...The sensation of floating faded.
Regaining my blurry consciousness, I opened my eyes.
Ssshhh...
Before me stretched a vast beach.
Pristine white sands and colorless, transparent waves rolling in...
Looking up at the sky, a curtain of colorful lights unfolded. Was this the aurora?
As I gazed mesmerized at the curtain of light, the lapping waves soaked my shoes.
I muttered absentmindedly.
"Is this... Oblivion's Beyond?"
This place, the Spirit World...?
As I absorbed the clearly alien landscape, I suddenly remembered the events that led me here.
"Salome...!"
I called out desperately, but of course, Salome didn't answer. The surroundings were empty, and only I stood alone on the desolate shore.
Salome had left me in the Spirit World and remained in the mortal realm.
I laughed hollowly. A monster, yet she gambled her life for me.
How much debt had my life, my banner, accumulated as it moved forward?
"..."
I clenched my fist tightly then slowly relaxed it.
I might never meet her again.
But if I do... next time, instead of hitting her, I want to properly greet her.
I want to sincerely thank her.
With that thought, I began walking along the beach.
Not knowing where to go or what to do in this unknown space.
But when I saw a scene a short distance away, I felt an intuition that I had to go there.
"What's that..."
At the end of this beach stood a black thorn tree.
The branches of the Everblack, stretching from the sky to the ground.
***
I walked silently along the endless shore.
My footprints trailed long on the white sands washed by the clear water.
Finally reaching my seemingly unreachable destination, I stopped in front of where the black thorn tree's branches loomed.
"Why is this tree here...?"
The national tree and guardian tree of the Everblack Empire.
The Black Thorn Tree - Everblack.
A magical beacon accessible only to the four 'Guardians' of the Empire.
If this tree was here, could it mean...
"You've come."
A low voice reached my ears.
Though I had guessed as much, I never really thought he'd be here. I smirked bitterly and looked towards the source of the voice.
"Wandering around strange places and causing trouble is your thing, but I never imagined you'd end up in the Spirit World."
Sitting on a simple chair placed on the beach was a man.
A man as if molded not from clay but pure gold.
An absolute ruler of the mortal world, undiminished in majesty even in the Spirit World.
With golden eyes glinting through his disheveled black hair...
"...Father."
The Emperor of the Everblack Empire.
Traha 'Peacemaker' Everblack was there.
"Even if this isn't the mortal world, but a realm between life and death, I am still an emperor, Ash."
The Emperor clicked his tongue.
"You should address me as 'Father', not father." (TL Note: He says he should be adressed as "아바마마", which is used by Royalty to adress their Father. Ash had used the common way.)
"..."
"Well, when have you ever properly followed protocol."
The Emperor, grumbling even here in the Spirit World, gestured with his chin.
"Anyway, what brings you here? Even I cannot find my way in this place without the guidance of Everblack. It seems you didn't come here under its guidance..."
"..."
"Did you lose your way and drift here?"
I hesitated, then nodded.
The Emperor laughed heartily and snapped his fingers. Snap!
The branches scattered on the shore intertwined with each other, forming a small chair. He placed it in front of him.
"Sit down. You must be tired from the long journey."
Without hesitation, I took the seat he offered and cautiously asked.
"Are you not going to scold me further?"
"Losing one's way is a privilege of the young. It's better to wander now than suffer later in life."
The Emperor said, leaning back in his chair, a bitter smile on his face.
"However, ending up in the Spirit World is a bit too much."
"...What exactly is this place?"
I asked, looking around.
A land bathed in auroras, with endless waves.
What exactly was this Spirit World?
"This place is not for the living, nor is it for the dead... If anything, it's a gap between life and death."
"A gap between life and death...?"
"Both the living and the dead lose their boundaries here, eventually drifting beyond these waves. The only ones remaining are..."
The Emperor gestured towards the beach.
"Those who have transcended life and death, obtaining divinity, or those who have surpassed the limits of souls."
"...!"
Looking in the direction he indicated, I saw four massive figures approaching slowly across the sea.
Thud...! Thud...!
Four imposing giants, exuding evident hostility, were approaching. The Emperor remained calm despite their daunting presence.
"A battlefield for specters who still fight for their race or nation even as mere souls. That's what this Spirit World is."
I recalled the explanation the Emperor gave at the Guardian's meeting in the Imperial Capital. I asked hesitantly.
"Then, are those... the Foreign Gods?"
The Emperor nodded.
"Yes. They are the ancestral and guardian deities of the different races."
