episode_0322

The source of magic is desire.

He elaborately unfolds his fervent longing to achieve something, as if reminiscing. And when that lament is meticulously built upon the principles of this world, it becomes a magical incantation.

Naturally, to create a proper incantation, one must clearly understand their own desires. Knowledge of the laws of nature is also required. To heal wounds, medical knowledge is needed; to make fire, basic natural science; to make gold, knowledge of gold’s composition.

Even with a clear understanding of one’s desires and the knowledge to construct the proper incantation, if the corresponding attribute mana circuit is lacking, the magic will not activate. It’s not called a scholarly pursuit of talent for nothing.

However, fervent desire creates miracles. Being able to see oneself clearly is the easiest part. New eyes open, seeing what was unseen before, leading to an understanding of the laws of nature and the completion of the incantation.

What if one yearned to make fire, but wasn’t blessed with fire mana? There’s a man who created a storm cloud with water mana and summoned lightning to create fire, no matter the cost. The reverse is similar. Knowing that nature is organically interconnected allows one to achieve anything.

My desire is immense happiness.

There is a girl who started a new life time and again, each time she died. Over tens of thousands of years, her heart has worn down again and again. Even if she closed her eyes in satisfaction, I still have much to give her.

The dead turn to aether and return to this universe. That’s the law of nature.

Furthermore, Eve’s case has a peculiar causality; left alone, it’s impossible to know where she’ll end up.

I won’t let this universe simply take Eve away.

Defying the laws of nature, that is my desire.

Countless characters float around me, pure white characters containing my dreams. I read each one carefully, without missing a single one.

The magic that brought me into this world and my mother’s final hope. A miracle that created a new life at the cost of her last life.

Leonardo recalled his old memories one by one and rewrote that miracle in characters.

Of course, it’s not a perfect reproduction. It will surely differ from the original magic my mother used. After all, a deal with the Administrator was involved.

But that’s fine. A small clue is enough. This time, it’s not like I’m trying to save Eve with my life.

The word that stands out most is “knot.” Life was a kind of enormous incantation woven from countless knots.

Causality, which could be called life itself, is similar. One’s choices and the choices of others. They are woven together into the complex knots of human relationships, creating a person’s life.

As soon as I understood the basics, Nyx overlaid advanced techniques. Their mana wavelengths intertwine, and complex incantations I wouldn’t have otherwise understood are etched into my mind.

It’s like something opened up my eyes. It felt like I took a crash course in knitting. I’m confident that I can unravel any tangled ball of yarn, now.

I immediately jumped up and ran to my bedroom.

Kwaang—!

I threw the door open so hard it nearly shattered and went inside. Yuri, who was sitting by the bedside, was startled and looked my way.

Her pupils shook violently.

“Unni…?!”, Yuri exclaimed.

“Yes. Excuse me for a moment,” I replied.

Color returned to her slightly pale face. Yuri stood up, pulling the corners of her mouth upwards.

I took her hand. It was infinitely warm, yet trembled severely. However, simply sharing the warmth for a moment restored Yuri’s composure.

“Thank you for taking care of her all this time,” I said.

“…It was my duty,” Yuri responded.

I passed Yuri and walked to my bed. A girl with pale sky-blue hair was sleeping under the pure white sheets.

It was an eternal sleep. She wasn’t breathing, her heart wasn’t beating. But it is different from death. Eve’s body is currently in a state where time has stopped.

It’s because she is tightly wrapped in aether to prevent any phenomenon from interfering with her. Within the realm I control, even time cannot flow without my permission.

Sssuuk-

I climbed onto the bed and knelt down. I lifted the pure white cotton blanket and revealed Eve’s naked body. A large hole was pierced in the center of her chest, filled with aether.

I placed my hand over Eve’s wound.

“From now on… even if I collapse, don’t touch her,” I said.

“…Yes,” replied Yuri and Nyx in unison.

“Yes…!!”

Yuri and Nyx nodded firmly. After receiving a little more of their mana, I quietly closed my eyes.

For a moment… I will go on an adventure.

. . .

A person’s life is like a small universe.

Having traveled through space, I know this well. It’s similar to when I previously saw Eve’s past through the seed of memory. Countless memories like stars form a single, massive river.

But the past I saw then was only a seed. Eve’s own life was a huge tree. The trunk, branches, and leaves were intricately intertwined.

I flew through the air to the top of that pitch-black tree. The height represents the timeline, with the top being further in the future.

In other words, the first scene I encountered was Eve’s most recent memory… her death.

“I… only… love… you…”

Eve looked at me with a bright smile. Even though it was just a scene from the past, my heart ached as if I had just experienced it.

The aether flowing from my body was filled with such emotion. I created pure white light into a sword and swung it towards that last leaf.

