895 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

Chapter 895: The World's Greatest Companion When I think about my mother, honestly, I don't remember much. I was too young, and it’s been decades since then, leaving me with just a few memories. One thing was that she particularly loved winter. Whenever it snowed, she'd always take us siblings by the hand and walk us down the snowy paths. Did she say she loved the whiteness? I believe that's what she said. And because of that, she also loved white flowers. Come to think of it, she seemed to love anything white. However. ‘She loved our hair too.’ Despite her love for the color white, my mother strangely loved our dark black hair. Her hair was as white as snow, but she used to say she was glad ours was black. It was a rather absurd notion, but truly, that's what she used to say. Those were happy times. Recalling them, each day felt like that. Days filled with no worries and simply enjoying the passage of time. - "Son, do you like it?" - "Yes." On snowy days, I used to lie down on the porch with my head resting on her lap, falling asleep. My mother's embrace was warm. However, contrary to that warmth, despite everyone in the household having high body heat, my mother, who loved winter, was oddly sensitive to the cold. What was the reason she gave? It was a very strange thing that I remembered. Ah, right. - "Without fur, Mom gets cold." That's what she used to say. It's still a phrase I can't quite wrap my head around... I suppose it just meant she was sensitive to the cold. Anyway. I liked my mother. No, I must have. Although I can't remember clearly, I believed that was the case. ‘So.’ That's why I dream about those times even now. A dream I can never go back to but only yearn for. - "My son." "..." I felt a touch running through my hair. Perhaps because it was a dream I hadn't had in a long time, the sensation was vivid. The stroke of the hand was gentle. As if it were truly stroking…. "..." Something felt strange. 'Isn't this too real for a dream?' Feeling the subtle unease, I slowly opened my eyes. "Ah." "..." As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw familiar purple eyes and a pretty face looking down at me. "Hello." With a blank expression, she greeted me, and I immediately sat up. I widened the distance and glared at her. "Aah." At my actions, the being known as Cheonma showed a disappointed reaction. Watching that, I frowned. “…What are you?" It made sense that the dream felt vivid because I had been lying on Cheonma's lap until now. With a thoroughly irritated expression, I scratched the back of my head. Damn it. How did I end up like this? ‘Did I lose consciousness?’ That seemed to be the case. I tried to recall my last memory before losing consciousness…. “…!” I remembered. ‘The Blood Demon.’ At the moment when Cheonma appeared, the Blood Demon arrived as well. Cheonma and the Blood Demon battled each other. I had drawn Baek Ryeon Geom to stop it…. ‘The moment he saw it, the Blood Demon tried to kill me.’ When the Blood Demon, who had been grinning ominously, saw Baek Ryeon Geom, his expression turned grim, and he attempted to kill me outright. And then. ‘…Mother appeared.’ Surrounding my body, my mother appeared. Though it was just an aura, it was undoubtedly her. She even appeared and suppressed the Blood Demon. ‘That monster….’ The moment I felt that aura, I realized it. The Blood Demon was a far more daunting existence than I had imagined. Yet if my mother could suppress such a being, did that mean her level was higher? No. More importantly. ‘It seemed like they knew each other.’ It bothered me that the two seemed to be acquaintances. I had already known my mother wasn't just an ordinary existence. I had already heard. ‘Calamity.’ If the Blood Demon was the first calamity, then my mother, who appeared afterward, was said to be the second calamity. But both existences apparently failed, resulting in the current world. In this situation, could there be a reason my mother and the Blood Demon might know each other? ‘The Blood Demon called my mother Man Gye.’ Man Gye (萬界). The owner of the Ten Thousand Worlds. That's what the Shi Gal Hyeok called my mother. That also meant she is the lord of another world…. ‘Anyway…’ Even at the Divine Dragon’s Temple, how did my mother manage to appear? And what about what she said before disappearing? ‘She told me to never… look for her.’ Why? I couldn't figure it out. Frowning deeply, I pondered the question. “Are you okay?” “…Tch.” A voice from the front made me click my tongue briefly. ‘Right, she's still here too.’ I had things to confirm, not just about my mother and the Blood Demon. I had something to confirm with Cheonma in front of me. The Blood Demon had said so. That Cheonma is his daughter. “You.” Recalling that, I tried to ask when. “...” I suddenly grimaced and scanned my surroundings. Something felt off. “What is this?” I realized it belatedly. “Where are we?” It wasn’t the plain where I originally was. The space, previously open and clear, was now surrounded by trees. Moreover, ‘What are with these trees?’ The trees were absurdly thick and enormous. The appearance of the trees themselves was unlike anything I had ever seen. At this size, they should be considered ancient trees... could so many ancient trees gather like this? They might exist somewhere, but to my knowledge, there was no forest like this in Hanam. Moreover. ‘Why is the air like this?’ Even as I breathed, there was an alien sensation. The air felt much heavier and entered my body in greater amounts. ‘…The air is filled with this much internal energy?’ The amount of internal energy accumulating with each breath was several times the usual. This was strange, beyond strange. It wasn't a place I knew. If that's the case. “Where exactly did you bring me?” Had Cheonma brought me to this place? I was sure as I asked her. “…?” Cheonma tilted her head with a puzzled expression. Almost like indicating it wasn't her doing. “Don't play dumb. If it wasn't you, then who…” Just as I was about to press further, Cheonma raised a finger in response instead of speaking. I was initially on guard, thinking she might attack, but that wasn't the case. Her finger pointed to the sky. I looked up at it. "What am I supposed to see?" I looked up and saw only the starry night sky. ‘What's going on? Is she trying to gauge how long I was out?’ I'd lost consciousness at sunset and now it was night, suggesting I'd been out for a couple of hours. Assessing that thought, I observed the night sky more closely. “Huh?” As I continued to scrutinize, I saw something strange. In a burst of speed, I leaped upward, igniting a flame, ascending high above the treetops in an instant. The moment I reached the treetops, the vast sky unfolded before me. “This is insane…” Realizing what I saw, I muttered in shock. “What is that?” There, beautifully lining the night sky, was a Milky Way. For some reason, the Milky Way had a strange purple hue, and the auroras undulating above it elicited awe. What an utterly magnificent sight. Despite seeing such a scene for the first time, I couldn’t bring myself to marvel at it. “…Ha….” The real problem lay at the center of that stellar mass: the moon suspended in the air. Or rather, it was not just a moon, but ‘moons’—plural. “Damn.” In the sky throbbed a blue moon and a purple-tinged moon. **************** I’ve experienced many courses in life. I’ve given up on being human, killed my father with my own hands, and even reversed time—thinking nothing could surprise me anymore. Ah, I was quite shocked when that rascal Doldol Yi turned into a child resembling me, but that’s beside the point. Anyway, I lived thinking there was little left to surprise me after all I’d endured. “Life.” I had to lament my arrogance. It seemed there were still many matters in the world I didn’t know of. Damn it. “Sigh…” A sigh escaped involuntarily. It couldn’t be helped. After wandering roughly a couple of hours, I had returned to my starting point. I had to finally acknowledge it. “Damn it, where the hell is this…” At first, I thought it might be some remote wilderness like Bukhae. ‘…But there wouldn’t be two moons there, would there?’ Even without going, I knew there was only one moon. If not that… ‘Could it be the work of the Blood Demon?’ Maybe the Blood Demon did something to me. Just like when Tang Senior sent me to a past timeline in a vision, did the Blood Demon do something similar to me? ‘But considering everything…’ The aura that enveloped me last wasn’t that of the Blood Demon, but rather my mother’s presence. Then, could my mother have done it? ‘…Why?’ There was no reason for my mother’s power to send me to such a place. ‘Urgh.’ No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t figure it out. The only thing I could ascertain was. ‘This isn't Zhongyuan.’ This didn’t seem to be the world I knew. As ridiculous as it sounded, there wasn’t any other explanation. The unfamiliar ancient trees surrounding me, the obvious difference in the air I could instinctively sense. Moreover. ‘Having two moons is strange from the start.’ Two moons hung in the beautiful night sky. Considering all this, it was clear this place wasn’t Zhongyuan. Oh… what a headache. “Phew…” I pressed my palm against my forehead at the absurdity of the situation. Had I truly ended up in another world now? Then how should I return to where I belonged? ‘Tomorrow is the trial for my father…’ With the impending trial that could overturn the entire Martial Alliance, there was no time to be wasted here. ‘Furthermore…’ I looked behind me. ‘With that following me?’ I noticed Cheonma following closely. “Hey.” “Yeah?” At my call, Cheonma turned her gaze toward me. “Why do you keep following me?” “I’m not following you.” This isn't following? We’ve been together for nearly an hour? “Then what? If you’re not following me, am I following you?” “It’s not following; it’s going together.” “…Damn nonsense.” I regretted initiating a conversation. It only worsened my headache. “Get lost. I have no desire to be with you.” “Okay.” “…Hmm?” Her quick surrender was surprising. What’s this? Filled with curiosity, I glanced at Cheonma again. Despite her words, she wasn’t actually leaving. “Why aren’t you leaving then? You said you understood.” “You said you didn’t like going together. Now, I’ll follow you instead.” “…What in the world.” This was incredulous. Did she really think this was all right? “Whether it’s following or going together, it’s disgusting. Just go away.” “No.” “This crazy woman…” I gritted my teeth, turning my body away. As if dealing with my own frustrations wasn’t enough, she kept provoking me. Just as I was about to gather my energy with the intent to do something. “I don’t know the way.” Cheonma declared this with a confident expression. This was maddening. “Do you think I do? Do I know?” I had no clue what this place was either. Would I somehow know the way? Hearing me, Cheonma nodded and said, “Then we have to go together.” “I said I don’t want to. Can’t you understand?” “We have to go together.” “No… You know what, never mind.” Maybe we should just have a brawl. With that resolution, I marched forward. However. “That way, I can protect you.” “...” I halted. Her words made me freeze in place. - I will protect you. It reminded me of Cheonma standing against the Blood Demon to shield me. The thought of gritting my teeth, watching that frail back, resurfaced alongside. It made me feel utterly wretched. “Damn it.” I spat out curses, frowning deeply. “Protect me from what? Do I look like someone who needs protection?” “Yes.” “What a confident answer, this is insane. I don’t need it, so just leave me alone. How many times do I have to say it? You turning my stomach here? I’d rather kill you than stay together.” “I don’t mind.” Her response came with no hesitation. “You don’t mind me threatening to kill you?” “Yes.” Cheonma’s expression didn’t change at all. “If that’s what you want. I’m fine with that too.” “...” I felt like I was about to lose my mind. Why on earth was she acting this way towards me? ‘Did something go wrong when I regressed?’ The Cheonma I know was never such an unhinged being, was she? Sure, she sometimes used ridiculously brute methods, but she wasn’t mindless in everything she did. “So, let’s go together.” The current Cheonma was entirely different from that time. “…Ah.” My head was really starting to hurt. Should I just leave her behind? But if I try to shake her off, will she even let go? ‘Probably not.’ She didn’t seem like she would be easily shaken off. ‘So should I really just kill her?’ Wouldn't it be better to get rid of the nuisance? Various thoughts swirled in my mind. After thinking for a while, I spoke up, mixing in some irritation. “…If you annoy me, I’ll really kill you, so stay quiet.” Cheonma’s eyes widened. And then she nodded. I could sense some sort of joyful emotion. ‘Unbelievable.’ Is this really Cheonma? I wondered if I was mistaken. Such a thought passed through my mind. ‘Is this the right choice…?’ Why did I agree? Even I couldn’t understand it. It would be better to kill her here and now. Instead of chasing her away, I ended up allowing her to follow me. ‘Have I gone mad too?’ I might not be in my right mind. It would be nice if I were crazy. ‘It would be better if all of this was just an illusion I’m seeing.’ I fervently hoped and prayed so. I could even genuinely pray if I had to. But. Rumble--- “…!” As if to shatter my sincere hope, an event that showed it wasn’t a dream unfolded. Kkkrrrrrrr---!!! The ground shook. It was truly a massive vibration. Cheonma and I exchanged glances. In that instant, both of us leaped into the air. Just like before. We jumped to the top of the trees to get a better vantage. The familiar sky and moons remained unchanged. No matter how many times I saw it, the scenery was beautiful, I thought. “…Ha….” But beneath that sky. [Roooooaaar---!!!!] A massive black figure appeared on the surface. I narrowed my eyes, focusing on it intensely. Though it seemed quite far away, I could see it clearly. ‘Is it a beast?’ It was so large that even calling it a beast felt like an understatement. I had never seen such a massive creature in my life. It was so gigantic that its head was already touching the clouds. [Roooooaaar---!!!!!] Was that a roar? I looked at my hands and noticed they were trembling slightly. The presence was overwhelming. What on earth was that? I quickly wracked my brain, trying to figure out what could exude such an aura. ‘…Should I get out of here first?’ Approaching it seemed impossible. Just as I decided I should make my escape. [Raaaaaaaar---!!] “…Huh?” I turned my gaze back to the monstrous creature. There was no way it could be, but. “Could it be… Kkurung?” Something about it seemed familiar.