Chapter 80
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 80
Sa-eon gently patted So-ya’s small, trembling frame as she burst into tears in his arms.
Ordinarily, a young beastkin’s growing pains were a burden they had to overcome alone; only a mother was exceptionally permitted to remain by their side. During this period, a young beastkin in the throes of growth often failed to recognize even the father who gave them life, let alone Sa-eon… who shared no blood with So-ya.
And yet, Sa-eon could not bring himself to leave her alone.
[Father!]
That day, as the child had lunged forward to save him, the black fluid of a poisonous insect had splattered across her cheek. It had hissed, corroding and burrowing into her skin.
[Cotton Ball…!]
In that moment, as the child’s pupils dilated and the world seemed to grind to a halt, Sa-eon couldn’t quite grasp what was happening.
Suddenly, the sky was dyed a deep crimson, and the child snapped her eyes open. Simultaneously, brilliant, shimmering red feathers fluttered through the air around her. It all happened in the blink of an eye.
A vivid red flame blossomed from the child’s tiny palms. With unfocused eyes, she raised both hands. Soon, the radiant red flames surged as if to swallow the world, sweeping across the entire village… before transforming into a warm, gentle light that embraced everything.
As the sparkling light settled, the villagers looked around in confusion, only to be struck by sudden shock.
[The—the patients…!]
[The patients have all been healed!]
The flames the child had conjured had purified the corrupted spirit cores of every villager. It wasn't just their spirit cores; even old scars and minor scratches on their bodies had vanished without a trace. Jjaek-jjaek, who had collapsed, hopped up on his two feet and scurried about, and even the wound Sa-eon had received from the poisonous insect was gone.
It was a truly miraculous sight.
Amidst the cheering crowd, Sa-eon came to a slow realization: the child had awakened as the ‘Purifier of the South.’
The child, who had collapsed into his arms, groaned in agony. Her forehead was as hot as a furnace. Though momentarily panicked, Sa-eon realized these were growing pains and immediately brought her back to the White Tiger Palace.
He stayed by her side throughout the entire ordeal.
In truth, there was nothing he could do to help. Only a mother who had carried the child for ten months could soothe a young beastkin whose reason was paralyzed by the agony of growth.
And yet…
[Daddy, Daddy… Don’t leave So-ya behind. So-ya doesn’t want to be alone.]
How could he possibly leave her when she wept so sorrowfully?
[Please don’t hate So-ya. So-ya was wrong…]
[Next time… next time, So-ya will definitely succeed. I’ll do it perfectly…]
Sa-eon knew exactly who she was talking to. Jeok Ah-yun—the man who was her biological father, yet had abandoned her. In her delirium from the fever, the child was mistaking Sa-eon for that man.
There was no longer any doubt that the man was her biological father. As she cycled through several beast transformations during her growing pains, she had displayed brilliant red feathers.
[My little Cotton Ball. Your daddy is right here, so what on earth are you looking at that makes you so sad?]
Sa-eon’s heart ached at the sight of the weeping child. Perhaps because of the deep wounds she had received at such a young age, So-ya often suppressed her emotions. She never fussed when waking up, and she endured it silently even when she had a cold or was in pain. Seeing such a child crying in this much agony made his heart wrench.
Even as she wept, the child would lose her reason to the searing pain, transforming into a firebird and attacking Sa-eon with her beak and talons, scorching her surroundings. But each time, Sa-eon did not dodge; he held her tight and comforted her.
[It’s okay. It’s okay, my little Cotton Ball.]
[Daddy is right here. Everything is fine.]
[Our baby is going to be just fine.]
Though his body was covered in small scratches as a result, Sa-eon didn't mind. They were scars of the glorious joy of witnessing the child’s growth. They didn't hurt at all.
“What kind of parent would feel pain seeing their child grow up so magnificently?”
He meant it. While his heart felt like it was tearing apart because he couldn't soothe her pain, these physical wounds could never hurt him.
“Our baby, thank you for growing up so well.”
“...!”
At those words, the child finally burst into tears, and Sa-eon pulled her into his arms to comfort her.
After a long while, a calmed So-ya sniffled.
“Sniff, sniff… Ugh…”
“Here, blow.”
