image [https://i.ibb.co/ZYWgKTT/Our-Episode-8-5.jpg"]
⌏▫☆ Hwang Eunha◆▫. ¸
⁛ Origin Year 138, 1st of Tsuyu
In a Cartesian coordinate system, no matter where you are located in the z-axis, the distance to move from the origin point back to itself is the same for both the x- and y-axis.
Or explained simply, if you plant a flag on DaHong’s restaurant, and then travel in a straight line for a great distance, you would eventually come back to it.
Though, that’s if you actually had the audacity to travel a meaningless 400 kilometres.
For celestial objects like the stars, sun and moon, they are located on a different plane of existence. So no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to approach them unless humanity somehow learns how to traverse through the dimensions.
Now, with the general geographic understanding in place, let’s move on to date and time.
Second Eden’s calendar, known as Origin, operates similarly to that of Earth’s Christian calendar. Both of which follow a 12-month cycle system.
However, unlike Earth where different regions experience different seasons at different times, here, no matter which stratum or region you are present at, seasons change in unison.
The 12 months of Origin are arranged to match the season.
Three months of spring: Hana, Yǔ, Haru.
Three months of summer: Sǒng, Tsuyu, GuYu.
Three months of autumn: Bong, Mina, Chǒng.
Three months of winter: Kaede, Dōng, Dal.
The year starts at Hana and ends at Dal. Each month has 38 days, except the month of Mina which has 37 days. Like the month of February, an additional day is added to Mina during a leap year to adjust for the awkward seasonal timings.
The day-night cycle remains the same at 24 hours, with every 60 minutes representing an hour.
Okay, that’s done. Next subject.
I believe there are many questions regarding the mysterious material we refer to as ‘prana’.
On the periodic table, Prana is a material which is placed in a completely separate category of elements. The main reason for that is in large prana’s unique property to move energy through the fourth dimension. It’s a material that exists between the boundaries of the third and fourth dimensions.
Molecular kinetic energy (100%) -> General kinetic energy (~102%)
Remember this formula?
While it’s often said that prana is an infinite energy source, the truth is actually much more complicated.
Using a technical explanation, prana transfers energies between different dimensional planes. And it just so happens that the prana in our world steals energy from other dimensions, or put otherwise, from another world.
However, there is such a thing known as a prana-isotope which does the reverse: stealing energy from our world and sending it elsewhere. Disappointing as it may sound, this prana-isotope is essential in keeping the balance of the dimensional energy in check. So no point crying over the lie of infinite energy.
In essence, Prana doesn’t exactly convert one kind of kinetic energy to another. The more accurate explanation is that it exchanges energy between dimensions. And it’s this disproportionate exchange which creates the illusion that prana generates infinite energy.
Weird right? To think that energy follows the law of conservation even when we can generate an almost infinite amount of it.
Anyway, here’s more trivia.
When comparing the world of Second Eden to the world where a ‘Galaxy’ houses the ‘Solar System’ that houses ‘Earth’, I can’t help but think that Rize and Kenji came from a very unique world.
It’s been 138 years since the first humans became incarcerated in Second Eden. While much of civilization has found its way back to stability, insidious dangers still threaten our existence.
The demonica… or demons.
An infection-like condition which turns healthy marine life into demonic creatures. These ‘demonica’ then develop a voracious appetite to propagate and kill.
The war between mankind and demonica has lasted more than a century. The current balance will eventually tip towards the side of the demonica if no permanent solution is found to put things to an end.
Eradication, or suppression. Operation Sink—a world-scale undertaking to sink every island in the Zeroth Stratum. In that, it creates a dead zone for all living things between Hell’s Gate and the First Stratum, reducing the potential for demonica to advance upwards.
XiaoLe warned of the First Cataclysm’s arrival in two years' time. Origin Year 140.
If Operation Sink isn’t complete by then, well…
I no longer have any capacity to contribute.
Honestly, there’s no point in thinking about it, even if I know of the telltale fate of humanity.
My presence would only do harm so I guess I shouldn’t even bother anymore.
I’m sure it’ll be alright.
It’s Kenji and XiaoLe we’re talking about after all.
I’m sure they’ll win.
.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*☆▫.-⌎
I have two names.
