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Chapter 29
Like Destiny
After a long while, Song Ha-gyeon walked in our direction; he had been writing something in his notebook as he carefully observed the surroundings. It seemed, now, his work was finished. The fire reflected off the monocle the purple-haired man wore. “…There’s nothing dangerous in the immediate area.”
“You’ve worked hard, Ha-gyeon Hyung-nim!”
“Mmn. you too.”
Min Joo-hyuk jumped to his feet and continued to speak in his lively and cheerful voice, “Then, I think we’ll be able to look around now.”
Raen also stood up; I tried to stand as well, but someone behind me gently pressed me back down into my seat.
“Yihan-ie should stay here with Hyung.” Park Yul tapped my shoulder.
In front of us, Song Ha-gyeon looked at Park Yul, “…I’ll return soon.” He then disappeared with the other Warriors.
In an instant, everyone vacated this now nearly-empty lot. At that moment, I heard Park Yul’s quiet voice, “Yihan-ah. You…”
I turned my head–unbeknownst to me, Park Yul had sat down in the seat beside me. The Chosen Hero kept his eyes trained on the brightly burning bonfire. After thinking for a long while in silence, he continued, “…How much do you know?”
Know about what? As I waited for a follow-up explanation, Park Yul slowly turned his head to look at me. His pupils belied a resigned, deep tranquility.
Before I could formulate an answer, Park Yul blinked twice before looking forward again. His light green eyes captured the red-hot flames.
“You must have a lot of questions.”
Did he…just change the subject? …Or maybe not? I couldn’t understand nor read his impassive expression.
Though, to be honest, I didn’t care if his question came from a place of wariness. As I had thought before, Park Yul’s vigilance was justified, and, despite that, his attitude towards me was still very warm.
There was no way this kindness was false. His concessions were more than enough.
Park Yul continued with a gentle smile, “Where should I start with the explanation?” He tapped his knees with his fingers, lost in thought.
“Yul-ie Hyung. Raen told me, earlier, that the Warriors handle the demonic beasts and close the cracks in the world.”
“That’s right. Raen explained well.”
“But, why are cracks appearing at all? Or do you not know?”
If they know the cause of these cracks, wouldn’t it be better to target the origin of these phenomena?
Just as that thought flitted through my mind, Park Yul slowly responded, “Mm… We’re still investigating that matter…but, in my opinion, it’s related to the world’s balance.”
Balance? Is that related, somehow, to the laws of reality I heard about, last time? Park Yul looked at my face, smiled, and continued, “If there’s good, there must be evil as well. The cracks could just be naturally occurring events, or a balancing force, somewhere, may have weakened or strengthened.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Yep. So, first thing first, we’re just trying to save the world before us–save what we can see.” Laughing, Park Yul wrapped a hand around my wrist and lifted it slowly. Then, with his other hand, stroked his hand down my arm before unfurling my palm. “Warriors are chosen once every five years.”
Park Yul’s clear voice rang out against the backdrop of the roaring bonfire. So, Warriors are chosen periodically… This was the first time I had heard that.
The Hero continued to hold onto my hand; my hands look so small in his. Though, that couldn’t be the case–Just because the others were larger didn’t mean that I was petite.
Park Yul slowly folded my fingers one by one and said, “When the year ends, it’ll be three years since my comrades and I were chosen as this generation’s champions.”
He left two fingers unfurled.
Staring at him, I asked, “Then, we have two years left?”
Park Yul nodded. The others had the same timeline as they signed a contract with Park Yul.
The acrid smell of burning wood wafted into the air around us. Neither pleasing nor displeasing–just a neutral scent. The same was true for their remaining time–neither long nor short… It simply was a unit of time.
At that point, everyone will say their farewells and go their own way, right? Once we save the world, the power the system gave me will disappear as well. I was a little disappointed to learn that we only had two years left together.
Folding the remaining fingers, I asked, “What happens after the fifth year, Yul-ie Hyung?”
“The next generation of Warriors will be chosen.” Park Yul spoke calmly as he lowered my wrist.
But, that wasn’t what I asked.
“What about Hyung? Will you no longer be a Warrior?”
“Who knows? That’s not important, though.”
“Why isn’t that important?”
“Because it doesn’t mean much.”
Is that so? As I was lost in thought, Park Yul ruffled my hair gently.
“Whether Hyung is still a Warrior or not afterwards, it doesn’t matter much. Right?” Park Yul said.
That’s right–Warrior or not, Park Yul was Park Yul. Nothing much will change.
However, thinking about it further, something was strange. Doesn’t the fact that the next generation of Warriors exists means that the world remained unsaved?
As Park Yul was a warrior of *this* generation, there must be countless Chosen Heroes selected before him. Why were new Warriors chosen after five years even if the world hasn’t been saved?
Wait a minute–who’s even choosing the Warriors in the first place? “Who selects the new Warriors?”
“The temple…” Park Yul, took a deep breath before continuing slowly. His voice was calm as usual, but there seemed to be some unspoken emotions underneath the indifference. “God chooses us, Yihan-ah. It’s like destiny.”
