Chapter 336: Mother (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 336: Mother (3)
I stood there, dumbstruck by the World Tree’s words. How could I not be?
“My mother… is a Calamity?”
According to the World Tree, a Calamity was an agent of the world itself, a delegate sent to purge all life from existence.
If the Blood Demon was the first Calamity, then the second that came to mind was naturally the Heavenly Demon.
“What kind of nonsense is this?” I couldn’t help the anger that surged within me.
Not the Heavenly Demon, but my mother?
“Does that make any sense to you?”
[Calm yourself, Apostle.]
“You’re telling me to calm down?”
A blaze erupted from my body, flames I could no longer control. My boiling emotions had taken over. It was the first time since reaching the Peak Realm that my rage had so thoroughly mastered me.
I had wondered for a long time about the beast lurking inside me. It was possible it had existed even in my past life. I understood that it had only awakened in this life due to the power I gained from the giant snake. I had done my best to comprehend it all.
But this?
“A Calamity…”
An existence that destroys worlds for the sake of cosmic principles.
That couldn’t be my mother.
Slam!
I kicked the ground in a fury, the impact forming a crack and a small crater.
“…Where did you get such absurd information?” I tried to cool my head and speak calmly, but it wasn’t easy. The thought of my beloved mother being part of such a story was unthinkable, and I was already reeling from the sheer volume of shocking revelations. Still, I had to ask. This might be my only chance to get answers.
“Why do you see my mother as a Calamity?”
[Apostle.]
“Yes.”
The World Tree remained infuriatingly calm, as if it had anticipated my reaction.
[What do you believe a Calamity to be?]
“…You explained it yourself just now, didn’t you?” It had said it was a delegate sent by the world. I’d heard it at least three times.
The World Tree continued after my response.
[Then, where do you think such an existence originates?]
“Pardon?” I couldn’t help but look confused. Where they come from?
[To understand your mother, we must first understand what they are.]
“What do you mean by that?” Understand what a Calamity is? I wracked my brain, but the World Tree provided the answer before I could ponder further.
[A Calamity is…]
[A ruler from another world.]
My eyes widened in shock.
According to the tree, this meant that the Blood Demon—or my mother, if she truly was a Calamity—were rulers from other worlds. Given that the beast inside me was also a ruler, I gathered that not all rulers looked like the giant tree before me.
But setting that aside…
“…Are you saying my mother wasn’t human to begin with?”
I remembered my mother’s face, always adorned with a kind smile. In my memories, she was just an ordinary woman. Kind, loving children, enjoying the seasons, caring for flowers.
If she were a Calamity meant to end all life in my world…
“…That’s impossible. Then why is my world so peaceful?” It shouldn’t be. Furthermore, could a ruler from another world even leave their own to come to another?
If the Calamity was my mother…
What about my father?
I clenched my fist at the thought. If this were true, did my father know?
“My mother was an ordinary woman. She wasn’t a Calamity.” Whether it was the Blood Demon or the Heavenly Demon, their absolute power made it clear they were far from ordinary humans. So, hearing the World Tree’s explanation, it wasn’t strange to think of the Blood Demon as a ruler from another world.
But I couldn’t reconcile this with my mother, no matter how much I thought about it.
If it were true…
Then it means I am not human, either.
It made me question my very identity.
[Your mother was indeed a Calamity.]
“And I’m asking why you think that!”
[…]
The World Tree fell silent for a moment after my retort. After a pause, it extended a root, brushing my hair almost apologetically before speaking.
[To be more precise, she was the ruler of a world that had already vanished. But I believe it is right for you to hear this from your father, not from me.]
“…What?”
I was shocked once more.
“You’re saying my father knows this, too?”
I hadn’t spoken the word ‘father’ aloud in years. If I included my past life, it had been an eternity. That alone showed how shocking this was.
And furthermore…
“Which means… you know my father as well.”
The World Tree knew my father.
Just where had everything started to go wrong?
[…]
The World Tree was silent again. I didn’t know why it kept pausing, but I despised that silence, especially now. Sensing my patience had reached its limit, it finally spoke.
[It was a very long time ago.]
For the World Tree, this was ancient history.
[It was when your father found this place.]
“Father came here?”
[Yes. He was holding the hand of a white-haired lady.]
A white-haired lady? Who was that? I thought of my mother for an instant, but she had black hair and dark eyes.
[I did not know how a human could find this place intentionally. I could only watch in shock.]
He came here on purpose? How was that possible? I wouldn’t have made it here without Cheol Jiseon’s power. This was no ordinary Abyss. The story was shocking.
[I knew immediately upon seeing them. That lady was the second Calamity.]
“…!” Did that mean the white-haired lady was my mother? But her hair wasn’t that color…
[I did not know why she sought me out. She should have had no reason to.]