Hwang EunHa, the girl who was dead to the world, but not in flesh.
And, Tatsuki EiYun. A name given to bridge the gap between life and death, a gift from my step-mom.
It had been about three months since I left those painful days behind. This new lease in life, an opportunity to start all over.
“Uwahh—so cold.”
“…”
All because of this young girl who just couldn’t let go of me.
“Mwu…”
“Mom… enough cuddling.”
I call her ‘mom’ only when the two of us are alone.
I just woke up, so I don’t know the details of how she slipped into my futon and turned me into a bolster.
I pinched her marshmallow cheeks.
“Mom, I’m not an ice pack, let go of me.”
Looking at her so up-close, her velvet-black hair actually reflected somewhat brown from the light scattering into the room. Her fluttery eyes were squinted tight. She had a button nose, rosy cheeks, and a roundish chin for a face.
As for her body, I suppose it was best described as lithe and childlike. And yes, let's not forget, her height was rather disappointing.
For a 12-year-old girl, she’s quite above average in terms of cuteness and charm, but I swear when I’m complimenting her beauty, I’m not implying that I swing ‘that way’.
A sigh leaked from my lips.
“Wake up.”
“Mwu.”
I shook her hard. Yet the girl responded by tightening her arms around me.
“God damn…”
I tried prying her off with force.
And it seemed to do the trick as she suddenly raised her head to look at me.
Beautiful radiant eyes shone in gold; for a moment I saw someone else in her eyes.
“…Eh?”
“Huh?”
We uttered confusingly in unison.
Mom quickly moved away and placed her index finger on her nose. She then looked at me.
“Did I just do that?”
“Why… yes?”
What... is she doing?
“That’s unusual. I think this is the first time in a while since this happened.”
She said, clenching and releasing her fists in repetition as if checking on something.
Tatsuki Rize, the Black Siren—my step-mom. She was the girl who adopted me illegally the day I was supposed to die.
“Are you alright…?”
I asked.
“I’m fine. I just… lost consciousness, for a bit.”
I didn’t know what was bothering her, and clearly didn’t understand what exactly she meant by ‘lost consciousness’.
Still, she was the pillar of my life. So to see her hesitate like this made me feel slightly anxious.
¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*
Tsuyu (つゆ) means “plum rain” in Japanese.
It’s the fifth month of Origin Year 138. Today marks the start of the hottest season of the year.
Where I’m at, New Hangul, the people were not spared from the disastrous heat.
Under the hot sun, we traversed the streets as porters. Accompanying us were bags and cold boxes filled with various items.
“Aren’t you even sweating?”
“Me? A little.”
I responded to the red-haired lady with womanly charm, Akane-san.
She’s a marine biologist, and in the works of completing a secret research project involving me—a Nereid. Extra points to how her squarish glasses added a flair of perceptiveness to her otherwise graceless demeanour.
“How are you not even breaking a sweat? It’s hard enough to walk in the heat like this…”
Akane-san fanned herself with her clothes, her face flush with beads of sweat clinging to her skin. That was even as she shaded herself with one of the few paper umbrellas she was in charge of carrying.
“I’m burning prana.”
While most people dreaded the scorching heat, the temperature felt nice when it warmed my cold body. I was a ‘hypothetical Nereid’ after all.
I thought she would appreciate my remark for additional insights into her research, but instead, she turned to me with an ever more despairing look. Was she jealous by chance?
“What are you two talking about…?”
Rize-chan, who carried a big bag of light bulbs, called out.
“Nothing.”
“Hm…”
“Hey, boss, where exactly did you say our stall is again?”
DaHong interrupted.
The big cold boxes and heavy coffee machine artefact were being pushed by him on the wheeled trolley.
As of recently, his weight seemed to have come down. His muscle tone was more apparent, and roundish cheeks were now more squared. My impression of his appearance changed a lot in these short few months. The fact that his frame could slim down so rapidly is quite a mysterious phenomenon really.
Physique aside, he had fairly brown skin with curly black hair. I give it a generally positive evaluation.
“Our zone number is 24. It’s further in.”
Rize-chan reminded.
“H-Hey… can we take a break? I’m going to die of heat stroke.”
