Whooosh—

The wind blew. A gentle breeze rustled through my hair, stirring the silent water into faint ripples.

It felt like nothing more than a soft breeze. Yet, I knew this wind was unnatural.

A space sealed off by rock on all sides. A place where no wind should blow—yet, from somewhere, the wind arrived.

Utterly out of place. Yet, I had felt this once before.

‘When I saw the Divine Tree in Yahwol..’

Back then, too—a soft breeze had passed through a place where no wind should exist.

This was no different.

A wind where there should be none. A sensation I could now understand, something I hadn't realized back then.

‘This... isn’t from the Divine Tree.’

Something foreign.

Something that shouldn’t exist.

The wind was born from something I couldn’t comprehend.

And now, I stood before its source.

A woman—one who called herself a spirit.

A being who once resided on Mount Marryeong, claiming to be a priestess who could speak her master’s words and will.

The moment I saw her, my heart responded.

Thump!

A violent, pounding heartbeat. The energy sealed within me surged wildly.

Was it because she was an enemy? No, this was—

‘Because I was facing something beyond comprehension.’

A presence so high and distant that I dared not even look up to it.

A primal instinct whispered that I shouldn’t—couldn’t—dare to judge it.

I felt it deeply as I stared into the spirit’s gaze. She only looked back, silent.

Yet, I noticed something had changed.

Though her eyes were hidden behind a veil, something felt visible.

I stared at her, my thoughts racing—where had I felt this before?

No... I already knew.

Hadn’t I said it myself just moments ago?

I felt this—before the Divine Tree at Yahwol.

This wind.

This air.

And even that gaze upon me.

This distant yet impossibly close sensation—

There was only one person in the world who could give me this feeling.

And so, I called out to her.

“...Mother?”

“Oh, my.”

The spirit reacted to my words. Her voice was exactly the same—but her tone had shifted.

And in that instant—

“You’ve found me, haven’t you?”

Wooooong—!!!

The lake trembled. The water, which had only rippled in the breeze, now grew restless. It wasn’t enough to be called waves, but the unease it carried seemed to resonate with my own emotions.

“How did you know?”

The spirit—or rather, my mother—spoke to me. Narrowing my eyes, I answered,

“...Just a feeling.”

I simply knew. My senses, my instincts—every fiber of my being told me that the figure before me wasn’t the spirit.

And if not the spirit—then who else could it be?

I lifted my gaze to the sky.

‘The full moon.’

The moon shone, its presence unmistakable.

Hadn’t Mother once said so? To meet her on a night when the full moon hung high over the hill.

And the spirit of my mother, whom I encountered at Yahwol, had also told me—

That the hill would be on Mount Marryeong.

Now, the full moon was high. I stood upon a hill.

So, I dared to trust my instinct—

That the one before me was my mother.

I didn’t know how she was here, inhabiting the spirit’s form.

Nor did I understand how this moment had come to be.

But what did it matter now?

‘The only thing that matters is—’

That my mother could do something like this.

From Yahwol—no, perhaps from the very moment I entered Mangye—

I had known.

“...How did you come here this time?” I asked.

“This time?” She echoed, her voice musing. “So, you’ve experienced something already, haven’t you?”

“Yes. I met you—at the Divine Tree in Yahwol.”

“Hmmm... Is that so?”

Mother tilted her head, her long, white hair swaying softly.

“What did you hear from me then?”

So... she didn’t know.

The conversation I had with the will she left at Yahwol—this version of her had no memory of it.

I kept it brief, relaying the words Mother’s will had spoken to me beneath the Divine Tree.

“...I see,” she murmured, nodding slightly. But when I mentioned that her will told me to seek my answers on Mount Marryeong—

“Tch. She dumped the hard part on me, didn’t she? That sly thing...”

She frowned at herself, her expression one of playful annoyance.

It was then I realized—Mother’s demeanor felt... odd.

In my memories, she had always been mature, graceful, and composed—

But now, she seemed strangely different.

Yet—

“Mother,” I called softly.

“Hm? Yes, my son?”

She responded with a warm, gentle voice.

It was the same voice I had loved as a child.

And it was a voice I loved still.

I have lived through bitter struggles, staining my hands with the blood of countless souls.

Even now, as I thrash and writhe to escape the burdens placed upon me—

I remain nothing more than a child before my mother.

And somehow—foolishly—there’s comfort in that.

But—

“What is it... that you truly want from me?”

I knew well that this was no time to drown in warmth or sentiment.

The road ahead was steep, and the weight of my duties was far too great for me to remain a child.

