༺ Journey (1) ༻
Alaysia was dead.
Her death was so meaningless and unremarkable compared to the evil deeds she had committed.
Perhaps that was why those present could only stare vacantly.
Drip—
Blood flowed down the retrieved Holy Sword.
The falling crimson droplets stained Alaysia’s hair red.
Vera watched for a moment before planting his sword into the ground.
‘It’s over.’
Everything was over.
The enemy who threatened the world, that unforgivable blasphemy.
Nothing remained.
Except one.
‘…Myself.’
He alone remained as the symbol of corruption.
Vera looked at his hand.
A vile being covered entirely in black marks was there.
Though no one said it aloud, the instant Vera saw that hand, he realized.
That he should not exist.
That his mere existence would cause Providence to break down.
“Sir Vera…”
Albrecht took a step forward.
Vargo and Hegrion followed, approaching him.
Vera raised his hand to stop them.
“You can’t.”
Flinch—
They stopped.
Vera watched their hesitation before walking past them.
At the end of his path was a collapsed woman, still pure white as ever.
“…Vera.”
Renee opened her mouth.
Vera stopped in front of her and knelt down.
“Yes, I’m here.”
Renee pressed her lips tightly together.
His playful tone implied far too much.
“Let me ask first. What are you trying to do…?”
It was a pointless question because she already knew his answer, yet she still asked on the off chance she was wrong.
His reply once again betrayed Renee’s expectations.
“…I believe you already know.”
Renee’s expression crumpled.
It was evident by the forced expression on her face that she was trying not to cry.
Vera reached his hand out to Renee, then stopped and pulled back.
He didn’t want to touch her with his hand, which was stained with impurity.
Renee spoke again.
“Don’t do it.”
“I must.”
“I told you not to.”
“I am unable to comply.”
Since they knew each other so well, even this short back-and-forth exchange allowed them to realize some things.
Renee sensed that Vera was trying to take his own life.
Vera realized that Renee had noticed.
He let out a long sigh.
“It’s ironic, isn’t it? To save the world only for this to be the end.”
“This worthless world can be destroyed, then.”
“I know you don’t really think so.”
“I don’t need a world that’s safe only if Vera dies.”
“I need it.”
“Why…?”
“That way, you can live on.”
Vera looked at Renee.
Transparent tears were streaming down her face.
Finally, she seemed to have given up on holding her sorrow inside.
He wanted to wipe away her tears, but he couldn’t do even that. So, Vera just spoke.
“…I am greedy by nature. I am a person who must attain all that I desire, and absolutely refuse to let go of what is mine.”
“I know.”
“I am also narrow-minded, so I cannot tolerate when things don’t go my way.”
“…I know that too.”
“So I apologize. Even as I take my last breath, I am a man who will prioritize my greed.”
Once, in the past…
There was a future he had always imagined from the moment he met Renee.
“It’s regrettable. For it to end here.”
After their journey ended, he planned to search the continent for a way to heal her eyes.
Once he cured her sight, they would embark on another long trip so he could show her all the places they had visited.
At the end, he would make a magnificent proposal at the lake where he had first confessed.
To live happily ever after, with a son and daughter.
There was a time when he imagined such things.
It was truly regrettable. It was a future he longed for so deeply.
But it was fine.
“…I want to ask something.”
Because he had something he wished for, something he longed for, and something to chase.
Because he was certain that he had finally reached them.
“Have I become the light that illuminates the world?”
It was a question with a specific answer.
Renee bit down hard on her lip, nodding ever so slightly.
Vera smiled.
“I’m glad.”
And like that, he placed his hand over his chest.
Thump.
Thump.
Along with his heartbeat rose the oath that had led him here.
The single oath that had led Vera to this point.
[I will live for the Saint.]
He confronted it and opened his mouth.
“I will disappear from here.”
Crack—
The oath cracked.
“I’m so proud of myself that I have finally reached the light. I intend to vanish to ensure that light never fades.”
The cracks grew wider,
“I have such greed. Therefore, I will betray you.”
And twisted.
The oath was breaking down, unable to maintain its form.
With pain akin to his entire body being torn apart, Vera said his final words.
“For my own sake, this is the end I desire.”
Shatter—!
A clear, explosive sound resonated within Vera.
“Gah—!”
Blood spewed from Vera’s mouth.
It was the phenomenon of breaking the oath engraved within his soul.
This would be the end of everything.
The false symbol would vanish, and those he had wished to protect could look forward to tomorrow.
Renee would have a long road ahead of her.
Just as he thought that and tried to close his eyes…
“…I don’t want that.”
Renee reached out her hand.
Fortunately, her hand reached his cheek.
“I won’t let Vera go.”
Saying so, Renee unleashed her divinity.
A pure, white crown materialized above her head.