And lastly, we had YiChen. She too, like DaHong, was pushing a trolley. But on hers were heavy furniture pieces like tables and chairs.
“Akane-san, you and YiChen-chan swap places.”
Rize-chan demanded.
“Haah?! What?”
“Don’t be a lazy bum and help.”
“Aren’t I already helping by carrying the umbrellas?”
Akane-san looked at Rize-chan as if she’d gone mad.
“You could always put them on the trolley and push it from there, or at least help give shade to pitiful YiChen-chan.”
Roused by Rize-chan’s words, DaHong and YiChen took the opportunity to open fire.
“I think you’re the one who has it ‘too fair’.”
“Yeah! It’s not fair that you’re the only one with an umbrella! We’re dying from the heat out here!”
Akane-san had it rough.
“Damn you…!”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-
YiChen and DaHong went to rest in a nearby restaurant. Some of the supplies were temperature-sensitive, and so they brought those along with them. Meanwhile, Akane-san and I, who carried the decorative articles followed Rize-chan all the way to the site where we would set up shop.
The basic structure of the stall had already been built. That was because Rize-chan and I came a few days before to work on it.
If we wanted it easy, we could’ve just rented one of those convenient wheeled stands. However, Rize-chan wanted something special, after all, we would be working here for the next month. Plus, we had to stand out to compete, so the project turned into building an entire miniature boutique.
From Rize-chan’s shadow, a bunch of building supplies emerged. Totalled, they probably weighed in at more than a few dozen kilograms. It was much more than the sum of everything we carried by hand.
“This…”
Akane-san’s eyes twitched.
“Haahh, finally.”
Rize-chan massaged her shoulders as if to show how hard she had worked.
“…”
And honestly, I couldn’t deny it. Even if it was some usual magic, it’s undeniable that Rize-chan alone carried more than we all did.
“Akane-san, you can put the umbrella and chairs over there. Eun-chan, just leave the coffee machine somewhere in the shade. Let’s meet up with the rest.”
.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*☆▫.-⌎
The month of Tsuyu also marks the start of the Skyward Solstice Food Festival, a month-long event of merry feasts to bless the abundant harvest.
It's an event Rize-chan had been looking forward to ever since she and I arrived in New Hangul.
For all of us, including Rize-chan, this would be our first experience participating as a seller in a food festival as opposed to being the consumer.
Statistic-wise, business at the restaurant would fall at around this time of year. So while DaHong’s restaurant would still operate as usual, some of the manpower would be allocated to help with the festival booth.
Those involved in the project will have their sleep schedule slightly altered as we will operate from 5 pm to 12 midnight. I was among those who would play an important role in making the project a success, so there was no escape for me.
YiChen and two other waitresses from DaHong’s restaurant volunteered to join us. All three of them had, under Rize’s tutelage, been taught how to brew coffee using the coffee machine artefact.
We still had time before the festival officially started in the evening. So, while waiting for time to pass, we had lunch.
Rize pushed her fork into the plate of spaghetti. She spun the fork, sauce flew everywhere—and hit her face.
“Geh.”
Rize-chan faked a cough. DaHong silently pushed the tissue box towards her.
“Thank you.”
“Hahahaha—kekh."
Akane-san burst out laughing so hard that she had to take a tissue to cover her entire face.
“Don’t bully my mom Akane-san.”
I said with a sigh.
“All I did was laugh, didn’t I? How is that bullying?”
If laughing over others' misfortune isn’t bullying, I don’t know what is.
“Right, why exactly are you here in the first place? Are you going to be the store mascot or something?”
YiChen asked, sending an awe-inspiring gaze towards Akane-san.
“Mascot? No way—”
“She’s going to be our waiter.”
“Hey!”
Akane-san slapped DaHong’s back.
“What did I ever do wrong? If you aren’t going to be the mascot, what are you?”
“Every project necessitates a pilot test. And that’s exactly what I’m here for, to provide quality assurance per Rize-chan’s request.”
Per Rize-chan’s request huh? How come I’ve never heard about it then?
The bickering between them went on like that for quite a bit. Close as they were, I didn’t think Akane-san and DaHong’s relationship was so prickly.
