episode_0200

The brilliance born from the girl illuminates the city. It burns away the nightmare-like despair and delivers a spark of hope. The Dawn Keeper who commanded evil. The woman is pierced straight through. A single ray of splendor soon becomes the dawn that burns brightly. It was pure starlight.

Blinding flash! The dazzling pure white folds away the night. The night, folded like a sheet of paper, reveals the morning on its other side. Even the deep-seated nightmare slowly fades. The pitch-black mist drifts away, and the lit landscape fills the kingdom. Following this, the people who had fallen asleep in the city one by one begin to regain consciousness. Even the land, contaminated by demonic energy, is purified.

-Still, will you forgive me? The light did not burn its surroundings. Instead, it illuminated the shadows and enveloped life with warm colors. A light that no longer hurt or saddened others. Instead, a star that became someone’s home, or comfort. Neria had escaped her dreadful fate. Furthermore, she embarked on the path she wished to walk. Instead of burning the world, she chose to become a morning that embraced it. The girl’s name was neither monster nor traitor. Neria Lightni. She was the lamplighter of dawn.

“……” Meanwhile. In one corner of the city, an old man looked up at the sky. He was gazing at the meteors pouring down from the ceiling. His golden eyes held a hidden depth. The old man’s name was the Sovereign. He was the master of this city.

“Is that so.” Had he just woken from the nightmare? The old man was somewhat disheveled. However, his gaze fixed on the ceiling was clear. More precisely… it was the trace of the girl who had floated high enough to touch the ceiling. Neria floated in the sky at the very center of the kingdom, like a single star. So that her light would reach every part of the city without fail.

“……Beautiful.” A soliloquy muttered inadvertently. Just as the Sovereign mused, the morning star that had risen underground was beautiful. To the extent that even the darkness pierced by the rays of light now seemed enchanting. The old man, who had been lost in thought for a while, smiled. It was a smile tinged with bitterness.

-Child, filled with all kinds of malice. -You were born with the fate of misfortune, and you will surely burn your surroundings pure white. -Please do not wish for happiness from the outside world. Lingering in his ears was the prophecy he had left behind. Words he had whispered to Neria, who was trapped behind iron bars. But at this moment, the Sovereign had no choice but to admit it. The fact that his prophecy was wrong.

“She has grown well… far more than I expected.” The old man recalled the past. To recall, it was the memory of the day he first met the girl. A child wandering the snowy plains, completely battered. A monster. A loner. The moment their gazes met, the Sovereign read destruction in Neria’s eyes. He was certain that she would surely become a calamity that would later burn the continent. Therefore, he concluded that she must be suppressed.

“Was I wrong, then.” But. The girl had strayed far from the old man’s expectations. Instead of a calamity that would burn the continent, she became a star that illuminated the dawn. What brought about such a result was none other than the narrow-eyed boy. The Sovereign chewed over his old monologue.

“I’ve done something regrettable.” To whom? There wasn’t even a footnote to the old man’s words. As if feeling nostalgic, he simply fiddled with the rosary in his pocket. Perhaps the aftereffects of the nightmare still lingered, as his complexion remained subdued. Subsequently, the Sovereign reflected on a scene that flashed in an instant. A memory from a rather distant past.

-Your Eminence, Cardinal. The voice of a young child. The old man recalled the girl’s gaze, which was slowly fading. It held questions filled with resentment and doubt. His brow furrowed for a moment.

-Is even this, God’s will? His wrinkled hand gripped the cross tightly. Unlike usual, the atmosphere was quietly subdued. A bitter smile on his lips. “……” The Sovereign simply rose from his seat. An adult, whose true thoughts no one could know. The old man exhaled.

***

Meanwhile. While things were being resolved outside, I was spending time in the nightmare. As I had been consistently observing, Neria had finally overcome her trauma. Accepting the part of herself she so detested, and even becoming a star. The journey that began on a distant winter day had reached its end. I felt a heartwarming sense of pride.

‘That’s a relief.’ Although it was a setup designed for her from the start, I hadn’t expected her to overcome it so magnificently. Because I knew how difficult it was to shake off past sorrows. The current scene proved how agonizing that struggle could be. I held a faint smile.

Soon, an innocent voice was heard. “Oppa!” Before my eyes, an angel clad in white. Her shy smile was purer than anything in the world. To the extent that I found myself wishing I could never let go of this moment I held. Of course, I couldn’t. Because every moment must eventually come to an end. With complex emotions, I stroked my sister’s head. It was a warm and cozy body temperature.