When Sa-eon held a handkerchief to her nose, So-ya shook her head with a small groan. It seemed that now that she was twelve, she felt embarrassed to blow her nose in front of her father.
Sa-eon let out a hearty laugh. So-ya, feeling teased for no reason, put on a huffy face before asking quietly, “What happened to the village?”
“Thanks to our little Cotton Ball, the villagers' spirit cores were all purified, and everything was resolved. Jjaek-jjaek is safe now, too.”
“...!”
So-ya’s face brightened instantly at the news that everyone was safe.
“You have no idea how cool our baby was that day. I’m so proud of you, Cotton Ball.”
Sa-eon grinned and stroked the child’s hair.
“....”
It was strange. So-ya had always dreamed of the day she would undergo her First Growth. She had planned to proudly declare to her father that he should stop calling her a baby once she finished growing…
‘But since Father is smiling so warmly, I think I’d be fine being a baby forever.’
The thought kept surfacing—that she wanted to remain a baby forever in front of him.
“...I’m so glad, truly.”
“So-ya.”
Sa-eon called her name in a somewhat serious, low voice. Whenever her father, who usually called her ‘Cotton Ball,’ used her actual name like this, it was always followed by something important. So-ya straightened her posture and looked at him.
“Is there anything you want to tell me?”
“I found the owner of the voice who lent me the purification flame. So, what happened was…”
So-ya explained everything she had seen and heard to Sa-eon. She told him that the one who lent her the purification flame was none other than the Southern Divine Beast, the Vermilion Bird, and that she had awakened him on a night when the red moon rose long ago.
“...So that’s how it was.”
Sa-eon nodded silently. Seeing that he wasn't as surprised as she expected, So-ya asked, “Did you already suspect it, Father?”
“A little. Ever since you awakened the White Tiger of Mt. Horim.”
“Then, am I truly the one from the oracle who will awaken the Four Divine Beasts?”
On the night the red moon rises, the Bride of the Yellow Dragon shall awaken the sleeping Four Divine Beasts, dispelling the darkness scattered across the land and bringing peace.
During the Mountain Lord Festival three years ago, So-ya had been too young to understand the significance of ‘awakening the White Tiger.’ But as she received her education as a lady of the White Tiger Palace, she gradually came to understand its meaning—and why her father had told her to keep it a secret back then.
“Yes. That was my theory. That you are the master of the oracle who will awaken the remaining Divine Beasts and defeat the evil of the North.”
“The reason you didn't tell me was—”
“Because you would be in danger if that fact became known. I told you, didn't I? I worry about my little Cotton Ball more than anyone else.”
At that time, So-ya was a young beastkin who hadn't even undergone her First Growth. Her spirit core was unstable, and she was only just overcoming her fear of beast transformation. So-ya could understand her father’s heart. However…
“Father, I… I’ve made up my mind.”
A firm, solid resolve settled in So-ya’s pale pink eyes as she looked up at Sa-eon.
“I’m going to awaken the remaining two Divine Beasts as well. And I’m going to fight against the Black Tortoise Tribe.”
She was no longer a young child.
“I’ll drive out the demonic beasts that torment the people, and I’ll end this war.”
She would not run away. She would embrace the mission given to her by the oracle.
Sa-eon let out a short laugh. He had known that if it were So-ya—the Cotton Ball he knew—she would surely say that. That was why he had purposely refrained from telling her until she realized it herself. He had hoped she could remain a child for just a little longer before shouldering the burden of the oracle on those small shoulders.
But the child had grown up so much in the blink of an eye, and he could no longer hold her back. If so, the best he could do as a father was…
“Alright, Cotton Ball. Walk your path.”
Sa-eon placed a hand on her shoulder and grinned.
“I’ll smooth out the road you need to take and stand right there in front of you.”
To see if there were any obstacles blocking her. To see if there were any bad people putting her in danger. To see if she fell and cried in pain. To see if she lost her way and wandered into the wrong place.
He would stand on that path, watching over her and waiting for her safe return.
“So, you just run as hard as you can in the direction you believe is right.”
To believe in and support his child so she could walk the path before her with dignity—that was the best thing a father could do.