It was only after our food that we started taking things a little more seriously. Rize-chan took over the attention of the table and gave a brief rundown on our individual roles. The meeting felt like it lasted for around 20 minutes.
“Any questions before we head out?”
She asked, before concluding everything.
“Not any particularly… DaHong?”
YiChen glanced over at him.
“No. We’ll see how the first day goes and make adjustments.”
DaHong closed the restaurant early today to help us out just for today.
He was the head chef of his own diner, so he couldn’t just leave the restaurant unattended. Moreover, this was Rize-chan’s project, he was only there to support her.
As this was the first day, we had a lot we needed to figure out. Would the stall light up properly? How about the working space, will it be too cramped? Would the supplies be enough? Do we have enough manpower? When is the peak of the festival? What are the unexpected issues that would occur?
Just like a pre-war strategy meeting, it’s impossible to completely predict all gaps in a dynamic situation. But at least in this scenario, no one’s life was at stake.
“Don’t look at me, I’m not involved. I only came to try out the brew. Quality assurance.”
Akane-san shrugged.
“Haven’t you had enough coffee the past few days…?”
Even if those cups of coffee she drank were the prototypes, I swear she had at least thirty cups in the past week.
“The environment is an independent variable to the taste, no?”
“How scientific.”
DaHong remarked sarcastically.
“What? I’m just giving my honest two cents?!”
Akane-san looked like she was offended by his reaction—it didn’t mean she actually was.
“Fine, fine—then it’s settled, the first sample of coffee will be yours.”
Rize-chan stood up and banged her fist on the table.
“Let’s all do our best everyone!”
“...Hooray…”
Only YiChen’s monotone cheer resounded; the rest of us stared in silence at the new spaghetti stain which had made it's home on her face.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that? We haven’t even started, don’t go off dying in front of me already?!”
No one was dying.
I grabbed a tissue and wiped her cheeks while holding in a chuckle.
“Oh…”
With a boss so clumsy, I wonder what kind of chaos awaits us.
¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*
“Mn, the takoyaki you made is not bad, EiYun-san.”
“Thanks.”
I took a seat to watch Akane-san eat.
With one hand she stabbed the toothpick into the next octopus ball. With the other, she fanned herself with the collar of her clothes.
Then abruptly, she paused and looked at me with an almost glaring stare.
“You’re still not sweating?”
She asked. I looked at myself.
“Well, no.”
Compared to the physical responsibilities I had to perform in the military, this was nothing.
Prana converts the kinetic energy of heat, into kinetic energy of movement. All I needed to do was ignite the prana in my body to cool off. I have to be conscious of it though.
Ah, maybe that’s why they died… oh shut up brain. Anyway, as a ‘Nereid’, the summer months were the best.
Akane-san took out a miniature prana measurement device.
“…EiYun-san, come here.”
“What now…”
I showed her my arm, and she pressed it against my skin.
“25.6 Joules per second. Hm, so bioprana makes physical activity easier huh…”
Akane-san mumbled to herself.
“What bioprana?”
“Bio-quack*?! When did you get here?”
YiChen—who caused Akane-san to jump, appeared from behind the counter.
“You’re experimenting with EiYun-chan again… come on, we’re busy.”
YiChen placed the tray of coffee samples on the counter in front of Akane-san. She was about to turn away but seeing the mysterious tech in her hands, curiosity got the better judgement.
“Hey, try that on me too, I want to see what numbers I get.”
YiChen showed Akane-san her forearm.
“Eh, ah…”
Akane-san uttered in an almost broken manner.
Measurements were done on YiChen just like how it was performed on me. Then trying to hide the result,
“Yours is … 13.2 Joules.”
“Really? What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t mean anything… I mean, it’s the normal range.”
A blatant lie. YiChen didn’t seem to find it suspicious though.
“Oh, okay. By the way, EiYun-chan, I’ll leave it to you okay? Make sure she finishes every last drop.”
YiChen said with a stern expression as she left. There were about seven cups of coffee on the tray she brought earlier.
Akane-san looked at the lot with a blank expression.
“You heard her. Every last drop.”
I said.
“What the…?! This is so bitter.”
“Good luck.”
“No, what?! There’s no way I can finish so many!”
I leaned against the counter and watched her struggle with a smile.