***
In the final illusion, her past self told her the following words.
– You have two options laid before you.
– In the end, he will try to erase himself. You may respect his wishes and let him go, or refuse them and save him. You will have to choose between your future and his.
Renee remembered it vividly.
The emotions that surfaced within her as she heard those words were tinged with a mournful and bittersweet echo.
– …Yes. From the start, there was only one choice. For me, and for you as well. So, I will say this.
The moment she heard that the answer to her question had already been decided.
Renee was someone who could not let Vera go.
– Time is irreversible. Once the flow is determined, it cannot be turned back, so the act of rewinding itself becomes an affront to Providence.
– However, that’s not the case for us. We are able to seize every possibility that exists.
– With the corruption expelled from him as the material, and that which lies beyond Providence as fuel, we may impudently wish for his complete survival.
– But it will still violate Providence, so it won’t be easy. Since it is a forcibly altered future, much groundwork will be necessary to protect it.
– You will rewind time and go back. You will continuously make preparations to protect the future in which he survives. And so, you will meet a wretched end. Something I once faced, and countless versions of you before me faced as well.
The words seemed like a curse at first glance, but Renee didn’t care.
Because the reward waiting at the end was the future of the one she loved.
“Sain…”
“I absolutely won’t let Vera go.”
The Crown of Rebirth shined brightly.
Vera stared at it blankly.
Renee had mended Vera’s fragmented soul back together.
She returned the shattered soul to its original state, then layered a miracle over it.
The corruption was erased.
[I will live for myself.]
That alone was engraved into his restored soul.
Renee smiled.
Igniting his soul by pulling up a near-impossible possibility, Renee protected who she loved and spoke.
“Vera has to live. Because I…”
Since she was a girl who became infinitely selfish in the face of love, Renee pushed through despite knowing the scars he would suffer.
“…am someone greedy, who can only be satisfied this way.”
Everything became white.
Only then did Vera realize Renee’s intention and reached out his hand.
But it didn’t reach her.
Swoosh—
Renee disappeared, turning into a cluster of light.
***
The land was completely pure white.
Renee was shocked by it.
It was only natural after coming to know what it meant to perceive ‘pure white’.
Tick—
The hands of a clock ticked.
Renee turned around.
Before her stood an old man in black robes with a large pocket watch hanging around his neck.
[Do you have any regrets?]
It was Orgus.
Renee looked around once more, confirming Orgus’ appearance, then realized where this was.
‘A time gap.’
It must be at the center of the world where Orgus walked, as mentioned in ancient texts.
[Let me ask again. Do you have any regrets?]
Renee’s body trembled.
It was from the belated realization of reality she felt due to the question of whether she had regrets.
She had utilized her authority beyond its limits to save Vera.
At the same time, she had intervened in the flow of time using his corruption.
She had interfered with the past in order to create a single future in which he could survive despite killing Alaysia.
“…No.”
Renee reflected, then answered.
She faced Orgus directly.
The awakened sky-blue eyes focused ahead shined faintly with warmth.
“I have no regrets.”
It was a choice she made to save her beloved, so Renee didn’t feel the slightest regret.
She wouldn’t feel sad even if this were where she met her end.
Orgus looked at Renee, then stepped aside.
Where he had been standing was a single black path amidst the entirely pure white world.
[Go this way.]
“To which past?”
[One much further back than you imagined.]
“How many times have I been here?”
[More than you can imagine.]
Renee eyed the path.
It was merely a pitch-black path.
“…Very well. Let’s go.”
Renee walked forward.
She placed her feet firmly with each step without the assistance of a cane.
This was likely the first and last time.
Her world would sink back into darkness, and what waited at the end was her death in the slums.
However, since she knew what awaited her, there was no fear.
‘Vera is alive.’
If she did this, he would be able to live.
The cross hanging around Renee’s neck jingled.
It gave off warmth.
It was the ‘best friend’ artifact, a gift from Vera on her coming-of-age ceremony that would inform each other of their presence.
Feeling its warmth while resting one hand over her heart, Renee plunged into the darkness.
And so began her long, long journey.
***
When did he first realize time didn’t flow solely forward?
It was probably the moment of the first distortion that day.
Orgus watched the black path Renee had disappeared down for some time before turning and walking away.
The pure white world crumbled.
It began reassembling, taking on shapes it had already taken.
The distorted time coiled like a pig’s tail, spiraling once more as it completed another loop.
[Five.]
It was the fifth time again, and time for him to take the steps he had become so familiar with, ones he had grown weary of.
He moved slowly, walking backwards in time, his steps different from others.
As he did so, Orgus revealed a smile no one had ever witnessed.
[This time…]
There was a strange feeling.
A bizarre feeling that the distortion this time would reach a different ending.
