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“You plan to go through the barrier alone?”
“No, Sihyeon! We don’t know what dangers may lie beyond.”
Upon hearing my words, Kaneff and Lia quickly expressed their disagreement. Anis showed a similar response.
“Sihyeon, don’t push yourself too hard. It’s better to find a safer method…”
“We can’t just wait around for another solution to present itself. The longer we waste time here, the more danger Speranza may be in.”
“…….”
“I’ve already made up my mind.”
I firmly expressed my determination to go alone.
Everyone looked anxious, but in the end, they couldn’t stop me. There simply wasn’t another option.
I slowly turned toward the direction of the barrier.
“Please look after things here.”
“Hold on, Sihyeon. At least take this with you.”
Anis handed me a lantern filled with blue flames.
“It won’t last long inside the barrier, but it’ll light your way for a while.”
“Thank you.”
The farm members also offered their words.
“Sihyeon, you must return safely.”
“We’ll hold out here for as long as we can. Don’t worry and come back.”
“Stay strong, Sihyeon.”
I hid the anxiety on my face and smiled.
“Don’t worry. I promise I’ll bring Speranza back safely.”
And immediately, I thrust both hands into the barrier.
Once again, the Fairy Queen’s power disturbed the barrier. This time, I didn’t miss the opportunity and pushed my body in.
Inside the barrier, I felt an intense pressure.
“Ugh!”
I involuntarily groaned under the suffocating pressure. Thinking I couldn’t be pushed out like this, I clenched my teeth tightly. With great effort, I moved my legs one step at a time, propelling myself forward.
At some point, the terrible pressure vanished in an instant, and I felt my body being pulled. Suddenly, I was sucked deeper into the barrier.
“Ugh…….”
I groaned as I regained consciousness.
As my blurred vision cleared, the lantern that had fallen to the ground was the first thing I saw.
Fortunately, the blue flame Anis had given me still illuminated the area. I quickly picked up the lantern and scanned my surroundings.
All that the light revealed was a narrow path leading somewhere and the surrounding forest.
Hoping for the best, I checked behind me, but all I found was thick darkness. There was no trace of my companions or the barrier I had crossed.
‘I was supposed to follow the path to the Guardian’s shrine, right?’
Recalling Anis’s words, I began walking along the path.
-Tromp…………. Tromp…………. Tromp……………
The seemingly endless path.
The rhythmic sound of my footsteps was the only reminder that I was still walking.
Just as I thought I had come quite a distance,
-Tsst………… Flick…………
The lantern that had been growing dimmer eventually went out. When the last red warmth on the wick disappeared, the darkness seemed to engulf me, as if it had been waiting.
‘Stay calm………… Stay calm. I just need to keep walking along the path.’
Imagining the path in my head, I tried my best to walk straight.
But that too was brief, and soon my sense of direction blurred and my steps became unsteady.
The once clear sound of my footsteps eventually quieted down, swallowed by the dreadful darkness.
With the sensation of my strength draining from my body, a nauseous feeling welled up inside me.
And as the feelings of helplessness and fear made my body tremble…
Just when I was about to give in to the urge to quit…
I moved my hand and struck my head as hard as I could.
-Thwack!
A sharp pain jolted me back to my senses, reviving my previously dulled awareness.
‘I can’t give up that easily. Speranza…………… I have to go where Speranza is!’
With Speranza’s image in my mind, I pushed away the anxiety. Regaining my composure, my revived senses slowly reached out into the darkness.
Though the darkness continued to press on me, trying to push me into the depths of despair, my determination to find Speranza was stronger than anything.
-Flap!
A hint of something beyond the darkness.
“I found it!”
Overjoyed, I unknowingly shouted at the top of my lungs. The echo reverberated through the once-still darkness.
From the moment I sensed Speranza’s presence, there was no more difficulty. With confident strides, I pushed through the thick darkness.
-Whoosh!
As I took the last step, the darkness that enveloped me vanished in an instant.
The surroundings were bright enough to see even without the torch, and a small structure appeared at the end of the path. In front of it stood the silhouette of a woman from the Erul tribe.
It was Mirna, who had disappeared along with Speranza.
“Mirna!”
At my call, Mirna turned her body to look at me. Surprise spread across her face.
“Huh? I didn’t expect anyone to break through the barrier and make it here. Unexpected, huh?”
“Mirna…?”
“I thought you were just an ordinary guy, but it seems you had a hidden trick up your sleeve. Hehe!”
Mirna laughed as if she found my dumbfounded expression amusing.
