CH 188

It was just before exiting the cave. They had to cross the vine bridge again.

Aria was crossing the bridge in Lloyd’s arms without any warning.

And it was then.

Again, a strange sound came from under the bridge.

‘Aren’t they all dead?’

It was a distinctly different sound from when they came in droves.

Unlike earlier, when small sounds close to gnawing came at the same time, it was such a huge sound that they could feel the thumping and shaking of the ground.

Surprised, Aria hurriedly grabbed Lloyd’s wrist and said.

“Be careful. It looks like it’s one, but it feels different than ever.”

She doesn’t know if it’s an animal, an insect, or a monster.

“I’m sick of it.”

Tsk, Lloyd clicked his tongue lightly and raised his sword.

Even though Aria didn’t warn him, he too felt it through his senses. When he raised the sword and tried to swing it, Aria saw the form for the first time.

It was a black lump with a grotesque appearance, in which all elements of the body were distorted.

Eyes, nose, and mouth. both arms and legs.

“Ah…….”

The appearance was shocking. If someone had a weak stomach, they would have vomited.

It was a feeling similar to what she had felt when she first discovered God, who had become a tentacle monster. It’s so bizarre that it’s hard to believe that it was a creature that exists in this world.

When she sees that, her insides churn and her eyes tingle…… It was such a strange feeling to even say she felt anxious.

“Lloyd, wait…”

Aria stopped him with an urgent voice. As a result, the sword did not cut the creature in half at once like before, and missed at an angle.

Shriiieeek–!

Unfortunately, it seemed that he could not avoid a vital point.

The living creature, like a dying insect, managed to climb up the cliff. And then it stopped moving completely.

It is dead.

“Was that important?”

Lloyd asked, perhaps surprised when she dissuaded him. He had doubt and concern on his face.

“…no, nothing.”

It was already dead. Aria looked at the motionless creature in vain, but she soon gave up. She had no knack for bringing the dead back to life.

“The tentacle monster was God after all. Then I thought that this monster might have been something else.”

Thinking about it, isn’t it rather strange that a monster is guarding the sleeping God?

Then Lloyd, who heard her words, belatedly remembered something.

“Come to think of it, in the legend of the ice flower, they said that there is the flower’s guardian.”

Aria remembered too.

If the ‘flower’ here is ‘the sleeping God’. That monster could have originally been God’s guardian.

“But, isn’t it too weak to be called God’s guardian?”

“You said that when God lost all the feelings, God forgot even its own existence.”

Even God has been broken.

“God’s guardian would be the second most sacred being after God, so it must have been most affected by God who lost the feelings.”

Of course, it’s all just speculation.

“Or, it could be a real monster born from a broken God.”

Now there is no way to confirm that this is true.

‘Because there are no surviving individuals anymore.’

Now all that’s left is to really go back.

Aria squeezed her eyes shut, taking her gaze away from the fully breathless creature. But at that moment, a familiar song popped into her head.

‘The song of healing.’

Aria suddenly felt like she had to sing that song. It was a unique sense she had acquired since she gained Juan’s memory.

‘Why?’

It’s already dead. The song of healing can never bring anything back to life. But she can’t ignore this feeling.

“Lloyd, can you drop me down there?”

Aria said, pointing her finger in front of the grotesque creature.

When Lloyd obediently carried her away, she began to sing beside the dead creature.

Do you know the land where the lemon-trees grow,

But she sang, in a mumbling voice that seemed unsure, like she was following the words one by one.

in darkened leaves the gold-oranges glow,

a soft wind blows from the pure blue sky,

the myrtle stands mute,….and the bay-tree high?

Fortunately for her, after a while she was able to sing with ease.

‘My body must have improved a lot.’

Her exact condition can only be known after a diagnosis by a doctor.

Aria felt that she was able to sing effortlessly and more easily than before. She was more adept at carrying her powers in it.

The mule picks its way through the misted pass,

and dragons in caves raise their ancient brood,

Aria paused her song for a moment and then managed to pull it off.

and the cliffs are polished smooth by the flood;

The natural scenery contained in the lyrics of the song seemed to be drawn in her head. Because she had already seen it in her dream.

