Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 624

Chirp—! Chirp—!

The sound of birdsong tickled my ears.

The sunlight warmly poured down,
and the breeze, carrying the essence of the season, was refreshingly cool.

Leaves full of life gleamed, their colors beautifully transforming in welcome of the coming autumn.
Just looking at them made my heart race.

It was beautiful.

Truly, an incredibly beautiful place.
If I were walking here alone, I might’ve stopped without realizing it, simply to take in the scenery.

It was that breathtaking.

But...

‘What is this place?’

I couldn’t just marvel at the scenery with a carefree heart.

Just moments ago, this world had been nothing but the sound of burning ashes.
Why had it suddenly transformed into this?

And more than that...

‘Why does this feel...?’

As I looked around, an earthquake seemed to shake my mind.

This place was unfamiliar.

Or rather, I had wandered so many places that it might be somewhere I had passed by at some point.
Even so...

‘Why does it feel so familiar?’

It wasn’t the kind of familiarity you get from passing through a place once.
This was something deeper—nostalgic and sorrowful, all at once.

An incomprehensible wave of emotions surged through me.

‘What is this place?’

Why did I feel like this?

Though it seemed like I was seeing it for the first time,
the coexistence of strangeness and longing made no sense.
It was a sensation I had never felt before.

Thud—!

The sound of a waterwheel turning snapped me back to my senses.
I turned to face forward.

Right now, what I needed to focus on wasn’t the scenery—it was the figure in front of me.

‘Nameless?’

Nameless.

That was how the woman had introduced herself.

As I recalled that, I looked at her again.

But...

‘I can’t see her.’

Her appearance was still indiscernible.

She was hazy.

Despite her presence being so overwhelming, for some reason, I couldn’t perceive her clearly.
It was as if my mind was refusing to recognize her.

‘What is she?’

I knew there was a lot going on inside me,
but right now, both Noya and Keureung were absent.

So there were only two possible candidates I could consider.

If she wasn’t a blood demon spirit—

‘And not the Divine Sword either...’

Then what on earth was she?

I had no answers.

At that moment—

Hoo-hoo.

I heard the woman chuckle softly.

“You have the same expression.”

“What...?”

“That face you always make when you’re deep in thought. It’s strangely comforting to see it again.”

Her words, tinged with amusement, made me scowl.
It was as if she knew me well.

I subtly moved my hand.

Fwoosh—!

A flame began to flicker to life—

Hiss—!

Only for it to disappear just as quickly.

‘This is driving me insane.’

This was supposed to be my mental space.
And yet, I couldn’t even wield my power as I wanted. What kind of absurd situation was this?

“Who are you, and what is this place?”

I decided to ask outright.

Hearing my question, the woman tilted her head slightly,
then glanced around.

“What do you think?”

She asked me in return.

“...What do you mean?”

“Do you think it’s beautiful?”

“...”

I didn’t answer her.
I thought it was absurd to even entertain such a question.

But—

“Perhaps it is beautiful. It’s the place you loved most.”

She continued speaking, not caring for my lack of response.

“When autumn came, this place was especially vibrant. The surrounding abundance made it a wonderful place to live.”

She picked up a falling autumn leaf and handed it to the child in her arms.
Though the child’s face remained filled with fear, they didn’t reject the leaf.

“That’s why you kept coming here. I watched you countless times as you stood here, gazing quietly at the sky. This place holds those memories.”

“...What kind of nonsense are you talking about?”

Her words were incomprehensible.

Not just this house,
but this place—
I had never been here before.

“Is it a memory? Or perhaps a regret? What do you think?”

“...”

“No need to answer.”

The woman smiled.

“If it were you, you’d probably say it was regret without hesitation. That’s the kind of person you are.”

That smile—it made my chest ache for reasons I couldn’t explain.

It hurt. And it was cold.

And it was heavy.

Those were the emotions I felt as I looked at her.
That’s why—
despite having so many questions, I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them.
It was undoubtedly because of that.

[Sniff...]

The child in her arms shrank further into themselves.
The woman gently stroked the child, her movements careful.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”

[Sniff... Mommy...]

“...”

