Chapter 199: Miracle. (END)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 199: Miracle. (END)
Wait… where am I?
What was I doing just a moment ago?
I feel like I was fighting something.
“So-hyun.”
I felt like I was on the verge of remembering, but the moment I heard that voice, none of it seemed to matter anymore.
It was a voice I had yearned for and missed so dearly—a voice I thought I would never be able to hear again.
I slowly turned around, and there she stood.
She had a pale, somewhat frail-looking complexion and ash-colored hair.
“Mom…?”
“Yes, So-hyun. It’s Mom!”
Her voice and smile were still full of mischief.
It was a smile I had tried to forget by dismissing it as a mere doll’s, a smile that had caused me so much pain because it refused to fade even as my memories were worn down by brainwashing. There was no way I could mistake it.
I had missed her face so much, and I thought I had so many things to say if we ever met, but now that I was actually facing her, I couldn’t find the courage to step forward.
Yet, she reached out her hand to a failure like me once again.
“My So-hyun has grown so much. I’ve been watching you the whole time, but it broke my heart that I couldn’t do anything for you from your side. Na-hyun and your father were always at odds and fighting, and you were just out there getting into trouble in your own way.”
Her words sounded like a scolding, but the way she smiled and held out her hand was clearly an invitation.
Carefully.
I approached her with extreme caution, praying that this wasn’t just a daydream or an illusion.
When my fingertips touched hers, a warm heat radiated through me.
Tears began to fall.
Part of me wanted to throw myself into her arms and sob. I wanted to act like a child and just break down right here.
But I knew I didn’t have the right to do that, and I didn’t want her to see me like that.
Fine. I didn’t care if this was an illusion. Even if it was just a dream, I begged for it to last as long as possible—just a little bit longer.
I had missed the sensation of her gentle hand stroking my hair so much.
“It’s been hard, hasn’t it?”
I had to pull my crumbling spirit together.
No. It wasn’t hard. I know. I know I still have so much to atone for.
So, I won’t ever give up. I’m a fool, so I might waver sometimes and make stupid choices, but I’ll try my absolute best.
“…Is that so? I guess it really is too early for our So-hyun to be here.”
“What?”
“So-hyun. This is what people call the Boundary of Life and Death. You almost died because you used an excessive amount of power.”
The mention of the Boundary of Life and Death snapped me back to my senses.
I had known this might happen someday, but it couldn’t be now.
“The boundary… that means I’m not dead yet, right…?”
“Yes, but you will die at this rate. Even a Superhuman is still human, and you used a level of power that isn’t permitted for a human body. Honestly, it’s a miracle you’re even maintaining your form after using that much strength.”
I had tried to be careful and left a little bit of Innate True Qi, but I hadn’t accounted for the backlash.
Before the regression, Seo-ha always fixed me up no matter how much I used, so I didn’t realize it was such a dangerous power.
— So-hyun, it hurts today too, doesn’t it? Don’t worry. I’ll fix everything for you. Hehe, hihi… look at this wound…
Wait. Was that right?
Now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure my body was a total wreck back then too…?
“Son?”
“Yes?”
“It’s fine to think about girls, but doing it in front of your mother whom you haven’t seen in forever makes me a little sad, you know?”
Wait, how did she know?
“Hmm, I knew my son was handsome enough to attract a lot of girls, but you’re not even wearing the glasses you promised your mom you’d wear. Hmm? Now that I think about it, Mom’s getting a little sulky. I don’t think I can let this slide unless you give me a kiss on the cheek!?”
Wow, it really is Mom. She’s definitely my mother.
She was snickering, probably thinking I wouldn’t be able to do it, but after all the regret I’ve lived through, how could I not manage a simple kiss?
“You want one?”
“Oh? You’re actually going to do it? You used to hate it so much when you were little.”
“It’s because I’ve gotten older that I finally realized what’s truly precious. I’ll give you ten or twenty kisses on the cheek if you want.”
