Looking at the size of the tree, it was several times larger than the others.

Even as a large tree, it was far from lacking. It was only slightly smaller than the Divine Tree established by the Hwasan Sect, but it was unmistakably not an ordinary tree.

Moreover.

‘What’s with that blackness?’

The tree was hauntingly black. Not just the leaves, but the entire trunk as well.

It appeared as if it had been charred by fire.

That was clearly the case.

‘…But that doesn’t mean it actually is.’

It wasn’t dead wood, I was sure of that. If it were burnt wood, it shouldn’t exude such vitality.

Was that just vitality? No, it was more than just vitality.

Woo Hyeok.

My heart resonated uncontrollably, feeling something refreshing and sacred from that tree.

I had sensed this at the Divine Tree within the Hwasan Sect, and again with the Divine Tree I saw at Yawol.

So.

‘That is the Divine Tree. Meaning that.’

That pitch-black, murky tree also meant it was the Divine Tree of Spirit Mountain.

It might not look like a Divine Tree at all, but as I learned from Yawol, the appearance of a Divine Tree seemed to have no correlation with its nature.

“……”

Splash.

I slowly moved my feet. My foot stepped into the beautiful lake.

The water wasn’t very deep.

Drawn in like a spell, I approached the tree.

I climbed the hill, and up close, the Divine Tree was even more immense.

As I reached out to touch it, just as I was about to caress the tree—

“…I must first express my apologies for making you come here personally, noble person.”

I heard a voice near the tree.

I paused my hand. My gaze shifted toward the source of the sound.

Right beside the tree. Perhaps I had been so captivated by the Divine Tree that I hadn’t even noticed someone sitting there.

“Did you have any trouble coming here?”

The one who cautiously addressed me, I asked while looking at them.

“Spirit?”

Upon my question, the one sitting slowly rose their body. They stumbled slightly but straightened to kneel before me.

“It is an honor for a humble one to meet a great being.”

“Are you the Spirit?”

“Yes… It is a privilege that you remember me.”

“……”

For a moment, I was at a loss for words. I was supposed to have met a being who called themselves a spirit in the form of a butterfly.

‘They look so young.’

Now that I think about it, they looked extremely young. How old could they be? They looked younger than ten.

‘…No.’

Of course, one can’t determine age just by appearance, but still, isn’t this a bit much?

The one who introduced themselves as a spirit looked barely past six or seven and was dressed in long white robes.

A white band, matching the color of their robe, covered their eyes.

“…What exactly are you?”

What could their true identity be? Why did they notice my arrival and came to me immediately?

When I inquired about this, the spirit quickly replied.

“I am the shaman who protects this Divine Tree.”

“…Shaman?”

Is the shaman I know, really what I think it is?

I had heard that there were those in the past who had spirits and karma, but…

They were said to have disappeared shortly after the creation of the Demonic Gate.

The strange phenomenon of the Demonic Gate caused those who believed in gods to fade away.

‘But a shaman…’

Does Mankye still have such beings?

I then wondered.

“How did the shaman know to bring me here?”

What was their intention, and how did they know to find me? That puzzled me.

“The spirit of the Divine Tree told me…”

“The spirit of the Divine Tree?”

At that statement, I looked at the black Divine Tree. I didn’t consider anything else regarding the spirit’s words.

It was clearly that thing.

“Since a great being has arrived, it instructed me to offer my utmost respect… the Divine Tree said so.”

“……”

That great being of theirs. It was an incredibly awkward term.

‘…The Divine Tree informed you of my arrival.’

Could that statement be true?

It’s funny that there’s a shaman by the Divine Tree, but that the Divine Tree would inform the spirit of my coming.

Should I believe that readily?

As I pondered over that, suddenly.

“O great being.”

The spirit called out to me.

“That great being of theirs…”

“May I dare ask something?”

“…Go ahead and ask.”

Hearing that, I thought I should request a title change. I awaited the spirit’s question.

Then.

“A humble servant asks… what world does your great being encompass? That is what I wish to know.”

“…Huh?”

