Curse and the Holy Land (3)
Fwaaaaah—!
Was this what the light of creation had been like at the beginning of all things? Antonio trembled before the pure white pillar of light descending upon the square.
Behold that colossal radiance! Behold that majestic spectacle!
Could anyone fail to see the divinity dwelling within it? Who would dare go about claiming that the gods had abandoned the earth?
Great Priest Antonio shook with emotion and joy, lifting both arms high toward the heavens. Tears streamed down the deep wrinkles of the old high priest's face.
Ah...! O God...
Even with his eyes closed, the sacred power filled every direction with crystalline clarity. Clusters of light poured from the pillar and flooded the world around them.
Tiny stars, glowing with the soft luminescence of fireflies, began to shine beautifully across the ground—and they worked small miracles.
"I—I can see...! I can see ahead of me!"
The blind opened their eyes.
"Ah...? My arm—my arm is back! My arm has grown again!!"
Lost limbs sprouted anew. The little starlights that settled upon the maimed and the incomplete bestowed miracles upon them.
What an absurd power...
Demonic gazed at the majestic pillar of light and the stars glittering in every direction. Each tiny starlight, no larger than a firefly, held a holy power that far surpassed even the Great Priest's own.
A phenomenon that transcended human understanding. This was a miracle of the gods...
—Saaaah
Starlight settled upon the shadow that had been writhing at Demonic's feet.
Kieeeeek—!
The moment the little starlight touched the shadow with a gentle brush, the darkness heaved violently and screamed like a wailing ghost. Whatever had been hiding inside scattered like dust, leaving only an ordinary shadow behind.
"This is...?"
Demonic looked down at his own shadow and furrowed his brow. When had they even attached a tail?
He let out a quiet sigh at the demonic tails that had latched onto him without his knowledge.
Truly, the gods have watched over me...
If those tails had remained fixed to his shadow any longer, something irreversible would have happened. Demonic offered a silent prayer of gratitude.
— The Five Gods and the Sixth God!
— Merciful One, we thank You!
The fervor of the people gathered in the square burned hot. Before their eyes stood the proof of their faith—a miracle of the gods. Perhaps this was the very moment a new myth would begin.
Standing at the scene of such glory, they raved and prayed.
Crackle—
The pillar of light that had seemed eternal began to thin. The column that had propped up the sky shrank little by little.
As the pillar of light gradually faded from view, a massive gate remained in its place.
Or was it truly a gate?
— What is that?
— A door... is it?
It looked as if someone had severed an arched bridge and set it down whole. Only the enormous iron doors sealed tightly shut allowed anyone to guess it was a gate at all.
The people thronged toward the gate the pillar of light had left behind.
— Good heavens, look at these carvings.
— Incredible... They look ready to come alive at any moment...
Delicate sculptures were carved into the pillars on either side of the gate. From the smallest living things to the most colossal creatures, every form was rendered with exquisite precision.
No one even thought of laying a hand upon the gate. They simply fell to their knees and prayed—offering worship to the gods who had not abandoned the earth, singing praise to the merciful ones.
Countless voices filled the square. Worship offered with one heart and one mind rang out across the plaza.
Before that solemn and majestic sight, the paladins did not know what to do with themselves.
Demonic's bellow cracked down upon the dazed holy knights.
"What are you doing standing there! Keep the people from approaching any closer, and bring the high priests at once!"
"Y-Yes, sir! Understood!"
Only then did the paladins snap to their senses and move toward the gathered crowd. The people obediently drew back from the gate under the knights' control.
Perhaps because they had witnessed a miracle of the gods with their own eyes, a faith that shimmered like madness shone in every gaze.
Krrrrrumble—
"...The gate?"
At that moment, a heavy sound rolled from the tightly sealed doors. The enormous gate began to move its massive body of its own accord, slowly opening.
Dazzling light spilled through the gradually widening crack. Where did this gate lead? What waited beyond it?
— Oh, ohhh...
— The gate... the gate is opening.
The people stirred. The colossal doors had opened only a little, yet the gap was already wide enough for a person to pass through with ease.
—Shwaaaah
From that narrow opening, a brilliant Milky Way poured forth. Like fish swimming free, the river of stars roamed the empty air and blanketed the sky.
Above Civitas, a galaxy that swallowed the morning light unfurled wide. Before a sight that defied comprehension, everyone fell to their knees and recited prayers.