-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-
Akane-san gave the approval after tasting one sip of each coffee item—more like, she was just trying to find a way to escape death.
“Now, we just have to make sure to not rush. Quality over quantity everyone!”
Rize gave a short spiel in celebration of the grand opening of…
She actually went with that tagline… crazy.
The day grew dark just as we finished with the final preparations. I was relieved that the unique light setup for our stall functioned without issue. And thus, we became one among the hundreds of festive lights which make up the festival.
It wasn't long before the crowd began swarming in.
I wasn’t sure if it was because of Rize’s PR, or the tagline of the stall that blatantly took advantage of her accolades but… thanks to it, we received a shit ton of customers. An abnormal proportion of them were soldiers, which made me wonder if they bought the drink to pull an all-nighter.
The few tables we set up in front of the store had to be completely removed at one point. We initially thought having an open-seat concept would provide space for the customers to enjoy their coffee. However, the massive crowding led to confusion, and conflict even. We were forced to resort to this otherwise substandard decision.
Various smells could be discerned from the bustling festival, but at the grill, the smell of pipping hot takoyaki took up most of my attention.
“Eun-chan, you alright?”
“Ah, yes, I’m fine.”
Takoyaki and coffee,
“We’re running out of mayonnaise, can you go grab it at the cold box? I’ll hold out for ya.”
“Got it.”
I left the grill after flipping two more takoyaki balls over on its side.
Even with the coffee machine artefact mom brought over, YiChen and the other two waitresses struggled to keep pace with the influx of orders.
The cold box was located behind the stall. I reached into the cold box and found the extra mayonnaise. It was the last bottle though.
“We’re really burning through the resource.”
I unconsciously wiped the sweat from my body.
“Huh?”
I realized I had unconsciously stopped burning my prana. With an environment so humid and busy, it’s no wonder my body was sweating.
Though I suppose… it doesn’t feel so bad. I decided to enjoy the heat.
“DaHong, I got it.”
I waved the mayonnaise squeeze container at him.
“Should’ve told you that we’re running out of bonitos too.”
“Eh?”
“Nevermind, I’ll go get it it.”
He left me to handle the grill alone.
Crazy hectic. Well, can’t help it.
I glanced out to the crowd, Rize-chan was managing the line while entertaining the customers. She was there to alleviate the long waiting time and prevent disasters from happening again... I guess.
The next order—a six-piece set, original flavour. I arranged the crisp brown takoyakis into the paper box, spread mayonnaise and Rize’s special teriyaki sauce, adding katsuobushi and nori to garnish the top.
“Order for number 83, Mr... Hyeon?”
For a moment I thought I got the wrong name, but no, he actually came. I was surprised to see him here.
“Right on the money. Here, thank you.”
He handed me the cash.
“Thank you. So, where’s SuBin and ChaDong?”
I asked as I counted the money.
“They’re already asleep. I thought to come out to take a break and enjoy myself for a bit.”
“I hope you enjoy your time then.”
A feeling of bittersweet guilt swelled as I passed him the change.
“Keep up the good work, EiYun.”
“I will. You too sir, enjoy the festival!”
Cherish your life.
I was reminded of the promise.
He melted into the crowd as I waved goodbye. Wiping the sweat from my forehead, I took in a few deep breaths to settle myself.
“Alright.”
I can’t give up here.
Not when I've been given so much.
DaHong came back with a fresh batch of katsuobushi—bonito flakes.
“You look spirited.”
He said.
“Haha. Yeah, right, as if... all in a day’s work.”
“All in a day’s work indeed.”
He said with a smirk.
As we resumed flipping the next batch of orders, DaHong then added,
“I think I’ll send Chow to help you starting tomorrow. I don’t think you can handle the grill alone seeing how busy the place is.”
“That would be helpful.”
In a concerted effort of cooperation, we worked in an almost robotic manner to resolve the order that just kept coming.
Until the last customer in line went—I busted out into laughter.
“EiYun?”
“Ah, no. It’s just…”
My current situation was quite ridiculous, wasn’t it?
The day I promised the world its salvation—three months ago. As I reflected back on that day, I was able to see just how foolishly smitten I was by my obsessive behaviour.