“That’s a very tempting offer, but once is enough for Mom. I don’t have much time, and I don’t want to be the target of jealousy from my prospective daughters-in-law.”
Even as she said that, she leaned her cheek toward me expectantly. Without hesitation, I pressed my lips to her cheek.
“It’s nice, but my son’s charm used to be how easily he got embarrassed. This is a little disappointing.”
“Wow, I really summoned all my courage for that, and you’re being so mean.”
“No, I’m just thinking, ‘There really is a difference between watching you grow from above and watching you from your side.’ Is my son pouting?”
Pouting? I don’t have the right to do that.
“…Our So-hyun’s wounds haven’t healed; they’ve actually opened up further.”
“What?”
“I won’t tell you not to feel guilty, because I can’t say that what you did was right. And even if I did say it, I doubt my son would listen.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“But will you promise me that you won’t fall so deep into guilt that you make a choice like today’s again?”
If anyone else had said something similar, I would have agreed without hesitation.
But in front of this person—only in front of my mother—I hesitated to make a promise I might break.
“I see. You still haven’t fixed that habit of staying silent when you have nothing to say, have you?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“It’s okay. I actually knew you wouldn’t be able to answer. I was just testing you.”
“Testing me…?”
“Yes. Usually, when it’s time to die, people let go of their lingering attachments one by one. No matter what the goal was or how much they wanted it, the order of things is to slowly forget, and eventually, you let go of all your memories. We call this the separation of the soul and spirit. But you, So-hyun, you’re holding onto those attachments without letting go.”
Was it that state of being unable to die even in death?
“Even if there’s a risk of your body shattering again, you’ll eventually use that power again for those girls, or to ease your guilt, or perhaps to protect something.”
I probably would. Because without this power, enemies would appear that I couldn’t protect anyone from.
“Even so, So-hyun. Your mom would prefer it if you used your power for a different reason than guilt. Once you realize what it is you truly want to protect, it’ll be okay. Because that’s different from guilt. I really hope my son finds that.”
Something truly precious.
Could I ever create something like that?
And even if I did, could I protect it?
The fear learned from countless failures began to crawl up my spine, but this time, I forced myself to nod.
Because this was something I wanted, too.
If the day ever comes when I can overcome all this anxiety and sincerely apologize to everyone, maybe then I’ll be able to say it.
“Yes. Miracles always stem from a wish. You must remember those words.”
The moment she said that, my mother’s form began to flicker and scatter like static noise.
“Ah, I guess I can’t talk about this part yet. It looks like time is almost up.”
“What?”
“I think it’s time for you to go back, So-hyun. Normally, there would have been time for a bit more conversation, but I actually pushed myself a little too hard and broke the ‘rules’ to intervene.”
I wanted to stay just a little longer, but it seemed that wouldn’t be possible.
“Oh, So-hyun. Mom has one last thing she’s curious about.”
My mother spoke with a mischievous smile.
“So, who exactly is the first daughter-in-law?”
I was so shocked that my consciousness blacked out right after those words.
And when I finally came to…
“Why are you assuming there’s more than one!?”
I was lying in the middle of a group of people who were praying and shedding tears.
“It’s a miracle…”
“So-hyun…!”
Ah, um. What is it… first of all, that.
Ah, damn, it hurts like hell.
It’s been a really long time since I’ve felt this much pain.
“Pfft-urk.”
Ah, blood is coming out of my mouth.
* * *
A few minutes before he woke up.
The group had all rushed toward him as he collapsed, blood pouring from every orifice of his body.
Cathy managed to catch him before he hit the ground completely, but the moment she touched his blood-soaked body, she fell into despair.
There was no heartbeat.
It wasn’t just a temporary paralysis.
It was hard to describe, but it was as if something precious had been drained out of him.
He was dead.
So-hyun was dead.
Even when she had entered this place and gained power, she was certain she could protect him so he wouldn’t be hurt anymore, but he had died as if it were all a lie.
Ban Gi-san, who had taken him to try heart massage, also took on a horrified expression the moment he touched him.
Ah?