The previous ruler was imprisoned and gone; if she were truly a Calamity, all she had to do was erase all life. Yet she sought out the World Tree.
“…What did she want from you?”
[She asked me how to rid herself of her burden.]
The World Tree claimed my mother wanted to escape the duty assigned to her.
“Is such a thing… even possible?”
The principles of the world were so absolute that the World Tree itself was punished and trapped here. Yeon Il-Cheon managed to travel back in time with its help, but he failed to kill the Blood Demon, only sealing it away.
Could a Calamity’s burden truly be cast aside?
[No. It is impossible.]
The World Tree gave the answer I expected. Even to my eyes—though I was no longer sure I was human—such a thing seemed unthinkable.
Then…
[However, I believed it might be different for your mother.]
“Pardon?”
[When you first asked about your burden and the existence within you, I said you must first learn about your mother.]
It had indeed said that.
[Not all rulers… are the same.]
They can’t all be the same? If my mother was a ruler like the Blood Demon or the World Tree, was there something different about her?
I still couldn’t believe my mother wasn’t human. I couldn’t picture her as some entirely different being, like the World Tree I was speaking to. No matter what, in my mind, she was just an ordinary woman.
I stared at the World Tree, unable to believe any of this. Yet, it spoke on, unconcerned by my disbelief.
[The Ruler of Ten Thousand Lands.]
[That is your mother’s true name.]
“…”
Just hearing that name made it clear she was no ordinary existence.
* * *
In a basement filled with a chill air, a woman known only as the ‘Dancer’ knelt with her head bowed. She had no other name. That was what her master called her, so that was who she was.
The Dancer remained perfectly still, barely breathing. How long had it been? Mere seconds, an instant to others, but an eternity for her. Her master had left this place, his nest, and his absence concerned her deeply. So she waited, head bowed.
Then—
Thud.
A powerful vibration shook the room.
Rumble.
Dust fell from the ceiling, dirtying the Dancer’s hair, but she didn’t flinch.
After a few seconds, a dense fog began to swirl over the floor. The Dancer lifted her head and looked forward.
Woong.
Something vibrated behind the fog. A dim light shone.
[Not bad.]
Her master had returned. His voice tickled her ears, sounding pleased.
“…Are you alright?” the Dancer asked, her tone worried. It was understandable; her master was not supposed to leave this place recklessly.
[I am more than alright. I have learned something most amusing.]
The Blood Demon’s voice was saturated with satisfaction.
[Only a trace remained, so I wondered what had happened… How amusing.]
Only a faint trace was left on him. The Blood Demon had been curious what the ruler of this world had done, and why an exiled existence had interfered.
[The reason was more pointless than I had imagined.]
The ruler had been exiled for breaking the world’s principles. Yet, it struggled desperately to aid that very world.
Whatever the case,
[It is not bad.]
Even if one could defy the world’s principles, the world would not allow it, restoring itself to normal. The Blood Demon found it amusing to watch the previous ruler fight against a fate ordained by the world.
However,
[The problem is that I paid a higher price than anticipated.]
The Blood Demon felt changes within itself. It had required immense strength to send its consciousness into a world where the previous ruler resided. Even more to inhabit a lifeless body.
[Dancer.]
“Yes.”
The Dancer lifted her face.
[Prepare the scale.]
The Dancer’s shoulders flinched. This meant the Blood Demon, who had hidden for so long, was preparing to take direct action.
“By that, you mean…”
[It seems the time I have awaited will arrive sooner than expected.]
The Blood Demon’s voice was filled with a joy the Dancer had never heard before.
Hearing this, the Dancer responded carefully. “…What action should be taken regarding the vessel?”
[The vessel, huh?]
The Blood Demon needed a body to act directly. The Dancer knew the answer to her own question. There were many ways for the Blood Demon to move; it simply had not desired them.
As the Dancer began to rise to seek a method,
[The child of the Taeryung Clan has died.]
The Dancer froze.
There was already the issue with Namgung Cheonjun, but the death of the Taeryung child held significant meaning. Especially for the Dancer, who knew its true identity.
[It seems its death was not yet complete, but it certainly will be.]
The Blood Demon speaking in such a way meant he would ensure the child died ‘again,’ even if not fully dead now.
Hearing her master, the Dancer slowly looked up. “I shall prepare a new body, as well as the mem—”
[No. There is no need.]
The Dancer looked back in confusion. Why refuse? Jang Seonyeon’s existence was still necessary for the Blood Demon’s goal. That was why he had been kept alive, despite the difficulty.
Why this answer?
The Dancer stared, perplexed.
[I have retrieved the soul and memories, but there is no need to implant the memories into a new body.]
The Blood Demon answered her unspoken question.
[I shall inhabit it myself.]