“Were you okay today? You didn’t cry, did you?” “Mm-hm…! I had fun playing with Nurse Unnie!” “You’re amazing.” “Hehe! Because I promised Oppa.” “Who do you take after to be so admirable?” “Mm-hm! I take after Oppa!”

The dream scene replayed. Perhaps it was because of Neria’s starlight, which was falling. The clear boundaries of the nightmare were slowly collapsing. That must mean it was almost time to wake up. I looked down at my sister one last time. Inside, a few words of monologue flowed.

‘Regret.’ That short arrangement of letters sometimes hurt more than scars pierced by cold weapons. Because throughout my previous life, you were the only regret I had from that time. Perhaps it was a natural sentiment. Days I hadn’t forgotten for a single day.

‘I should have kept more promises, had more conversations…’ I should have stayed by your side longer, told you I loved you more. The bygone days merely remained like ink smudged on fingertips. No longer staining, yet permanently stained and unerasable. Such deep feelings were called lingering regret.

I gently moved closer. “Oppa?” It was truly time to return to reality now. So, I wanted to convey words, even within this nightmare. The heart of a pathetic liar, which you couldn’t hear. I embraced the angel.

“Oppa is sorry.” The approaching end. At that time, I couldn’t stay by your side. Because I was wandering from construction site to construction site, trying to earn hospital fees. Perhaps it was because my battery was low at the time, but I couldn’t receive the hospital’s call either. That’s how you left lonely in a hospital room without me. Only after everything was over did I face you in the mortuary. You, who were now dressed not in a patient gown, but in white funeral clothes. Your hand, which I had quietly held, was chillingly cold. Unlike now, you weren’t alive.

“Oppa…?” I probably wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, ever. Because I gave you terrible loneliness and your final moments. So, you too… “I hope you don’t forgive me.” Even in this situation, no tears came. I was simply recalling the warmth in my arms. Was it because my emotions had withered? Or perhaps.

“I love you, my sister.” Before my thoughts could fully form, I parted my lips. At the same time, the scene before my eyes began to split apart. The nightmare, cracking like a broken mirror. “……!” My sister’s reply could be heard beyond it, but I turned away. Perhaps I lacked the courage to hear it. I closed my eyes as my consciousness faded. Swallowing a deep sense of loss. ‘Forever.’ Just like that, I escaped the nightmare.

***

Starlight also fell upon the kingdom. Along with the faded darkness, consciousness awakened. The city maintained a bright landscape, to the extent that the term ‘underground’ became meaningless.

“Awake, are you?” The first to greet me upon waking was the Sovereign, who had also lost consciousness beside me. He was sitting on a bench in the plaza, looking up at the sky. A scene of stars clearly descending.

“When did you wake up?” “Quite a while ago. While you were merrily sprawled out, fast asleep.” “Perhaps it’s because you’re old and frail, but it seems your nighttime sleep has disappeared too.” “What insolence from a young friend. Well, it’s not entirely wrong though.” “It looks like… the kingdom has returned to its original state.” “Yes, everything has returned to normal.”

The city had regained its original light. One by one, people rose from the streets. Although it was still a place full of debris, it was better now that the darkness had lifted. The Sovereign’s royal guard, who must have been asleep somewhere, also gathered in the plaza. They all looked quite a mess, but at least none of them were dead. I turned my gaze.

“Master-nim…!” Following that, the girl ran from the end of the plaza. Her silver hair fluttered in the backdraft. At the center of her delicate steps, a pure white starlight shimmered. Because of this, Neria exuded a radiant presence simply by existing. She was just that beautiful.

“Oh.” I gently received her rushing body. With the unique warmth of starlight, Neria’s body was glowing. To the point that the word ‘winter’ no longer suited her. Tear tracks remained on her cheeks. It was a trace of her triumph.

“Master-nim… I, I…” Perhaps it was because of her heightened emotions. Neria, who could hardly finish her sentences. To calm her, I embraced the girl’s shoulders. Because there was plenty of time to talk, I whispered. Patting her slender back with my hand.

“You’ve worked hard, Neria-yang.” The sky was no longer black. The morning star, which had feared light, finally found its own calling. As if to illuminate the nightmare and loneliness of an eternal moment. The girl was no longer a loner.