Ch. 126

Somewhere, in a dimension far, far away.

The warm sunlight and cool breeze swept across a green meadow.

And there sat Kyros. He looked at the screen that appeared in front of him and smiled faintly.

"It's going smoothly."

The screen displayed countless spaces. As the number of people serving the God of Beauty grew, so did the number of screens.

Among them, the largest screen displayed Kyros's first apostle, the one he trusted and relied on the most.

Four men ventured into the hidden castle of the Goblin King. Yet, Kyros's attention was fixed solely on one: Revelof, a beautiful blond man with piercing blue eyes.

Kyros watched Revelof, his first apostle and the leader of the Kyros Church.

A beam of bright light shone from the clear sky, illuminating Kyros. His red hair shone even more beautifully with the intense light.

Then, a middle pitched voice broke the silence.

["Wow, they've already reached the Goblin King's Hidden Castle. The progress is impressive."]

Kyros sighed at the unexpected comment and muttered softly.

"...Actually, it's indeed too fast. I'm starting to worry that my child might die at this rate."

Moments earlier, he had watched Revelof with pride, confident that everything was going well. But after recent events, his anxiety had grown.

As Kyros ran a hand through his flowing hair, a soothing voice followed.

["That child will be fine. I looked into his soul last time---it's strong. Very strong."]

"Of course. I trust his strength. But the problem isn't just him... It's the situation. Everything is changing."

The world was shifting faster than Kyros had anticipated. It deviated from its original course, so it was inevitable but it was filling him with unease.

["Don't worry. The more time those two children spend together, the better your world will become."]

At these words, Kyros turned his gaze toward two figures on the screen: Revelof, who was becoming the hero of this world, and Terdius, the original protagonist.

"... It has to turn out that way."

Kyros said with serious eyes, clenching his fists.

***

I shut my eyes tightly before opening them again. The moment I stepped through the castle doors and accepted the quest, the world shifted.

No, it wasn't the world that had changed---I was trapped in an illusion.

"Hey, Jeong Ji-hyun. I heard you don't have a mom."

A soft yet extremely spiteful voice pierced through into my ear. I turned toward the sound and saw faces I had forgotten about.

'When did this happen?'

Three boys stood around me. Judging by their appearance, I could tell it was from when I was back in elementary school.

'So this is my trauma...'

Funnily enough, I had also reverted to my childhood form. My gaze met the boys'.

"My dad told me not to play with kids who don't have moms."

"That's right. Kids without moms are dumb."

"You're an orphan, aren't you? Do you live in some kind of orphanage then?"

The eyes and faces of the children looking at me were pure and innocent. However, that innocence was accompanied by the sharpness that could cut and stab others without any hesitation. Sometimes, seeing innocent-looking people do that can make you fall even lower.

Back then too, that was why it was engraved in my mind as a traumatic experience.

'... I thought it'd show something from middle school at best.'

Still, I was a little shocked. It wasn't the trauma I had thought it would be. I think it was something that happened when I was too young that was engraved in my memory.

'So I'm glad I can get out of here.'

Still, I smiled faintly at the children mocking me and drew out the holy power inside me. 

This was the way to break free from the illusion.

The children's voices constantly spitting harsh words at me grew faint, their faces blurring. The gray fog surrounding me dissipated.

'If you recognize that the scene before you is an illusion, you can escape it using holy power.'

The issue was that it's not easy to realize it's an illusion without a certain amount of mental strength.

Even if I hadn't known about it through the original, it would have taken me quite a long time to get over it.

'By the way...'

Maybe it was because of the scene I saw in my hallucination. I didn't feel very good. Maybe it was because the scene I saw in my hallucination was different from what I expected, but I felt like the wounds in my heart were being forcibly ripped open.

'I thought I had forgotten all of this.'

When would these wounds ever heal? Memories from my school days would resurface now and then, dragging me into the abyss.

-Child, are you okay? I was shocked when you suddenly lost consciousness.

At that moment, I heard Kyros's concerned voice. His comforting voice made me feel a little better.

'I'm fine, but...'

I looked around and my gaze lingered on the thick gray fog around me.

As soon as we opened the door to the goblin castle, accepted the quest, and entered, we were immediately put under a spell---a spell designed to destroy intruders' minds. It simulated their deepest traumas and consumed them.

'Even when I expected it... It still got to me this bad.'

I couldn't help but wonder if the others would be okay. I regretted not preparing for this magic in advance, but there simply hadn't been enough time.

The entrance to the goblin castle was known for its array of spells, one of which was the magic that stimulated trauma. However, the specific spell activated was chosen randomly from a pool of enchantments.

Some were far easier to break than this one.

'In other words, we were just unlucky this time.'