The marriage with Kenji was arranged to protect me. It was done to force me out of the military, and to give up on my life’s purpose.
But because I couldn’t accept that reality, I sabotaged the marriage and thought death would’ve been a better option.
How ironic it was that, three months later, I would be here flipping takoyakis on a grill. I’ve given up on my mission to save the world, yet it turns out that I’m fine without it? To think how blind I could be to so much...
And how narrow-minded my past self was.
“…Thank you for today, DaHong.”
I said with a conscious smile.
He looked at me slightly stunned.
“…Likewise. Thanks for your help.”
He nodded. Then picking up his drink from the side, he gulped the rest down.
“It’s going to be tiring, but don’t drink too so much coffee late at night. It’s seriously unhealthy.”
He said, giving the cup he drank a disgusted look.
I laughed.
“It’s alright. I don’t like coffee.”
.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*☆▫.-⌎
“It seems I came just in time.”
Her scarcely heard voice seized my entire identity.
I wasn’t sure if she came approaching the store at this particular time on purpose, or by chance.
Mom and DaHong just happened to leave to run a quick grocery dash. We had to restock on necessary supplies, I was left behind to manage the store and...
“Good evening, Major Wang.”
“Good evening, Ms. EiYun.”
Her appearance was as disconcerting as ever.
She came still in her uniform. With black bags under her toxic purple eyes and ominous spectre-colour hair. It made me wonder if a woman like herself slept anywhere other than the office.
She pointed at one of the items on the menu without saying a word.
“An Americano and 4-set takoyaki.”
So to confirm her order, I read out the text.
She raised her gaze to look at me, my spine stiffened.
“Is anything wrong with my order?”
She spoke with a soft lisp, yet to me, her voice felt like a cannonball. As if one misstep and I’d splatter into bits.
“N-No. I’ll settle it right away.”
“You’re obedient, unlike a certain someone.”
She said with a chuckle.
I maintained a poker face as I arranged the takoyaki into a paper box. YiChen silently passed me the coffee.
“That would be 10 yon.”
“Gladly.”
She gave the exact amount.
It was now very deep into the night, the streets were much quieter compared to the hour before. Without saying anything more, she turned around and walked off.
...Knowing very well she would return to her office, comsumed by the melancholy of a lonely night. Day after day, punishing herself for all the regrets, blinded and unable to see past revenge.
She had taken ten steps; my throat swelled. I couldn't help but respond to these feelings.
“Major.”
Something urged me to call out her name.
She paused, catching my voice through the din.
She turned around to meet my call.
At this very moment, what I saw on her face wasn’t apathy or tyranny.
What I saw was that of a girl silently struggling inside.
If not for the second chance given by Ms. Chu, Mr. Hyeon… Ayumi, Sergeant KeZhi, DaHong, Akane-san, TaeHyun, Nana, YiChen… Tatsuki Rize.
I know from the perspective of someone who has given up on everything; from the perspective of one shackled by an obsession—
How hard it is to let go.
To forget.
But she, alone…
I was lucky to have reached this point.
I may be the curse that destroys humanity.
The world may die because I’m alive.
“Major. Please take care.”
But… I can at least do this.
“…”
Being human didn’t mean I would be its light. It didn’t mean I could do anything to preserve it either.
“I’ll be looking forward to this supper.”
She lowered her head, I couldn’t see her expression.
And then, she turned back around and went.
“…”
“…EiYun-chan.”
YiChen stroked my head.
“Good job.”
I spoke choking with tears.
“I’m… fine…”
I know I shouldn’t blame myself for her misery.
I know I couldn’t protect her children.
I know Sergeant KeZhi and Ayumi died for me.
I know it was impossible to take on the responsibility of saving the world.
But I also know that my—EiYun’s—life was blossoming.
It was blossoming in a way that I couldn’t have imagined.
And that wasn’t something I should let wither away so simply.
¸☆▫.-⌎.- ▫☆\*: .｡ _ ▫.｡.:*
“Eh? So you’re saying the Major dropped by?”
“She gave us quite the scare.”
YiChen said, patting her chest.
Rize-chan turned to me.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m alright.”
She drew closer and looked me in the eyes.
“Hm…”
“Um…”
The current time was past midnight.
