Midterms (10): The Empire's Sunset
The sand softly cradled my soles.
Ahead lay the sea.
And beyond the horizon, the sunset bled into the ocean, fading away.
A place all too familiar.
Yes, this was that day.
The day I told you my dream.
A place unforgettable to me.
Layer upon layer of lives overlaid.
Among them, the very first. The earliest life.
From before the empire even existed. A memory from back then.
You and I.
We both loved sinking into beautiful scenery in silence.
So there were many times when we'd just quietly gaze at the view, the two of us alone.
This memory was one of those.
Though he wasn't in my sight right now.
…Unpleasant.
You were so close, I'd see you just by turning my head a little.
I couldn't confirm it since my body wouldn't move, but I was certain anyway.
We two had always been like that.
Always quietly by each other's side.
That's why we mattered so much to one another, trusted each other.
We'd open up our hearts to each other.
And this day was no different.
Sellin El Soladion.
No, at this point in time, I was just 'Sellin,' without any title.
And your name wasn't Shin Iheon, but '□□□'.
This day, I told you my dream.
A quiet rural life, just like yours. My first life.
In that life, I'd harbored a lifelong wish.
This day, I shared that wish with you.
The sea, and the sunset vanishing beyond the horizon.
Soft sand beneath my feet.
A cool sea breeze brushing my skin.
…Where the hell is this?
A space I'd never seen before.
But vaguely familiar.
An alien sensation.
Which meant this was one of my forgotten past-life memories.
I cautiously clenched and unclenched my hand, over and over.
To check if my body obeyed my will.
Test successful.
So this was the exam, after all.
I had to make choices of my own volition, so at least my body had freedom of movement.
I slowly looked around.
First, straight ahead.
Just the beach dyed red by the sunset.
Then, I turned left.
Sandy shore and sea. No different from the front.
And slowly to the right.
…A person?
There was someone.
Right next to me.
Close enough our shoulders nearly brushed.
Crimson hair, beautiful like the sunset crossing the horizon.
Pale white skin, lustrous green eyes.
The hair color was different, but the face reminded me of someone I knew.
"…Sellin?"
On a hunch, I tentatively said her name.
"Yeah, it's me. Why'd you call?"
The woman beside me answered brightly.
…So it is Sellin.
Not some namesake…
A face that similar, and the same name? Couldn't be coincidence.
But now what do I say to "why'd you call?"
I'd just blurted it out on impulse…
As Sellin looked at me with a puzzled expression, time dragged on.
Against my will, my mouth opened.
"Just. The view's pretty."
"What's with the sudden poetry?"
Sellin chuckled lightly and turned back.
…Dodged a bullet.
No idea what was going on, but crisis averted for now.
Still, how was I supposed to process this?
I was definitely the Demon King in my past life.
Villain incarnate.
Sellin, on the other hand, wasn't.
She was the hero who stood against me, a clear force for good.
So what was this memory?
Beats me.
Could my past life as Demon King have shared moments like this with Sellin?
No.
Was this memory fabricated, then?
No.
Vaguely, but it felt undeniably familiar to me.
"Ha…"
"What's up?"
"…Nah, just got lost in thought for a sec."
My head hurt…
Hard to wrap my mind around.
Anyone would struggle, right?
Demon King and a hero's party member sitting side by side, watching the sunset?
Who'd buy that?
And I was in the middle of an exam, no less.
Aeshy said I had to make a 'choice' here…
Honestly, no clue what choice.
Choices need situations to choose in.
I didn't even know the context of this one.
The scenery was pointlessly gorgeous.
Made this heavy silence feel a tad less oppressive.
No idea what to say, so I just stared ahead.
Would suck to glance sideways and make eye contact awkwardly.
How much time passed?
Watching the waves, killing time, until the red sunset fully vanished beyond the horizon.
Yet neither of us said a word.
Not like when we first met Sellin, with the heavy atmosphere.
This quiet was strangely comfortable.
Didn't want to break it.
But silence always shatters eventually.
"You've never been to this beach before, have you?"
Sellin asked cautiously.
"Yeah, first time."
