"Hurry up."
"Okay. I'll be there soon."
Swoosh! Edora, who had both the beauty of her youth and sorrow of her old age, disappeared in the light. She was still holding Yeon-woo's hand.
Yeon-woo was left standing there with trembling hands. Edora's smile as she said they should never be apart again was still ingrained into his vision. Then, he held back his tears as he turned in the opposite direction.
Cha Jeong-woo was standing there. "I didn't know you could make that kind of face, Hyung. Interesting."
"Thanks. For searching for me." Yeon-woo's gaze shook. "And for remembering me." As Yeon-woo mouthed the words, letters flowed out of his mouth and spun in the air before disappearing. There was no physical voice to be perceived.
It was like when Yeon-woo first entered the abyss and met the Demonisms. They always had uncontrolled thoughts, so they needed to use letters to express them. This was proof Yeon-woo wasn't completely free of darkness yet. On the other hand, the fact that someone had seen Yeon-woo "here" meant he was slowly escaping the limits of the Black King.
"Wait just a little while longer. I'm almost done."
"Thanks for all your help."
"Bullshit. Don't you remember all the stuff you helped me with? This is nothing compared to all that."
"Haha, you've grown up. You know how to say those kinds of things now."
"We might be twins, but I'm taller than you."
"Nonsense." Yeon-woo crossed his arms and snorted.
Anyone who saw this scene would just see two brothers bickering, but this moment was beyond special for Jeong-woo. He simply said, "Sister-in-law must be waiting. Hurry on."
"I'll see you later."
Jeong-woo paused at that, then smirked. "Sure. See you later." When Yeon-woo also disappeared, Jeong-woo raised his head to look up at the sky.
[Someone has observed the Black King!]
[The world perceives a part of it.]
[The world confirms a part of it.]
…
[New stories relating to the Black King are opened to the One-horned tribe!]
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ Thinking this was enough here, Jeong-woo spread open his Sky Wings. He still had many places to go.
* * *
[A last quest (Observing Darkness) has been created!]
[Last Quest / Observing Darkness]
[Description: The main ego of the Black King ### (name cannot be shown) has finally succeeded in absorbing all the other egos after an immeasurably long time. However, although ### has become the Black King, he is unable to escape the darkness. To transcend, he requires more time than what he already spent.
The end of things, which threatened the dreams and wheel, has been paused, but if all that time is spent, the durability of dreams and wheel will be ruined and fade away.
Now, assist ### in escaping the limits of the Black King. You are the 〈Deus Ex Machina〉 that controls the laws and rules of dreams and wheel, so you will be able to come up with a solution. Then, bring in as much as you can of ### inside of the dreams and wheel.]
[Qualifications: Observer of the Black King, Deus Ex Machina]
[Time Limit: -]
[Conditions for success:
1. Observance of the Black King's existence
2. Perception of the Black King's existence
3. Defining the Black King's existence
4. Regulation of the Black King's existence
…]
[If success: Manifestation of the Black King]
[If failure: Oblivion of the Black King]
Traces of an existence in a world filled with uncertainty were useless, since they existed both everywhere and nowhere. The being could be in any form, so it was impossible to tell their existence unless one observed them. However, the moment someone observed them, the beings could unveil themselves. That was the kind of being the Black King was.
The Black King existed everywhere and nowhere in the dreams and wheel. He was hidden throughout the world of uncertainty, but he was also the frame that surrounded it. Because of that, people easily came into contact with the Black King but were unable to perceive his existence.
The Black King was too vast and unexplainable with the known laws of nature. This was why everyone forgot about Yeon-woo. The more synchronized Yeon-woo became with the Black King, the more he escaped their range of perception and became further away from them.
'The Heavenly Demon called himself light. To mortals, light is knowledge. On the other hand, the Black King is vagueness and unsureness… The only way to observe him is to force people to observe and perceive him.'
However, Jeong-woo couldn't possibly teach mortals to observe the Black King when even the gods weren't able to. So he decided to use a shortcut. He wanted to use legends as a tool to observe and perceive Yeon-woo.
From then, Jeong-woo had busily traveled throughout the many universes of the dream and wheel. He recreated records of Yeon-woo and spread his legends.
[Legends relating to the Black King are dispersed!]
[Some legends are deleted.]
[Some legends are passed down.]
Simple rumors, tales, old stories, novels, history books… Yeon-woo's legends were spread in various forms. The stories transformed in the process, sometimes creating a being completely separate from Yeon-woo or tales that were similar but not quite the same. At other times, they made Yeon-woo seem like a Demon King who led to the end of the world, or they made him out to be a martyr who sacrificed himself for the suffering world.
[The lines are being colored in.]
[The stories are edited.]
[The tales are transformed.]
…
[The stories are annotated.]
[The tales are printed.]