No, why would So-hyun die? You’re going to wake up like usual, right?
Right, the Resurrection Artifact. There’s a Resurrection Artifact. Oh, right, he used it when he got hit by lightning.
Did they say it had a one-week cooldown?
Only the cadets, who hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, were looking at the two of them with confused faces, asking if he was okay.
What was she supposed to say?
That he died trying to protect them? Or that he was killed by a Villain?
No, I’m telling you, he’s not dead! Why do I keep thinking he’s dead?
Her heart denied the words of his death, but everything she felt the moment she touched him pointed toward it.
Strangely, no tears came.
It didn’t feel real.
When she couldn’t say anything, the cadets seemed to catch on and began to panic.
They used recovery magic and performed heart massage.
Ah, I should do something too…
Why is there no strength in my body? Was I always this weak?
Cadet Han-hee and Cadet Ga-eul, who were desperately performing heart massage, began to tremble and burst into tears.
So-hyun, who looked like he would jump up any second with a playful grin and comfort them, remained lying still.
What was she supposed to say to Na-hyun?
[Move.]
Then, ignoring all of them, she appeared.
A woman wearing a black mask and a pure white dress shook her head and took him away from them with ease.
The cadets shouted, asking who she was, but she didn’t even pay them any mind as she stroked his hair.
[I could have stopped this, but I thought it was something you had to overcome on your own eventually.]
The energy felt from her touch was so vast and divine that no one present dared to move.
[If I had known the wound was this deep, I would have let you face it more slowly. If I had known you would foolishly try to block it all alone, I would have at least given you some help.]
Some say that gods or deities are beings who perform miracles through divine abilities that humans cannot comprehend.
[Fortunately, since you are not yet completely dead, it seems I can save you even with an incomplete divine ability.]
Save him.
The moment those words were heard, everyone there looked at her.
[Do not look at me so. Even if you did not look at me that way, he is naturally someone I must save.]
Because he was her only believer, her teacher, and her father.
Though she could not yet perfectly control her own power, she could still manage to revive a single man who hadn’t fully died.
She would lose much, but that too would be recovered someday.
[Wake up. I still have much I have not yet learned from you.]
The collective desire for him to live was originally insufficient to cause a miracle, but if it was insufficient, she could simply substitute it.
She only needed to make a contract with the world using her power as a deity as the price.
If fixing the wounds couldn’t save him, she would simply twist the past and rewrite it so that he had only suffered wounds that weren’t fatal.
[So, please wake up.]
The masked woman began to melt away slowly, losing her form.
[I shall look forward to the day we meet in this form again.]
Then, in her place, a small girl collapsed into his arms with a soft thud. At the same time…
Thump.
His stopped heart began to beat again.
* * *
Some cried, and some got angry.
They scolded me, asking why I did such a thing alone, and they cast recovery magic on me while demanding to see my wounds.
I could tell by the diminished energy felt from the Small Spirit in my arms and the attitude of those around me.
This time, I had literally come back from the dead.
If she had been a perfect god, saving me wouldn’t have left her in this state, but for a deity who had just awakened, the resurrection of the dead must have been a bit too much to handle.
She, who was supposed to block a much greater threat in the future, had ended up like this because of me.
Then, it was my responsibility to return her to her original form.
It’s funny to think about this right after coming back to life, but after going through transmigration and regression, it looks like I’m now starring in a child-rearing story.
“I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, an apology slipped from my lips. Who was I apologizing to?
The deity? Or the kids who worried because of me? Or maybe my mother?
No. It was probably all of them.
— Do you finally understand a little bit of what you did wrong?
Sun Wukong.
‘No. Honestly, I might know it with my head, but I can’t feel it in my heart.’
— You… seriously…
‘But I’ll try my best to feel it.’
— …Is that so? For now, that’s enough. You fool.
Because I don’t want to make these people, who are crying and rejoicing and getting angry all at once, cry ever again.
But I think they’ll worry too much if I collapse again… and yet, I’m so dizzy I can’t stand it.