Chapter 368

C368. On Sin (6)

The place where Alon opened his eyes was a completely white and empty space.

There was no up or down.

He didn’t even know where he was resting; it was simply a white space.

As he observed that space in silence, Alon thought:

“Did I fail…?”

Fail.

Actually, in his last instant, death had already reached Alon. His body, after using Reverse Heaven several times, no longer allowed him to use it anymore. And he had squeezed out the last drop of divine power necessary to employ the divinity of the Primordial Elf.

Even so, he used Reverse Heaven at the last moment.

Not because he had accepted death, but because he had made a meticulous calculation.

“…I am sure that in the end, the divine power did gather.”

When he thought of Eliban’s voice…

In the last second, when using Reverse Heaven…

He intended to use the accumulated reverence of the gathered soldiers to activate the divinity of the Primordial Elf.

He believed the soldiers present would provide him, at the very least, the indispensable amount of divine power so that he could use the Primordial Elf’s power.

That’s why, while he drifted for a few seconds…

“Eya-diya.”

Alon saw a familiar figure before him–

“…Eliban?”

He realized:

Eliban was standing in front of him.

Eliban’s face, which turned his gaze as if he had been waiting for him, was no different from the last one Alon had seen.

With his cheerful smile. With those blue eyes without worry, looking at Alon.

“What–”

Alon opened his mouth, but couldn’t form words.

He didn’t know where to start asking.

Should he ask if they were dead?

Or what that place was?

Or why Eliban had become a Sin?

His mind was chaos.

But, unfortunately…

Alon didn’t have time to think too much.

“I’m sorry. But for the ‘next’, there was no other option. So–”

No–

“Whatever comes next… I leave it to you.”

Not even the granted time was much.

“Wait–!”

At Eliban’s farewell words, Alon shouted without realizing it.

He still didn’t know what he should say.

And he knew there was no time.

But if this was really the end…

There was something he had to convey to him.

“Thank you.”

Alon had tried to avoid destruction, but he had never put “everything” into it. Even knowing annihilation would arrive, he was never willing to give his life completely.

And that was because…

Eliban existed.

The protagonist of Psychedelia.

The hero who would save this world. Thanks to his existence, Alon, although he worked, could keep himself one step away from the terror of destruction.

That’s why he said it now.

Because Eliban’s mere existence had given him comfort and relief. A comfort against the fear of the future.

Perhaps his feelings reached him. Eliban stared at Alon.

His smile was the same. Only that–

“Don’t say that. Before or now, the one who has always received help…”

He seemed even more satisfied.

“…Has always been me.”

Just when Alon was going to return the smile…

“–Father.”

“What–?”

A tearing pain ran through his body.

“Kh!”

Opening his eyes due to the pain, feeling as if his body were being torn into pieces, Alon gritted his teeth and looked forward.

In the sky, the Abyss remained. Inside that abyss remained that “milky way/galaxy”, and the ground beneath him, where thorns once rose, was now a grayish terrain.

And on that gray land, someone was standing:

The Bearer.

His appearance had changed from the beginning.

The armor was shattered, half of the sword seemed to have disappeared, leaving only the hilt.

He was in a state where it seemed impossible to continue fighting.

“Ah.”

Even seeing that, Alon sighed.

Certainly, the Bearer’s appearance was miserable.

The Sin fighting by his side wasn’t moving anymore either, surely due to the accumulated damage.

But then…

Crack–

Alon saw it.

The Bearer’s body, very slightly, began to regenerate.

[Can you bear the karma of the Sins?]

While thinking about what he should do, he heard the Sin’s voice.

Alon looked at him in silence.

It was the same phrase as before.

Alon opened and closed his mouth several times.

He knew what answer he should give.

There was only one that fit that situation.

Even so, he hesitated.

Because even if he didn’t fully understand…

He couldn’t be sure that accepting would truly be the right thing.

The silence prolonged, and the Bearer observed him while speaking:

[We have taken countless lives.]

He began his tale.

[There was a time when we filled the continent with the blood of the fallen.]

With a calm voice.

[There was a time when we covered the whole earth with the bodies of those we took.]

He continued narrating without emotion.

[There was a time when we cut off the head of a mother holding a broom to protect her child.]

[There was a time when we crushed the body of a son holding a hoe to protect his elderly mother.]

[There was a time when we split in two the soldiers running to protect their loved ones.]

[There was a time when we burst the priest praying to protect the orphans.]

There was a time–

There was a time–

There were many times.

The Bearer’s voice recited the truth of Sin.

There was no pleasure.

There was no emotion.

There was no guilt.

Nor joy either.

The only thing perceptible in his voice, listing endless deaths…

Was an extremely contradictory emotion.

So contradictory that anyone there would have to ask questions.

[We killed those we were supposed to protect.]

Duty.

That was what was felt.

“…Why?”

The answer came:

[To stop the ‘Observers’.]

Alon caught fragments of the truth.

[This world was created for the birth of a god.]

[That is the true nature of this world.]

New fragments of the truth flooded Alon’s ears.

[That is why, in this world, ‘faith’ can become a ‘god’.]

Something that in Psychedelia was never mentioned.

[All intelligent beings born on this continent exist only for the birth of the god.]

