Chapter 607 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Even within the confines of my imagination, my elder sister was true to her kingly nature. Despite having nothing particularly pressing to do, she bustled around me, chattering incessantly as if singing a tune. She possessed intelligence, and except for the occasional monologues, she resembled an endlessly curious beast. Perhaps, that is the very essence of being human. “I’m special.” To her statement, I retorted. “Are you boasting?” “No! I’m just speaking the truth!” “Sounds more like bragging to me.” “But it’s the truth. I am a king. The king of beasts, representing all humans. Like a king of dogs, a king of wolves, a king of cats, a king of sheep, and a king of tigers, I must encompass and represent all beasts.” A king of beasts is a conceptual entity, living with the quintessential traits associated with its kind. Azzy, though the king of dogs, lives alongside humans rather than ruling over dogs because that is the nature of a dog. Sanguan stakes out a mountain as his territory and drives away all other tigers because that is the nature of a tiger. Just because one is a king of beasts doesn't mean they are kind to all beasts. Ultimately, they are purely symbolic. Unless they are social beasts, they are not necessarily gentle to their kin. But humans have surpassed the simplicity of being merely social beasts. “However, ordinary humans consider me special. Every single one of them.” “Humans know an unnecessary amount of things, after all. You’ve been to places you typically wouldn’t go, like snowy mountains, jungles, or deserts.” “Yes, and thanks to that, everyone knows me. They expect something from me, as if it’s become a fundamental quality of being human.” As the masses began to follow and believe in their king, the king transformed from merely a symbol to a ruler. “So I need a standard that's typical. Something weak, soft, easily bendable, and stretchable.” “Not something strong and sturdy?” “Humans are weak and yielding. In a harsh world, when it stares you down, you must swiftly switch expressions and bow. That’s what being human is. Though other beasts might conform to nature, none can change as quickly as humans.” Speaking as if singing, my sister then looked at me and said, “That’s you. An ordinary version of me, you.” “So it’s your fault I turned out like this.” “It’s not a matter of fault! Just like the sun sets and the moon rises, it was inevitable. I can no longer represent humans! No, a king with power will inevitably cease to be the king of humans!” Bouncing around as if truly aggrieved, she seemed genuinely upset. I tried to simplify what she was telling me. “So, as the committee of beast kings somewhere has decided, although you are the king of humans, you can’t represent them anymore. So they've decided to keep you as you are and create a new king of humans as a symbol? Hmm, no, then there'd be two human kings... Essentially, they’re crafting a crown for the king of humans?” “Human crown! That's a good metaphor. There's one king and one crown!” “Not a great metaphor for me, though? The king is human, but the crown is just a tool. Have you considered my perspective, suddenly being placed on someone’s head?” “You’re not going to sit atop my head! Unless you feel like it, that is!” “That sounds like you’re saying I could go up if I wanted to.” “If you do, we’ll clash, so I'd prefer if you stood by my shoulder! It’s better for whispering into my ear!” “And what would I have to whisper?” She smiled warmly, meeting my eyes with her gaze that seemed to swirl with black and white, delving into memories long past. Out of countless adventures and events, she extracted the complex questions I had once faced: “Is it okay to imprison, watch, and suppress everyone? After locking them in a neatly cut box, stacking them to build a towering pyramid, can we admire its majesty and precision?” Beginning with tales from a military state. “In a world where one man creates everything? In lands that couldn’t be created and thus are abandoned? If, despite resentment, they can but consume what’s created?” Through federations and beyond. “A world where no one can resist due to being bound by blood? A kingdom frozen stiff like a corpse?” After passing through the principality. “Is it okay to eat fruit of flesh? Is it acceptable for people to be born from there? If not, to what extent is it okay to prevent it?” I arrived here, at the intersection of countless questions and choices. With her hand on my shoulder, she looked even deeper to draw out my true feelings. “You’ve reached a conclusion. You’ve already decided what you like and dislike. So, you’ve empowered the side you support.” “I was supporting everyone’s hopes.” “By doing so, it already means you’ve granted someone’s hope.” ...Yes. It would be a lie to say my heart didn’t lean one way. Even if I presented all with opportunities, where I stood was clear. While I may have respected everyone’s wishes, there was a particular hope I was more drawn to. One that was more honest and primal, using order purely as a tool. More than a wind trying to fortify the order that would one day topple, I favored a flickering flame illuminating someone’s path. Yet for my sister, there’s no such preference. She’s become the embodiment of what people wish a king to be. “But now, you don’t need to be moved by the winds of others. I’ll listen to your wishes.” With a reassuring smile, she extended her hand to me. *** A chick breaks through its eggshell to emerge into the world. For all living beings, such bittersweet, nostalgic sacrifice exists. At the sacred moment when an individual begins crafting history, one shell is shattered to celebrate its birth. The godly tree, the Root Tree, was no different. Sprouting from the remnants of a blessed ginkgo, that divine tree grew from a single massive seed. The seed chamber—the most secretive