Chapter 121
Chapter 121
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 121
Chapter Title: Ghosts of the Past (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1
Light reflected off the water danced across the cave walls. The rippling wave-like patterns along the uneven surfaces carved by nature's hand were mystical.
In his dream, Lennon stared at that light, entranced. But he knew he had never been here before, never actually seen this scene.
So where had this memory come from? Was it just a phantom conjured by the dream?
No. This was undoubtedly a real scene from somewhere. And...
[Another empty seat has been filled.]
Someone spoke from the center of the light. It was a chilling voice, one that felt like it had been wrung from the depths of pitch-black darkness, as if merely hearing it would shave years off one's life.
Did a being with such a voice even exist in this world? Lennon looked toward the source in bewilderment and swallowed in shock.
Faint light danced over a puddle in one corner of the cave. Like firefly fragments on a summer night, though their true nature was unknowable. So dim they seemed on the verge of being swallowed by the darkness, yet fragile and beautiful like flowers that withered in winter's chill only to bloom again in their season.
In the midst of them floated a silhouette shrouded in shadow.
Strangely, his face was invisible. Even as light fragments brushed by, nothing could be discerned beneath the tattered hood.
He spoke.
[Congratulations. You are cursed.]
Lennon was too distracted by the figure's appearance to process the incongruous words. Half-submerged in the water, he was grotesquely bizarre.
His entire body was wrapped in a ragged robe, and something was deeply embedded in his chest. At first glance, it seemed like a sword, but no. A wooden staff with a rounded tip inlaid with a transparent gem pierced his chest, exuding darkness.
Behind him stood a rectangular silver pillar. Black chains bound him to it, and darkness rose along its surface like letters, evoking the image of a curse so vividly it sent chills down the spine.
Lennon asked,
"Who are you?"
[No need to know.]
He replied.
[We have never met, and we never will. You who sought out this curse of your own will—if you achieve your wish, you will never meet me; if you fail, you will never meet me either.]
"But..."
[You have never been here, and you never will.]
His words thundered in Lennon's ears, and the dream ended.
"Mm..."
Lennon, the Prophecy Guardian of the Guardian Shadows, opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the familiar ceiling he had grown accustomed to over the past few days, then realized his body was soaked in cold sweat.
"I hate dreaming this crap every time my condition worsens."
"The first memory, right? At least it's proof you're still alive."
"Why are you here, rookie Zares?"
"Because the lazy brat wouldn't get up even after noon, so the lady was throwing a fit. How the hell did she get charmed by you? A girl with such fine bloodline and beauty falling for a punk like you—something's seriously wrong."
"It's because I don't strut around arrogantly like you."
Lennon snorted and sat up.
This was the mansion of a family he had once helped. After their crushing defeat to Reygus, they had evaded enemy eyes and requested aid from nearby Guardian Shadows, shaking off pursuers before resting here.
Zares shrugged as if he couldn't comprehend.
"Playing the apostle of justice on top of everything—you're overflowing with leisure."
"Unlike you, I have a true sense of justice alive and breathing inside me."
"...That's a rotten joke."
"Looking at your rotten mug brings nothing but rotten jokes to mind. Anyway, saving people when you've got the spare time isn't bad. You get repaid like this."
"Can't deny that. Maybe I should try doing some good deeds myself."
"With your personality? That'd be pushing it."
"Can't deny that either. Hm. Brat, what do you make of him?"
"Him who?"
"That guy from the dream. Probably the gracious bastard who put us in this mess."
"A mage, I suppose. Not known to the world, but extraordinarily skilled, and harboring an indelible grudge against the Dragon Demon Worshippers..."
"My take's a bit different."
"You're twisting your thoughts just to sound clever and strike out wildly with some offbeat answer, I bet."
"...Can't completely deny that, which pisses me off a little. Anyway, I think that guy's a demon."
Zares grumbled. Lennon frowned.
"A demon? What's your basis for that?"
"No matter how you look at it, this doesn't seem like something a human could pull off. Demons love resilient human souls and tempt humans with unfathomable knowledge, leading them to ruin, right?"
"Hm. What's a demon's motive for creating the Guardian Shadows?"
"Well, I'm no mage, so I don't know demon lore in detail, but... think about it. It's pretty clever. While other demons persuade individuals one-on-one for contracts, this one built a huge farm for steady harvests."
"Hm. Not sure what you're getting at."
"Let's talk about demons corrupting humans and dragging them to ruin. I don't know their criteria for 'resilient souls,' but..."
"You're sounding awfully like a mage."
"Studying magic rubs off on you. Anyway, it seems to target humans with strong desires. Desires come in all forms. Social success, a warrior wanting more power, a mage craving forbidden knowledge to become greater, a lover wanting their beloved, someone consumed by grudge wanting revenge... Records show those with intense desires fall to demonic temptation."
