It was a cozy and warm feeling, like being buried deep in a very soft blanket. Warm and comfortable.
Feeling as though he was floating, Kang Sihyun slowly lifted his eyelids. His eyelids felt unusually light as they lifted gently. His long, straight eyelashes perked up.
Ah…
Upon opening his eyes, Kang Sihyun inwardly gasped.
He was in the air.
Somewhere high above in an unknown world, freely flying in the sky so high that he could look down on everything. Below him was a world so vast and endless, it was wondrous.
It was all so strange.
The air, the landscape, the wind.
Everything was unfamiliar.
Especially the world below.
There were no apartments that Kang Sihyun recognized, nor houses that seemed inhabited by people. Naturally, there were no cars speeding on the roads, and no people in sight.
Instead, there were wide, clear fields, unidentified living creatures squirming on the ground, and something that looked like a very large tree.
There was nothing he could be certain of, but one thing was clear – it was beautiful.
But the wonder didn’t stop there.
Despite the sun, intense enough to melt wings, being right overhead, it wasn’t hot or warm at all. Normally, his skin would have been burning, but instead, it felt moist. He could even look directly at the sun without any discomfort.
How is this even possible?
As he marveled at the sight alone, a deep voice reached him.
-How about this time?
It was a clear, yet heavy voice, gender indiscernible, full of contradictions and paradoxes. Only then did Kang Sihyun realize there was another presence beside him.
Someone else was flying, or rather, observing this world with him.
Their gaze, along with the other presence’s, was directed below.
With a tone that sounded strict yet strangely expectant, Kang Sihyun was puzzled. He didn’t know what was being asked, so he didn’t know how to respond.
As he hesitated, his lips moved on their own, without reflecting any of Kang Sihyun’s will.
“It’s very ugly.”
-Even though you filled it with light as you said, is that so?
“It’s still very ugly.”
The face of the presence beside him wasn’t clearly visible. Surrounded by bright light, only the lower part of the face was visible. Despite the being’s protest, Kang Sihyun coldly delivered his harsh judgment.
To be precise, it wasn’t Kang Sihyun but his body that did.
Nothing was intentional, and he hadn’t given any orders, yet his mouth opened on its own to respond and criticize. Normally, Kang Sihyun wouldn’t say or do such things.
Was it just the mouth? Not even the muscles on his face moved according to Kang Sihyun’s emotions. His eyes should have widened if he was surprised, but they didn’t, and his lips wanted to twitch but remained firmly closed.
…Is this not me?
Kang Sihyun harbored doubts as he realized the anomaly. Everything he saw and felt with his body felt as real as his own, yet nothing happened as he thought, making him wonder if this body was not his own.
It was a reasonable suspicion.
Was he possessed by another body?
But it was ambiguous to even call it possession. It seemed like only their consciousnesses were coexisting.
As he slightly frowned internally at the strange situation, he and the other being continued their conversation as if Kang Sihyun were an audience member who had intruded upon a stage.
-You always just find fault.
“Father’s creations are always ugly. To speak frankly, Father lacks talent in creation.”
-I am doing that job, yet you say I have no talent!
What in the world were they talking about?
What does it mean to create a world, and what about creation? The content of their conversation was incomprehensible. Judging by the way they addressed each other, they seemed to be father and son, but their conversation was far from ordinary.
Well, it was strange to begin with that a father and son were flying side by side in the sky.
Kang Sihyun silently listened to the bickering duo, not caring whether he was confused or not. As he listened without comment, he gradually began to understand the conversation.
It seemed like the father was involved in creating worlds, asking his son each time if it was good or bad, suitable or difficult for life to exist.
Then, like now, the son would harshly criticize, telling the father to remake the world. The father, looking dejected, would then tear down the world he had painstakingly created. This time was no exception, as the world Kang Sihyun found beautiful and wondrous was being covered in grey.
-Next time, I should plant something more refreshing.
“Above all, color is important, Father. Everything you create is always just black
, brown, and blue, isn’t it?”
Might as well add more refreshing colors next time. Just having land makes it look desolate, so let’s create some water. How about covering 70% of this place with water? And then divide the land.
Despite scolding his father, the son, still the son, showed a hint of warmth in his indifferent voice. Kang Sihyun noticed this warmth as the son nitpicked every little thing and offered his opinions, causing the father to nod and then chuckle.
-It would have been quite fun if you could join me in creation.
“Don’t even think about granting me another power. Too much power is a poison, as you’ve already experienced once. He was a failure.”
With a tone full of regret, Kang Sihyun’s body stiffened and warned. Suddenly, the playful atmosphere turned dark.
