Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Pale Moon, Maksensia
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“The scriptures list seven of [The Ones Who Came], and each holds a title tied to the sun or the moon.”
My memories of my father are all of him sitting in his rocking chair by the hearth, explaining the scriptures.
He passed away when I was ten, and I was too young to grasp the depth of that void, that sorrow.
I didn't know then.
That death was just a single word for the phrase ‘never being able to meet again’…
The cruelty of that one word slowly dawned on me as I grew, and perhaps that’s why I so desperately wished for my mother not to leave.
Tervel, the Sun of the Azure Sky.
Shurigan, the Blood-Red Sun.
Karenden, the Black Sun.
Maksensia, the Pale Moon.
Jyeannir, the Noble Moon.
Tersia, the Sorrowful Moon.
Meian, the Azure Star Moon.
“They were all lords of light blessed by Geldharia, but two among them received the greatest attention.”
Tervel, the Sun of the Azure Sky.
It is said his light descended as lightning, fiercely burning the abyss of all creation and opening the azure heavens.
“Hehe, Kaisen. Do you know how incredible your father was? Everyone knew him as Aidin of the Thunderclap.”
At the time, I knew nothing of my father’s story, how he had stood on the front lines of the war from the beginning of the ‘Black Summer’ to its end.
“It is best we do not speak of that. Now, Kaisen. Though some were mistaken by Tervel’s ferocity, the true leader of [The Ones Who Came] was someone else.”
It was Tersia, the Sorrowful Moon.
Tersia was the successor to Berkensia, the Blade of Light, and it is said she preached a story of light and love amidst a poignant sorrow.
“Of course, the others were remarkable as well, but not all of them possessed authority specialized for war.”
Such were Shurigan, Maksensia, and Jyeannir.
Shurigan held the power to breathe life back into lands rotted by the Abyss.
Maksensia held the power to take the Abyss of others into her own body as atonement.
Jyeannir possessed the power of Pictorial Manifestation, a concept superior to even summoning arts.
It is said that Shurigan and Maksensia healed the ailing world and its people with their powers, while Jyeannir brought back the creations of old.
“So, were they weaker than the other [Ones Who Came]?”
In my childhood, martial prowess was the only absolute measure of worth. When I asked that, my father…
“Kaisen, what do you think strength is?”
My father would always pose questions that were impossible for a child to answer—no, that I still cannot answer even now.
“If cutting and breaking things is the entirety of strength, then [The Forgotten Kings] would be the truly strong ones.”
Perhaps he was preparing me for the eternal farewell that would soon come.
“But the ones we serve and revere are [The Ones Who Came]. Why is there such a difference between the two factions?”
My father, through Maksensia’s miracle, had transferred more than half of the Abyss of Mauna Loa that was consuming my mother’s body into his own…
“It is because all of [The Ones Who Came] used their power for the sake of others’ weakness.”
And so, these questions…
Were they not his fervent hope that they would become a lantern, illuminating my path through an adult life he could never share with me…?
“Become strong, Kaisen. I’m not telling you to become a hero. If you become someone who extends a hand to help a person who has fallen on the road, I would be immeasurably happy.”
Age of Myths,
Tarhye RondelㆍEldiaㆍRebirth (6)
The beauty of creation, which I had only heard of as a vague tale in my distant childhood, was manifesting before my very eyes.
[The Ones Who Came] made flowers bloom beautifully upon the land they had reclaimed from the Abyss.
If the Abyss had not encroached upon the world, would our world today have looked like this?
The pure white coast, <Gaden>.
The pure azure forest, <Tarkiriten>.
The pure silver plains, <Reltaron>.
The land of the elves, the Idea Peninsula, was being reborn into a beautiful world under the hands of [The Ones Who Came].
The elves of today eschew technology and have always valued this symbiosis with nature.
I had thought them impossibly arrogant, but perhaps that symbiosis was in fact imbued with a reverence for [The Ones Who Came] who had bestowed such nature upon them.