The Erul tribeswoman in front of me definitely looked like Mirna, whom I had seen at the shrine priestess’s residence, but her tone, gaze, and the unique atmosphere felt like a completely different person.
“…Who are you?”
“Curious who I am?”
“Stop talking nonsense! Where’s the real Mirna? And where’s Speranza?”
Instead of answering my question, she raised her head to look at the sky.
“The moon is so beautiful tonight.”
…?
As she said, there was a moon in the sky. It was so big and beautiful that it was hard to believe it had been hidden by clouds.
“It goes very well with the day of my rebirth.”
“What are you…?”
“I’ll tell you since I owe you some gratitude. I am the guardian deity that the Erul tribe worships, also known as the fox deity.”
Guardian deity? Fox deity?
The self-proclaimed guardian deity ignored my confusion and continued her story.
“I have been looking for a vessel for my resurrection for a long time. I made a suitable child into a shrine priestess and let the bloodline continue through the Erul tribe.”
“Many talented children were born, but it was difficult to find a suitable vessel. Still, I didn’t give up. I created a strong barrier to minimize contact with the outside world and guided the bloodline of the shrine priestess to continue. It was a really long and tedious wait.”
The guardian deity made a terrible expression as if recalling the boring years, but soon changed and showed a bright smile.
“But the wait was worth it. An excellent vessel was born! When I found out that the vessel had left the Erul tribe’s village, I thought the sky was falling, but thanks to you, she safely returned here. I’m truly grateful.”
“Wait a minute?! Don’t tell me that vessel is…”
“Right.”
She nodded her head and stepped aside. Behind her, I could see Speranza lying on the altar.
“Speranza!”
“You don’t need to worry. She’s just in a deep sleep for now. I wouldn’t handle such an important vessel carelessly, would I?”
“You?!”
There was no time to question whether she was a guardian deity or not. I swung my hand roughly and charged at her with all my strength. However, my attack never reached her.
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, plant stems that had grown around me quickly bound me.
“No, no. I can’t allow any interference with the important ritual coming up. I would like to cut off your breath right now, but I did say I was grateful earlier. I’ll just do this much.”
“Ugh…”
“Watch carefully from there. It’s the complete resurrection of me.”
The guardian deity moved toward Speranza.
“No!”
I twisted my body and tried using all my abilities, but I couldn’t escape the tight restraints.
“Hehe. How long have I been waiting for this moment! It was a really long and tedious wait.”
The guardian deity placed both hands on Speranza’s small body.
Moonlight from the sky seemed to come alive and poured onto the altar.
As the huge moon shone brightly, a silver aura enveloped Speranza and the guardian deity.
-Boom!
With an explosion of intense light, the area around the altar became calm. The moon, which had been shining strangely bright, returned to its original state.
-Thud.
Mirna, who had been standing in front of the altar, collapsed weakly. At the same time, the plant stems that had bound me disappeared. I immediately ran to the altar where Speranza was.
“Speranza! Speranza!!”
Upon closer inspection, Speranza seemed to be in a deep sleep. Her peaceful appearance only increased my anxiety.
“Speranza, can you hear me? Open your eyes.”
“Please… Speranza…”
It felt as if she would open her eyes and embrace me at any moment…
Despite my desperate voice, Speranza didn’t wake up.
“Si… Sihyeo…”
I heard a weak voice from the side of the altar.
“Ah, Mirna…?”
“Please help me…”
Mirna was trembling all over her body, asking for help. I quickly realized that she had returned to her normal state and reached out my hand to help her get up.
“Mirna! Are you okay?”
She nodded her head with a pained expression.
“Speranza is acting strange! That guardian deity appeared earlier and suddenly did something I couldn’t understand…?”
“Calm down, Sihyeon. I saw everything.”
Mirna looked down at Speranza with mixed emotions in her eyes.
“I never thought the guardian deity would have such a plan…”
“What’s happening to Speranza right now?”
“The guardian deity intends to use Speranza as a vessel. They’re likely performing the resurrection ritual within Speranza’s body at this moment.”
“Then, what about Speranza?!”
“The original Speranza will be sacrificed as a vessel and disappear.”
Suddenly, everything went dark before my eyes.
Speranza disappearing…?
Right in front of me…?
“Pull yourself together!”
Mirna’s sharp voice brought me back to my senses.
“There’s still a chance. Even if it’s a slim possibility, there is a way.”
“What? What is it? What should I do?”
“Normally, we wouldn’t be able to stand against the guardian deity’s power, but during the resurrection ritual, they’re at their most vulnerable. At this moment, you must stop the resurrection ritual and awaken Speranza’s consciousness.”