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Residential area, the tenth floor of the freshmen dormitory building.
It was well past midnight and close to dawn when Ahn Dain stood in front of the dormitory door.
An all-night Christmas party was being held at the Jiikhoe Hall, but Ahn Dain left in the middle.
‘I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve been in my dorm. I have a lot of plans tomorrow so I’m going to get some rest now.’
She opened the door and the lights automatically turned on, revealing her almost bare room.
All that stood out were insect-repellent sprays.
As she prepared for bed, Ahn Dain thought of her plans tomorrow.
‘I didn’t know the Class 2-0 seniors would be so enthusiastic about school events. I’ll be busy, but it’s better than just letting Christmas pass because of what happened.’
As soon as things were wrapped up, Class 2-0 visited Do Wonwoo to try to negotiate something.
Well, what they did felt more like insistence than negotiation.
Still, their words made sense and there was somewhat positive about it.
After persuading Do Wonwoo, their class also talked to the teachers and some people from the foundation.
As a result, a Christmas charity event was scheduled for tomorrow in Eungwang Hihg.
‘I thought there would be clubs and classes that can’t attend, but I’m glad everyone decided to participate. It’s surprising that additional projects came up.’
The newspaper department will be holding an additional exhibition room to display photos and videos taken during the incident.
The members of their department were scattered throughout the school during the incident since they were supposed to cover the events, allowing them to have data on several places in the school.
Other than the newspaper department, the string orchestra decided to play more songs arranged by Kwon Jein.
And for Class 1-0, they rented a gym for a mysterious competition.
‘Professor Ham Geunhyung actively encourages students to go to school, so he invited the student council to be the referee instead, saying that there’s a conflict of interest on his part. I’ll go watch it if I have the time.’
Some students lamented the added schedule, but the preparations were narrowly completed after some compulsory processes.
It was thanks to the active help of the students and players.
Ahn Dain was determined to work until morning, though she attended Jiikhoe’s Christmas party and got the time to relax in her dorm room.
Just before going to bed, AHn Dain checked her device messages to see if the student council had additional announcements.
Among the messages she found were from her family.
‘My parents replied.’
Ahn Dain received lots of calls after the incident, but not one from her family.
She decided to contact them herself to tell them that she was safe.
Still, Ahn Dain didn’t blame her family.
Perhaps her parents haven’t heard yet since they were abroad.
However, she still felt a little sad when she saw the short reply that came late.
It was meaningless to compare herself to others, but when she recalled the other students who had their parents come to school to check on them, she felt a crack somewhere in her heart.
‘They haven’t changed.’
Ahn Dain’s parents were not players and even taking away the fact that she could use skills, she was still special in her family.
There seemed to be no traces of her family in her cold face that seemed to have been carved out of ice.
Her mind, athleticism, artistic, and physical talents were special.
They looked down on the frighteningly beautiful and outstanding Ahn Dain.
Before she became friends with Kim Yuri, Ahn Dain was tired of solitude.
‘Are my parents really staying away from me because of my conception dream?’
One of her relatives told her about the conception dream, perhaps feeling sorry for Ahn Dain who couldn’t mix well with her family.
In the dream, Ahn Dain’s parents wandered through a strange and mysterious mountain.
Then, attracted by a sweet scent, they reached the foot of the mountain beyond the fog.
They arrived at a flower garden, with flowers they’d never seen before blooming everywhere.
[You have not been invited, yet how did you end up here? Still, it’s fate that you have arrived. You may take any flower that you like.]
A blindfolded old woman appeared out of nowhere, wearing a navy jacket and a short skirt.
The old woman spoke as he pointed to the flower that bloomed at the highest point.
[But you mustn’t touch that. Don’t you dare look over. You won’t be able to handle it.]
Ahn Dain’s parents noticed that the sweet scent that led them to the mountain came from the forbidden flower.
It was so beautiful and coveted that after they set their eyes on it, the color from all the other flowers seemed to fade.
So they got greedy and ran for the highest flower.
[Fools! I warned you!]
The benevolent old woman chased after the couple in a fiery rage.
The couple put the flower in their arms and ran without looking back.
In the background, a storm swirled and the sound of thunder tore their eardrums.
As the couple rolled out, a beam of light arose from the flower in their arms.
When the light reached their eyes, the couple successfully escaped their dream.
The couple awoke and were amazed that they had the same dream, but they trembled with fear at the thought of the old woman’s voice.
That was the conception dream of Ahn Dain.
‘I was told that my parents distanced themselves from me because they were afraid they’d anger the superior beings.’
Ahn Dain’s parents later thought that the old woman was a superior being, but they never saw him in their dreams again.
It’s not known if it’s a punishment, but not long after Ahn Dain was born, the couple contracted the same disease that caused them to lose fertility and the ability to bear children again.
‘The old woman in the dream is most likely Samshinhalmeoni. If they violated that superior being’s words… it’s not strange that they got sick.’