[Some legends have changed into legends that are completely unrelated to the Black King.]
[A few legends cause discussions about the Black King.]
[Warning! The destruction of a legend has led to stories of a Black King who cannot truly be called the Black King.]
[Warning! Legends are stories that establish a being's existence. If this establishment changes, some changes may occur to the Black King.]
…
[The currently spread legends of the Black King are ruled to be unrelated to the real Black King, and they are deleted.]
The world used to immediately delete any stories related to Yeon-woo, but at some point, that function was paused. From the beginning, what Jeong-woo was trying to spread weren't stories of Yeon-woo but of the Black King. His target was to use legends to familiarize the veiled Black King to many people.
Countless mortals would then become curious about the Black King, and as they grew older, they would try to make him out to be something that actually existed instead of understanding him as a concept. In other words, Jeong-woo was "giving meaning" to the Black King. Everything that existed in this world was given worth depending on how they were viewed.
[There are movements to give meaning to the Black King.]
[There are discussions about the new meaning of the Black King.]
[There are enactments being made on the Black King's new rules.]
No story of the Black King depicted the very human and emotional Yeon-woo, since he was accepted as a more conceptual and abstract being than the gods. But Jeong-woo just wanted people to somehow hear about Yeon-woo in the first place… Philosophies regarding Yeon-woo were created, literature was written, and art was born. The fact that Jeong-woo was a manifestation of the laws that ruled the universe helped.
[The 'Deus Ex Machina' is moving actively!]
…
[The Black King who was buried in the abyss is slowly revealed.]
[The Black King is being synchronized with the dream, or wheel.]
[Consciousness wiggles.]
[Conscious activates.]
[The abyss surrounding the Black King becomes fainter.]
[A small hole appears in the abyss that surrounds the Black King.]
[A part of his consciousness is projected into the world!]
From then, Jeong-woo was able to perceive Yeon-woo little by little. His consciousness was finally uncovered after being trapped in the egg of the abyss!
Of course, it was one-sided, and Jeong-woo wasn't able to get his consciousness to reach Yeon-woo. Still, when Edora perceived Yeon-woo at her end, Jeong-woo became certain that Yeon-woo would return soon.
[The 'Dream' changes to reality!]
[Cogs are being removed from the 'Wheel.']
* * *
"Father!"
"What do you mean you're going on a trip, Grandpa?!"
"At least tell us why!"
"There are too many enemies targeting our family! You might be in danger!"
There was a family called the Iron Lion Family, or Blood Sword Family. It was the family of Blood Sword Kahn, who was now called "Sword God." This force had been created by his determination not to fall behind their powerful rival back in Arthia, Phante. And before the famous ranker of the Tower, Iron Lion, his father, passed away, they had made amends. Iron Lion's subordinate forces came under Kahn, and they began to expand at a fearsome rate.
It was only natural that they became a great force no one could look down on. But one day, commotion shook through the Iron Lion members, who were known to laze around like lions. It was because their first family head, Kahn, who had retired to the Sword God Temple, suddenly said he'd be leaving. Of course, the family was in an uproar. He wouldn't even tell anyone his destination.
The current family head, elders, vassals, disciples, and leaders tried to persuade Kahn not to. A few of them used his safety as an excuse.
"I might be in danger? From who?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
But the vassals couldn't say anything as Kahn snorted. It was an excuse that didn't make sense to them either, since they themselves had no idea who in the world could threaten their first family head.
Although he had lived over three hundred years, Kahn still looked to be in his twenties. It was as if time had stopped for him. If it wasn't for his violent lion-like eyes, no one would think he was three hundred years of age. Moreover, it had been quite a while since he exuviated and transcended. He didn't just have the title of Sword God, but he became a true god. He easily struck down monsters who caused chaos.
The reason why they didn't want Kahn to leave was that they believed the Iron Lion was nothing without their first family head. But the current family head and his vassals had been sensing that Kahn had already moved on from them. Furthermore, there were many occasions when he did nothing and just stared forward, as if he was trying to remember something or find something he lost. And now, he had announced he'd be leaving.
Kahn's great-grandson and the current family head realized Kahn wouldn't change his decision and sighed. "All right. Please just tell me where you're going."
"I'm going to see my friend."
"Your…friend?" The current family head tilted his head, wondering if the first family head had someone he could call a friend. There was no one to stand shoulder to shoulder with Kahn because he always stood above everyone else. The first person to come to mind was the One-horned tribe's Phante, but it was said he'd concealed his whereabouts a long time ago, so it probably wasn't him. The second person to come to mind was Doyle, but Kahn didn't refer to Doyle as a "friend," so the current family head couldn't help but become more curious.
Kahn just nodded. "Yes. Friend. A special friend I've been forgetting all this time like an idiot. I'm going to apologize to him."
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