Once, in a dream identical to this moment, the dark water rippled but wasn't as heavy, making it much easier to move. As if waiting for him, the presence in a familiar black robe became visible as he waded through the water. Seated upon a giant chair, he looked down at Sihyun.
"God."
Now, Sihyun called out to him boldly, unlike before when he had barely managed to speak, overwhelmed and with a dry mouth. His eyes, a mix of red and blue, stared deeply at Sihyun. The robed figure remained silent, only exuding an overwhelming aura of pressure.
As if expecting something.
For some reason, Sihyun felt he knew the question the figure was waiting for. It felt as though their eyes had met momentarily.
"...Were you Adam and Eve?"
The informal speech he was about to blurt out was refined and flowed out instead.
'It's not yet the time.'
Certainly, God had mentioned this in their previous meeting. Back then, Sihyun had wondered when "the time" would be, but now it seemed he understood. Having noticed the hint God had provided and seeking the answer directly from him, this moment might just be the "time" God spoke of.
This time, it seemed like the figure, who usually remained silent or sent him back, would engage in conversation. As anticipation filled his gaze, the robed figure, who had been resting his head on his hand propped up by the armrest, slowly moved.
His body straightened up. His already large form seemed to grow, threatening to engulf Sihyun, who took a deep breath, waiting for what would come next. From within the robe, a voice finally flowed.
The time is still not right.
"......"
Not this time either?
Sihyun frowned at the rejection. He had thought this time he would finally have a proper conversation. Thus, he had been waiting for the moment to dream this dream again, only to be taken aback by the unexpected response.
Follow the trail, my child, to where your soul answers. I will be waiting for you here.
The voice filled the space, its deep resonance causing his legs to shake involuntarily. Anyone hearing this voice would feel compelled to kneel and bow their head. It was that holy, commanding, and it evoked a primordial respect. Sihyun gathered his strength into his trembling legs and faced God squarely.
He had always wondered why God appeared in his dreams, merely guessing at his intentions, which now flowed directly from God's mouth. It seemed there were no traces other than those left by Adam and Eve, causing Sihyun to bite his lip to keep his foggy mind alert.
In the end, he received homework without any questions being answered.
Whether to be moved that chasing after Adam and Eve was the right answer or to be disappointed at not getting a response to his question, he wasn't sure. Without saying a word and merely remaining silent, God rose from his chair.
He reached out. A giant hand emerged from the robe, making Sihyun's eyes widen.
The hand came closer. Considering that each finger was bigger than his own body, Sihyun clenched his eyes shut.
Thud.
The tip of the index finger landed on Sihyun's head. God carefully touched Sihyun, ensuring not to hurt or weigh him down, then spoke again.
Just as promised, I will always wait here for you, so do not be hasty. I will gladly wait until your memory returns.
The words were incomprehensible. What promise, what memory?
No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't remember ever making a promise with God. Confused by what he was saying, Sihyun blinked his blue eyes, and then God's giant hand descended, covering his vision. Darkness approached, and with that, Sihyun fell into the black water.
The hand that had obscured his view disappeared.
Familiar with the sensation, swallowing the disappointment of it all ending so quickly, Sihyun closed his eyes. Letting his body sink, his clear consciousness became hazy.
Eventually, Sihyun woke from the dream, curled up in his blanket like a roll of matting.
"......"
Feeling strangely constrained and heavy while sleeping, it seemed this was the culprit. Normally, he slept quite still, so the reason for his current state was puzzling, but he could guess.
It must have been the kids' doing.
And most likely Kang Haewoon's.
No one else would play such a mean and pointless prank. Sihyun sighed, his mouth dry from sleep, and called out for Haewoon. There was no answer. Noticing the lack of any movement in the room, Sihyun sat up briskly.
Wrapped tightly in the blanket, it wasn't easy, but using the momentum, he managed to sit up and looked around. The room felt unusually cold. It was hard to believe that eight of them had slept here together. Sihyun checked the clock on the wall.
It was well past 3 PM.
"I've slept too much…"
Considering he had gone to bed late and was more tired than the others, he had still slept too deeply and for too long. Normally, the kids would have woken him up just to get him to eat, but their unusual quietness today was odd. Sensing something amiss, Sihyun shook off the blanket that restrained his limbs and managed to extricate himself after a few minutes of struggle. Once free, he wandered the empty room.
From Daun to Hamin, he called out each child's name, but as expected, there was no answer. With no messages on his phone either, he was about to call Jihye when a piece of paper on the table caught his eye.
The unnaturally large piece of paper looked like two A4 sheets taped together, with a message in Haewoon's handwriting.