and fundamental domain known only to Nevada. “Haah, haah. Although I somehow managed to retrieve the heavenly apricot…” Shei, holding the heavenly apricot, looked troubled as she gazed at the center of the seed chamber. There lay one of her two weapons, Jijan, impaled. Jijan, a sword devoid of recoil, could only be wielded by the chosen. Even if the opponent was the divine Nevida, they could not harness its power unless Jijan allowed it. This is because Jijan embodies the understanding of the earth bestowed by the divine. But what if it's not a person? What if the entity holding it is a divine being imbued with the world's reason? And what if that divine being is naturally inclined to grasp the earth? “To think they’d bind the heavenly apricot and Jijan with a small world tree.” Jijan was entwined with the roots of a young sapling. The small world tree was a sapling weapon crafted from the remnants of the world tree by Nevida herself. Trees grasp the earth with their roots and communicate with the sky through their leaves. Befittingly, the small world tree held Jijan with its roots and gripped the heavenly apricot with its leaves. Of course, since the sky cannot be held, Shei was able to disassemble and extract the heavenly apricot. But retrieving Jijan, a relic of the divine, was not as simple. “Instead of using Jijan’s inherent power, I only borrow its strength, making it difficult to break this grip… There's no other choice.” Though using her power would alert Nevida, Shei had come prepared for such a risk. She clutched the heavenly apricot and drew her qi. The air that had been trapped by the tree found its master and flowed into the heavenly apricot. It created an immense breath that filled both Shei and the apricot. “Heavenly Sword Technique…” Wind enveloped the heavenly apricot, forming a massive blade. Shei aimed a destructive strike at the small world tree entwining Jijan. “...Dragon Slash!” Whoosh. The sword formed of wind made no sound. Even the air that could carry sound was taken. The silent slash whipped up a storm, sweeping over the small world tree. Branches snapped while leaves scattered in a swirling vortex. Retrieving the heavenly apricot, Shei approached the calming vortex and exhaled deeply. At that moment, her celestial instinct reacted. Without an ounce of hesitation, Shei tilted her head back and leaped backward. Something harshly grasped the space she had vacated, with a force that could crush even rocks. “You react faster than a cat.” A regretful voice flowed from the branch that had seized air. Then the branch twisted and shifted, transforming into what resembled a human hand. The fingers folded one by one, and an arm emerged from the tree’s inner confines. “Nevida…!” Nevida seemed to have emerged from the small world tree. The Nevida that sprang from the tree still gazed at Shei with unyielding and dry eyes. Her gaze mixed with weariness rather than surprise or bewilderment. “The life spared by the sovereign. Why seek danger here again, without hesitation?” “Heh, why ask when you already know?” “To uphold the will of the heavenly gods, you would not hesitate to sacrifice your life. But does it not grieve you to forsake the sovereign's intention to save you?” Nevida rebuked Shei, as though genuinely reluctant to kill her. “Killing you would defy the sovereign’s will. That sovereign also deserves my loyalty, and I aimed to avoid that option. Yet, you disregard even the sovereign’s mercy.” Perhaps, even now, Nevida was offering her a final chance. If Shei relinquished her resistance and fled now, she could keep the heavenly apricot. Nevida certainly would not pursue her. Shei instinctively realized this fact. Yet instead of turning away, she stepped forward and raised her head. “I’m not disregarding it. But that's precisely why I had to come.” “Precisely?” “You intend to harm Hughes!” A gust of wind from the seed chamber tousled Nevida’s hair. Despite the chamber’s enclosed space, Shei was summoning wind within, holding the heavenly apricot. “Do you think I’m foolish? Hughes is the king of humans. Your goal is to revive the human king. For one to be whole, the other must disappear. And you, no doubt, would choose to sacrifice Hughes.” Should the choice arise, Nevida would invariably select a different king over Hughes. That was Nevida’s wish, nurtured over two thousand years. “If that’s the case, then I too must be there. I stand as your opposition.” “You oppose me?” With clear determination, Shei faced Nevida and spoke. “If there’s going to be a king of humans, I prefer it to be Hughes.” “…Prefer, you say.” “Yes. Over some ancient king who might have died long ago, the king who stands with me now is better. Hughes, though he lies and deceives, acts directly. He finds the best solution even if it throws things into chaos.” The king of humans becomes the king of sin. But Hughes wasn’t that. From what she had seen of Hughes, he was far from a king of sin. Hence, Hughes might not transform into a king of sin. There’s no proof. It’s utterly irresponsible. Perhaps the cowardly ability to regress stripped away the fear of failure from her. Yet, Shei believed in him. “Like you, if there’s a ritual to restore the king of humans in progress, I will stand by Hughes, no matter how it ends. I will make him my king!” “….” “So, Nevida? I stand solely by Hughes. What about you, are you my ally or my enemy?” There was no need for an answer. Nevida’s king had always been one. A tiny child picked up in the forest, the naive and adorable girl who grasped the hand arrogantly extended to her and followed it home. Nevida’s friend, disciple, teacher, and king. If the two could not coexist, and she must choose only one, Nevida would choose him without hesitation. Thus, Shei could not be accepted. Nevida silently raised her hand and decisively brought it down. A dense branch fell towards Shei’s head, like a flyswatter coming down.