Chapter 527
When the light that had briefly filled the space with golden hue disappeared, the Blue Girl, who had been there just a moment ago, was gone without a trace.
It was as if she had been engulfed by golden flames and burned away.
The last remaining fragment of her blue hair floated through the air, slowly enveloped by the golden flames, turning into sparks and scattering.
‘…’
Though the Blue Girl had already disappeared, the smile she had shown just before vanishing remained vivid in my memory.
Along with the shocking words she had left behind.
The fact that the Blue Girl and I were the same person…
It was an enigma that was hard to comprehend.
If I were to try to understand it roughly, when I died during the cute puppy terror and woke up in the Gray Reaper’s body, she must have awakened in the world of the alchemists in the body of the Blue Girl.
A time paradox…
For a moment, such a thought crossed my mind, but I quickly realized it was a futile contemplation.
In a world where objects that freely manipulate time exist, such worries were meaningless.
In the place where the Blue Girl had disappeared, only pure white stillness remained.
And in that silence, the memories of the Blue Girl began to penetrate my mind.
Like an old film playing, I saw her life unfold as if it were a movie.
Born into a world far more dangerous than Earth, a world on the brink of destruction, her story began in a barren shack.
In a grim place where her whole family had died, the Blue Girl was born as a mage.
With the wish to become the world’s greatest alchemist and save the world.
And just as her wish formed her, the Blue Girl became an alchemist.
Becoming an alchemist brought her much joy, but far more deaths of people she witnessed.
The world was collapsing, and countless mages were killing people.
So, the Blue Girl struggled relentlessly to save the alchemist world.
Using only faint markers of hope as a guide.
She never gave up, always pushing forward.
The trials the Blue Girl faced were far harsher than anything I went through in Seoul Forest.
If it had been me, I would never have endured such trials.
Unlike me in Seoul Forest, the Blue Girl didn’t fight merely to survive.
She fought relentlessly to save the world she loved.
Sometimes crying, sometimes laughing, sometimes despairing, she pressed on.
“Could we really be the same person?”
I would have given up long ago, so many things seemed insurmountable to me.
At least now, unless the Mini Reapers were in danger, I would never endure such hardships.
So, in the memories, the Blue Girl became a mage and fought ceaselessly in that fantasy world.
And at the end of her long journey, she eventually returned home and passed away.
If my story were the “Seoul Object Story,” the Blue Girl’s life would be called the “Fantasy Mage Story.”
But in the end, these stories were connected.
We walked different paths, but we were ultimately the same being.
At the edge of those memories, I found the final alchemy the Blue Girl left behind.
The last work created by the alchemists at the round table, each pouring their reasons and beliefs into it.
That alchemy, still nameless—no, impossible to name—came to mind clearly.
As if I had known it all along.
I slowly parted my lips and whispered a quiet wave of energy.
[The golden flame of hope. The gray wish directed toward the gods. The alchemist god created.]
And in the final moment, an incomprehensible wave of energy rang through the air as the alchemy was completed.
[■ ■ ■ ■]
A golden flame rose from my heart.
In an instant, the flame spread across my body, coloring every corner of me in golden light.
At the same time, a gray wish surged upward from the ground.
It rose toward the sky like a massive fountain, enveloping my body.
At the moment the two forces met, everything that made me up began to intertwine.
My flesh, my soul, even my consciousness, all tangled together.
In that chaos, a brilliant golden formula was drawn.
The final alchemy to create a god.
It was completed.
The change occurred in the familiar way.
Just like when I had taken on the Black Giant’s form, my senses began to expand explosively.
In an instant, I surpassed external beings and then surpassed the Red Giant.
And finally, I transcended even the Black Giant.
But that was just the beginning.
My senses kept expanding, and eventually, they covered everything in this world.
Not only Earth and the universe that embraced it, but even a universe of vast colors, far beyond comparison, entered my senses.
It truly felt as if I had become a god.
I gazed upon the Black-and-White Outer Presence with this overwhelming power.
The black and white, which had never mixed before, became a blend of gray and became part of me.
‘…’
But such immense power came at a cost.
My consciousness began to blur.
Like walking into fog or slowly sinking into the deep sea, it grew hazy.
It was inevitable.
A normal human consciousness could not handle such a vast domain.
To exist everywhere was essentially to exist nowhere.
My existence was melting into this infinite space.
Even in that fading consciousness, I could feel Earth.
From the perspective of the universe, it was a tiny planet, but Earth was a precious place.
There, I laughed and talked with the Mini Reapers and spent time with Yerin.
But perhaps because I had been bleached by the Black-and-White Outer Presence, the Mini Reapers were slowly losing their existence.
And Yerin was still searching for me.
As if I were a nameless name, she had forgotten me…
I gathered the last of my consciousness and restored the Mini Reapers and the Mini Reaper Garden to their original state.
