Chapter 28 – Awakening

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People listened to my words, falling into a brief silence.  Their expressions still held hesitation and fear, a lingering doubt in their belief. But it was fleeting.  From one side of the square, someone quietly began to clap. It was a young girl.  The clapping, starting from her small hands, grew louder, spreading to others.

“We… believe you!” the girl cried out.

As if that was a signal, the villagers nodded one by one, looking at each other.  Hesitation vanished from their faces. They seemed to have decided to trust me. Following the girl’s cry, other voices echoed.

“We will stand with you!”

“Please save this world!”

“We believe in you, hero!”

The villagers’ cries grew louder, their energy vibrating in the air. I could feel their faith reaching me. It was warm, intense, and strengthening me.

Claire approached me, saying, “Eli, is this really happening? Can you really be the hope of these people?”

I looked at her and smiled faintly. “I know it doesn’t make sense. But Claire, do we have any other choice? If we’re going to find the truth and gain freedom in this world, someone has to take the lead.”

She looked at me for a moment, then sighed. “Alright. Then I’ll watch your back.  I won’t let you fall.”

Selena stepped forward and said, “Then it’s time to act. The villagers’ faith has been gathered sufficiently. But to change this world based on that faith, we need the next step.”

I looked at her and asked, “The next step? What is it?”

Selena said with a serious expression, “Finding the ‘heart’ of the higher beings. It is the center of the power controlling this world, and the only key to weakening their power.”

Edric nodded and added, “Deep within this village, there is a clue to that heart. But to find it, you must be able to fully wield the hero’s power.”

“Fully wield…” I muttered unconsciously. Two different powers were still swirling within me.  The sacred energy, the holy power, and the hero’s power.  They weren’t perfectly harmonized, but I felt them gradually finding balance.

“What should I do?” I asked Selena. “To fully wield this power, what do I need to do?”

Selena looked straight at me and said firmly, “Trust yourself. And accept that this power is not just for you, but for everyone. That’s the only way you can become a hero.”

I took a deep breath after hearing her words. Until now, I was afraid of the power within me. I feared it would consume me. But now I knew. This power wasn’t just mine. This power belonged to everyone who believed in me, everyone who fought with me.

“Okay,” I nodded. “Then I’ll try.”

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Guided by Edric, we headed deep into the village.  Beneath the old temple in the center of the village was a passage that had been hidden for a long time. The passage was dark and damp, with ancient patterns and carvings etched everywhere. It showed that this was no ordinary place.

“This is a sanctuary created by past heroes.” Edric said quietly. “Clues about the higher beings and their heart will be here.”

I listened to him and slowly moved forward. When we reached the end of the passage, we stood before a huge door. The door was engraved with complex patterns and letters, with a shining bead embedded in the center.

“Only a hero can open this door.” Edric said.

I looked at him and slowly approached the door. When I raised my hand to the shining bead, the two powers within me reacted intensely. The holy power and the hero’s power harmonized and transmitted to the door, and the door slowly began to open.

What appeared as the door opened was a vast space. In the center of the space stood a giant crystal, emitting intense energy. It was the heart of the higher beings.

“That…” I muttered. “That’s the heart?”

Selena nodded. “Yes. That is the source of the higher beings’ power. And to destroy it, you need your power.”

I took a deep breath. Everything felt like it was prepared for this moment. And I decided. I would accept this power and change this world.

“Okay,” I muttered softly. “Let’s end this.”

I gripped the sword in my hand tightly and slowly walked towards the heart of the higher beings.

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I approached the heart, sword in hand, step by step. The holy power and the hero’s power within me were violently mixing, resonating with the intense energy emanating from the heart. Everything seemed prepared for this moment. But something was wrong.

The more I walked, the fainter my surroundings became. The giant crystal I believed to be the heart was becoming blurry and losing its shape.  Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my head.

“Ugh!” I couldn’t bear the pain and knelt down.

“Eli! What’s wrong?” Claire tried to rush over, but her figure was also fading. As if even she didn’t exist in this place.

“What… is this?” I whispered weakly in pain. My surroundings were already shrouded in darkness. All the light disappeared, leaving only an empty void.

At that moment, a cold voice cut through the air.

“You’ve finally awakened.”

I turned towards the voice, but saw nothing.  But it was familiar. So familiar it made me tremble with disgust.

“Noah…” I gritted my teeth and called his name.

“That’s right,” his voice held a sneer. “Since you believed all this was real, you were able to drag it out for quite a while. But that’s all. This was just an illusion. While you were trapped in my laboratory, I watched how foolishly you would move.”

I clutched my head and shouted. “It’s a lie! My journey here was real! The villagers, their faith… everything was real!”

His laughter echoed. “That’s the truth you wanted to see. But reality is different. Everything you encountered was an illusion I created. The power dwelling in your body, the situation that made you believe you were a ‘hero’, it was all my manipulation.”

I couldn’t believe his words. But the emptiness around me proved it was true. Everything seemed to be collapsing.

“So… what do you want?” I gritted my teeth and asked. “Why are you doing this?”

Noah’s voice was full of cold mockery. “What I want is simple. Just ‘cleaning up’ this world.  Breaking down the control of the higher beings and creating a new order. Someone like you is just an interesting subject for experimentation in that process.”

I clenched my fists as I listened to his words. “While you deny the higher beings like that… in the end, you’re trying to control this world just like them!”

His voice paused for a moment. Then, he sighed and said, “Not control, but establishing balance. But it’s no use trying to persuade me here. You’re just a part of my plan.”

“Damn it…” I gritted my teeth and vowed to myself. ‘Then I have to break this illusion. I have to escape from here to find the truth.’

I gathered the power within me. The holy power and the hero’s power were still surging within me, but now it didn’t feel fake.  It was still mine. Something I had to overcome.

“Noah.” I called him in a low voice. “No matter how strong your illusion is, you can’t break my will. As long as I’m alive, I won’t let a guy like you ruin this world.”

His voice was full of mockery. “Interesting words. Then try it. But even if you escape from here, everything will go as I planned.”

Ignoring his words, I began to explode the power within me. The holy power and the hero’s power fused, emitting an intense light. The light filled the void and grew stronger. The surrounding darkness began to shake, and Noah’s voice grew fainter.

“This…!” Noah’s voice trembled. “You… resisting this much…!”

“I’ll finish you, Noah!” I shouted, exploding the light even more intensely.

Then, everything disappeared as my vision turned white.

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When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a cold metal bed.  The surroundings were a cold laboratory. Noah’s illusion was gone, but the reality of his laboratory still confined me.

“This is where the real fight begins…” I muttered softly and stood up.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Humming birds are cool.

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