The child’s quiet call for their mother made the woman pause for a moment,
but she didn’t stop her soothing touch.

Watching this, I came to a realization once again.
This wasn’t the time to hesitate.

I stepped closer to the woman and spoke.

“Give that to me.”

“What will you do if I do?”

“Kill it.”

Even as I spat out those words without hesitation, the woman’s expression didn’t change.

“Why?”

She simply asked. And I answered.

“Because it has to be done.”

It had to be done.

Yes, this was something that had to happen.

Even in the haze clouding my thoughts, this one thing was clear.

“...Something that has to be done, you say.”

The woman nodded at my words.

“Yes, it must be done.”

“So, hand it—”

“But I won’t.”

Her refusal made my face twist in frustration.

“What?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give you this child.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

This was mine.
I was taking back what was mine. What kind of ridiculous statement was this?

I glared at the woman in disbelief.

But she only tightened her hold on the child.

“As I said before, I didn’t want you to make this choice.”

Clench.

The child also clung tightly to the woman, as if refusing to let go.

“And I’m sorry. I’m the one who pushed you into this situation despite not wanting you to choose.”

Her words made my eyes widen.

She pushed me?

“What do you mean? You’re the one who pushed me?”

“...”

Thud.

Amid her incomprehensible words, the sound of the waterwheel echoed once more.
That was the signal.

“That you were forced to go back in time...”

Her voice rang out, striking me deeply.

“That you were turned into something as monstrous as a dragon to endure this harsh current...”

My breathing, which had been steady, began to falter.

“That the heavy burden on your back is all because of me.”

My trembling breaths made it nearly impossible to speak.

What had I just heard?

‘What is she saying?’

She was the one who sent me back?

That couldn’t be.

The one who sent me back...

‘Was the Heavenly Demon.’

The Divine Sword had said so.
And the Heavenly Demon had confirmed it.

The one who sent me back was the Heavenly Demon—not this woman.

‘...Wait.’

As I tried to process it,
I felt something strange.

Her blurred form had become slightly clearer.

At that moment, as my gaze met hers, I thought I understood something.

“Don’t tell me, you’re the Heave—”

Zzzt—!

“...!”

A sudden pain forced me to one knee.
Gripping my head, my body shook violently.

The pain wasn’t physical.
It came from my very soul.

This was a warning.

A warning that recalling certain things would shatter my soul.

“Haah... haaah...”

Struggling to breathe, I barely endured.

The woman, still standing before me, simply watched.

I couldn’t see her expression.

When she had smiled, I could somewhat tell, but now, I had no idea what kind of face she was making.

However...

“Even through countless lives, the life you desired most was an ordinary one.”

Though I couldn’t see her expression,
I could hear the sorrow in her voice.

“And so, I didn’t want you to live this kind of life. That’s why, whenever you tried to choose, I made you hesitate.”

Her words only made my head spin more.

“I delayed your decisions. I clouded your vision to make you lose your way.”

As if confessing, she continued to speak.

The memories surfaced.

The countless times I had declared I would use any means necessary, only to hesitate.
The way I had already become a dragon yet still longed to remain human.

Was all of that... her doing?

“I still remember,”

She said.

“When we first built this house. The smile you wore back then.”

I didn’t understand her words.

“Maybe that’s why. I’m still here, in this place. Perhaps...”

She whispered softly,

“I’ll remain here forever.”

“Which is why, I hope you never remember fully.”

Her voice reached me.

But I couldn’t answer.

‘The voice...!’

No sound came out.
My body was stiff and wouldn’t move.

Crackle—! Snap—!

I tried to force myself to move, but it felt like something was crushing me, making it impossible.

“Forgetfulness is the best I can give you.”

Snap—! Crackle—!

An unnatural sound came from my strained arms.

If I forced it any further, I’d be completely broken.

The pain wasn’t physical—it reached my soul.
It was excruciating.

So much so that I wondered if such pain could even exist.

“And so, even if one day you come to know everything...”

I barely managed to lift my head to look at the woman.

“At the end of it all, I hope you still won’t remember me. That is my only wish.”

I didn’t understand what she was saying.

Not only were her words incomprehensible, but I couldn’t grasp who she was or why she had appeared within me.

