The Miracle of the Morning
It was 2:00 AM, the kind of dawn where the cold air stabs at your lungs.
"Freezing to death," I muttered, pulling my hood down low as I surveyed the villa complex.
"Why are there so many CCTV cameras? Wow, there’s another one."
They say Korea is a safe country, and the sheer density of surveillance cameras proves it. From the dome camera mounted above the villa entrance to the dashcams in parked cars, and even the ones overlooking the playground—it’s a tough place to be a criminal.
"Ah, wait. I’m not a criminal."
Regardless, finding a blind spot was much harder than I’d anticipated. I wanted to just march straight in like a man, but...
I absolutely cannot let anyone find out about the Authority of Healing.
A child with leukemia suddenly recovers after a strange man visits? It would be the talk of the neighborhood gossips in no time. They’d check the CCTV, and eventually, all the arrows would point to me. Wanting to live is a natural human desire, and I don’t begrudge anyone that. I just hate the idea of people whispering about why I chose to heal one person and not another.
Besides, if I used my ability to cure every patient I came across, it would cause massive chaos in the world. The best course of action was to heal Minjun without anyone ever knowing.
But no matter how I approached it, there was no way to avoid leaving a trace.
"Tsk, the angles aren't working."
When I clicked my tongue, the ghost of the man standing beside me turned deathly pale.
[I-is it difficult to heal our Minjun?]
"It’s not that. It’s just that sneaking in seems difficult."
[Pardon? Aren't you a Messenger? Can't you avoid people's eyes?]
"I'm not a Messenger."
[...Excuse me?]
At my words, the man's eyes went wide.
[T-then the power you showed earlier...? That was clearly a power that transcended human understanding.]
"Sure. But I'm not a Messenger."
How do I explain this? "Think of it this way. What I have is like a massive lump of energy. A 'Root,' if you will. By itself, it can't do anything."
[What do you mean?]
"For example, say I want to make myself invisible. First, I’d have to understand exactly what 'invisibility' is. It’s only possible if I perfectly understand not just the scientific principles, but how the world itself perceives the concept of existence."
[Ah...]
"But there’s no way a human could do that, right?"
That’s why Oranis designed the Authorities for me. They’re like game skills. If my power is MP, the Authority is the skill. Just as a game character doesn't need to understand the physics of their spells to cast them, an Authority is a tool created so I can use power without needing to know the underlying principles.
Conversely, if I could perfectly pierce the essence of reality, even resurrecting the dead would be possible. But that is a realm of gods, a place no human could ever hope to tread.
[Then what should we do? Is there no other way?]
As the man asked anxiously, I rummaged through my coat pocket.
"It's fine. I prepared a Plan B for times like this."
[W-what are you going to do with that?]
What I pulled from my pocket was nothing other than a pack of tissues for church evangelism I’d received on the street. I clearly remembered the cross necklace Minjun’s mother was wearing earlier that day. A mother with a sick child wearing a cross? Nine times out of ten, she’s a devout believer.
"I noticed she seems to attend church."
If I had to leave a trace, I might as well pull it into the realm of religion from the start.
"If it’s a miracle performed in the name of the Lord, Minjun’s mother will understand."
[Will that really work? And does God really exist?]
"I don't know. But does that matter?"
I shoved the tissues back into my pocket and checked my phone. It was 3:30 AM. Still too early to visit.
"We'll go around 6:00. Let's kill some time until then, sir."
I went to the playground near the villa with the man and sat on a bench.
"Hey, can you touch things?"
[Pardon?]
"I saw a malevolent spirit flick a pen earlier. It even interfered with people's minds and twisted their perception."
If it had just been flicking a pen, I wouldn't be like this. The spirit I saw at the Damyang Abandoned Hospital was on a completely different level from the ghosts I’d seen so far. It moved a pen held tightly by an adult man to write, and in the end, it ignored his resistance and threw it like a weapon. It had exerted immense physical force.
It was probably a power granted to it, just like my Authority.
Of course, that’s just a guess...
[Excuse me? A soul like me did that? How is that possible?]
Seeing the man’s startled reaction, my guess solidified into certainty.
It defied the natural order.
For the dead to exert physical force and twist the perceptions of the living is an act that defies the laws of nature. It’s a divine realm that human knowledge cannot explain. And yet, that spirit did it.