'A Catastrophe-class Irregular has appeared, and we've gone to support!'
"......"
Sihyun's mind went blank for a moment as he obligatorily scanned the smaller note written below.
'Don't worry, we're with the guild leader! We'll return safely, so just rest well!'
"...What?"
Sihyun's groggy mind slowly processed Haewoon's message. Wondering if he had misunderstood, he read it a few more times, trying to interpret it from various angles, only to furrow his brows in frustration.
No matter how creatively he interpreted it, the conclusion was that Haewoon and the kids had gone off to deal with a Catastrophe-class Irregular.
Leaving him asleep.
Had they tried to wake him, he would have gotten up immediately, but there seemed to be no attempt, indicating they had left without him. An incredulous laugh escaped him at the thought. The idea that they could just go without a word was infuriating.
"Are they out of their minds?"
Finally, he muttered something resembling a curse and checked his phone. If a Catastrophe-class Irregular had appeared, an alarm should have gone off. Wondering why he hadn't woken up, he browsed through his notifications but found no message about any Catastrophe-class being sighted.
Bang! The door burst open without warning.
"Surprise!"
Haewoon entered with his arms wide open, followed by six kids with awkward expressions.
"...What's this?"
Sihyun asked in a dry tone, scanning the children's faces. As he tried to understand the situation, Haewoon kicked off his shoes and ran inside, picking up the paper Sihyun had been looking at, laughing heartily.
"Got scared? You did, didn't you!"
"......"
"Thought your heart would stop, right? It was just a joke!"
"......"
With each word Haewoon cruelly uttered, Sihyun's expression grew colder. Just when it seemed like one of them might actually end up getting hurt, Jihye neatly folded the paper and explained the situation.
"We always ended up being the ones pranked, so we thought we'd play a joke while you were asleep. Were you surprised?"
"......"
"Maybe now you understand a bit how we felt all this time?"
Her tone was warm and kind. Jihye's characteristic gentle voice seemed to chide him, leaving Sihyun speechless before he belatedly grasped what had happened and sighed.
In short, because he had always unilaterally informed them of dangerous situations, they decided to give him a taste of his own medicine with this prank.
He was relieved it was just a prank; if it had been real, he would have been truly startled. Calming his flustered heart, Sihyun ruffled his hair, wondering who could have come up with such a prank.
"...I was wrong, so stop playing these kinds of jokes."
If they made a mistake again, they might really go off to deal with a major rift by themselves next time.
Although it was a bit extreme, nothing had been as effective as this in making him realize how the kids felt whenever he unilaterally announced their plans. Grateful for the lesson but not pleased to be the victim, he promised multiple times to consult them in the future before the kids promised never to play such a prank again. Watching the boys and girls giggle, Sihyun groaned softly.
Why they found it so amusing was beyond him.
Feeling a pang of guilt, he began to tidy up the blanket when Haewoon suddenly hugged him tightly, a common reaction when he was excited.
"By the way, Sihyun, your interview was a huge hit!"
"What?"
"The reaction's been crazy. Lots of articles and even news coverage right now. Wanna see?"
Proud as if it were his own accomplishment, an excited Haewoon handed his phone to Sihyun. Casually starting the news video for Sihyun, who began scrolling through the comments to gauge the reaction. Haewoon wasn't exaggerating; the response was indeed explosive.
With over 3,000 comments on a live news feed, it was clear. Some found hope in him, others criticized, and a few deemed his statements reckless. However, the overall public sentiment wasn't negative.
As he watched a clip of himself at a press conference, possibly suggesting he could be a savior, the video buffered abruptly, as if too many viewers had crashed the server. Sihyun wondered what was happening when the screen shifted.
[Breaking news. A large pyramid, previously undiscovered, has appeared in Egypt, causing a stir worldwide. Reports of strange phenomena are coming in from around the globe. Egyptian authorities are urgently summoning hunters due to a massive rift opening near the pyramid...]
The scene switched to the desert, and as a reporter stood in front of the massive pyramid, Sihyun learned that alongside the sudden appearance of this pyramid in Egypt, abnormal weather patterns were occurring worldwide. The report urged citizens to report any undiscovered ruins or suspicious areas, as large rifts were opening.
Sihyun half-listened to the reporter, his attention captured by the pyramid being broadcasted. It felt familiar. As he squinted for a better look, the camera angle shifted slightly upward, revealing characters inscribed at the pyramid's peak and sides that caught Sihyun's eye.
The strange characters seemed to flicker before rearranging into a familiar set of letters.
'Dekumanus.'
It was the pyramid from Sihyun's dream.
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