C541
The moonlight gently enveloped the entire courtyard. Only the hooting of owls and the chirping of crickets could be heard, and there was barely any activity in the orphanage in the late hours of the night.
Knock~
Someone manifested themselves in that place.
A woman of fragile appearance, with a face marked by stress, fatigue, and guilt.
Lucas knew who she was.
─Grecia Larson,
The person who corresponded to Lucas's biological mother.
"Oh..."
Lucas finally remembered.
He had seen this scene before. How could he forget?
Lucas's origin,
The moment he was abandoned at the Traumen Orphanage.
This is also the scene that Lucas first encountered through the corpses in the Dump Site.
"How... can the Beginning Wizard be seeing this scenery...?"
No.
With the "Fountain of Wisdom," one can glimpse everything.
So, the question shouldn't be "how?" but "why?".
Grecia passed through Lucas's bewildered body and reached the orphanage door.
Before she could knock, the door creaked open. The figure of a middle-aged woman with a generous figure was revealed. The candlestick in her wrinkled hands illuminated her face warmly.
"Mrs. Larson?"
"I am Grecia Larson."
"Oh, you arrived a little later than expected."
The middle-aged woman smiled kindly.
"I'm sorry. I had to deceive the servants...".
"Don't worry, ma'am. ...You're a bit late for the introductions. I'm Sofia. Instead of Aria, who is absent due to personal matters, I'm in charge of management here."
"Yes, Sofia. Thank you for attending to my personal request this time."
"Haha."
Sofia smiled gently.
"It's cold tonight. Please, come in first."
The scene replayed exactly as in Lucas's memory, without the slightest error. That's why he didn't understand it.
What is the Beginning Wizard trying to show me?
This is Lucas's past. If there were more details he knew than him, he would have known more details. There's nothing new to learn by watching this again. I've seen it thousands of times in my inner world.
─It's not your past.
The voice that suddenly resonated in his ears was that of the Beginning Wizard.
"What?"
─The course of events up to here may be similar. But open your eyes wide and observe. Will the subsequent events unfold as you remember?
At that moment, Sofia suddenly turned and asked.
"...By the way, where is the child you spoke of?"
"He's here with me."
Although Grecia said so, there was no figure resembling a baby. Just as doubts arose in Sofia's wrinkled eyes, a voice was heard.
"I'm here."
It was from behind Grecia.
Stepping forward firmly, a young boy of about ten years old showed a bold expression.
-...
Lucas was speechless for a moment.
Why hadn't he noticed before?
Grecia didn't come alone. It had already happened in the past. At that time, she was also accompanied by a child.
Lucas didn't pay much attention to that fact. Perhaps he considered it a mere bystander.
Does that make sense?
Grecia confirmed it with her own words. She said she was late because she had deceived the servants.
The child was not a servant.
"Who are you...?"
"My name is Mark."
'Why didn't I notice?'
That boy also had blonde hair.
Just like Lucas, just like Grecia.
"Today I begin my stay at the Traumen Orphanage."
The young Mark said with a smile.
Lucas had a sister. A girl named Lesha Traumen. A fact he wouldn't have known until almost dying if he hadn't reached the Void World. But that wasn't the only hidden secret.
He also had an older brother.
'I knew it.'
He knew of the existence of a blood relative named "Mark" through the information he had obtained.
And it was natural. How many "Lucas" had he absorbed?
But Lucas hadn't paid much attention to that fact. The only thing Lucas could find out about Mark was his name. He had never encountered him in his life.
That's why he didn't expect it. The fact that the boy traveling with Grecia was Mark, and...
"The fact that the Beginning Wizard was your older brother, 'Mark Traumen'?"
Once again, the Beginning Wizard spoke as if reading his mind.
The brief video came to an end, and they found themselves standing again in space, looking at each other.
"...Do you want me to believe this?"
"Believing it or not is your choice. Of course, if you can truly deny it."
"What do you mean?"
"Can you dismiss everything I've said as false? No. I don't think so. I know you. You're not the type to be swayed by emotions and make mistakes."
A tone of voice that knew everything. If he argued each of those words, the story wouldn't progress. Lucas sighed deeply and then said:
"...Fine. Let's say you're my older brother."
Older brother...
Just by uttering the word, Lucas felt a strange sense of discomfort.
"What does that have to do with you speaking as if you know everything about me?"
Lucas's distrust was not directed at the existence of "Mark Traumen". As mentioned earlier, Lucas had an older brother, and that was an undeniable fact.
But there were too many things that couldn't be explained just by that.
"Why do you want to help me? And why did you want to kill Lucas before? What is Lucas to you?"
"A younger brother."
Lucas's lips curved with coldness.
"That's the worst possible answer. I hope you're not going to talk to me about brotherhood."
"Also, they say blood is thicker than water. Sometimes, parents and children who have been separated for a long time can recognize each other at first sight."
Lucas chuckled openly.
"Could it be said that this takes small talk to another level?"