Snap—! Crackle—!

Whenever I tried to think, it wasn’t just my body—my mind itself felt blocked.

“Hah... Hah...!”

“Don’t worry. This child...”

The woman spoke as she gently cradled the child in her arms.

“I’ll hold them close and hide them from you. To the you that awakens, it’ll be as if they never existed.”

As she spoke, the woman began to rise.

Craaaack—!

When she stood, the sky began to fracture.
Instinctively, I knew.

Once this moment passed, my body would awaken.

“And if, by some miracle, you recall me one day... will you resent me? If so, I’d welcome it.”

The woman let out a faint smile.

“Resentment means you remember me. And that alone would be enough for me.”

She began to move.
As she spoke, the woman slowly started walking.

Craaaack—!

The sky continued to fracture, and even the ground beneath her feet began to crack.

The woman passed by me, carrying the child in her arms.

I had to stop her.

I had to take the child from her, and I needed to ask her identity.

But—

Crackle—! Snap—!

The sensation of being bound grew stronger.

“This...!”

I clenched my teeth.
I couldn’t just let her go.

That single thought drove me to rise.

Crrrrack—!

My body felt like it was breaking apart.
Ignoring the pain, I spoke to the woman.

“...Don’t... go.”

The voice I couldn’t muster earlier finally came out.
Even as I spoke, the pain didn’t relent.

But it didn’t matter. That wasn’t important.

Pause.

The woman stopped walking.
Seeing that, I thought—

Why had I told her not to go?

Was it to demand she give me the child?
Or was it to make her reveal her identity?

I didn’t know.

My body and mind were both in chaos, as if being forcibly erased.
Even so, I felt an overwhelming need to stop her.

That was the only feeling I had.

“...Don’t go,” I said again.

At my words, the woman turned her head toward me.
But I still couldn’t see her.

Her obscured face remained hidden.

“Heh... heh...”

The woman let out a soft laugh.
It was the same laugh I had been hearing, but this time, it was different.

“You’re always so cruel.”

Her voice, now trembling with emotion, seemed to release something she had been holding back.

“Once again, you’ve left me with an unforgettable moment. And yet, you’ll forget it all over again.”

I could feel a faint resentment in her tone.
It was an emotion I hadn’t sensed from her before.

“...Thank you. For giving me one more thing to hold onto.”

As she said this, the woman waved lightly in my direction.

“...Now, return. This is no longer a place for you to stay.”

Crack.

The ground beneath me began to fracture as well.
Seeing this, I urgently tried to speak.

“Wait...!”

Boom—!

“Ugh—!”

The pressure around me intensified, as if warning me that there would be no leniency.

“The hesitation you carry—I will take it with me. You no longer need to falter.”

I tried to form words with trembling lips, but it was no longer possible.

“Thank you for indulging my selfishness.”

And with those words—

Clink—!

Like the sound of a lock opening, something seemed to unseal.

At that moment—

Whoooosh—!!

An unknown sensation surged through my body.
It wasn’t energy—it was closer to an awareness.

The barriers that had been holding me back crumbled.

And from beyond them, things hidden deep within me poured out.

The empty spaces inside me filled again and again.

It wasn’t an epiphany.
It was the awakening of something I had possessed all along.

As these unfamiliar sensations shook my consciousness,
the woman, standing amidst the fractures, spoke to me.

“Even if the path you take is harsh and terrifying, I hope that, at its end, you find happiness.”

Hearing her words, I reached out my hand.

Crack—! Snap—!

Even as the pressure tore at my hand and pain surged through me, I stretched it forward.
I reached out to grasp the woman standing beyond the fractures.

But—

“Always,”

In the end, I couldn’t reach her.

“That is my only wish.”

Thud—!

The fractures swallowed me whole, and my body disappeared from the space.

Fwoosh—.

The world around me faded, leaving behind only ashes and embers in its place.

Crackle—! Snap—!

The sound of burning reached my ears.
The dark world had returned.

In that scorched world—

“...”

The woman stood silently, staring at the spot where I had been.

Perhaps it was because she had seen me for the first time in so long,
but she felt she had spoken far too much.