And even living here, he had never known it.

[And when the god is born–]

The truth of this world.

[–The world will be destroyed.]

At that revelation, Alon instinctively opened his mouth.

“…Gods already existed in the previous world.”

[Do you refer to what you call the era of the forgotten gods?]

“Yes.”

[They were not gods. Just anomalies that arose by chance. No being born in this world can become a god.]

“Why?”

Alon’s immediate question.

But–

[Because the beings of this world were not created to become gods.]

The answer was so simple and clear…

That Alon could not reply.

[The beings of this world exist only to offer faith to the ‘Observers’ who descend. That is where our labor ends.]

But then–

[The one who awakened us understood something else amidst this desperate truth.]

[As long as the population did not exceed a certain number, they would not descend.]

“Ah…”

Alon let out a sigh.

‘What I want to protect… is the humans.’

And like a flash, he remembered Sloth’s words.

With that…

Alon understood clearly.

The truth of this world.

[The Sins went mad.]

[Greed erased his own emotions so as not to endure killing what he had to protect.]

[Envy was unable to maintain his true form.]

The truth of the Sins.

[Sloth looked away from the horrendous reality.]

[Pride, as noble as he was, ended up devolving his own intelligence.]

With an expressionless expression, the Bearer continued.

[I ask you again.]

[Can you bear the karma of the Sins?]

A new question. Alon kept silent.

At first, he didn’t understand what he was talking about. Nor the second time.

But now he did.

He now understood.

He knew what it meant to bear that karma.

The Sins had taken countless lives, and because of that, they had broken.

Their acts could not be justified, even if they were for the good of the world. They had created fear and suffering.

Even so, they had taken charge of all the hatred in the world so that this cycle would continue.

That’s why they were asking:

If he was willing to end the cycle by bearing the Sins’ karma.

Even though, if he failed, he would be crushed under its weight.

If he would move forward to save the world with that burden on his back.

They were asking that.

Alon moved his lips.

Thousands of thoughts crossed his mind.

…The truth is, Alon had never thought about assuming such a great responsibility.

Not when saving the children,

not when dealing with the Outer Gods,

not when facing the Sins.

His goal was never heroic.

He just wanted to do what he could…

And live a quiet and happy life once the end-of-the-world crisis was overcome.

That was all.

…No, perhaps it had changed a little.

Alon looked away.

Behind him were familiar faces.

He saw Yutia, Deus, Rine, Seolrang, Radan.

He saw Ryanga, Historia, Nangwon.

And although she wasn’t there, Magrina too.

…What Alon desired

was to live in peace with those with whom he had created bonds.

That was all.

He remembered his goal.

Even having reached this point, the word “salvation” felt foreign to him.

Saving the world seemed something too far away.

He was not a hero.

Nor a champion.

But even so…

To achieve that small wish of his, he could only do one thing.

“Yes.”

Alon nodded.

With a firm gaze.

Looking at the Bearer.

So he declared.

And then…

[I see.]

The Bearer replied.

Calmly.

But with relief.

As if he were satisfied.

…As if he were grateful.

And then…

[…If that is your choice, it is fine.]

The Young Bearer’s body began to slowly disintegrate into gray dust. And along with him, the Sins, motionless until a moment ago, also crumbled into gray particles.

[The rest… I leave in your hands.]

At those words, Alon hurriedly raised his voice.

“…I have a question.”

[Speak.]

“Who exactly are the Observers?”

The Bearer raised the half-sword he was still holding.

Alon, instinctively, looked up at the sky.

The sky had returned to being the original night sky.

What he saw was the “galaxy” floating in the dark blue sky.

He was puzzled.

Because although he followed the tip of the sword, he only saw the Milky Way.

Bright, illuminating the earth.

But–

[When one reaches the truth, there are things one can see.]

When he heard those words, Alon remembered something he had heard before.

‘…Does it seem beautiful to you?’

The first time.

When he followed the Observer in Laksas.

The Observer’s words with that distant expression.

‘When one reaches the truth, there are things one can see.’

The Young Bearer’s words in that instant. And then–

[They are called in many ways.]

The world began to change.

[And there are many ways to describe them.]

The beautiful galaxy he saw before his eyes began to distort.

[In the ancient East, they called them the Regents of Providence.]

No.

[The ancient elves called them Those Who Stood upon the World Tree.]

No.

[In the ancient kingdoms, they were called the Divine Blood. But the Ilaneph Empire, which discovered their origin, and the Plague that destroyed it,]

It wasn’t that.

[…Called them that, because they use this world as a womb to gestate.]

It wasn’t that the galaxy changed shape.

It was that Alon could see the truth.

“!”

It wasn’t a galaxy.

It wasn’t a river.

It was…

[Divine Blood.]

“…Eyes?”

They were eyes.

Tens.

Hundreds.

Thousands of large and small eyes.

Filling the night sky.

Each one with a different shape.

But all of them–

[Finally, they descend to the world…]

Were looking at him.

[…They have been waitXXXXXXXXXXXing]

With broken, deformed voices.

[…See you down there…]

All those eyes, brimming with deep euphoria,

looked at Alon.

As if they were rejoicing…

That finally a life could see the truth.