We missed out on the grand firework show, and now with the dying crowd, it still wasn’t time to relax. We had to close up shop.
“YiChen-san, can you and the other two help deal with the cleanup? I’ll come back in a bit, but I have somewhere I need to take Eun-chan.”
“Oh, sure thing, leave it to us.”
YiChen-san said with a thumbs up.
Rize-chan grabbed my wrist and tugged.
“Where?”
I asked.
“You’ll know once we reach there. Follow me.”
-☆▫.-▫.｡.:* ▫⌎.☆\*: .｡ ▫.-
The roaring flame of the once bustling festival was now but a glowing ember.
Rize-chan took me up into a hillside forest, a place off the grid. If not for the magic light orb Rize-chan sent forward as guide lights, we would’ve gotten completely lost for sure.
“Ta-da~”
We reached a berm overlooking the entirety of the food festival—and perhaps the entire New Hangul too. I could see all the way to the edge of the island. The scenery was breathtaking.
“…I didn’t know this place existed.”
“It’s a secret spot. Come on, sit.”
High in the sky, were tens of thousands of glowing orange dots, distinctly different from the stars. Those were the floating lanterns which had been released earlier—they were still visible from here.
“Sorry for leaving you alone when the Major came.”
“Huh? Oh, it’s fine.”
“So, how was it? How was today?”
Rize-chan procure two flat disks from her shadow.
“…Today was great.”
“I’m glad you would say so. There’s a lot of tweaking and adjustments we need to work on when we get back.”
She pulled the two ends of the flat disk and—it turned into a lantern. She ignited the special prana-mechanised candle inside and passed the first one to me.
“Hold it while I light mine.”
I held it with both hands, staring deep into the warm glowing light. The natural buoyancy created by the prana activation made the lantern rise upwards.
“Ready?”
Rize-chan asked, holding the second lantern.
“I don’t think I’ve done this before…”
I said.
“Really? We do it every year.”
“In the Third Stratum, what we have is a firework show and military demonstration. To release lanterns like this… it’s a first.”
“Ehh… now ain’t that boring.”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
I held out my lantern with outstretched hands.
Gently, I blew on it.
Go.
It took flight from the palms of my hand.
Higher and higher, it rose. Rize-chan’s lantern caught up fairly quickly, and then the two began intertwining. Wherever the wind carried it—though they may be far behind the rest, surely, it would catch up someday.
I hugged my knees and placed my head on top.
“Mom, you know, I’ve been wondering…”
“Yes?”
Rize-chan was lying on the grass.
“Are you afraid of anything?”
“Afraid…?”
She enunciated as if surprised by my question. There was a long ‘hm…’ that followed.
Rize got up and suddenly hugged me, her chin pressing down on my shoulder.
“???”
I wanted to say something to clarify my question, but she spoke first.
“You feel like my older sister, Eun-chan.”
She grabbed my hand and placed it on her head, a sign that she wanted me to pet her. And then, she tightened her arms around me.
Lightly, I stroked her hair.
“What I’m most afraid of…”
Her answer to this most curious question,
"...What I'm most afraid of is losing you."
I took a deep breath.
“…Is that so?”
“Yep. That’s so.”
She nodded happily.
“…Then what is Reese afraid of?”
“…”
Reese… her origin. The original self.
As someone who sacrificed herself once to save a world, someone who had explored the darkest depths of human nature; an almost fictional character who once failed in the pursuit of Godhood, but with the fortunate consequence of reincarnation.
The wisdom accrued from a century of tribulations… what fear could be worse than humanity’s end?
Rize-chan slowly left my arms.
“The real Reese might have fears that don’t apply in the current circumstance."
She shook her head.
"Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand because it’s beyond the understanding of the mind.”
Hearing her speak in such a manner…
“Even so, because you’re my daughter… are you sure you wish to know?”
...I hesitated.
But.
I want to know.
I want to know more about the kind of person mom is.
Her past, her reasoning.
The thing that made her the amazing person she is today.
Her darkness.
“Yes.”
There was no room for doubt.
“Alright, but don’t think too deeply into it.”
She chuckled.
"Reese fears..."
"...Huh?"
Reese fears being swallowed by existence.