"Right. You've done your homework."
"Two key points. First, demons can only claim souls they've personally corrupted through a pact. Second, they offer sweet fruits during the corruption process."
"Hm. I see where you're going. Using those with grudges to build the Guardian Shadow system, then harvesting the souls that reach utter ruin?"
"Exactly. A ruin farm."
"Not bad for something you cooked up. But how do we interpret 'ruin' here? In demon tales, corruption usually means abandoning morals bit by bit for success, forsaking humanity..."
"I think that's the interpretation people find easy to swallow. Not all human-demon pacts are known, so as long as the end fits 'ruin,' it counts, right?"
"Makes sense. If the contract just says 'ruin,' interpretation's wide open. Your theory holds water that way."
"Even if it's true, doesn't matter much."
"Right?"
Any Prophecy Guardian would feel the same. Whether the power they wield came from a forbidden mage or a soul-hungry fiend—it didn't matter. If it meant erasing the Dragon Demon Worshippers from the world, they'd gladly pact with the devil.
Lennon asked pityingly,
"Were you that bored? Studying demons and wasting time on wild theories? And your hypothesis doesn't explain the prophecy."
"No one knows why demons want human souls anyway. But..."
"We do know that."
"Huh?"
"That's why non-mages are hopeless. And you're not even that great a Spirit Order practitioner... How about holing up in the mountains and training your ass off?"
"If training made you strong, I'd be a legendary swordsman by now."
"Not that you didn't slack off, right? Look at Azel Zestringer. Half a year of Spirit Order, and he slays dragons."
"If everyone could do what that guy does, dragons would've gone extinct ages ago. Enough chit-chat—what's the reason demons want human souls?"
"You know the Dragonkin birth myth?"
"The cunning demon fused with a foolish dragon seeking wisdom?"
"Yep. Answer's right there. Dragons wanted wisdom. What do you think demons wanted?"
"Hm. Dragon power?"
"Rookie Zares, you're an idiot after all. I was foolish to think you clever even briefly."
"..."
"Demons craved substance. To live in this world as named beings. Demons are basically wraiths by nature."
"In what way?"
"They envy the living and yearn for their lives. That shared desire merged them with dragons to birth Dragonkin... and now they seek human souls."
"First part clicks, but not the second. How does getting a human soul change anything? Do they get to live as humans?"
"No idea."
"Hey."
"But demons seem to gain satisfaction from human souls. Want specifics? Either throw yourself at a demon ready to ruin or steal knowledge from black mages who've researched them."
"Why 'steal'?"
"Knowledge is life to mages. Especially black mages who toss aside human decency for it—no way but to take it by force."
"Hm..."
As Zares pondered, Lennon asked,
"What do you think of him?"
"Not our creator... Azel Zestringer?"
"Yeah."
"No clue. The evidence he's 'the one of the prophecy' is too thin. From what we've learned through Azel Zestringer, humans gaining dragon power isn't that rare."
"You can't do even easy things, so go swallow a sword and end it."
"Hmph. Anyway, before Guardian Shadows, there were others like Azel Zestringer with that power. So it doesn't pinpoint a unique person."
"Regrettably true. But he's still special."
"Like a demon."
"Why?"
"Unknown origins, endless geyser of unfathomable knowledge. And it's all stuff that hits Dragon Demon Worshippers where it hurts."
"Hm. Fair point."
"Brat, do you think he's the one of the prophecy?"
"Yes."
"You're dead certain?"
"Not entirely. But the more I see him... the more nostalgic he feels."
"I feel like I've seen him somewhere too. Someone said it's because he resembles Azel Karzark's portrait."
"Could be. But something inside me aches for him. The more I look... like reuniting with lost family?"
"Hm... The brat's lived too long and gone mad? Remember your family?"
"Regrettably, just how heartbreaking my little sister's death was... nothing else."
Lennon gave a wry smile. He had a precious little sister once. One he'd have traded his life to protect... but he could only watch her die helplessly.
That grudge made him a Prophecy Guardian of the Guardian Shadows. But the price was losing her face, their memories—everything.
Now, only her laughter echoing in his ears now and then remained. That sound alone anchored his remaining humanity.
"No idea what Balsel thinks."
"Who knows. Alpha's too inscrutable..."
Balsel, the Prophecy Guardian sent to Azel, bore the codename of foremost among them: Alpha. Not that he was the first Alpha—the original died with Balsel inheriting the title. He was the sole exception among Prophecy Guardians.
He had gone in Lennon's stead, gravely wounded, to confirm vital facts with Azel Zestringer. He hadn't shown his face even when they tested Azel with a dragon before. No clue what wind blew him to volunteer. But Lennon sensed their meeting would be a pivotal turning point.
"Maybe... the end is near for all of us."
"Hope so. Though I doubt it'll pan out."
Zares grumbled.