Marbas.
The name the spirit screamed right before it vanished. A demon is not something that can be compared to mere pests like evil spirits or minor gods in the spiritual world. Demons, like the gods mentioned in religion, are primordial beings that have existed since before creation, and they are unique entities that cannot be dismissed as simple ghosts. If it had made a contract with something of that caliber, defying the natural order would be entirely possible.
Therefore, Oranis's power must be the same. Oranis had said as much before: that prayers filled with desperation become waves that reach her.
"Sir, try touching the bench."
[I-I'm not a malevolent spirit, so I can't do that.]
"I know. But you never know."
The man cautiously reached out. His hand passed through the bench in vain.
"Pray sincerely that you want to touch the bench, then try again."
[...To whom should I pray?]
"To the Embrace of the Beginning, the Mother of All and the Nameless, Oranis."
The man's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal.
[...I understand.]
A surprising thing happened.
A faint wave of divine energy resonates through the soul.
Is this the wave Oranis was talking about?
I hadn't even used any power, yet a faint light bloomed from the seal on my wrist and enveloped the man.
[W-what is this?]
"An answer to your prayer? Try touching it again."
The man reached out cautiously.
Tap!
[Oh...?]
"Wow."
His hand touched the bench. To be precise, a thin membrane created by the light had bridged the gap between his hand and the bench.
"It actually works?"
[T-this is a miracle!]
"Then, can you do this too? Sir."
I pointed to a discarded soda can nearby. "Try picking that up."
At my words, the man tried to pick up the can with trembling hands.
[O-oh, this is difficult.]
It wasn't as easy as he thought; he kept dropping the can.
[It's not working well.]
"Put some effort into it. Like you're really grabbing it."
[U-ugh.]
Clatter—
The can wobbled slightly.
"Oh, it works!"
If he could do this properly, driving—and other things—would be possible. "Sir, let's experiment with other things."
[T-this is much more exhausting than it looks.]
As I spoke with sparkling eyes, the man waved his hands in protest.
"My power barely drained at all, though?"
[...It seems I am the one bearing the cost of borrowing the power.]
Well, Oranis didn't grant prayers blindly. She only provided the minimum amount of power needed to overcome the trial at hand.
"How many minutes can you maintain the power?"
[If I push myself, I think I can maintain it for about five minutes.]
"To drive long distances, you need to maintain it for at least five hours. Let's work hard together!"
[D-driving?]
As we experimented with this and that, the time reached 6:00 AM.
"Sir, keep your promise. It's for your own sake."
[...Yes.]
I led the man back to the old villa. Arriving in front of Minjun's home, I took off my hood and straightened my clothes.
This should be enough.
I needed to give off a neat and virtuous impression. Beside me, the man’s eyes were already moist.
[Truly, truly, thank you.]
"We haven't even started yet."
I took a deep breath and knocked on the front door.
Knock, knock, knock.
A moment later, a locked voice came from inside.
"Who is it...?"
It was a guarded voice, likely due to the early hour. I had to establish that I wasn't a dangerous person first.
"Sister, I apologize for visiting at such an early hour. I have stopped by briefly, guided by the Lord."
[...]
At my words, the man looked at me with an expression of disbelief. The woman behind the door also remained silent. She was probably checking me through the peephole.
"I'm the young man you saw at the playground yesterday. I'm not a strange person, so could you please open the door?"
"...What is this about?"
The door still didn't open. "I-I'm going to call the police."
I played my trump card.
"Brother Choi Minho is praying with tears every day for you and Minjun."
A sudden shift in the air behind the door.
Click—!
The door opened cautiously, and a woman with a haggard face glared at me with eyes full of suspicion.
"W-who did you say just now?"
"Brother Choi Minho."
I looked straight into Minjun’s mother’s eyes and spoke softly, as if I were a proxy for the voice of God.
"Brother Minho’s earnest prayer has reached the heavens, and I have been sent here."
If someone were to mention the name of a husband who died years ago, what would a normal person think? A con artist? Or a lunatic? Perhaps both.
"W-where did you...!"
As expected, Minjun’s mother’s expression hardened even further. Her gaze had long since moved past suspicion into contempt.
