. That is enough for me.”

She moved.

As the woman spoke, she slowly began to walk away.

Creak.

Cracks appeared not only in the sky but also at her feet.

As she passed by me while holding the child, I felt a compulsion to grab her.

I had to seize the child in her arms, and I had to ask her identity.

Crack!

The sensation that confined me intensified.

“No…!”

I clenched my teeth.

I couldn’t let her go.

With that single thought, I forced my body to rise.

Creak!

My body shattered.

Ignoring the pain, I spoke to the woman.

“…don’t…go.”

The words I couldn’t previously utter finally were spoken.

Even as I said those words, the pain remained.

It didn’t matter; that wasn’t important.

She halted.

Seeing her pause made me wonder.

What was my intention in saying not to go?

Was it an invitation to leave the child and depart?

Or was it an appeal for her to reveal her identity before leaving?

I couldn’t say.

In a dizzying haze, my mind was overwhelmed with the effort to forget.

Amidst that chaos, I realized I had to catch her.

That was the only feeling that consumed me.

“…don’t…leave.”

I spoke once more, and the woman turned her head towards me.

Her face remained obscured.

I couldn’t make out the expression hidden from view.

“Haha…ha…”

The woman chuckled.

Though I had heard that laughter before, it felt slightly different this time.

“…You’re always too much.”

Her suppressed emotions seemed to spill over, as her voice filled with a dampness.

“Once again, you leave me with an unforgettable moment. Yet, you will forget it all later.”

A hint of mild resentment wafted through.

It was an emotion I hadn’t felt up to now.

“…Thank you. You’ve given me one more support to lean on.”

The woman said this while lightly waving her hand toward me.

“…You should leave now. This is no longer a place for you to be.”

Crack.

Then, the ground beneath me began to split open.

As I watched in urgency, I tried to speak.

“Wait…!”

Vwooom—!

“Ugh—!”

The pressure grew stronger.

As if it would never show me mercy again.

“I will bear your hesitations, so you need not hesitate any longer.”

I struggled to voice something with my trembling lips.

But now, I couldn’t even do that.

“Thank you for indulging my selfish desires.”

As the woman spoke, I felt something unlocking with the sound of a click.

At that moment.

Wooosh—!!

Unfathomable energies began to swirl around my body.

Or rather, it was closer to sensations than energies.

Breaking down the walls I had put up.

What had hidden behind them rushed into me.

Though I could feel the anguish as my hands were being pulled apart,

I still reached out. I sought to grab the woman on the other side of the crack.

One.

“Always.”

In the end, I couldn’t grasp her.

“The wind is only that.”

Creak—!

Ultimately consumed by the crack, my flesh vanished from the space.

Whhhuuush.

The remnants that filled the background were erased, leaving only a world of ash and embers.

Tap-tap!

I heard something burning.

The dark world returned.

Within that world.

“…”

The woman stood quietly, gazing at the place where the master of this space had been.

Was it because of the long-awaited reunion?

Unbeknownst to herself, she had let out many words.

Because of that.

The woman looked at her hand.

Tap-tap.

As if the world was burning away, the woman’s hand crumbled to dust.

“Still.”

Still, I was happy for a moment.

The woman thought that as she smiled.

[Huff….]

A soft breathing sound could be heard from her arms.

The child she held had fallen asleep.

Looking at the child’s face, the woman gently stroked the child.

Then she recalled her own lie.

—The wind is only that.

“…”

The words she had just spoken.

That was a lie. Precisely, half of it was a lie.

The wind is not just that.

Although she hoped for him to be happy, her wishes extended beyond that.

The woman had a desire hidden deep within her.

‘…Just once.’

Just once would be enough.

‘To be called by my name.’

Long ago.

The name he had given her.

She wished he’d call it just once.

The woman held onto that desire.

“…Ha.”

Remembering it made the woman chuckle, soon wiping the thought away.

Such a pitiful and cowardly wish.

After making this choice for herself.

The woman, who had lingered for a while, began to walk away shortly after.

Perhaps contrary to her wishes,

The day he would call her by name would never come.

Therefore, her name was Nameless.

 

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