I frowned at what I heard.

What?

“…To encompass a world? What do you mean by that?”

“Pardon?”

Upon my inquiry, the shaman lifted their head.

Strangely, even with their eyes covered, I could sense a flustered expression.

“You are the master of another world, and I wanted to know where that is.”

“…What?”

I widened my eyes at their words.

“Master? Why am I?”

Suddenly, being called a master was utterly incomprehensible.

So, as I repeat my question, the spirit tilts their head and says,

“I see that you possess wood (木) in your soul, and you have also encompassed a world. I am aware that such brilliance is only found among the masters of the otherworldly…”

“……”

The spirit bowed their head again. From their actions, it seemed they thought I was testing them.

But.

‘…What does that even mean?’

I certainly had no intention of testing her.

I was genuinely confused.

‘Me, a master?’

The spirit’s claim that I was a master began to shake my previously steady composure.

Holding back trembling eyes, I turned around.

I was searching for the Heavenly Demon.

I wasn’t looking for an answer. It was a habitual glance I cast without realizing. It seemed I had developed that irritating habit.

As I looked in the direction where the Heavenly Demon should be…

‘Huh?’

I froze in place.

It couldn’t be helped.

The Heavenly Demon, who had been following me just moments before, had vanished.

*

Flame—!!

At the highest point of Spirit Mountain.

The altitude was significantly high, with a strong wind blowing at that height. It was so elevated it could reach the clouds when needed.

At such a precarious spot sat a woman.

She had long black hair.

As if she enjoyed the blowing wind, she sat with her eyes closed.

Occasionally, she would tuck her hair behind her ear.

After a while, she opened her eyes and looked below.

To her, what appeared to be a regular rocky mountain was actually visible in detail.

Focusing a bit more, she saw a field with a black tree and, in front of it, a slightly anxious-looking young man.

“Ha ha.”

Seeing that, the woman couldn’t help but laugh.

That expression was just so amusing. She laughed without realizing it.

“How is that face still the same?”

No matter how many times it repeated.

Even after endless cycles of time.

No matter how many experiences they had been through together, that expression never changed.

It was just consistent.

It was the kind of face one pulls when flustered or dumbfounded.

Even having seen it countless times, that face never got old.

“I’m glad.”

Although much had changed and been forgotten, it was nice that something remained unchanged. The woman thought.

Perched on the edge of the rock, she swiftly moved her toes in the air.

Though she wished to stay a little longer, sadly, this wasn’t the time for it.

The allotted time was far too short.

It would be too meager and insufficient to use for her own desires.

So she intended to gaze at him from a distance for a while.

Despite forgetfulness destroying her heart and blinding her eyes,

the woman always felt that this alone was enough.

“……”

As she continued to keep the young man in her view, she soon turned her head and looked back.

Someone stood where there had been nothing just moments ago.

The woman was not surprised. She had anticipated this.

Seeing the person standing there, the woman got to her feet.

“Hello.”

The woman greeted first, but the other did not reply.

They merely wore a black mask and silently stared at the woman.

At this, the woman smiled slightly.

“Just like me…”

As she spoke, she approached. Despite the reduction in distance, the other did not move.

“You’re something else.”

Her white fingertips reached out to grasp the other’s mask.

Click.

With the sound, the mask was removed from their face.

The face inside was revealed to the world.

“Your taste in men is uselessly similar to mine; it has ended up like this.”

The two faces were identical. The only difference was the color of their eyes and hair.

“How should I call you? What would you like to be called?”

“……”

The woman knew she wouldn’t hear a response, but she asked anyway.

She had no intention of wanting a reply in the first place.

“Let’s skip the greetings about how we’ve been doing; it would sound amusing to say long time no see. There’s no need to apologize either.”

Likewise, she wouldn’t say thank you at all.

They both had each other like that.

“So, let’s keep it light.”

So there was only one thing to say.

“Goodbye?”

Just like the first words the woman had spoken to the other, she spoke the same words again.

“Younger Sibling.”

“……”

The woman greeted the half who had already killed each other countless times.