Chapter 1049: The Divine Tree and the Master.

“Someday, you know.”

It was one of those days, just like always.

“Will there ever be a day when night doesn’t come?”

It was a day filled with pointless chatter and meaningless questions. While gazing at the stars spread across the night sky. Then, suddenly, words would come up that were difficult to understand on my own, the kind that would generally make one frown. Every time I heard them, I had one thought.

“That’s strange talk again.”

This one is saying strange things. That’s all I thought. Because it was always like that.

The night the stars disappeared.

The sky the sun disappeared from.

The land the forest disappeared from.

The things left where the sea disappeared.

She would sometimes ask questions that were meaningless and whose meaning I couldn’t grasp. I simply thought it was just the same today.

“A day when night doesn’t come.”

When day disappears, night arrives. Occasionally, there might be a day when stars aren’t visible, but…

“Well. I don’t think so.”

There won’t be any day without night. I said, thinking just that.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

She smiled, perhaps liking my answer. Her suppressed laughter was so refreshing that I unconsciously curled my fingertips and stroked her cheek. As I felt the soft touch, she looked at me.

“So that’s your answer.”

“Do you think otherwise?”

She shook her head at my question.

“I don’t know.”

It was an ambiguous answer. If it’s not, it’s not-what is this ‘I don’t know’ then? A day without night doesn’t make sense, yet she brought up such a vague statement. However, I didn’t ask why. She had often given such answers before, and every time I asked, I never got a proper response.

“Is that so.”

Since it’s like that now, it’s best to just move past it with this much of an answer. Thinking so, I looked up at the sky again. It was a night densely packed with stars and the moon. The moon, full and round, had reached its peak. The cloudless, clear sky made the gathered stars and moon stand out even more. It was a beautiful night. As I quietly watched such a night.

“Then.”

The woman brought up a different topic. I turned my gaze towards the sound. What was she going to say this time? I looked at her curiously. Probably not much different, I thought, looking at the woman.

“What if… What if I disappeared?”

“…….”

My mouth snapped shut the moment I heard her words. It was a question I had never heard before. The sun, the sky, the moon, the stars, the forest. Or even the sea. I had heard questions about what would happen if all those things disappeared. But asking what would happen if she disappeared? It was a question I had never heard from her until now. The impact of those words led to silence.

“…….”

I looked at the woman wordlessly. What intention lay behind her words? I tried to find it, but nothing came to mind. That made it even more problematic. Because I couldn’t figure out her intention at all. So, after watching her quietly, I finally opened my mouth.

“What do you mean?”

Just what did she mean by saying that? Despite my face pretending to be indifferent, I lowered the hand that had been stroking her cheek and grabbed her wrist. It’s cold. As I slowly touched her wrist and asked, the woman laughed.

“What’s with the reaction? I was just asking.”

“If it’s ‘just,’ then don’t ask. Because it’s not something I particularly want to hear.”

“Oh? Okay.”

Hearing my words, the woman turned her head as if convinced. From then on. She never asked a question like that again. I thought that was enough, but was it really? Why did you say something like that to me? I came to realize this some time later, but… In the end, I forgot even that. Nothing remained for me.

---

I lifted my heavy eyelids. My blurry vision slowly returned, revealing an unfamiliar ceiling.

“…Kuluk.”

I cleared my throat and pushed myself up. I forced my creaking body to move. With the body I’d barely managed to prop up, I looked around. It was a small room with a somewhat musty smell.

“What the…”

Where am I? As I tried to sit up properly to check…

Jjigeun-!

“…!”

I collapsed, clutching my heart, mid-rise.

“Keok…”

It hurt like hell. The agony coming from within was intense.

“Kkeu-eu…”

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

My heart wasn’t just beating; it was pounding violently, as if trying to break free. When I tried to move my body, my muscles involuntarily cried out in pain.

‘What’s wrong with this?’

It felt like it was tearing apart. My regenerative power should have been extremely high, yet my body’s regeneration was slow. More importantly, the heart itself was the problem. It felt like the vessel inside might have cracked, as it wasn’t functioning properly.

“Kkeu-eu…”

First, I endured the pain and forced myself to move. Figuring out the situation was the priority.

‘Why am I here?’

Why did I wake up in a place like this? As I tried to recall what happened just before…

“Ah.”

It came back to me immediately. Right.

“That guy… the crow.”

I was fighting the crow. Suddenly, all sorts of life force gathered into that thing, and it changed its form. While fighting it…

“…Yarangi.”

Did Yarangi appear to save me? She pierced through dimensions and appeared, fighting the crow. And then.

“…….”