That was Atlantis before being buried.

A place where nature, which used to be all green, lives and breathes wherever one sets their eyes.

‘I’m sure.’

The song of healing was none other than a song that described the scenery of Atlantis. She wondered why she hadn’t thought about it before.

to be there with you, O, my beloved one!

The people of Atlantis who were loved by God more than anyone else.

God said they taught God happiness.

God loved them so much that God was willing to give all the feelings.

It’s there I’d be gone,

to be there with you, O, my beloved one!

Then, the ‘dragon’s ancient brood in the cave’ is…….

Finishing her song, Aria lifted her eyelids.

The dead creature, of course, didn’t even move at all.

“What is that?”

But Aria found something in the crevices of the grotesque creature. The limbs were twisted, so she couldn’t tell exactly where the body was.

Lloyd stretched out his arm and pulled it out with a single stroke.

“This is… an egg.”

It is a very large egg. It was much bigger than Aria’s head.

“There’s not a single scratch. Is it because of the song?”

“Yes. Fortunately, I don’t think the egg was completely penetrated.”

Aria said as she didn’t hesitate to remove the black slime clinging to the egg. She then stared up at Lloyd in silence as she cradled the smoothed egg in her arms.

Her round eyes, like those of a rabbit, glittered as if they contained the Milky Way.

What she wanted to say was obvious to him.

Lloyd frowned and seemed lost in thoughts for a moment, then sighed and said,

“Do whatever you want. Even if it’s a monster’s egg, I can easily subdue it.”

And if that egg was the egg of God’s guardian, they couldn’t leave it in this place even more.

Aria and Lloyd were able to get out of the cave only after getting the egg.

Cuirre, who was examining Aria with a serious face, put down his stethoscope. For the first time, a bright smile appeared on his face, which had only been full of worry.

“You are in perfect health.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Just like people of your age.”

She blinked blankly for a moment, then turned to Lloyd, who was standing right next to her.

She felt strange.

Is it really over? Like this?

‘I’m not time-limited anymore now?’

Her heart was beating fast as if it had malfunctioned.

She couldn’t believe it. Now she could be with Lloyd for the rest of her life, until she died of old age.

‘To think we can do everything together.’

Aria raised her hand and put it on Lloyd’s. And she clung to his hand and held on tight, letting out a foolish laugh.

She feels overwhelmed and doesn’t know what to do.

However…….

Aria’s mouth stiffened at the sudden uneasiness that passed through her head. Although she managed to quickly straighten it.

“Why are you making that face?”

Her expression disappeared in an instant, but Lloyd never let go. He cupped her cheek and lifted her up to look at him.

“Say anything. Don’t hold it in.”

He whispered in a soft, kind voice as if it would melt her ears. Then turned his head and gestured at the doctor.

Scram.

“Everyone else outside is waiting with the test results.”

“You can tell them the results.”

“I’m sure they’d never want to try to hear it through my mouth…”

Muttered the doctor, not wanting to explode like a shrimp caught in a whale fight.

Vincent might want to wait, but it was clear that Tristan and Sabina would force their way in.

“Say that we’re spending time alone as a couple.”

“…”

Cuirre quickly left at Lloyd’s words.

Aria blushed and pushed his chest.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s not wrong.”

So what happened? He asked again.

She tried to pretend that nothing was wrong, but she revealed a slightly sullen expression. Then she leaned her head on Lloyd’s shoulder and muttered, rubbing it childishly.

“Actually, right before I got sick, I had a strange dream.”

“What kind of dream was it?”

“A dream in which I perhaps try to run away from Lloyd’s side?”

Then the hand that was stroking her hair stopped.

“It’s like I was about to die in that dream. I know it’s impossible, but it was so vivid it felt real.”

But Aria is really healthy now. That’s why, like in the dream, perhaps she can’t escape death.

“The fact that I’m healthy is proof that it’s not a precognitive dream, but a nonsense dream, right?”

As Aria muttered, swallowing her uneasiness.

“……It’s impossible.”

Lloyd added in a low voice.

“Unless I die.”

Spitting out exactly the same words as her dream.