357 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

**Title: Martial Harmony - Chapter 358: Northern Hare** The steps felt heavy. Even though his cultivation had progressed, making his body lighter, each step felt burdened—likely because the emotions weighing on his heart also burdened his steps. He ran. Though his mind urged him to tear through everything in his path, even his reckless self knew that was impossible. So, he just ran. He worried a little about leaving Mo Yong-hee behind, but he had no choice. People around him watched with astonished eyes. Was his expression really that strange? He didn't know. Nothing seemed to come to mind now. He arrived at a crowded place, designated for treating others. Even now, the physicians of Shinryong Pavilion were tirelessly at work. He passed by the bustling healers, moving on until he finally spotted the person he was searching for. "Haah..." Catching his breath, he looked at the person lying there. She wasn’t even lying on a proper bed; those were already occupied by those with more serious injuries. With no major issues, she lay on a simple cloth thrown on the ground. Cautiously, he approached. As he took a step, she began to sit up, tiredly smoothing back her hair with one hand. Radiant. The chaos surrounding them, the cacophony of noises—it all seemed to fade into insignificance because she was there. She had a light about her. It was the same in his past life. She shone so brightly that someone like him couldn’t dare approach her. Has anything changed now? It probably hasn’t. The only difference is that he’s changed enough not to let that bother him anymore. Whether it’s for better or worse—he still didn’t know. "Haah..." He hadn’t even run much, yet he was out of breath. This was a body that wouldn’t tire even after running for days. Yet, his breath was short, puzzlingly so. As he took another step, amidst the buzzing commotion, she seemed to hear his footfall and turned to look at him. Their eyes met. Her large eyes caught his, and whatever he had been thinking blurred into obscurity. “...” “...” They said nothing, merely looking at each other. What should he say? Even as he walked, he deliberated over it a thousand times, trying to find the most natural words, words easy to speak aloud. Yet no words came. He could only mutely hesitate, even after getting this far. “Did you run here?” In the end, it was she who spoke first. He couldn’t muster the words. “No, it wasn’t like that. I just came by while training, wondering if you had woken up.” His pride slipped in, like a fool. An idiot. What need was there for pride when he had come this far? It seemed this stubbornness would trouble him to his grave. The only saving grace was that she smiled at his words, seeing through his poor excuse. Anyone could see it was a transparent lie. If it’s sure to be caught anyway, he might as well have been honest. Yet, he couldn’t understand why he couldn’t be straightforward. “How do you feel?” Trying to calm his racing heart, he stepped closer. “I’m alright.” Hearing her reply, he knelt halfway. “Let me know if anything comes up. The healers are busy, so you need to tell them in advance.” “Really, I’m fine.” “That’s a relief.” At his words, she glanced at him and asked: “And you? Are you alright?” “I’m fine, reall—” He was about to respond when her choice of words caught his attention. Just “Goo Gongja,” not “Goo Gongja-nim.” It was only a small difference, one character, yet it felt like a chasm to him. Maybe she saw the deep flicker in his eyes, as she gave a bitter smile. “Shall we step outside?” Her words came naturally. The same voice, but was it simply his imagination that it now felt more mature and steady? “Where to?” “To somewhere we can talk.” She rose as she spoke. Though sealing one's senses wasn’t difficult, it seemed like something she wanted, so he followed without comment. Stepping outside, they entered a quiet forest. A day had passed since the attack, and the dark clouds lifted to reveal a clear sky. “The weather is nice.” “Yeah.” “It feels like ages since I last saw the sky.” “Really?” “Yes. There was never time for such luxuries.” She turned from gazing wistfully at the sky to him. “For both of us… we never really had the time, did we?” “...” True. Neither of them had the leisure to gaze and reflect upon the skies. Traversing a world fraught with chaos left little opportunity for such musings. He couldn't understand why Ma Geomhu had once lost himself in the moon, standing frozen beneath