The [ Cosmic Fall System ] basically told Lucian to find a place and declare it as a new heaven for the wandering souls.
This also indicated a few things, though not for certain, such as this supposed Paradise was no more—it was tainted.
And something tainted was and would never be called a true paradise.
Among the information brought by the system, it was mentioned that heaven was currently imperfect because of a specific [ sin ] that Lucian had no idea about, which he suspected was somewhat connected to the ultimate quest bestowed upon him regarding the shadow of a dead god that would also cause the end of the world unless he fulfilled what was written.
Nonetheless, in consideration of the peculiar system granted to him, Kim Sana was not delivered to eternal oblivion, whatever that meant, as he halted his prayer, something he was not sure would be effective.
Lucian couldn't grasp this matter, but his instincts were screaming that it would never be a good thing to begin with; he ought to refuse to find out.
"Is something wrong?"
Kim Sana noticed Lucian's abrupt silence, prompting the former to open her eyes in curiosity as her gaze scrutinized him.
"Among other things, I don't know."
He had barely a clue, in fact, there might be none, about everything. But the pressing matter at the moment was the ticking time shown in one of the frames, reminding him of the uncertainty that was about to come.
[ Daily Quest ]
[ Find a wandering soul and pray for them to find eternal rest. ]
[ Duration: ... ]
To declare a sanctuary for the dead was easier said than done. And Lucian also considered it to be challenging, especially since he was ignorant of what exactly such a declaration would mean for him and the lone soul following him.
Nonetheless, whatever would await him if he didn't complete the [ Daily Quest ] on time, which would trigger the failure penalty, was something he ought not to find out, though his current predicament was sort of inauspicious, to say the least.
But first, I need to find a place. It could be anywhere, but since I'm dealing with souls here, I'd be an idiot to just consider any place to be this so-called new paradise.
"Sigh. Seriously. Why does it seem like the system is fucking me over?"
Seeing this, Kim Sana only observed in silence; Lucian's sudden shift of mood didn't bother her one bit.
After some time, with barely an hour left before the day ended, Lucian moved his lips, his purple eyes fixated on the white ghost girl.
"If you were to remain on this earth, aside from your mother's side, where would you want to stay? More so, if other souls would accompany you sooner or later."
Kim Sana didn't know why such a question flew out of nowhere. But she roughly guessed it had something to do with the sudden halt of his prayer for a lost soul like her.
Yet she responded.
"Somewhere quiet; somewhere peaceful, and a place where it wouldn't be disturbed easily. Uh, like deep mountains, perhaps?"
"Mountain..."
Lucian muttered, his mind wandered. A moment later, his eyes glimmered; a realization struck him like a light bulb popped on his head.
He then grabbed his all-silent phone, which he had brought this time, from his pants pocket and dialed one of the only three people in his saved contacts.
Even before it rang once, the call was answered. It was as though the person on the other end was fidgeting and also waiting for his call, which Lucian momentarily found puzzling. But his current situation caused such a circumstance to slip past his mind.
< "Hello, Sam!" >
Lucian called his sister, whom he addressed by her nickname.
< "Ah, yes, Oppa? What's the matter?" >
With his urgency, knowing the possessions she had thanks to being an S-rank Awakener, Lucian frankly demanded,
< "You know the remote vacation house you bought at Gapyeong, particularly at Nami Island? I mean, is everything, including the surrounding land, yours?" >
Samantha fell silent for two to three seconds, a sigh was heard from the other end.
< "Oppa, it's not mine, but ours!" >
Her sudden rise of voice caught him off-guard, but he genuinely expressed his gratitude, nonetheless.
< "I see. It just suddenly comes to mind, thank you anyway!" >
Before Samantha could say another word, Lucian ended the call and quickly stood from where he was seated, and then hurriedly exited her house.
Kim Sana followed without further query.
***
"Are we going to the Nami Island? I heard it was now devastated; it lost its natural beauty."
"Yes, unfortunately enough. But what remained of it, is still a land to be marveled at."
Lucian replied; the current speed of his car indicated that he was not in a hurry.
Considering the distance, and the time remaining before the [ Daily Quest ] ended, he wouldn't be able to make it in time. But at least he would be prepared in the subsequent days from hereon.
"Oppa..."
Kim Sana, casually sitting in the front passenger seat, gazed at the road.
Only after a few ticks of an imaginary clock that she couldn't help but voice something he hadn't expected.
"There's no afterlife, isn't there?"
It caught him off-guard.
The idea of eternal life and salvation was reformed in this era due to the series of cataclysmic events and what lurked in them.
As the previous religions and churches easily ceased to exist, with the old faith crumbled to nothingness, new beliefs emerged, more so evident because of the existence of the Holy Saintess, one of the twelve Family Heads, who was the most engaging of the twelve in service of humanity.
With her divinity, holiness physically manifested.
With her divine power, miracles were erased; they became the norm.
Thus the founding of the Illumisona Church, believers of the Goddess of Light who thought to appoint the Holy Saintess to become the light of the world.
And suddenly, Lucian's existence seemed to have instantly become the epitome of blasphemy.
Paradise was found no more.
Heaven's mess.
Shadow of a dead god.
With the inevitable apocalypse in less than three years.
Sometimes, knowledge is cursed.
Lucian serenely thought.
"Right now..."
"..."
"There is not."
Kim Sana fell silent.
Lucian's next words, however, caused her eyebrows to slightly furrow.
"That's why maybe we can create our own."
Such words that sounded like a mockery of holiness would have him instantly persecuted by the apostles and believers of the Illumisona Church.
Some time had passed since then.
[ Ding! ]
[ You have failed to send a wandering soul to eternal rest. ]
[ Daily Quest: Failed! ]
[ Penalty will now be imposed! ]