“I don’t understand why you brought me here. What is it you want from me, Mother?”

“Hmm...”

At my question, Mother hesitated.

Was she choosing her words carefully? Or perhaps deciding how much she could reveal?

I could only wonder.

Then—after a brief pause—

“I... want my son to be happy.”

She spoke softly.

“That’s why—if it’s possible—I want to send you down a path where you can find happiness. But...” She trailed off, her voice heavy. “There aren’t many paths like that.”

“...A path to happiness?”

The words nearly drew a bitter laugh from me.

A happy path.

Such a thing... did it even exist? I had long since abandoned that notion.

In my past life.

In this life, too.

My happiness had never been a priority. Not then, not now.

“...Does such a path really exist?”

I said it with little care, as if it didn’t matter.

Mother faltered. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Her slight frame trembled, and the words she seemed ready to speak fell apart before they reached her lips.

I clicked my tongue inwardly.

That wasn’t the reaction I wanted.

It was pathetic—like a child throwing a tantrum.

So, I forced myself to shift the subject.

“...Mother. I need the Divine Fruit.”

The words slipped out, cutting through the lingering air.

There was much I wanted to ask—but above all else, the Divine Fruit mattered most.

“...The Divine Fruit?”

Mother’s expression changed.

Was she surprised—shocked that I suddenly brought up the Divine Fruit?

I tried to read her, but—

“...How do you know about that?”

“...What?”

Her question made me narrow my eyes.

“What... do you mean by that?”

A strange question.

“Wait—”

Now Mother looked flustered.

“You mean... you didn’t know?”

“Know...? Know what, exactly?”

“...Ah.”

She exhaled softly—a hollow, broken sound.

It was the voice of someone who had realized something too late.

Alarmed by her reaction, I pressed further.

“Why? Is there a reason I need the Divine Fruit?”

Mother said nothing.

But silence was its own answer.

I shook my head and spoke calmly.

“If that’s what you’re worried about, then it’s fine. I’ve already eaten the Divine Fruit. I obtained it—through you.”

Yes—once, long ago.

I had consumed the Divine Fruit and rebuilt my fractured soul.

The soul that should have been lost... reawakened.

“So now—what I want to know is...” I paused, my voice firm.

“Why did I have to eat the Divine Fruit?”

And—

I narrowed my eyes as a name, a face, crossed my mind.

“...And why is Yarang here—bearing the face and power of the Divine Sword?”

The figure of Yarang—the presence that felt like the Divine Sword itself—

It gnawed at me.

Mother met my gaze, holding it.

She wasn’t silent—she was weighing her words.

And soon, she spoke again—

“...I told you—I want my son to be happy.”

“Yes.”

“And to make you happy... there was something you had to do.”

“...Was it—” I met her eyes, my voice low—

“Was it eating the Divine Fruit?”

That only made it harder to understand.

“...Why?” I [N O V E L I G H T] asked, my voice low. “What happens if I eat it?”

I was told—if I consumed it, I would become the master.

“And you’re telling me... that is the path to my happiness?”

Becoming the master—bringing destruction to Zhongyuan by my own hand—

How... could that ever be the road to happiness?

“I can’t accept that.”

If happiness meant becoming a calamity, burning everything to ash—

Then what a cruel mockery of happiness that would be.

“I’d rather die—by my own hand.”

“...”

The moment those words escaped me, I felt my mother’s gaze.

I froze—immediately realizing my mistake.

That... wasn’t something a child should say before their parent.

But then—

“Son.”

Mother spoke softly, her voice clear and steady.

“You can’t kill yourself.”

“...What?”

“You wouldn’t be able to,” she continued. “Have you never found it strange?”

“...”

Her words widened my eyes.

I pulled back my sleeve, staring at my arm.

My skin prickled—goosebumps rising.

Can’t die by my own hand...

Something inside me... cracked.

‘What?’

My mind—blank.

I had suffered through so much.

Through agony and loss, through fury and despair—

Through it all, hadn’t I—

‘Why?’

Why had I never tried to end it myself?

It wasn’t because I treasured my life.

Nor was it because I desperately clung to survival.

Something about it felt... off.

No—

“...!”

Wuuuung—!

My hand sharpened, wrapped in killing intent, flames erupting around my fingers.

Without hesitation, I thrust it toward my own throat.

The blade of energy—

Stopped.

“...!”

My hand froze mid-air—just before piercing my neck.

It wasn’t hesitation.

It was my will.

And yet—

Something—something unseen, something unknown—

Was stopping me.

An invisible force—

Denying me even death.