The Spirit's Tears
The spirit's sorrow summoned a catastrophe.
The salamander shed a flood of tears, but they were not liquid. They were scorching waves of intense heat.
Sparks of flame scattered rapidly in every direction.
The workshop, already battered and torn from the recent explosion, now blazed so fiercely that even the debris seemed ready to ignite.
It was because the spirit had only just been born and still lacked control over her firepower.
“Waaaaah!”
“Take her.”
Kang Yoonsoo grabbed the waist of the sobbing girl and held her out to Shanette.
She accepted the spirit in a daze.
When Shanette made a bewildered face, Kang Yoonsoo shook his chin at her.
“Calm her down.”
“You’re the one who made her cry! Why are you pushing her onto me…?”
“I don’t know how to soothe a crying child.”
Shanette glared at him sharply.
“And you think I do?”
“Then watch the territory burn.”
“…You awful person.”
Shanette had never once tried to comfort a child in her life.
The village children would either burst into tears or mock her the moment they saw her hideous face.
Meanwhile, the flames continued to spread.
Shanette, who now possessed the Fragment of Power, would be fine, but if things went wrong the fire could easily engulf the entire territory.
In her panic, Shanette shouted the first thing that came to mind.
“…Hey! Stop crying. I-I’ll be your mom!”
The girl abruptly stopped crying.
The flames that had been swallowing the workshop died down as well.
Sniffling, the girl asked, “...Mom?”
“No, I’m still too young to have a child…”
“Waaaaah!”
The moment the spirit wailed, the flames flared up again.
Shanette spoke in a fluster.
“F-fine. Then I’ll be your mom. Just for a little while.”
“…Sniff! Really?”
“Yes… really.”
“Yay!”
Only then did the girl stop crying and break into a bright smile.
It was a beautiful, pure smile.
Seeing a child smile so radiantly, Shanette found herself unable to take back her words.
“Mom, put me down.”
“Alright.”
The girl climbed down and stood on her own two feet before wrapping her arms tightly around Shanette’s waist.
It was a simple hug, yet Shanette was deeply startled.
When was the last time she had embraced someone so deeply besides Hermia?
The girl pulled her face away, let out a big breath, and smiled brightly.
“I like Mom! I love you!”
The girl laughed with pure innocence and planted a tiny kiss on Shanette’s cheek.
She was so lovable that Shanette felt strangely flustered.
The salamander tugged hard on Shanette’s coat.
“Mom, give me a name.”
“You want me to name you?”
Shanette was taken aback.
To ask someone like her to give a name that would be used for an entire lifetime?
When she tried to think of one on the spot, no decent names came to mind.
At that moment, Kang Yoonsoo spoke quietly.
“Sally.”
It was obviously taken from salamander.
She thought it was an overly plain name, but the girl nodded vigorously.
“I like that name!”
Kang Yoonsoo stared at the doll-like girl.
Sally.
When he had created a fire spirit for the very first time in his life, even Kang Yoonsoo had been truly bewildered.
So the name he had given on the spot was Sally.
He could have chosen a better name, but in the end, the name Sally had followed him all the way to this life.
Until now, he had never created a fire spirit using any material other than the fang of a dragon soldier.
If he did, a salamander with a different ego would be born instead of the Sally he remembered.
Since he could only create one spirit of each type, that would mean he would never see the other spirit again.
I’ll have to avoid fighting the Ruin Dragon this time too.
How devastated he had been the moment the Ruin Dragon tore off Sally’s head with its jaws.
In the lives he had lived before, he had created Sally countless times and witnessed her death just as many times.
I cannot watch this child die in this life either.
Sally was one of the many reasons Kang Yoonsoo had to kill the Demon Lord.
Kang Yoonsoo crooked his finger at Sally.
The small girl came running toward him with quick steps.
It was only a brief moment.
The approaching girl overlapped with the countless Sallys from his past lives.
For an instant, his vision twisted as if he were seeing an illusion.
…I need a drink.
Kang Yoonsoo rubbed his brow and chased away the hallucination.
This was why, despite the memories in his head, he always remained emotionless.
Because of the unforgettable memories of his past lives and the sickeningly familiar scenes, his mind could never stay whole.
“Sally.”
“Yeah!”
Hearing her name, Sally’s orange eyes sparkled brightly.