Even so, I felt a deep sense of responsibility---a need to help my group recover from their traumas as quickly as possible.

With that resolve, I stepped into the gray fog.

***

"Ah...h-help."

"Pl-please... I...!"

Black panthers, corrupted by a black energy, writhed and fought. Some tried to flee the forest, while others had already succumbed, transforming into monstrous creatures.

Troy approached them as if possessed.

"N-no. Please."

Clear tears flowed from Troy's eyes. Then, he ran.

He started running---through the dark forest, toward his family.

But why was it that no matter how fast or how far he ran, the distance between him and his family and clan only grew.

It felt like he would never be able to reach them ever again if things continued like this.

"Please, please. Take me too."

If I can't save you, I would rather join you.

'Because there is no salvation for me.'

Finally, he reached his family---only to see them fully transformed into monsters. As he touched them, his fingertips began to blacken. The darkness spread slowly, consuming him.

Troy closed his eyes, surrendering.

"At least like this, I can be with them..."

In his mind, this was atonement for his guilt.

But then---

Thud.

Someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Troy!"

A pure white light burst forth, dispelling the dark energy that had taken hold of him.

Troy's eyes flew open. He looked at the place where his family had been just moments ago. They were gone.

"Wh-what on earth did I..."

Troy still had tears in his eyes, his eyes unreadable.

"Are you okay, Troy?"

Slowly, Troy turned around as if entranced by the affectionate voice coming from behind him.

"Ch-Church Leader, I-I..."

He wanted to say something but struggled to find the words. Seeing this, Revelof gave him a small, bittersweet smile.

"It's okay, Troy. What you saw just now---it was an illusion."

"...An illusion?"

"Yes. This is the goblin castle. The entrance is enchanted with spells like that---it's not unusual. I was caught by it too."

Revelof shrugged lightly, his casual gesture helping to loosen the tension in Troy's expression.

"Oh... I see."

He ran his hands over his face, wiping away his tears. When he lowered them, he had a faint, bitter smile.

"I see. I guess it had to be an illusion after all."

Revelof studied him for a moment before placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. Everything will be okay, Troy."

With those comforting words, the fog that had surrounded Troy began to lift.

***

"Ah... This is..."

Zain couldn't believe it. He was back in his childhood. The house he had shared with his brother and sister. The simple yet warm meals they had eaten together.

He vaguely understood this wasn't reality. Yet, as the scene unfolded before his eyes---a moment he thought he'd never experience again---he couldn't bring himself to escape.

'I wanted to experience this just once more.'

Zain smiled bitterly. But the moment was fleeting. The scene shifted.

The happy times were short-lived. Now all he saw was the lifeless body of his older brother lying before him and his sister, who had become a saintess by her own choice and devoted herself entirely to the Diego Church.

Zain reached out, desperate to get his family back, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't do anything.

At some point, Zain found himself standing on a cliff.

'Everyone has left me.

'Maybe it's time for me to leave as well.'

He had lived tenuously, but it felt like there was nothing left for him. Even his older sister, the last living family member he had, had pushed him away. He felt like he had nothing left.

So he wanted to leave this world, so his mind would finally find some peace.

His feet moved closer to the edge of the cliff. He closed his eyes.

And then, as his feet stepped into the air---

Thud!

"Wake up, Zain!"

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. Zain's body was yanked away from the edge. Then, he opened his eyes to see Revelof, bathed in pure white light.

"...Master?"

Zain's eyes, unfocused moments earlier, regained focus. Revelof let out a deep sigh of relief, his voice urgent.

"This is an illusion---a spell that attacks the mind. Remember, we're inside the goblin castle."

"...Ah."

Zain exhaled, running his fingers through his messy hair.

"I kinda knew it wasn't real. But...it felt like my body was moving on its own."

Revelof , who had been staring at him, patted his shoulder.

"It's okay, Zain. None of this is real."

Just then, the gray fog that had enveloped Zain disappeared as well.

***

At that same moment, Terdius found himself trapped in a deep darkness. The first thing he saw was his younger brother, Ivan, lying unconscious.

Without realising it, Terdius ran toward him. But just as his hand was about to touch Ivan---

The world flipped upside down.

Suddenly, he was watching another version of himself, fighting monsters.

'...!'

The Terdius before him was completely different looking.

This version wore a pure white priest's robe, contrasting with the black robes of the Diego Church. In his hands, he wielded a shining sword.

The other Terdius slashed through waves of monsters with the sword of light.

Then, a figure descended from the sky, riding a dragon with a black ark attached to it.

The Terdius with the Sword of Light faced off against someone from the Diego Church.

'That's...'

Terdius recognized the figure the other Terdius was fighting instantly.

It was the First Apostle of the Diego Church.

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