“Still predicting fate?”
“This is the only thing I can do.”
At Hasyath’s question, Hiyan sprinkled some pink powder in a large boiling pot. Every time she did that, Hiyan’s eyes lost their light and became blurry, as if they were being sucked away somewhere.
It was a process of entering the so-called byway of destiny, where she could look into the fate of others.
It was easy for her to figure out which direction the destiny of a person would be, but she had already been doing this a dozen times.
“Is it possible to even foretell fate in the first place?”
“I don’t know.”
Hiyan shook her head and looked at the object.
It wasn’t a person.
It was a divine tree of an overwhelming size that one couldn’t see all of it at a glance.
Hiyan said,
“It would be absurd for someone like me to predict the fate of the World Tree in the first place. However, there is this little human girl struggling inside, so I cannot just stay still.”
She sent a 13-year-old into the World Tree alone. They think they’ve done everything they could, but the fact that they entrusted the child with something they couldn’t do in the first place was such a shameful thing.
The status of the three major races felt so different.
So, Hiyan thought that she had to do something and continued to predict the fate of the World Tree.
Hasyath could understand her to some extent, but there were some things in the world that could not be done.
“I know the High Elves do fortune-telling. However, no matter how much you continue to predict it like this, the fate of the tree will be the same, and you will collapse.”
“If I can figure out the fate of the World Tree to the point that I will collapse, shouldn’t that be enough?”
“You are being stubborn.”
“Huhu. Did you underestimate the stubbornness of the oldie who has lived for more than 20,000 years?”
Hasyath was shocked, as he knew she wouldn’t give up. So he looked at the World Tree with his arms crossed.
More than ten days had passed since Sarah had climbed the World Tree.
He was worried about what to do if something happened, but fortunately, they had an artifact that was sending them updates, so she seemed to be fine for now.
Still, it wasn’t good if time dragged on like this.
They didn’t know what was happening in there, but it was a race against time, according to Hasyath’s battle senses.
It should have been quickly resolved, and she had to come down fast. Otherwise, something bad would happen to Sarah.
‘Sarah.’
Hasyath, like Hiyan, felt ashamed for placing such a heavy responsibility on a young child. But it couldn’t be helped.
Because the being who intervened in Sarah’s fate only wanted her.
‘If she does the mission right, I can pass on the secrets.’
She was thinking of passing them on to Isis later, but she thought that if Sarah came back, she would teach them to her.
By that time, she would be qualified for them.
“So come back fast.”
A weak wind blew.
The light faded.
Sarah slowly opened her eyes.
She held her breath as she looked at the changing scenery. The beautiful Welton Mansion, which she could see through the window, was no longer there.
The voices of her family members that she had been hearing a while ago were now all silent.
What was spreading out now was only the world of darkness, but it wasn’t unpleasant or terrifying.
However, after entering the world of darkness from the happy place she had just been, it seemed like a corner of her heart was empty.
She looked back, and there was no one there.
“Everything was a dream….”
At the emptiness she was feeling, Sarah couldn’t even laugh.
She raised her hand. Even her small hand was back to its original size.
The bright dress vanished, and she was now wearing rugged clothes.
This was her original look.
It was not the image of her playing with dolls while wearing a cute girl’s dress, but the image of fighting enemies with a weapon in hand.
Sarah grabbed the golden stick.
‘I do not regret it. I was able to see my family.’
She wasn’t yet sure if coming back to reality was a good thing, but at least she had seen her mother healthy, her father alive, and her brother, who cared for her the most.
Even if it was only an illusion, she was truly happy to see the image of their family that she longed to have.
At least the memories of the past were clear. And that was enough.
What she had to do now was move forward.
She unclenched her hand that was holding the stick.
“Let’s go.”
Sarah walked forward with a stiff face.
Trials make those who overcome them stronger. At least Sarah was now several times mentally stronger than before the trial.
Now she wouldn’t collapse.
“This should do.”
It was at that moment that she heard a female voice in the darkness.
Sarah stopped.
The darkness parted, and someone walked through the darkness.
She had purple skin and wine-colored hair that gently covered her chest. Despite her unique appearance, no one could deny her beauty.
In particular, her silver eyes, which were in contrast to the darkness, looked like black holes that could suck everything.
Sarah felt herself stop breathing at the realization of the woman being a divine being.
In an instant, she felt that this woman was higher than Isis.
“Does this child have good eyes? She is his younger brother, so how much of his instinct did she get?”
Venus grinned as she looked at Sarah.
“Compared to my brother, there isn’t much.”
Normally, she would have asked how this woman knew her brother, but Sarah couldn’t even lift a finger, let alone open her mouth to talk.