(T/N: Samshinhalmeoni is a goddess in Korean folklore who allows women to have children.)
In any case, Ahn Dain’s parents didn’t let themselves close to her.
Ahn Dain seriously considered that she shouldn’t have been born in that house.
But it was meaningless.
It wasn’t something that could be changed by her worries, efforts, and choices.
Ahn Dain decided to be grateful that she was provided with food, clothing, and shelter.
‘…I’ll check other messages.’
Ahn Dain opened another message window.
She purposely chose a group message room with a lot of messages, the one with her classmates.
The main topic was about Ahn Dain’s proposed training program.
[Yoo Sanghoon] ?
Yoo Sanghoon was puzzled since he left early with Yoo Sanghee, but the other children explained things to him.
Yoo Sanghoon seemed tired of the enthusiasm of his classmates, but he read all their explanations.
‘It’d be nice if Sanghoon participated in the training. It may be difficult though since the basketball team said they’ll be active during the vacation.’
The next message she checked was from Moon Saeron.
[Moon Saeron] (Photo)
[Moon Saeron] I found a picture of you while organizing stuff! Can I display this?
Ahn Dain’s face turned red when she saw the photo.
It was of her and Joo Soohyuk facing each other in Santa costumes.
It was the moment when Kwon Jein played her improvised piece.
After much consideration, Ahn Dain saved the photo and said that it was okay with her as long as Joo Soohyuk agreed.
Seeing Joo Soohyuk in the photo reminded Ahn Dain of the message that he sent.
[Joo Soohyuk] See you tomorrow, Dain-ah.
The two decided to tour the school together on the day of the Christmas event.
‘Soohyuk-ah…’
Her schedule with Joo Soohyuk and the thought of the Christmas present that she’d give tomorrow eased her darkened heart.
Ahn Dain re-opened and read Joo Soohyuk’s message which she had checked a few hours earlier, closed her eyes, and went to sleep comfortably.
***
‘Prophecy, star of dawn, darkness. I’ve heard it all in this world.’
A certain prophecy came to mind.
In Jeokho’s report from the replay, Ahn Dain said this;
— When my abilities awakened, I met someone who had predictive power. No, maybe he was just a crook.
— I was told to follow the stars at dawn when it got dark. But…
And when I met Hyunmoo in China…
— I hope this child’s talents will help you and give you the strength to endure until the dawn.
Hwang Jiho seemed to think that the star of dawn was me.
— Star of dawn… It reminds me of what Hyunmoo said to you.
Could that dawn star really be me?
Could it be that I received the alias Nameless Supernova because the shin in my name means dawn?
The watchman recalled the Silver Hero and looked at me with a friendly expression.
“You finally came to this world, and that person led you.”
“Does that mean that I am the dawn star?”
“Yes. Who else is besides you?”
How can he make a conclusion like that?
The watchman was certain.
“You said the prophecy is ambiguous and unclear. In the future that she saw, you looked like the star of dawn.”
There were a lot of things that bothered me, but I decided to listen to the watchman’s story until the end.
After confirming that I wouldn’t ask another question…
Kugugu…
The ground started vibrating.
The shaking was getting closer and stronger.
The watchman got up from the sofa and stood in front of me.
“I’ll stop it when the shockwave reaches. I’ll be defending you just in case.”
Shockwaves?
Is it common in the bridle of reincarnation?
“What is happening?”
“The bridle of reincarnation is shaking.”
“Is it a natural phenomenon? Is this caused by someone?”
“The latter. There’s a secret related to the providence of this world and the bridle of reincarnation that the living should not know. It is leaking somewhere.”
Secrets and providence are leaking out.
It sounded serious even though I didn’t know much about the bridle of reincarnation.
At that moment, it occurred to me that the Silver Hero had come to save this world and the watchman.
‘The Silver Hero died around ten years ago when Jaeho was born. She kept the Black Screen in check as she went back and forth to the bridle. Don’t tell me they’re making a move now that she’s dead!’
To confirm my suspicion, the watchman mentioned the Black Screen.
‘What has leaked from the bridle is in the hand of the enemy. The accumulated secrets are making the bridle of reincarnation shake.”
Kugugugu!
As the shockwaves approached, the watchman spread his arms wide and released energy waves.
He continued to speak even as he prepared to defend.
“That person collects the secrets that have leaked from here and binds them in the form of a book.”
“A book?”
Jwaaak!
Kwaaaa!
The watchman clapped loudly as the shockwave neared.
The force that erupted between the palms of his hands quickly erased the shockwave.
‘He doesn’t have to defend himself at all if it’s that easy.’
I admired the watchman’s power as I tried to reason out the evil spirits of the Black Screen.
I held the Fate of the Unknown card just in case, but I didn’t need it.
The watchman went on again until the surroundings were completely quiet.
“Yes. He calls it The Hitlist.”
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