episode_0065

21. Pandora for a New World (1)

Another pure white room.

The place where we meet the gods is always a pure white room like this.

A pure white room that knows no dirt.

But from where I stand, a pitch-black mud that is increasingly sticky and sloppy spreads out.

The pitch-black mud, which is jealous of the pure white light, is slowly covering the pure white room with its own color.

Even as I watched that scene, I just stood still.

‘What were you doing?’

‘Who were you thinking of?’

No matter how much I think about it, it doesn’t come to mind.

There is only emptiness in my heart, as if my mind has been hollowed out.

In a situation where I can’t feel or think of anything, the sadness, hatred, and anger of losing someone gradually fill the emptiness in my heart.

I’m not sure who all this is directed at.

As I stood there still, a girl in black, whom I had seen somewhere in a room filled with pitch black, began to approach me, one step at a time.

The girl, who was clearly smaller than me at first, slowly began to grow larger as she approached me, and soon grew to the point where she could look down on me.

She opened her mouth.

No, I felt like I opened my mouth.

Her body was made of pitch-black clay and painted so black that only the shape of her face could be discerned.

She opened her mouth and spoke to me.

[Kill those who betrayed the primordial mother.]

[Eradicate the human race that made the primordial mother sad.]

I just nodded silently and closed my eyes.

And when I opened my eyes, what I saw was

There was Hyunseok, looking at me with worried eyes and his face turning pale.

*****

” Charlotte? Are you awake? ”

” Hyunseok…? ”

He realized that I had come to my senses and hugged me.

I raised my arms to embrace him, feeling his warmth, but I felt uncomfortable.

I pushed him gently with my right hand and looked to the left, where I saw the severed arm.

” Huh…? Why…?! ”

Hyunseok hugged me and calmed me down as I panicked at the unexpected sight.

” Calm down. Um, so do you remember what happened a little while ago? ”

” Just now…? ”

As I try to remember, a ‘zing’ sound resonates in my head.

And at the same time, a voice is heard.

[Kill those who betrayed the primordial mother.]

[Eradicate the human race that made the primordial mother sad.]

” Ugh! ”

I shook my head as the headache that was coming around wrapped around my head, and I pulled out my sword and swung it at whatever was approaching me.

” Huh…! ”

As I swung my sword, I saw someone’s blood on the sword in my hand.

There was definitely bright red blood.

But as the ‘sizzle’ continued, the bright red blood had turned into black blood.

I don’t know what’s happening to me, but I feel like I’ve cut something and I look in that direction.

There was Hyunseok bleeding with a wound on his body that looked like it had been cut by something.

Yeah, definitely there was.

But then again, there was a ‘squeak’ noise and there was a demon called ‘Lycan Slope’.

The lycanthrope was saying something, but then again the voice echoed in my head.

[Kill that beast.]

I swung my sword as I heard that voice.

But my hand stopped right in front of my nose.

Even at that moment, I was struck by the voice in my head telling me to kill…

” Be… quiet! ”

He threw the sword out of his hand and hit his head hard on the floor.

The action caused blood to flow from my head, but the ringing in my head became quiet.

And as I looked at what was a lycanthrope, I saw a ‘snick’ sound…

It was the sight of Hyunseok getting hurt because of me.

” Ugh, ah… no…! I…! ”

His condition was not good.

Blood was flowing out of the wound on his chest that I had just attacked him with, and blood was also flowing out of the wound on his leg that I couldn’t remember when it had been injured.

Hyun-seok spoke to me with a pale face, as if he had lost a lot of blood.

” It’s… okay… It’s not… your fault… ”

I can’t stop crying at the thought of him getting hurt again because of me.

” I’m… sorry…! Sorry… sob… ”

I tried to quickly approach him, but my legs, which were swaying along with the world that was shaking up and down, prevented me from approaching him.

” Ooh, move! Move!!! ”

I slowly crawled to his body with my barely remaining right arm, and as I did so, I quickly sent divine power into him and began healing him.

Surely, if I send all my divine power like this, I will be able to save him.

Because it didn’t matter what happened to me… In order to save him, I began to heal him even as my consciousness faded.

And as I watched his expression improve, I lost consciousness.

*****

It was another pure white room. But this time, unlike before, she was in front of me.

Patruna, the goddess of love and purification.

There was a girl in front of me who might be Hyunseok’s younger sister.