Yarangi was hit. After that, I couldn’t remember anything. What on earth happened? Enduring the pain, I went out of the room. Then, I realized where I had been lying all this time.

“This place…”

It’s unfamiliar, yet familiar. It’s familiar because I’ve been here once before. This was the Magic Gate that the Heavenly Demon opened last time. It was the space inside it. Which means…

“Keuk.”

Enduring the pain, I stepped out onto the wooden floor. That’s when I became more certain. Because the scenery I saw back then remained exactly the same. A small pond. A garden decorated beautifully, albeit slightly immaturely. Even the fields visible outside the residence. Everything I saw back then was still there. So, looking towards the fields, I headed that way. After walking for a short while, I emerged fully onto the field and looked towards the valley, where I saw the person I was looking for. Two small figures were gathered, crouching by the valley.

“…….”

I approached them. As I deliberately made my presence known while approaching, one of the figures, with light brown hair, glanced my way. When our eyes met, she froze.

‘As expected.’

Her face, now unmasked, was the same as the one I knew. Moreover, even her golden eyes were identical, so how could I not recognize her?

“…Divine Sword.”

I spoke quietly, but the woman, Yarangi, showed no change in expression. Mother had told me that she was indeed created based on the Divine Sword’s soul. However, her eyes didn’t seem to hold much emotion towards me.

“…You.”

Are you alright? I was sure she took the attack in my place back then, but Yarangi showed no signs of injury. Just as I was about to exhale in relief, considering it fortunate… The one next to her also turned their gaze towards me. It was the Heavenly Demon. She looked at me with her characteristic violet eyes. The faces of the two were identical, not different at all. Only their eye and hair colors differed; otherwise, they looked exactly the same. Seeing that, I was momentarily flustered. Even though it was something I already knew. Seeing them right in front of me made it feel even more apparent.

‘No matter how I look at it.’

It’s not something that can just end with saying they resemble each other. The two must definitely be connected. The problem was…

‘If that’s the case, then what about the Blood Demon?’

The Blood Demon claimed the Heavenly Demon was her daughter. If the Divine Sword and the Heavenly Demon are connected…

‘Then Wi Seol-ah too.’

Isn’t it right to assume she’s also connected to the Blood Demon? I frowned at this thought.

‘But the Divine Sword killed the Heavenly Demon in a past life.’

Even if connected to the Blood Demon, the Divine Sword was still the hero who ultimately killed the Heavenly Demon and saved the world. Does that mean a connection with the Blood Demon existed within that? Recalling this, I asked the Heavenly Demon.

“What happened?”

Why were Yarangi and I here? That’s what I asked. The Heavenly Demon stared fixedly at me and said in response to my question.

“I brought you.”

“…How?”

“Because you were in danger.”

“…….”

I didn’t ask who was in danger. It was obvious. Especially from the point I remembered, even if not the very end of the situation.

‘So she means she saved us.’

The Heavenly Demon saved Yarangi and me and brought us here. That’s what her words meant. Then.

“What kind of place is this…”

Just as I was about to ask again what I had asked last time…

“That’s not it.”

The Heavenly Demon cut me off. What?

“What isn’t…?”

What do you mean, ‘that’s not it’? At her sudden remark, I tilted my head, and the Heavenly Demon’s brow creased ever so slightly.

“What you want to say. That’s not it.”

“What kind of dog sh*t-“

“Thank you.”

“…!”

“That’s how you should say it.”

“…Huh.”

I let out a sharp breath. She wants me to say thank you? Me, to the Heavenly Demon? Telling me to say thank you for saving me? Dumbfounded, I glared at the Heavenly Demon, but her eyes were serious.

“…….”

Staring fixedly at her, I averted my gaze slightly and spoke.

“…Thank you.”

“Mm.”

Hearing me, the Heavenly Demon nodded. I held back a sigh. What the hell was I doing? I scratched the back of my neck. My heart still hurt. The pain didn’t subside. Enduring it, I looked back at the Heavenly Demon. What should I ask? Should I ask what this place is, like just now? Or should I ask something else? The flow had been broken, making my questions awkward. As I pondered, Yarangi and the Heavenly Demon beside me caught my eye. Looking at them, I thought. Perhaps the question I needed to ask was already decided long ago.

“Hey.”

“Yeah?”

I asked the Heavenly Demon.

“…What’s your relationship?”

What is the relationship between you two? To my direct question, asked without beating around the bush.

“Siblings.”

The Heavenly Demon answered without hesitation. Her white finger pointed towards herself.

“I’m the older sister. This one is the younger sibling.”

“…….”

Hearing that, I ran a hand down my face.

Damn it.

The fact I had hoped wasn’t true had become reality.