"Did you dig into my background? If you're trying to find a weakness to extort money—"
"It was a sunny spring day."
I interrupted her with a gentle smile. "It wasn't a fancy restaurant, nor was there any special event."
Then, I told her the contents of an old movie that had never been made public.
"It was the park you always visited. You promised your future on an old bench in that park. Brother Minho couldn't afford a diamond ring."
A secret between the two of them that no one else knew.
"S-stop."
"Instead, he picked a dandelion blooming by the roadside and made a flower ring with his clumsy hands."
It was unimpressive, but to one person, it was the most beautiful token of a promise in the world. I looked down to meet Minjun’s mother’s trembling eyes.
"Though I don't have a diamond now, I will make you shine brighter than any jewel in the world for the rest of your life."
"Ah, ah..."
As I drove the point home, Minjun’s mother collapsed helplessly. "Ugh, sob..."
Covering her face with both hands, her shoulders trembled, and she wept as sorrowfully as a child. It must have been the longing and sadness she had suppressed for years, all bursting out at once.
[Honey, I'm sorry...]
The man also knelt beside his wife, reaching out his hand in vain. He was weeping, tears streaming down his face.
[I'm sorry. It's all my fault.]
The man could have felt his wife’s warmth if he prayed earnestly, but he didn't. It was because of the promise he made to me before coming here.
The warmth of the dead is poison to the living. Once you feel that warmth, you can never forget it. The living must eventually move forward. They must meet new people and build new memories. That is how they slowly overcome the sadness of the past.
What would happen to a wife who felt her dead husband's touch again? She would be trapped in that moment for the rest of her life. She might find comfort in the fact that her husband was by her side, but she would eventually consume herself with an endless craving for a husband she could neither see nor touch.
In the end, the warmth of the dead is not salvation for the living, but a curse. It should remain as the most beautiful memory, not a shackle that holds them back.
[I'm sorry...]
For this reason, the man could not bring himself to embrace his wife’s shoulders. I bowed my head quietly toward the weeping Minjun’s mother.
"Brother Minho is still watching over you, Sister."
"Sob..."
Perhaps lacking the strength to compose herself, her sobbing filled the hallway precariously. How could she maintain her composure after facing the traces of the husband she had buried in her heart? Waiting for her to pour out her sorrow was the decent thing to do.
However, we weren't inside the house; we were in the villa's public hallway. It was almost time for the neighbors to open their doors and head out for work.
"Sister, now is not the time to be sad."
At my words, Minjun’s mother looked up at me, sniffling.
"The miracle of the Lord must not become gossip for the neighbors. Please, come inside."
"Is he really..."
To her, still unable to accept reality and murmuring her husband's name, I offered a definitive motivation.
"Minjun is waiting."
At those words, her wavering eyes slowly found their focus.
"There is not much time left to fulfill Brother Minho’s greatest wish and the miracle the Lord has permitted. Come, let’s go."
When I held out my hand, Minjun’s mother hesitated for a moment before taking it and stumbling to her feet. She left one final word before entering the house.
"...Honey, thank you."
And I...
Safe!
Bang!
I hurried in after Minjun’s mother, closed the front door, and locked it.
"Here it is."
Minjun’s mother led me to the child’s room.
"Will Minjun really be able to get better...?"
On the small bed, Minjun lay sleeping fitfully, his face so pale it had a bluish tint. But no disease in the world could stand against the Authority of Healing. It was, quite literally, an Authority.
"I command thee in the name of the Lord: depart, thou disease that binds this child."
As the power flowing from my fingertips swept over the child’s body...
"Whew, done."
The cheeks that had begun to regain their color now held a healthy glow, and his labored breathing had turned steady and comfortable.
"...!"
Meanwhile, Minjun’s mother, who had been watching the scene with bated breath, had eyes that widened noticeably. With trembling hands, she cautiously caressed Minjun’s cheek.
"He's warm..."
Thump.
Minjun’s mother knelt right there beside the bed. She looked up at the ceiling and clasped her hands together.
"Oh, Lord. You have heard my prayer. Thank you, thank you so much..."
Staff benefits end here.
Authority of Healing: Target successfully cured.
[Oranis, thank you so much...!]
"Now, Brother Minho will also pray for you and Minjun from a place without pain. Amen."
I’ve gained an unpaid employee.