After the technological revolution, the skies of humanity and the demihumans were blackened by steam and soot, but the rumors that the elven lands remained blue and clear were likely true.
All that beauty was the work of Jyeannir, the Noble Moon.
When Jyeannir, who had received the authority of ‘Creation,’ painted a landscape, that scenery would be overlaid upon reality.
While painting those landscapes, Jyeannir would excitedly share ideas with the other [Ones Who Came], and after their discussions, she looked happier than anyone as she brought the scenery to life.
She was truly a bright, cheerful person.
Eos’s noble character must have been inherited from his parents.
In contrast, Karenden, the brains of [The Ones Who Came] and the one in charge of information warfare, was a profoundly distant existence.
Unless you stood on the front lines, you would not know what Karenden did, or what he was doing.
For after creating the demihumans known today as Childmen or Dwarves, Karenden communicated only with them.
- These ones do not age until just before death, so they can exercise their childhood creativity for almost their entire lives. Thus, they are quite useful.
I could see why, even today, Karenden was known as the gloomy and inscrutable member of [The Ones Who Came].
But stand on the front lines of the war, and you would keenly feel Karenden’s importance.
Without Karenden, the war itself could not have been waged. All technical maintenance, military organization, and intelligence gathering rested in his hands.
Even during the days of purification, Karenden’s busy schedule never ended. Even today.
[Karenden: I have discovered a new continent. I will name it the Adrion Continent. The second lord of the Abyss is here.]
The Adrion Continent.
A land known today as the Demonic Realm—the Magescape.
[Tervel: There’s another continent? I don’t think we found it during the satellite scans.]
[Karenden: The volcanic ash is very thick. It seems to have been obscured by it. It is a land of volcanoes. The one there possesses an authority related to it. It is Neigalas, the one who destroyed Planet Shekira.]
Neigalas…
The elite human unit that had been in charge of the central front—the nightmare that had been stopped only at the cost of that unit’s annihilation and the death of the Blue Star.
At the mere mention of the name, a violent tremor ran through my fingertips.
[Tersia: We should eliminate Neigalas before he crosses the continent and joins forces with the other True Kings.]
[Karenden: Correct. We will deal with him while he is isolated. The Eldia are to meet with Maksensia first to receive treatment. You must prepare for immediate deployment.]
From the moment I heard those words from Karenden, the trembling in my heart would not subside.
Maksensia…
Maksensia, the Pale Moon…
The eldest of [The Ones Who Came] and Tarsiyo’s mother. But I couldn’t meet her right away.
The amount of Abyss that Maksensia could handle had reached its limit.
The only ones who could receive treatment from Maksensia were Tersia, Tervel, Alkaios, and Kadyuel.
[Kadyuel: As the time for the assault is short, the commander and I have been ordered to depart for the Adrion Continent first.]
[Ryukael: Alright. Don’t die.]
[Shuruviel: G-Good luck…!]
And so, only Eldia Alma (01) and Bete (02) crossed the sea, assisting Tervel’s Golden Fleet and Shurigan’s Crimson Fleet.
Shuruviel, Ryukael, Enuel, Karenden, Meian, and Jyeannir remained on the Idea Peninsula.
I was finally able to meet Maksensia just before receiving the mission briefing for the reclamation of the northern peninsula… the ‘Operation to Subjugate the Insect Lord.’
[Ryukael: I’m done with maintenance. Enuel, it’s your turn.]
And so, the place where I first met Maksensia was a field where green wildgrass swayed serenely.
She was a woman with a tranquil smile.
Even the birds seemed unwilling to leave the embrace of her tranquility.
Unbefitting such a smile, Maksensia favored clothes so black they felt sinister.
No, she wore only black clothes.
To hide the Abyss that writhed and covered her entire body like maggots. To hide the deathly pale color of her skin.