The red light of the bonfire made Park Yul’s face glisten. He turned to me, eyes narrowed in a smile.
‘Like destiny.’
For some reason, that phrase echoed around my brain.
◇~◇~◇~◇~◇~◇
The sky was completely dark, so I couldn’t tell the flow of time. But, it felt as if at least a few hours had passed.
It would still be a while before everyone returned. The forest was wide and vast, so exploring and scouting would take a long while.
Park Yul covered me with a warm blanket and handed me hot cocoa. Though I wasn’t cold since I sat right before the fire, everything seemed just a bit warmer afterwards.
“Yihan-ah. Earlier, Joo-hyuk-ie this was for creating a romantic atmosphere, right?”
How did he hear us? I thought he was far away.
Park Yul reached into the air; right before his hands, several long sticks and a large glass bottle–like the ones that usually held jam–manifested, as if they had been waiting for the Hero’s summon. The glass bottle contained unidentified, white round objects.
The round lumps slipped out of glass bottle before being speared on the stick, one by one. It looked…malleable and soft.
“You’ll like these too. Joo-hyuk really liked them as well.” Park Yul said, smiling, as he cupped his hands around his mouth as if he were telling me a secret.
Park Yul placed the stick next to the fire before, after a while, taking them out. Hot steam rose from the slightly scorched white lumps.
After cooling it briefly, Park Yul placed the very top white lump into his mouth. After confirming that the white thing wasn’t burning hot, he took another off the end of the stick and handed it out to me.
“Marshmallow. Have you ever eaten one?” Park Yul asked.
I shook my head. Park Yul carefully placed it in my mouth.
The first thing I felt was warmth. And then, softness. The white thing instantly melted away and sweetness spread all over my tongue. I thought this would be what it would feel like to eat a cloud. I couldn’t believe something like this existed.
Park Yul quickly stabilized my hand when I stiffened from surprise at the unfamiliar taste.
“Is it hot?” He asked.
He’s not going to tell me to spit the marshmallow out into his hand if it’s hot, is he?
I grabbed Park Yul’s hand and gently lowered it; I opened my mouth cautiously and spoke to Park Yul, who seemed to be carefully examining my expression. “It’s delicious–so delicious I was startled.”
Park Yul smiled clearly and told me that he was relieved. His chuckle was so warm–I might imagine that it, too, would melt in one’s mouth. He and this marshmallow both were so sweet and tender.
As I nibbled at the marshmallows given to me, Park Yul spoke calmly, “This is the nightfall forest. It’ll continue to be dark as the sun never rises in this here.”
How fascinating to think that the sun would never rise in this single location.
That’s why Park Yul said he dispatched the Warriors here first–this dark forest that would make anyone blind in its midst. He added that this region would become the most dangerous if a crack was left open for a long while.
“There may be an open crack here as well–who knows.” He added, “Yihan-ie might not see his Hyungs for a while.” He sounded somewhat disappointed.
When I asked why that would be the case, Park Yul said, “Only the Chosen Warrior–the Hero–can deal with the demonic beasts.”
He then summoned a long sword out of thin air. I had once seen Park Yul equipping this sword in a ‘Foreseen Future’ vision.
The sword had a sharply forged blade; its gold handle was studded with a red jewel in the center of the hilt. For a moment, I thought there was a dark light gleaming in the red jewel. Or…was I wrong? At a second glance, it looked no different–perhaps I mistook the reflected lights from the campfire.
“You can only truly defeat or destroy a demonic beast with a stab from this sword.”
I focused on the Hero’s words–apparently, this sword could only be utilized by a Chosen Warrior. Afterwards, the sword vanished just as suddenly as it appeared.
“Did you receive this sword when you were chosen?” I asked.
“Correct. This weapon has been used by all the previous generations.”
I see. Then, did he need to return the sword on the day his term as a Warrior ends? I thought it strange, but I suppose all this was tradition. “Yul-ie Hyung, is this why only the Warriors can fight for the sake of the world?”
“That’s right. Only the Chosen Warrior can finish the deed.”
“However, you can receive outside help. Like Raen Hyung, Ha-gyeon Hyung, or Min Joo-hyuk.”
“Actually, cracks usually only occur in an abandoned, remote location. What a relief, right?”
“Yes, how fortunate. However, what about it?” I wondered what the relationship between his recent sentence and our previous conversation was.
Park Yul continued calmly, “Mm, So… Unless these cracks are left unattended for a long while and the demonic beasts do not stray far, life will usually be safe for everyone.”
“…So, since the cracks are of no concern to their daily lives, most people aren’t interested in helping?”
“It’s natural for a person to focus on what’s right in front of them. Since I was chosen as a Warrior and Hero, what’s right ‘in front of me’ just happens to include a little more of the world. The same goes for all who have pledged the Warrior’s oath.”
Why did Park Yul feel such a deep sense of responsibility? It’s not as if he chose this path himself? “But, you became a Warrior because God chose you.”
“That’s right.”
“Yul-ie Hyung doesn’t feel that it was unfair? That he was chosen as a Warrior?”