The giant figures varied in appearance.
Some were short and stout, others had long ears and limbs, some were covered in fur, and some had fish-like lower bodies...
Dwarves, Elves, Werebeasts, Mermaids.
These were the guardians of the four major different races.
"When their respective races were on the brink of extinction in the mortal realm, and their guardian trees were uprooted, they invaded this place for a counterattack."
The Emperor glanced at the thorny tree behind him.
"To destroy Everblack, the guardian tree of humanity."
"..."
"Now then. Perhaps it's time for me to prepare for today's battle."
Rising from his seat, the Emperor drew his sword from his waist.
This was the Other God Front.
The Emperor himself fought the Foreign Gods here, one of the four major battlefronts of the Empire.
'Wait a minute?'
The Emperor, having risen with grand words, seemed to be in poor condition. He was leaning to one side, staggering slightly.
"Are you alright? You don't seem to be in good shape."
"Ah... one can't hide their age."
Rubbing his back with a fist, the Emperor confessed awkwardly.
"...Actually, right after I entered here, Fernandez severed the connection to Everblack."
"Excuse me?"
Fernandez, again?
"I knew he was ambitious, but I didn't expect him to revolt in such a manner."
"..."
"As a result, the portal between reality and the Spirit World was closed, and I was stranded here."
The Emperor casually narrated how he had been backstabbed by his second son.
"Given the different flow of time here, I can't be sure how long it's been outside, nor how long I've spent here..."
"..."
"As long as I'm alive, staying in the Spirit World for too long takes its toll. Besides, battling daily... I won't deny I'm depleted. Perhaps I won't last much longer."
The Emperor chuckled wryly.
"But even so, this is my battle. A front that I must continue as long as I breathe."
"..."
"I'm about to engage in battle with them, which will soon devastate this place. You should leave now."
The Emperor, heading towards the beach, looked back at me.
"If you have one last question, ask it now. Although, given that you're adrift here, there's probably only one question you need to ask."
"..."
What I wanted to ask?
There were many things I was curious about regarding the Emperor. However, if I could only ask one thing, it would be...
"Your Majesty."
...just this.
"Who am I?"
At my question, the Emperor smiled.
"Do you not even look in the mirror? How busy are you?"
"..."
"You are Ash. Ash 'Bornhater' Everblack, my troublesome youngest son."
I asked again with a trembling voice.
"Am I really your son, Ash...?"
Then the Emperor, as he did in the Imperial Capital, scanned me with his shining golden eyes.
"Would I not recognize my own son? My eyes do not deceive me. You are undoubtedly my son."
He stated firmly.
"Now go. This place is not meant for the living."
Thud...! Thud...! Thud...!
The Foreign Gods were already upon us. Drawing his sword towards them, the Emperor spoke.
"Remember, my wayward son. If you have the will to find your way, there is a path everywhere and anywhere."
"..."
"So wander to your heart's content. There will always be a path at the end."
With a leap, the Emperor flew towards the beach. The four Foreign Gods raised their weapons against him.
Light exploded, and the sea evaporated.
I turned away from the mythic battle unfolding behind me and walked towards the black thorny branches I sensed nearby.
***
There she was.
At the end of the black thorny branches woven like a net.
She was bound and hanging, her body pierced by thorns, blood constantly flowing from her wounds, igniting flames on her flesh.
Bleeding and burning alive.
Yet, her face was peaceful.
"..."
The scene on the beach was surreal, but the woman before me was equally otherworldly.
As I stood there dumbfounded, she gave me a gentle smile.
"It's been a while, Ash... or is this our first meeting in this 'cycle'?"
A voice I heard for the first time, a face I saw for the first time.
Yet, why did it feel so familiar?
Without realizing it, I blurted out.
"...Mother?"
Ash's mother, Dustia.
This woman resembled her.
At that, the woman hanging laughed melodiously.
"Hehe, Dustia does resemble me. Well, she is my descendant... just like you, Ash."
Chills ran down my body.
I was breathless with an inexplicable thrill. Trembling, I asked.
"Who are you?"
"It's a bit embarrassing to say myself, but I have many nicknames."
The woman awkwardly yet proceeded to list her nicknames.
"The Thief of Flames, The First Witch, The Thorn Tree's Convict, The Ashen Angel, The Regretful Returner..."
All of them were cryptic.
Seeing my confusion, she hesitantly mentioned a more recent moniker.
"These are old names. Nowadays, people generously call me..."
And it was a name,
I couldn't help but recognize.
"...'The Goddess'."