And I went up to her and knelt down and begged.

” Ugh… I’m sorry… because of me… I… didn’t…! Ugh, ugh… ”

” Sha, Charlotte?! ”

I kept praying and praying.

If her older brother, Hyun-seok, dies because of me, then it’s all my fault…

But she embraced me like that and carried me under her wings.

” It’s okay. Everything is okay. Rather, I’m the one who feels sorry. ”

” Oh, oh, oh no. ”

He continued to cry in her arms, sobbing.

” Are you calming down now? ”

” Ugh, yeah… ”

I was sobbing, but less so than before. I held her in my arms and looked up at her.

” Phew, that’s a relief. I’m sorry. What just happened was my fault. I’ve already done that to you… ”

” No, I… I’m bad… ”

” No! Charlotte, you’re not bad…! ”

A black aura rippled around Charlotte, who continued to have negative thoughts, but Patruna’s wings were holding her, so the aura could not escape and just disappeared.

” Charlotte. Right now, you’ve been… cursed by the evil spirit. No, blessed by the evil spirit. ”

” What the…?! I’ve never met youㅡ Ah…! ”

The black girl that comes to mind in my memory, maybe that girl…

But even so, I didn’t understand.

Since I have already received Patruna’s protection, I will no longer be able to receive the blessings of God…

The divine protection given to all apostles is bestowed by just one god.

That’s why there’s no way I can receive the protection of the evil spirit…!

” But! I already…! ”

” I’m sorry. This… is all my fault. ”

‘Why? Why are you apologizing?’

Her subsequent words sent me deeper into the swamp.

” Originally, I was going to tell Charlotte when she grew up a bit more… but… I guess I can’t hide it now that the evil spirit’s hand has reached out. ”

” Hey, wait a minute, what the hell are you talking about…!? I…! ”

” Charlotte, do you know what happens when God disappears? ”

” That was… being reborn, or a new god being born? ”

” Yes, just as Charlotte thought, Gaia, the Earth’s goddess, is now dead and gone. So the original purpose was to bring her back to life.

But because of the evil god – Thanatos, that became nearly impossible. Now that her hand has touched the tower, even if Gaia is reborn, she can’t stop it…

No, Gaia couldn’t be reborn in the first place. According to Gabriel, her divinity still remains in the tower, but more than half of it has already fallen into Thanatos’ hands. ”

The story coming out of her mouth was completely different from anything I had ever heard before.

At the same time, I felt like I had some idea of what she was going to say next.

I had a gut feeling that it was right, but I… didn’t want to believe it.

Because… that’s…

” So, we decided to create a new god. A pure god who could receive the protection of all gods… We thought that only then could we stop the evil god Thanatos. ”

After that, Patruna took a deep breath and opened her mouth to look at me with a serious expression, and I… said things I didn’t want to hear.

” Charlotte, how much do you remember about your past? ”

” It’s been a long time since I spent time in another world, so a lot of it has disappeared, but I was a man… and… and… uh… and…? ”

I couldn’t remember anything.

Nothing but the fact that I was a man.

Sure, Yujisung. I remember that there was… something… about that man. But what it was… I couldn’t remember no matter how hard I tried.

No, did I ever… have a family…? Friends…? More importantly, where is the world I was sent to… from…?

” Ha, haha… What is this? I can’t… remember anything!!! Why? How come? It definitely happened. ”

When I couldn’t think of anything else besides the fact that I was originally a man, I just glared at the woman in front of me.

What I feel in my heart right now is… definitely.

” You…! You destroyed it?! My past!!! My memories!!! Everything?! Why?! I… trusted you! How could you…! ”

As I said that and took a step forward, black smoke rose from beneath my feet and began to surround my body.

” Charlotte?! No, this is…! Thanatos…! ”

” Tell me…! Why on earth? Why did you take everything away?! Did I… make a promise with you? I don’t know, it doesn’t matter anymore. Give me back…! Everything I have…! Give me back everything you took away! ”

As I reached out my hand towards her, a black energy shot out from my hand towards her.

” Hey, Charlotte…! Calm down! I…! ”

” Shut up! You… no, you all…! You took everything! Everything I have…! And mother, Gaia’s…? ”

When the name of the primordial goddess Gaia came out of my mouth, I felt something was off.

The image of the goddess Gaia rises along with the voice resonating in my head.

That was definitely… a memory I couldn’t have.