She looked at her hands.

Crackle.

Like the burning world, her hands were crumbling away.

“Even so.”

Even so, she thought to herself with a faint smile,

For a moment, I was happy.

[Hoo...]

A quiet breath escaped from the child in her arms.

The child had fallen asleep at some point.
The woman gently stroked the child’s face.

Then, she thought about the lie she had told.

"That is my only wish."

“...”

What she had just said—
It was a lie. Or at least, only half true.

Her wish wasn’t just for him to be happy.
The woman had one more, hidden wish.

‘...Just once.’

Even if it was only once.

‘Call me by my name.’

The name he had given her long ago.
She hoped he would call her that name again, just once.

It was a wish she couldn’t let go of.

“...Ha.”

As she thought of this, the woman let out a bitter laugh and erased the thought.

It was such a pitiful, cowardly wish.
Especially after the choices she had made.

The woman stood for a moment before finally moving.

Perhaps, contrary to her wish,
he would never call her by her name again.

And so, her name remained Nameless.

   ******************
   

Whooosh—!!!

The Palace Lord couldn’t hide her shock at the unfolding situation.

Not only had the Ice Essence begun to glow,
but all the cold energy within the space was now in motion.

Rumble—!

The force of the energy was so overwhelming that even the Palace Lord had to exert herself to endure it.

‘What in the world—!’

The situation had taken a sudden turn.
Had some kind of anomaly occurred?

If not, there was no way the space could become this chaotic.

Whooosh—!!!

Like a raging typhoon, the cold energy swirled endlessly.
Amidst the storm, the Palace Lord could sense it.

Huff—!

“...What in the—!”

As the cold energy moved, she could feel her own energy being drawn away.

Caught in the flow, even the energy she possessed began to shift.
The Palace Lord forcefully pulled her energy back to herself.

Only then was she able to withstand it.

This was beyond comprehension.

‘Could it be...!’

Her gaze turned toward the center of the cold energy.
She looked at Gu Yangcheon, who still had his eyes closed.

What she had thought impossible seemed to be happening.
The cold energy within the space was being drawn toward Gu Yangcheon.

Even her own energy wasn’t safe.

‘At this rate...

Could it be?’

Would even the energy of the Ice Essence be absorbed by him?

The Ice Essence, glowing in front of her,
the object that created the North Sea’s perpetual frost.

The North Sea’s eternal snowfall and unyielding cold were born from it.

If that Ice Essence were to disappear entirely—
what would happen?

That fleeting thought passed through her mind,
but it didn’t linger.

Whooosh—!!!

The raging cold energy—

Whoosh.

Gradually slowed, its motion becoming sluggish.

Huff—!

In an instant, the storm ceased.

The swirling winds calmed,
and the once-flapping robes fell still,
as if the typhoon had never been.

In the sudden stillness, before the Palace Lord could fully assess the situation—

Ssss.

“...Huh!”

An abrupt sensation made the Palace Lord instinctively step back.

Not from anyone else—but from Gu Yangcheon.

‘What is this?’

Keeping her distance, the Palace Lord observed Gu Yangcheon.

Something was off.

It had been no more than ten seconds since he had closed his eyes.
Yet, in that brief span, the Palace Lord sensed a significant change.

And she wasn’t wrong.

Guuu—!

The air had shifted.

Where it had once been only cold and sharp,
it was now heavy and unsettling.

What kind of sensation was this?
As the Palace Lord remained on guard, trying to understand—

Swish.

There was a subtle movement from Gu Yangcheon, who had been standing still.

“...Ah....”

A short breath escaped her lips.

Gu Yangcheon slowly surveyed his surroundings,
then turned his head toward the Palace Lord.

“...!”

When she saw his face, the Palace Lord flinched in surprise.

His features hadn’t changed drastically, but something about his demeanor had shifted.

His blue eyes, now sharper and more vivid than before,
and the heavy, profound aura he exuded were unmistakable.

But that wasn’t the only reason for her surprise.

The reason was—

“...Young Master Gu.”

As Gu Yangcheon looked at the Palace Lord,

“Why... are you crying?”

Unbeknownst to him, tears were streaming down his face.