C535
End.
The image cut off there.
The dim light faded, and the trembling waves calmed down.
The small disturbances in the spring vanished completely.
"Is that all?"
The cooperation between the Red Knight and the Sun God, the "First Destruction."
An unexpected twist had occurred, but what really mattered was what would come next.
Lucas needed to see the scene after that. Perhaps he could better understand what "destruction" was. However, even after dipping his hand into the spring and thinking about Pale's face, nothing happened.
"Is it single-use?"
[It seems to have a usage limit. Probably recharges over time.]
"..."
He had no choice but to withdraw his hand from the spring. Water droplets dripped from his wet palm.
...Am I getting impatient?
Lucas splashed his face with water from the spring. After all, it was good to have a body. Even external stimuli like this could awaken his mind.
Wiping the water from his face, he asked:
"How long does it take to recharge?"
The Beginning Wizard's words echoed in his head. He had said he had to come to this spring once a day.
"That guy seems to know this spring inside out."
[Of course. ...Hmm.]
Residue muttered, letting out a sigh.
[This is also something even I hadn't foreseen. Who would've thought the Sun God would join forces with the Red Knight...]
"Didn't you notice anything?"
[Yes. Honestly, what we just saw feels more like a charade.]
Lucas thought of the Sun God.
"...I don't know much about the Sun God, but he seems more moderate than the other Rulers."
[What do you mean?]
"Shouldn't it be so strange for a giant to cooperate with the Red Knight, right?"
[Hahaha. That's a funny theory.]
Residue chuckled.
[He's the most bloodthirsty of the Rulers.]
Bloodthirsty?
That was a word that didn't fit the Sun God. The Rulers sometimes feigned emotions for amusement, but the Sun God was different. He always restrained himself from expression, even if it was false, and was silent.
Residue smirked mockingly and continued:
[However, his boiling point is so high that he's rarely seen angered...]
"...I don't understand."
Lucas's gaze turned back to the spring.
'What does the Beginning Wizard want from me?'
Had he said Fountain of Wisdom? This wasn't an ordinary spring.
It was a unique treasure in the entire universe, so rare that even Residue had seen it for the first time. Perhaps, aside from the Beginning Wizard, the Wizards of Magic Planet didn't even know of the existence of this spring.
And he had left Lucas there.
With minimal explanation, without even telling him how to use it, but the Beginning Wizard clearly expected something from Lucas.
[It's obvious. There's something he wants you to see through this spring.]
"..."
As always, Residue's counsel was helpful at this moment.
Lucas wasn't one to have a narrow view of events, but Residue was one step ahead of him. It was natural, as he had always reigned from above.
"Something he wants me to see?"
[I don't know what it is. But the Beginning Wizard said he'd be back in a week.]
After a pause, Residue murmured significantly:
[Six times. You have to use the opportunities this spring gives you meaningfully.]
---------------------
Lucas sat in a nearby clearing, staring at the calm surface of the Fountain of Wisdom's water.
It had been two days since the Beginning Wizard had left him there.
"What do I want to see?"
He asked himself, as always.
Pale's face surfaced in his mind again, but he already had a general idea of her situation. Though he was curious about what had happened to her after encountering the Red Knight and the Sun God, using these six precious opportunities just to observe her seemed wasteful.
"Destruction."
The Red Knight's words,
"The First Destruction," echoed in his mind.
It was clearly related to the "five forms of destruction" the Exile had seen.
"Does it mean destruction will come five times?"
He didn't know. The only thing he could know at this moment was...
[Is that a habit of yours?]
A lazy voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What?"
[Every time you think deeply, you adopt a pose as if you're meditating.]
"...Hmm."
Lucas looked at himself. It was true that his posture was a bit exaggerated for thinking.
[It's okay to think, but you've arrived at Magic Planet, the place you longed for so much. It wouldn't hurt to explore the surroundings a bit.]
"...You're right. Anyway, I've already memorized the coordinates of this forest."
He had also discovered other things. For example, that the space of Magic Planet didn't belong entirely to the Void World.
It was different from the normal domains of the Void World. It existed in a kind of faint overlay with another dimension, so it would be impossible to enter or exit without a special method.
"It takes incredible skill to manipulate and understand space."
Obviously, it was the work of the Beginning Wizard.
Lucas stood up.
For now, it was best to set aside his doubts and explore Magic Planet.
-----------------------------
Lucas headed to the hill village he had visited on the way to the spring. He could have arrived instantly using teleportation, but he decided to return the same way.
[To avoid raising suspicions by appearing suddenly?]
"That too, and since I have plenty of time, I thought it would be good to take a look around."
[I see.]
Lucas looked up at the sky.
"Have you noticed? It seems this domain has day and night. I don't know if I should call it an artificial sun, but the sun has moved."
[Hmm.]
"There are clouds in the sky. Perhaps we can see the moon or the stars at night. There's also temperature and wind... In the forest where the spring was, there didn't seem to be any life, but if we walk a bit, we can find..."
Lucas lifted a rather large rock. Under the moist earth, a worm was seen wriggling.