The contrast between that black and white was sorrowful.
Maksensia’s eyesight was poor, so she always kept her eyes closed, and when she spoke, she would reach out a hand to feel for the person she was addressing.
Maksensia was a redeemer.
Born with an unrealistically strong resistance to the Abyss, she had received only the authority of atonement.
The other [Ones Who Came] could also perform atonement, but only Maksensia could atone for the Abyss of a King.
Having taken the Abyss of the Kings into her body and soul again and again in the hundreds of repeated battles, Maksensia could no longer even walk on her own.
But it was thanks to Maksensia that [The Ones Who Came] had been able to continue their fight against the outer cosmos.
Though she could not stand on the front lines, she was more important than anyone else—so [The Ones Who Came] said in unison.
“Ah, so you are Enuel.”
Maksensia said, caressing my hand.
Her voice was quieter than a whisper, yet strangely, it shone in my heart as clearly as the moonlight at night.
*Yes, Mom, this is Kaisen…* A tremor that felt like my breath would burst rose within me, along with a voice that could never be heard.
“Everyone spoke of you, so I was curious. It took a long time to meet you because my body is weak. I’m so happy to finally meet you in person. Here, come and sit.”
After a moment’s hesitation, I carefully sat beside her, and Maksensia took my hands in hers.
A familiar, sad sensation.
The feeling of the formless insects that had been gnawing away and eroding my soul and body draining out through our clasped hands.
There was no way I could smile.
There was no way this sensation could be pleasant.
Yet, even as she took on all of this horrifying sensation, Maksensia wore a serene smile.
“This child’s name is Tarsiyo. It means ‘connection.’ Isn’t it pretty?”
Maksensia suddenly stroked her own belly lovingly.
“I wonder why. A thought just occurred to me. I hope my daughter will be like you.”
“Pardon?”
“Have you ever seen a bird? When a baby bird tries to become independent, the mother bird doesn’t help. But she stays by its side, cheering it on.”
Why?
Why was she suddenly talking about this…?
As if answering my puzzled expression, Maksensia gave a sad smile.
“Both Karenden and I are weak, so this child won’t be able to become strong like you… But I hope she becomes someone who can sincerely cheer on another’s efforts from the side, and rejoice greatly in another’s joy. That is enough.”
My breath caught. I knew. I knew full well that this was nothing but a recreated world.
And yet…
Even so…
At that moment, pushing past the pain of a synchronization conflict, I was speaking. My mouth had opened on its own. My mouth was speaking for me.
“She will… definitely become… like that…”
“…?”
“Someone… who I can’t even compare to… someone who brings happiness just by being seen, who cries for others… who can be happier than anyone when she sees the joy of others…”
During our brief days of travel, all the smiles Tarsiyo had shown me flashed blurrily before my eyes.
Sorrow.
A sorrow with nowhere to lean on and nowhere to stay, sobbed from my eyes, shattering my vision into a blur.
“She will definitely… become a wonderful adult like that…”
*You would have wanted to meet her yourself.*
*You would have wanted to meet her and talk to her.*
*You would have wanted to hold your mother’s hand and share so many stories.*
Why…
Then why in the world…
Is it me who is here now, and not you…?
Why couldn't you come here…?
“Enuel.”
Then, suddenly, Maksensia reached out and fumbled for the corners of my eyes. She pulled me into her arms, hiding my tears.
“Thank you.”
And that smile…
She smiled a smile that perfectly overlapped with Tarsiyo’s.
A smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes with joy and revealed her pearly white teeth.
“I will surely not be able to see this child grow. But thanks to you today, I was able to imagine what Tarsiyo will be like as an adult. I never knew that just imagining could bring such joy…”
Tarsiyo.
Did you know?
Did you already know that your mother and I would meet like this, and have this conversation?
“Thank you so much, Enuel. For blessing Tarsiyo’s future. On the day that child is born, I will be sure to convey your heart to her.”