The father’s presence exuded such a gloomy energy, it felt as though the world had darkened.
-Yes, it was a failure. That’s why I created you.
“Don’t sulk and just smile.”
If Kang Sihyun’s body had moved according to his will, he wouldn’t have been able to speak immediately in response to the father’s words. The atmosphere was too heavy. It felt like a powerful force was pressing down on his shoulders, and the father’s words seemed so gloomy that he would have been infected with the emotion and ended up frowning together.
But Kang Sihyun’s body was different. With a calm touch, he stretched the gloomy being’s cheeks long and sternly reprimanded him not to droop. Kang Sihyun felt relieved inside.
He was glad that this body did not follow his will.
In one way or another, they seemed like a close father and son.
The content of their conversation was suspicious enough, but regardless of what kind of beings they were, the sight was definitely pleasant. Just when it seemed like they were a somewhat unusual father and son, the father stroked Kang Sihyun’s head.
-Are you not disappointed for lacking the ability to create?
“What would I do with that ability anyway? I’m supposed to do the opposite of creation, aren’t I?”
-Yes, you are the savior, the one who ends chaos. Haven’t I told you this a hundred and eighty-five times already? You keep saying it over and over.
Kang Sihyun’s body grumbled, cutting off what the father was about to say. He even poked his ears as if he was going to get earwax from hearing it so much, causing the father to shake with laughter. Kang Sihyun felt for a moment as if the sunlight had become intensely strong.
The wind blew gently and pleasantly, and the grey world was brightly colored in five hues, with the grass dancing.
As if the whole world was saying it was happy, a tender voice was heard just when Kang Sihyun was about to be mesmerized.
-Right, everything you say is correct.
Adam.
The father softly called out a name. It seemed like the name of the owner of the body Kang Sihyun had entered.
Adam.
As the letters seemed to be engraved in his mind, Kang Sihyun, inside Adam’s body, frowned and held his head.
A pain as if his brain was splitting in half arrived. As he groaned in pain, a voice answering him gradually faded away.
His body floated up again.
***
“Ugh…”
The first sound that came out was a heavy groan, as if his body, pressed down by a large boulder, couldn’t properly support itself, and he unknowingly let out a strained moan. As he shook his head from side to side and twisted his body, all his senses opened wide. Hearing, smell, touch – all senses were receiving information from the world.
Sounds crashed in.
The force of gravity pressing down on his body was felt, and the flow of air brushing against his cheeks was perceived. His entire body had become strangely agile. He could even feel someone gently brushing his fuzz.
His hearing, now extremely sensitive, picked up several voices.
Kang Sihyun, Mr. Kang Sihyun, Kang Sihyun, Kang Sihyun.
His name was heard in various forms several times, awakening Kang Sihyun’s consciousness.
Today, his eyelids felt heavy as they lifted.
His vision, blurry as if fogged, gradually regained its sharpness after blinking a few times.
“Kang Sihyun! Are you conscious? Are you okay?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Emma, he’s healed! Kang Sihyun isn’t hurt!”
…It’s chaotic.
With several people pouring out words all at once, it was maddening. Yet, thanks to their concern and voices, Kang Sihyun managed to wake up, groaning as he propped himself up on his elbows.
Reality set in.
Feeling truly alive, Kang Sihyun looked
at the faces of the people filling his vision while feeling his body.
It felt like he had a very old dream.
A pleasant and warm one.
A dream where his body felt light as if it could fly away.
Remembering it brought a longing feeling. His eyes slightly teared up from the strange sensation, and as Kang Sihyun touched his eyes, he assessed the situation.
It seemed like a building had collapsed, with bricks and sand piled up in one place, and Kang Sihyun and his companions were in a relatively intact area. Bright light, dark passages, and luminescent tubes visible between walls. A familiar yet unfamiliar place. They were still inside the pyramid.
“Ah.”
Decumanus!
Realizing they were inside the pyramid, Kang Sihyun quickly looked around as the name pierced his mind. His companions asked why he was so frantic. When he asked if they had dealt with Decumanus, everyone suddenly became quiet.
“…Why are you all silent?”
As if they had agreed to be silent, the group went quiet, and narrowing his eyes, Kang Sihyun saw his companions exchanging glances before they all turned their gaze in one direction.
Following their gaze, Kang Sihyun turned his head.
There was Decumanus, petrified and stiff as a statue.
If there was any difference from before, it was that the giant throne Decumanus had been sitting on had collapsed, and the creature was trapped under the debris, his body twisted in various angles.
Without needing anyone to say it, Kang Sihyun could tell that Decumanus’s breath had ceased.
Who could have done this to Decumanus?
He had no memories after rushing out to save Haewoon.
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