"Don't make me laugh. The case is completely different. You and I have nothing in common. Don't you understand? Among the 'countless Lucas' I've absorbed, not a single one has known you."
At those words, the Beginning Wizard burst into laughter.
"Haha, haha... Yes. That's the point, Lucas."
With a seemingly cheerful voice, he continued:
"Besides being brothers, you and I have nothing in common. We haven't even met. The only thing we know is of each other's existence."
"Then, why?"
The Beginning Wizard smiled and clapped once more.
Bam!
Just like before, stars exploded. But this time it wasn't just one. Dozens, hundreds of stars behind the Beginning Wizard exploded simultaneously, creating an unparalleled fireworks display.
Each of those sparks contained a memory. The past, the agony, and the memories Lucas had experienced...
[No.]
Residue said.
"Look closely, Lucas Traumen. Those are not you."
At those words, Lucas directed his gaze there.
Residue was right. In the place where Lucas should have been, there was another person.
... Mark Traumen.
"Can you accept it?"
And the Beginning Wizard's voice filled with bitterness.
"In the almost infinite possibilities of parallel worlds, the two of us never exchanged a word. We never met. And when you failed to ascend, after facing a futile death... I took your place, Lucas."
"...What are you saying?"
"I became the Great Mage."
He still didn't understand.
"It was a succession of horrible things. I wanted to quit many times. I know the life of the Great Mage well. As you said, it's not a life I would recommend to anyone."
"..."
"I cursed the world and hated God. Why only me, why only me do these things happen? I thought about it a thousand times a day, but nothing got better, nothing changed. And in the end, I surrendered to fate."
The Beginning Wizard, who had been speaking with a rough voice until then, finally spoke with a slightly more relaxed face.
"With those memories, I was abandoned here."
"...And then?"
"Nothing special. I wandered through the Void World and then I met the previous generation's Beginning Wizard, and I inherited his title, memories, and knowledge."
He said it calmly, but it wasn't something that could be accepted calmly.
"...You inherited?"
"Unlike the other Twelve Void Lords, the Beginning Wizard is a title that is inherited. And then I realized. The meaning of the place called Magic Planet, our role, the Void World, the Void King, the 4 Knights... also about the Destruction."
"......"
"I also learned about the Fountain of Wisdom and began to glimpse the world beyond its surface. The Three Thousand Worlds, the world that is the basis of everything... You know? Those who live there seem to be surrounded by light. It's so bright, so dazzling that... you can't even see."
The Beginning Wizard's voice turned melancholic. His eyes seemed to be tinged with red. Lucas remained silent before that sad gaze, as if he were about to cry at any moment.
"That's how, as I acquired knowledge of the Three Thousand Worlds... I learned about you."
The eyes that were no longer hidden behind a mask now formed a gentle curve.
"I never imagined it. There was a being that had experienced cruelty, no, despair even greater than what I felt...!"
His voice filled with emotion.
The Beginning Wizard extended his hands and said:
"I watched your struggle and cheered you on. I desperately hoped you would never give up. But at the same time, I felt a sense of unease. The path I walked was not easy... And yet, you exceeded my expectations and achieved more than I did. Can you imagine the joy I felt when I confirmed that?"
For some reason, Lucas could visualize the scene.
...If the positions had been different, Lucas would have done the same. That meant he was beginning to identify with the Beginning Wizard's words.
"There was something I wanted to ask you when we met. I saw all the moments you've lived through and, in a way, I know you better than you know yourself, but there's one thing I'll never be able to know."
"...My heart."
Lucas said with a choked voice.
And the Beginning Wizard nodded.
"Only by asking could I know with what determination you faced all those things. Because at every moment, you showed an unbreakable appearance. Doubts arose: [Can you really endure it?], [Doesn't it affect you at all?], [Are you really not suffering? Don't you want to escape?] And then, a miracle happened."
"Are you referring to my arrival in the Void World?"
The Beginning Wizard nodded.
"That's why I am grateful to this world. If it weren't for this place, I couldn't have met you. A dump? A world of abandoned possibilities? It's not like that. A world like this also has the capacity to create miracles."
"..."
"And when I met you, I naturally knew. How you feel, with what heart you live."
A brief sigh echoed. It was like a period marking the end of a story. Lucas remained silent for a long time, and the Beginning Wizard said nothing either.
How much time passed?
The Beginning Wizard put on the mask again.
Fwoosh~
The space that stretched everywhere contracted as if shrinking and disappeared completely, and the darkness that surrounded them was once again covered in vegetation.
In the center of the clearing, the Beginning Wizard spoke.
"-The story as Mark Traumen ends here."
"......"
"Shall we walk together? You haven't seen much of Magic Planet, so you wouldn't know, but there are many quite nice places."
He turned around and left.
The moment Lucas, after a brief hesitation, began to walk.
"That guy."
Residue spoke with an unpleasant voice.
"It seems he didn't lie."
"Yes."
"But Lucas, don't trust him. Although the feelings he has for you may be real..."
'I know.'
Lucas nodded and said.
'He's hiding more than he has revealed.'
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)