“Causality… Severed.”

Muyeongsingeom (無影神劍), Yeokmong (逆夢).

The pure white sword energy cut through and completely engulfed the dark leaf. Eve’s death within causality was undone.

But there was still much to do. I had to cut away all the pain Eve had endured. My sword moved relentlessly.

“Don’t apologize, you. This… is me. It’s just… the minimal atonement for the many sins I’ve committed,” I said.

I simultaneously pierced Eve’s heart and Tenebris. The moment she wielded divine power and annihilated the demon god was also mercilessly cut away.

Pasak-

This is just the beginning. There are still far too many dark leaves on the tree of causality. Countless streaks of pure white sword energy poured down upon the tree.

The world where she completely took in the demon god’s power and killed all life herself. The bloodstained Eve smiles bitterly amidst a pile of corpses.

“Causality…”

The world where she defeated the demon god and became a hero. In that peaceful world, Eve, who hadn’t obtained the most important thing, cuts her own throat.

“Severed—!!”

The world where things went so wrong that she was branded a witch and captured by the heresy inquisitors. Eve, pierced through with spears, sheds tears in the fire.

Muyeongsingeom (無影神劍).

The world where she was brutally defeated by Duke Darius. Eve’s pale sky-blue hair fell out, and her head rolled on top of it.

Yeokmong (逆夢).

I cut away and absorbed all those karmas. After making the most painful memories nonexistent, it was the branches’ turn.

The branches laden with tens of thousands of deaths. Eve’s thorny path and the life she endured with tears in her eyes.

I cut those away as well. I systematically detached the tangled branches, one by one. Without leaving a single one behind.

I’m not negating Eve’s regression. If I had been, I would have thrown everything away after cutting it.

But my sword energy made Eve’s life entirely my own. I made those tears, that pain, those agonizing nightmares entirely mine.

It’s enough for me alone to remember. Eve is finally ready to let go of the heavy burden on her back.

After cutting off all the twigs, only large ones remained. Worlds that survived quite a long time, seeing the end of everything.

Of course, there was no happy ending. Even in the world where she became a demon god, and in the world where she became a hero, Eve always ended her own life.

I flung sword energy at those thick branches. A vast world flowed into me. Countless memories eroded my mind.

“Kkeuueuk…”

I gritted my teeth. The waves of countless memories were overwhelming enough to make me lose my composure. Holding onto myself was no easy task.

But I didn’t stop. I cut away all the branches. It was my duty.

“Heoek… Heuk…”

By now, only the last trunk remained. It could be called a large pillar. I swung the sword, but the sword energy only lightly cut the bark.

It wasn’t because the tree was thick. My strength had weakened. It’s because I’m hesitating.

Although she was in an abnormal state due to being steeped in dark magic, it was the scene where she and I last walked through the royal capital together. A little higher up, she confesses that she is the princess of Ubiet and declares war on Nifrantz.

Ssagak-!

I put strength into my hand and cut again. The dark and thick tree trunk was cleanly severed.

But again, I hesitated.

The time when autumn and winter met, the second semester final exams at the Nifrantz Academy. The inter-class competition. We didn’t know each other well, but Eve was still Eve back then.

I slowly lowered my gaze. There’s a scene where she suffered under Moriarty’s grasp while I was on summer vacation. It’s a memory she didn’t tell me about.

My consciousness slowly drifted to the past. The memory of clashing in the first semester final exams. The memory of exploring the Artemis ruins together.

Eve’s memories with me were so thick and prominent. It means she had absorbed that time densely and remembered it as a happy and joyful time.

My hand, which had to cut those memories, remained frozen in mid-air.

“…Goodbye.”

I swung my sword again. I cut away everything. Every moment that twisted Eve.

Chut-

Eve staring intently at my face from the carriage.

Jeojeok-

Eve fidgeting with my hand at the bar.

Jjaeng-gwang—!!

Eve grabbing my collar from the very first moment of our meeting, unable to properly manage her muddled mind.

I shattered every scene.

Hundreds of millions of sword energies cut away the entire tree of causality. I had accomplished everything.

The tens of thousands of regressions in Eve’s causality were undone. Only a tiny sprout remained.

When she opens her eyes, she will probably remember the moment she returned from Adam’s adventure as her last memory.

Naturally… I will forget as well.

As soon as I ended the incantation, my consciousness returned to reality. Tier, who had somehow appeared, was casting the resurrection magic on Eve’s body.

Since her body no longer carries the causality of death, the saintess’s healing magic is sufficient to revive her. As if proving my thoughts, the girl with pale sky-blue hair slowly opened her eyes.

And… she looked at me.

“Wh… Where am I…?”