Kang Yoonsoo spoke seriously.
“Go into the summoning realm. I’m sleepy.”
“…Then will you be Sally’s dad?”
Kang Yoonsoo didn’t like that title.
The more attached he became, the harder it was to endure their deaths.
But arguing about it was too much trouble.
“Sure.”
“Yay! Sally loves Dad too!”
Sally jumped up and planted a kiss on Kang Yoonsoo’s cheek as well.
Then she vanished without a trace.
Kang Yoonsoo showed no particular reaction and simply lay down on the half-burnt workshop floor.
When Shanette looked at him with an incredulous gaze, he answered while still lying down.
“What are you looking at?”
The next morning, in front of the mansion gate.
Hermia hugged Shanette with a sorrowful expression.
“Oh, Shanette, what am I to do? We were so close, yet I never realized. That the fate given to you was far crueler than mine.”
“It’s alright. I can do this.”
Shanette spoke with confidence.
Following Kang Yoonsoo’s suggestion, she had decided to travel with him.
The Fragment of Power was a treasure the Ignus Dragon had left behind for future generations.
Now that she possessed it, Shanette could no longer remain only in Kellin territory.
She was nervous, but at the same time, she felt excited.
She had always thought that one day she would definitely leave Kellin and stand on her own.
“I’ve never been outside since I came to Kellin as a child. I want to see new places and explore so much more.”
“If I could, I would give you a carriage… but unfortunately, our territory’s circumstances don’t allow it. I should have asked the last group of merchants to leave at least two ponies behind.”
“This is more than enough.”
Shanette smiled and showed her familiar backpack.
Inside were travel funds and daily necessities that Hermia had packed herself.
Hermia sniffled for a long time before finally letting Shanette go.
She then looked at Kang Yoonsoo, who stood beside her.
“Please take good care of Shanette.”
Kang Yoonsoo gave a slight nod.
After making her request, Hermia glanced at Shanette.
She was wearing tight pants and a short shirt that were easy to move in.
“Your collar is crooked. Come here for a moment, will you?”
Hermia led Shanette to the left side of the mansion.
She turned her head and her expression grew serious.
It was quite different from the tearful, innocent atmosphere she had shown earlier.
“Shanette, what do you think of that man?”
“He doesn’t seem like a bad person.”
“I feel the same. But something about him feels suspicious.”
Shanette looked puzzled.
“As you know, elves live for a very long time. Our appearance barely ages, but sometimes the elf who looks the youngest is actually the eldest. That’s why our way of seeing people is different from humans.”
Hermia gazed at Kang Yoonsoo in the distance with a strange look in her eyes.
“That man… Kang Yoonsoo somehow gives off a feeling similar to an elf. On the outside he looks young, but inside he seems incredibly old.”
“Are you saying Kang Yoonsoo has lived for hundreds of years?”
“Of course not. He’s human, so that’s impossible… but the strange sense of unease is real. He feels as if he has lived for a very long time. Something about him… is different from us.”
Shanette couldn’t fully understand Hermia’s words, but she nodded anyway.
Since Hermia was an elf who had lived for hundreds of years, she was surely far wiser than herself.
“If that man ever seems suspicious or you feel your life is in danger, run back here anytime.”
“Of course.”
Shanette had once been a soldier, so she was much stronger than ordinary women.
She didn’t think it would happen, but if Kang Yoonsoo tried anything strange, she had more than enough strength to resist.
Hermia gently stroked Shanette’s cheek, where faint burn scars still remained.
“Go and experience the world. You will do well anywhere.”
“Thank you… truly. Lady Hermia.”
Shanette held back the sorrow rising in her throat.
It would be hard to meet someone as good as Hermia again.
“Farewell. May bright peace always accompany your journey together.”
After their farewells, the two began walking north.
Once they crossed the barley fields, the wasteland came into view.
As they left the territory behind, Shanette asked,
“Where are we going?”
“Hilledan.”
Hilledan was a small city quite far from Kellin territory.
It was famous for its alchemy clan branch, potion shops, and workshops.
And then Shanette asked the question she was most curious about.
“What is the purpose of our journey?”
“To prevent the destruction of the world that is to come. And…”
Kang Yoonsoo slowly raised his left hand.
The brilliant sun poured down its vast light.
Yes.
This time, for sure.
“I will end the repetition of life.”