It had to be that.
Sarah had never met this woman. This being was at the level of a ‘Creator.’
No, there were just a handful of people in the world who had met someone of that level.
Even the Gods.
“It seems like my darkness is overwhelming you a bit.”
When Venus shook her hand, the pressure that seemed to push her body down disappeared, and Sarah let out a shaky breath as she sat down on the ground.
“It has been a long time since I let a weak mortal like you into my space, so I couldn’t control it. There was a lack of consideration on my side.”
Sarah gasped for air and tried to lift her head up.
Her consciousness was getting close to being cut off, but her mental strength, which overcame the trial, wasn’t going to be broken down this easily.
Venus also appreciated that.
“The human spirit that can overcome a world where the will is bound to break is truly amazing. To be able to stay conscious in front of me.”
“W-Who are you?”
At Sarah’s question, her magenta lips turned into a smile.
“Pretty good. There is nothing I cannot tell you about myself in exchange for your coming here.”
It was an arrogant tone, but Sarah didn’t feel it as such. It seemed so natural.
Venus revealed her name.
“I am Venus, the Spirit King of Darkness, and the creator of the Shadow World. Nice to meet you, the blood and flesh of the Demon King.”
“Sp-Spirit King?”
“I know what you are thinking.”
When Sara’s eyes widened at the words ‘Spirit King,’ Venus read her thoughts and immediately denied them.
“I am called a Spirit King, but I am on a level different from those worms. Having such a name is useless to me, and it is a disgrace even to think that they are the same as me. So do not even think about it.”
“….”
“Answer.”
“Yes, yes!”
Sarah nodded her head, and Venus smiled as if she were satisfied.
“How long do you plan on sitting?”
“Ah.”
All the pressure was gone, and the tension was released from her body. The strength in her legs returned to some extent, and she could somehow raise herself up, but she still found it difficult to stand because her condition was bad.
Sarah stood up, holding onto her trembling legs. And then she turned to Venus and asked,
“But…”
“If you have something to say, say it confidently. I don’t like those who stutter.”
“Then I will be direct. Do you know my brother?”
“Of course. I have a fairly deep relationship with Diablo Volfir, the current Demon King of Wrath.”
“How? Did brother do something in this….”
Sarah asked, wondering if her brother caused trouble here, to which Venus snorted,
“Huh. It is true that he is stronger than before, but dealing with me here would mean he is suicidal.”
“Is that so?”
“In the first place, his power originated from me. Can you covet my world without going insane?”
“You are the source of Brother’s power?”
“You are looking at it now. This darkness.”
Venus spread her arms wide and pointed at it.
When Sarah made a face like she didn’t get it, Venus clicked her tongue.
“You don’t know anything about your Brother. Even what powers he uses.”
“… it is a bit embarrassing, but I don’t know much about Brother. Can you tell me if you know anything?”
“I am sorry, but I am not a kind person. First of all, I am a voyeur, and I want you to know that I’m not in a good mood that you’re here right now. So if you have any questions, ask him directly.”
Sarah wanted to plead with her, but she knew that asking for more would get her kicked out. She could have pushed it, but when she didn’t, Venus smiled.
She was a quick-witted kid. And she didn’t hate such kids.
“Well, to put it bluntly. It has something to do with his past life.”
“Past life?”
“Find out for yourself. Aren’t you of the same blood? Even though that bloodline is ridiculous, according to my thoughts. Well, there isn’t much time. Didn’t you come to solve the problem of the World Tree?”
“Right. The World Tree is dying. If it was Miss Venus who had called for me in my dream, can you solve it?”
“I am sorry, but I wasn’t the one who called for you.”
“Uh? Then who….”
Venus answered the question with a rather tired face,
“There is someone. A woman. A very annoying one too. If there wasn’t an exclusive pass, I wouldn’t have even cared.”
“I do not understand….”
“I hate that quavering voice. Just talk to her.”
“Yes.”
“You don’t have to wonder too much. I will see you later here since she is a troublesome one.”
Venus clicked her tongue, perhaps feeling irritated again. Judging by the way she was talking, Sarah guessed that the owner of the voice that appeared in her dream was also in this space.
A being who could solve the problem of the World Tree.
‘And the existence that changed my fate.’
Hiyan and Hasyath said that if they were able to intervene in fate, then it had to be a God. 1
There was a high chance that it was someone above or on the same level as Venus. And it felt funny to Sarah to be constantly involved with such beings in her life.
‘Just what am I?’
How did she get swept into such a thing?
She didn’t know.
Sighing, she followed Venus.
The darkness parted with the Milky Way opening, and there was a woman there.