I revived the colors of the children and firmly embedded the garden’s existence into the world.
Not as the realm of the Gray Reaper, but as a natural law that should exist in the world.
This was the last gift I could give.
‘Goodbye.’
With that, I sent a faint farewell to the children.
Did the Mini Reapers understand?
My children always listened to my will, so perhaps even this last farewell was conveyed.
And just before my consciousness completely scattered, I left my final request.
‘Please take care of Yerin.’
With that, I slowly dispersed, feeling a sense of lightness as if I had accomplished everything.
The courtyard of Sehee Research Institute, now completely empty.
The Golden Halo Reaper was bleached white, lying motionless on the ground.
‘I can’t…’
I couldn’t feel mom’s presence.
‘I can’t…!’
Even when isolated by the Outer Presence.
Even when the realm of the Black-and-White Outer Presence unfolded, and the Mini Reaper Garden began to crumble.
The only thing that was clear was that I could feel that mom was somewhere.
That feeling terrified me more than anything.
‘Mom… where are you…?’
The Golden Halo Reaper wanted to rush out immediately to find mom, to rescue her, but their body wouldn’t move.
The Mini Reaper Garden, the source of the Mini Reapers, was vanishing.
The ordinary, low-ranking Mini Reapers had already lost consciousness and were scattered, bleached white.
‘I have to get up.’
The Golden Halo Reaper gritted its teeth and tried to stand up, but its body wouldn’t respond.
‘Mom is in danger…’
The Golden Halo Reaper, struggling, eventually lost consciousness.
‘…’
‘…’
‘…’
The Golden Halo Reaper, who had been asleep, slowly opened its eyes.
It was because of the sudden warmth it felt.
It resembled mom’s touch.
A touch that seemed indifferent but cautious, as if not wanting to harm.
‘Mom?’
When it opened its eyes, mom’s presence was faintly felt.
It was as though the whole world was filled with mom, yet she was nowhere to be found.
To the Golden Halo Reaper, a will came from a faraway place.
‘Hello.’
‘Please take care of Yerin.’
It was mom’s request, as calm and serene as if nothing had happened.
It felt like she had just gone out for a brief visit.
‘Mom…’
But the Golden Halo Reaper, feeling strangely sad, looked up at the sky, tears flowing down its face.
The morning air was cold.
The cool early spring breeze brushed against Yerin’s cheek.
The path to the research institute was surrounded by a dense forest, and the morning sunlight shining through the leaves made the dewdrops sparkle like small jewels.
The scenery was so peaceful that it made her heart feel heavier.
The cloud whale gently landed in front of the research institute’s main gate.
Yerin stood up and smiled at the Golden Reaper in the driver’s seat.
She took a star candy from her pocket and handed it to the Golden Reaper, gently patting its head.
It was a ritualistic act she repeated every morning.
“Thank you again today.”
The Golden Reaper smiled brightly, its eyes shining.
That pure smile pained a corner of Yerin’s heart.
‘Today, I have to stay strong.’
With that thought, Yerin firmly set her will and slowly entered Sehee Research Institute.
A long time had passed since the incident where people gathered at Sehee Research Institute without any reason.
Sehee Research Institute was still lively.
The sound of Mini Reapers’ footsteps echoed in the corridors, and laughter from the researchers could be heard here and there.
Everything seemed peaceful, as if the events of that day had been a dream.
Well, in reality, the world hadn’t changed much.
Earth was still as dangerous as ever, with objects suddenly appearing.
And the usual routine continued, with the First Sword swiftly dealing with those objects.
‘…’
In the midst of such normalcy, Yerin’s footsteps toward the depths of the research institute were heavy.
The isolation room of ■■ ■■ at the end of the dark corridor.
It was a place only she remembered now.
A special place that, with the passage of time, had been forgotten by both humans and even the Mini Reapers.
Every morning at this time, Yerin would clean the isolation room as if it were a ritual.
Clink.
As Yerin stood in front of the isolation room and turned the doorknob, a warm breeze flowed out from the pitch-black darkness and welcomed her.
The warm air that came from the pitch-black darkness every time she opened the door gave the illusion that someone had been living there.
When she turned on the fluorescent lights, a lonely-looking TV appeared under the dim light.
Yerin slowly, carefully dusted it off.
As if handling a precious treasure.
She took out old snacks from the drawer and filled it with new ones, and for a moment, Yerin thought this act was meaningless.
But she quickly brushed away that thought.
Someday…
She believed it would come back.
She wanted to believe that.
And the moment she turned to straighten the bed.
“■■?”
There, like a cat who had just come inside from playing outside, was the Gray Reaper, looking at her with a sleepy expression.
Tears welled up in Yerin’s eyes.
“Reaper!”
With a bright smile, Yerin rushed toward the Gray Reaper, and it accepted her embrace with a slightly annoyed look.
Just like always.
And, as if nothing had happened, daily life resumed.