it. But now... He could faintly grasp it. Perhaps it was due to his freshly tempered emotions. Finally, her face came into clearer focus. Slightly lowered eyes, gone was the perpetually smiling visage, replaced by a calm demeanor—all foreign yet painfully familiar, more so than even Wi Seol-ah from this life. Feeling that, he asked: "Since when—" "Wait a moment." Just as he began to voice his curiosity, she intercepted, halting him. He looked on, puzzled about what she intended. “I have something to say first…” “What is it?” Wondering what it could be. Maybe she would finally curse him out? If that’s the case, he would take it. After all, as long as it wasn’t drawing swords, he was willing to accept some harsh words. Just as he thought that, “I'm sorry…” She apologized. “What?” “I’m really sorry…” Unexpected words. He hadn’t anticipated an apology from her. “Why are you suddenly apologizing?” “…I'm sorry…” “Why though?” Looking into her eyes, trembling as if holding back tears, he was at a loss on what to do. Why is she suddenly on the verge of tears? "Wait, why are you—" "I realized too late all the things Goo Gongja did for me." "...!" "...I'm sorry. Even now... I'm truly sorry." A thud resounded in his chest as if a heavy dagger had lodged into his heart. ‘How?’ His mind raced. How did she find out? No, what exactly did she find out? How much—how much does she know? "What do you mean? Calm down first. Don't cry." Was she talking about the events in the 'Demonic Realm'? No one remembered that but him, and he hoped no one else ever would. If it wasn’t that, perhaps she meant the events during the war. Whatever it was, he hoped she knew nothing. "What are you talking about? I... I'm not sure." "...I'm sorry for making things difficult." "No, I said stop apologizing." "…" At his words, she looked at him with a desolate gaze. What meaning lay behind those eyes? His head throbbed. What exactly does she know? ‘Could it be… she knows that too?’ It shouldn’t be. It mustn’t be. She should not know—that he became a demon for her sake. He desperately hoped she would never find out. "Stop apologizing... I don’t want to hear that from you." "…" He didn’t choose to do any of it for her gratitude. He felt someone had to do it, and unfortunate as it may have been, the responsibility fell to him. Though he endlessly regretted and resented why it had to be him, in the end, he convinced himself it was alright. Thinking that the person in front of him was somewhat at ease because of it made it worthwhile. "It's all in the past." "…" Her eyes flinched at his words. It was a thing of the past. Something gone, something that should remain gone. "It's just something to ensure doesn't happen again." "…" With each word, her expression grew sadder. Why was it? Why was she making such a face? He couldn’t understand. He wished that whatever she knew would also become something of the past. That was his current life’s purpose. "Goo Gongja…" "Hm?" "Are you happy now?" "...Suddenly?" "Yes." He couldn’t discern the intent behind her question. Happiness—unexpected though it was, he asked himself again, but the answer wasn’t simple. "I don't think I’m particularly happy yet." Frankly, he wasn’t even sure what happiness meant. Neither in his past nor in his present life had he the time to idly ponder over such issues. Nothing was over in this world. To ponder over such things, he would need to wait until all accumulated matters had been resolved, when he could empty his heavy thoughts and slowly look around him. Only then could he ponder it. "And you? How about you?" "Me?" A smile graced her lips as she replied. "I'm happy... At least, right now I am." While her smile was pretty enough to unnerve him, it seemed somewhat forced. As he scrutinized her smile, he decided to address the main issue. "I have something to ask." He was eager to get to the point—there was much he wanted to hear. Noticing his intent, she adjusted her expression and finally asked: "When did it start?" The question was straightforward—when did it begin? When she ceased to be the Wi Seol-ah he knew in this life and became the Divine Sword from his past. It couldn't have been from the very first encounter, could it? The girl who offered him potatoes back then bore eyes that knew nothing. "When did it become you? That's what I want to know." "…" She closed her eyes briefly, seemingly gathering her thoughts. After a few seconds, she opened them again and addressed him. "It was around a few days after Goo Gongja arrived in the present." "…A few days?" Just a few days? The timeframe was tighter than he expected, yet somehow enlightening. It explained some of her peculiar behavior he’d noticed—those inexplicable moments that had left him dizzy were beginning to make sense. ‘How in the world?’ So Wi Seol-ah must be a regressor like him? ‘Then even in Sichuan…’ Breaking through the formation of the Golden Heavenly Land—that mysterious prowess he’d witnessed also made sense…. "It’s different." "…Hm?" While he was piecing everything together in his mind, she suddenly denied something, as if she could read his thoughts. "What do you mean it’s different?" "My situation isn't the same as Goo Gongja’s." "What’s different?" It seemed she needed to clarify something, and she continued: "Unlike you, who fully merged with your current body by going back in time... I'm merely an inhabitant within this young girl." "Inhabitant?" "The owner of this body is still this child. I'm merely borrowing it." Those words meant that the current Wi Seol-ah remained, while the soul of the past Divine Sword coexisted like the deity No-ya within him. "That is…." How was it different? If her soul traveled back and entered its original body, wouldn’t that also count as regression? Though it was slightly different in detail, he thought the broad strokes were similar. ‘Wait.’ A new thought suddenly emerged. Wi Seol-ah seemed aware of her own situation. How had it happened? What method had she used to get to this point? It almost seemed like she willingly used her power to do so. If that's the case…. "Did you make me regress?" Was the reason for his regression the power of the Divine Sword? He turned to her for an answer—she looked more surprised than he’d ever seen her, eyes widening before her expression softened to one of compassion. "No… I couldn’t do it." ‘So that's not it.’ He thought he might uncover the secret of his regression, but apparently, Wi Seol-ah wasn't the source. Should he consider this a relief? Trying to make sense of it all, Wi Seol-ah continued speaking. "In truth, I wanted to use everything I had to make it happen... But I wasn't capable of handling such a burden. Sending myself here in this state was the limit." Indeed, the Divine Sword was the greatest martial artist of the time. She had defeated Cheonma, the only person who had ever done so. If even she couldn’t do it, then who could? ‘Who is it, then?’ The World Tree had claimed it wasn’t involved. However, having the ability to send Yeon Il-cheon back in time previously suggested it was possible. This meant that to regress a single person, one needed to be a being as powerful as the World Tree, the so-called master of the world. ‘So who could it be?’ It remained a mystery. He knew that this world desired something from him. He couldn't ignore it, not with how things were unfolding. As if the situation wasn’t frustrating enough, that enigma only added to the irritation. The only solace was that he got to see this person before him once more. He was about to table the issue for later consideration when— “Do you want to know…?” Her words caused him to pause. “…What?” “Do you want to know who turned back Goo Gongja's time...? Do you wish to know?” "Wi Seol-ah… Do you know who turned back my time?" “I do….” His eyes widened at her revelation. He was curious about how she could know, and yet, if she did, he wanted her to tell him. “If you wish, I can tell you.” "Of course, tell—" “However… once you hear it, you might regret it.” He almost demanded an immediate answer but furrowed his brow at her warning. Regret? Wi Seol-ah approached, her words a gentle tease. “Still… do you want to hear it?” "…" For some reason, the warning gave him pause. Could the circumstances of his regression be tangled with something he'd regret? Though the prospect intimidated him, the decision wasn’t a hard one. “I still want to know.” There had been too many regrets already. Fear of the unknown no longer held sway over him. He needed to keep moving forward. “I expected that from Goo Gongja.” Her expression showed she had anticipated his response. “Let me tell you then.” As Wi Seol-ah prepared to reveal the truth, a breeze carried from behind. Spring had arrived. “The one who turned back your time was not me.” Her voice floated on the wind, weaving with her hair as it fluttered. In the third spring since his regression, he finally learned. “The Heavenly Demon.” It was she. Wi Seol-ah's words unveiled the truth that the one who regressed him was none other than her.