Words slipped out unbidden.
I could speak freely earlier, but not now.
No clue what the rules were for controlling my body.
Frustrating as hell.
"Sun's already set."
"Yeah, getting dark. Head back?"
"Mm… no. Let's stay a bit longer."
"Sure."
Hesitation laced Sellin's words as she spoke to me.
Maybe that's why I answered right away and stayed put, silent.
Waiting for someone is tougher than it seems.
Especially when caring for others isn't your strong suit.
But for some reason, this wait didn't bother me.
Felt peaceful, even.
Like my heart was saying this suited me perfectly.
…Weird feeling.
Anyway, time flowed again in this comfortable quiet.
Until stars twinkled in the pitch-black sea and night sky.
Basking in the cool breeze, waiting for the silence to break.
"You know about luminous bacteria?"
"Luminous bacteria?"
I did.
Tiny microbes that light up the sea, making it even more beautiful.
Or something like that, from what I recalled.
"This beach used to be full of them."
"Must've been pretty."
"Yeah. Incredibly so."
Shame they're gone now.
"You, who loves beautiful views, would've been amazed."
"Should've come sooner. Missed out."
"Yeah."
Sellin laughed lightly.
"I love beautiful things."
"I know. You always say it."
Always…
Guess Sellin and I had spent quite some time together.
"I think this world isn't beautiful."
"…Yeah, can't argue. Not entirely beautiful."
"Right. You and I were born into it."
Hesitation had turned to lingering regret in Sellin's voice.
"That's why I've always wondered."
"About what?"
"If there's a place like that… where no such thing exists."
"…Probably not."
"Yeah. Humans always reject others to feel superior, right?"
"…Spot on."
"So everywhere, there are people getting rejected."
Sellin's words.
Hit home hard for me.
Spot-on assessment of humanity.
"That's why I want to make one."
"…Make one?"
"Yeah. A country where no one gets rejected."
…Ridiculous.
You can't just build a nation on a whim.
But hearing it from Sellin, it didn't seem impossible.
"Gonna have to get strong."
"Yeah. Stronger than any other nation. I'll build an empire. So I'll get strong for that."
"…Not a bad idea."
"What should we name it?"
"…You're asking me for something that important?"
Dunno about my past self, but current me hates naming things.
And this reaction suggested past me felt the same.
"Yeah. I want you to name it."
"…Well, if you insist."
Sellin's expression was dead serious.
Seeing it, I—past me—plunged into deep thought.
An empire, huh…
Were there any other empires besides Soladion in this world?
A nation where everyone lives without rejection…
Heroic. A pipe dream, really.
As these idle thoughts crossed my mind.
"Mm, decided."
"Already? Quick."
My body spoke.
"Sellin, what does your hair make you think of?"
"…Sunset?"
"Yeah, me too."
Definitely crimson like the sunset.
"So, Soladion."
Soladion…?
Weird.
Doesn't add up.
When I was Demon King, I got purged by Yusiel, allied with the empire.
But this? Me naming the empire, Sellin as its first emperor?
Doesn't fit.
My vague lingering memories clashed with this one I was seeing.
Head spinning in confusion.
But the scene didn't wait.
"The sun… yeah."
"Right. If you build the empire, you have to be the light that illuminates it. The empire's sun."
"The empire's sun…?"
"If the sun vanished from the world, everything dies. Freezing, starving."
"…And?"
"The emperor's the same for the empire. Without you, the people freeze and starve."
Past me was advising Sellin.
Heavy, but utterly true.
As the talk continued, responsibility etched itself into Sellin's eyes. She was taking it in.
"But with you there, they live warm, fed, and safe."
"…Yeah."
"That's the sun's place. An immense burden."
"I know."
"But Sellin, for the world you want, you have to bear it."
"Yeah. I know."
Maybe she'd finished pondering my words.
Certainty filled Sellin's reply.
And with that certain voice, she asked me.
"You'll help, right?"
"…Yeah."
"Good. That's enough."
The conversation ended there.
But the memory didn't.
Of course not.
I hadn't made any 'choice' yet.
My memory was just beginning.