"...even insects."
Of all the domains Lucas had visited, the one that most resembled the Three Thousand Worlds was Mount Hua ruled by Yang In-hyun. However, even in that domain, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of incongruence.
It was like an artificial flower made by the finest craftsman: you couldn't feel life in it.
But this place was different.
"It seems like a place where life exists, unlike the Void World. Could it have been copied from the Three Thousand Worlds?"
"I don't know. The accuracy is too high to call it a copy."
Lucas muttered his speculations.
"It feels like this domain itself comes from the 'outside'."
At that moment, the village on the hillside became visible. The figures of people could also be seen. They were still going about their daily tasks. Lucas suddenly stopped.
[What's wrong?]
"...Just find it a bit strange."
He had felt like he'd seen this scenery before, but it was a bit blurry. He was somewhat surprised by that fact.
'It's natural.'
If Lucas were to remember complete and perfect information he had at every moment, he would struggle to maintain his personality.
[Do you miss it?]
"No, nothing."
The village didn't even have a fence. It was proof that there were no enemies. As expected, he wasn't even stopped from entering.
Lucas walked through the village that seemed to be taken out of a fairy tale. The smell of freshly baked bread wafted from somewhere.
"Can they even cook here?"
[It seems so. Hmm, it looks like your theory is gradually strengthening.]
He sat on a wall that only reached a child's waist. He observed the village landscape with vacant eyes.
"..."
Just then, a pleasantly cool breeze blew.
Lucas stayed still, welcoming the breeze. It was a strangely melancholic feeling. He remained seated there, motionless like a statue, for a while.
It was strange.
Until recently, his mind was filled with confusion over the spring, the first destruction, the red knight, and the Sun God, but now he didn't care about any of that.
At that moment, he felt someone's presence.
"Hello."
A dark-skinned boy greeted him bluntly. He smiled broadly when their eyes met.
"Here."
And suddenly handed him something. It was rye bread.
"Why?"
"Eat it, Uncle!"
And after handing him the bread roughly, he ran off. Lucas looked at the hard bread and then took a bite.
"It's almost like a stone."
"You're right."
------------------------
The sun had completely set.
Just as Lucas had predicted, there was night on the Magic Planet.
The lights illuminating the village went out one by one and finally disappeared completely. In contrast, the sky lit up considerably. The star-filled sky didn't look different from the Milky Way.
There was also a failed prediction. There was no moon in the night sky of this place.
"..."
He observed the Magic Planet for a brief but intense period.
It's not like he just sat on the wall doing nothing. Lucas had come to understand to some extent the structure of the Magic Planet and thus couldn't help but come to a conclusion.
"It's a good place."
"Thank you."
He heard a raspy voice. Lucas turned around unsurprised, as he was aware of his presence. It was the aura that had caught his attention the most since he first saw this village.
He was a ragged-looking old man with no special features except for his kindness, but Lucas had found out that he was the best wizard in this village.
"And who are you?"
"I am 'Selen,' the village chief, but I suppose it would be easier for you to understand if you called me a Seeker of the Path."
Seeker of the Path?
"What does a Seeker of the Path from the Magic Planet have to do with me?"
"Is there something that has to do with it? I only came because I thought it was lonely for you to look at the moonless sky alone and thought to accompany you."
"..."
"Did I bother you?"
"No."
"I'm glad to hear that."
Selen smiled gently and sat on the wall a short distance from Lucas.
Lucas looked away from him and then said:
"You said Seeker of the Path."
"Yes."
"Wandering in search of answers, that's why they are Seekers of the Path. I wonder what it is they seek. What kind of truth do they want to call themselves Seekers of the Path?"
That's the doubt I've had since I first heard the name Seeker of the Path.
From Lucas's perspective, the term "searching for the path" didn't quite fit with wizards.
If it's just about seeking truth, that's fine, but if they seek reflection on life's suffering through deep introspection or religious enlightenment... they're too far from the wizard race.
Most wizards don't seek answers within themselves. What they always observe is the outside, that is, the world.
So Selen smiled.
"What we seek is a way to overcome fear."
"Fear of what?"
"Of destruction."
Lucas's gaze fixed on him.
"For that, you need to be unyielding against any adversity. We build a firm wall in our minds. With that as a boundary, we create our own little world and fill that land with our own preconceived ideas. That's the only way we've learned to survive destruction."
"...Is that something only Seekers of the Path know?"
"It once was. But now, all the wizards of this place know it."
Lucas fell silent in the face of the weight of those words. Everyone on the Magic Planet, without exception, are wizards.
Sitting on the wall, he observed their daily lives.
...A man wiping sweat from his brow after hard work, a woman picking up laundry and yawning cheerfully, an elderly couple supporting each other up the hill, a child shyly smiling as he handed out rye bread...
─They were all aware of destruction.
[It's an unpleasant place.]
Residue mentioned for the first time his precise impression of the Magic Planet, and Lucas looked back at the sky.
After all, he thought a moonless night sky was a bit unpleasant.
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)