From the galaxy that covered the heavens, three stars shone—and began to descend slowly toward the earth.
"Kyaa!"
The first star shone upon a pink-haired girl. Under the sudden weight of every gaze, pink-haired Ruel's face flushed scarlet and her eyes spun in circles.
Twinkling starlight wrapped gently around Ruel's body and guided her forward, tugging lightly as if to say, Come with me.
"W-What is this...?"
Ruel wore a dazed expression as she gradually followed the star's lead. The people parted before her with faces full of reverence.
"Mm..."
The second star descended toward Demonic. Multicolored starlight, brilliant and radiant, enfolded him softly—and guided him toward the massive gate.
O God...
Demonic walked toward the gate in the star's wake.
Far off among the crowd, he saw Great Priest Antonio emerging under the same guidance of a star. Thick tears rolled from the old man's eyes as his hands trembled.
"Ohh, O God! At last, do You take this lowly servant unto Yourself?"
Antonio crossed himself again and again, chanting prayers without cease. Demonic tried hard to keep his composure, yet his heart hammered violently in his chest.
An extraordinary gate born from a colossal pillar of light. Three of the faithful guided by starlight.
Just what was about to happen?
Then a sacred voice rang out from the galaxy that covered the sky.
"Ye who cannot hear—behold."
"Ye who cannot see—listen."
"I have bestowed a mission upon My first Apostle and descended unto the earth."
"This is so that you may prepare for the darkness that will cover the world."
"Yet a single hand cannot turn the tide."
"Thus I send a pure child, a wise elder, and a sturdy youth to aid My Apostle."
"You shall come unto My land and take up your mission."
Everyone gathered at the Pantheon bowed their heads. Hear the glorious voice.
Praise and exalt it.
Great Priest Antonio pressed his face into the earth and wept madly as he prayed. Tears fell one after another, leaving dark marks upon the ground.
"Ah... aah..."
Demonic trembled from a fullness rising from the depths of his soul. Only when he felt the pain of his nails digging into his palms did he realize how tightly he had clenched his fists. The gods would have them aid Their Apostle.
For Demonic, it was glory beyond measure—and an opportunity.
A chance to help that child.
Fwaaaaah—!
A fierce light burst from the slightly open crack of the gate. Everyone in the square shielded their eyes—
and when the light subsided, the three of them were nowhere to be found.
"...Hm?"
A vast red eye floating in the darkness twitched faintly. Pitch-black shadow writhed like a serpent, coiling around the pupil.
At the displeased voice, the skeletons standing nearby watched its mood carefully, restless and uneasy.
"Sh-Shall I go again and plant another eye?"
A skeleton far in the back spoke, trembling. The pupil of the red eye narrowed to a needle's point—
—Crack!
The darkness swirling around the eye shot like an arrow and punched straight through the skeleton's skull.
The casual tone of one who had merely crushed a roadside insect made the skeletons quake as they bowed their heads deep. What stood there was death itself—one who could bestow death even upon those who had already overcome it.
"Yes. I observed her through the eye of an ancient dragon and personally inscribed the curse upon her soul."
A skeleton answered the red eye's question with perfect deference. Blue ghost-fire flickered from the one draped in an elegant gray robe.
"It is so... When I first encountered her, I was so flustered I failed to respond properly. Forgive me..."
The lich bowed deeply at the waist. The red eye regarded him in silence, then curved into a crescent moon.
The lich said nothing and only bowed even lower. An ominous laugh echoed quietly through the darkness.
Sizzle—
Inside the heated wok, kimchi and spam fried together, releasing a spicy-sweet aroma. You had to keep snapping your wrist, tossing the wok this way and that without rest.
"Heup-cha!"
Shwaaak—
Once the kimchi and spam were properly fried, I quickly dumped in cold leftover rice and stir-fried it all together. Mix it well, and today's dinner—kimchi spam fried rice—was complete.
This was the last supper before I had to face the ketchup bean-sprout salad, so I had to enjoy it without a single regret.
"This is the good stuff."
Eating fried rice with a beer chilled ice-cold in the fridge—that was the ultimate comfort. I quickly grabbed a can and set the table.
While eating, I scrolled down my phone looking for something decent to watch.
Ping-pong—
A push notification chimed on my phone.
Residents of another dimension have visited the temple! Come check it out!
I logged into the game at once.