Chapter 335: Side Story (9)

Chapter 335: Side Story (9)

------------------

HELHEIM SCANS

Join our Discord for release /invite/dbdMDhzWa2

------------------

Side Story 9 - The End of Dawn (Final)

I live because I was born.

I was born because I wanted to live.

In the case of a doppelgänger, the latter was closer to the truth.

Our creation and transformation are entirely driven by will.

For that reason, Zero created me using the essence of the completely unknown being, Possero.

Even Possero, who lived such a wretched life, longed for life, and that’s why I could be granted existence.

Then what about me?

How much do I desire life?

‘I must go back.’

I opened my eyes in a space of nothingness, devoid of any light or sound.

Zero called this place the "in-between."

It was where the soul stays until the body is reconstructed to return.

‘I... must go back.’

Everything was ambiguous.

I couldn’t tell if I was floating, where I was going, or if I was even moving at all.

I didn’t know if time was passing either.

With no distinction between day and night, my sense of time had faded.

It would be hard to tell if a day, a week, or even a year passed.

The thought that my time here might have only been a fleeting moment sent shivers down my spine.

But what scared me even more was that this waiting had no end.

"You must approach them, and they must pull you in. Constantly... without giving up."

I advanced.

Now that I had started down this path, there was no hesitation.

I moved forward, recalling the brightest moments of my life.

I trust that they, too, would pull me back.

But being alone in a space of nothingness, as Zero had said, was close to punishment.

My consciousness began to fade.

I frequently forgot who I was and why I was here.

Faces, voices from my memories—ones I believed I’d never forget—began to fade like old paintings.

It felt like trying to carve a giant mountain with a dull pickaxe.

‘This isn’t right...’

Just as I was about to lose my sense of purpose and direction, not even knowing what I was waiting for—

"Waah-!!!"

The loud cry of a baby sharply awakened my dimming consciousness.

I opened my eyes wide.

What on earth was a baby’s cry doing in this space of nothingness?

But it wasn’t an illusion.

"Waah-!"

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

"...Evergreen? Luke?"

It felt like I was watching them through a translucent veil.

A room bathed in warm sunlight.

The two of them were looking at twins lying on the bed.

Evergreen gently stroked one of the babies’ hair, and Luke chuckled softly.

I stared blankly at the two newborns, their skin still wrinkled, as if in a daze.

"Should we go with the names we decided on?"

"Ethan and Yuri... I like them."

After a brief pause, Luke continued.

"Actually, I wanted to name one after the professor."

"But he never told us his name in the end."

"It might have turned out to be something really strange, though."

"That’s impossible. I bet the professor’s name is cool too."

The two chuckled and then leaned against each other.

"I’ve imagined what his reaction would be if we handed him our children."

"He’d pretend to be stern but secretly dote on them when no one’s watching, don’t you think?"

"That’s exactly what I think."

"Isn’t it?"

I stared blankly at them.

The peaceful faces of the sleeping twins and my now grown-up students.

Zero’s words flashed through my mind again.

"You must approach them, and they must pull you in. Constantly... without giving up."

Could it be...?

Just as I began to form a hypothesis, Evergreen and Luke’s figures blurred.

Of course, it was painful and frightening.

The loneliness I felt was like the never-ending moments when I was locked up in an isolated barn in the past.

“But still...”

It didn’t matter what kind of suffering awaited me.

Good stories are always filled with unexpected pain and sadness.

We must endure them and move forward in order to witness the ending.

It was the biggest lesson I learned from my past life.

A resolution I had proudly shared with the children.

“I’m coming to see you.”

I ran.

Towards them, who were hundreds, thousands... no, perhaps an immeasurable distance away, too vast for human words to describe.

At some point, I began to hear voices that I shouldn’t have been able to hear.

They must have been figments of my imagination.

“You fool, still as stubborn as ever, not taking care of yourself. This time, live for yourself a little.”

A gruff but warm voice.

{Yahoo! Dopple, keep running! Run and seize what you deserve! You’re worthy of it!}

A kind voice that always cheered me on.

“...I told you, if it were you, you could finish the race.”

My eternal hero was with me too.

“When have you ever seen me say something wrong?”

Soon, they all shouted in unison:

““Go, Auro!””

It felt as if I had wings on my back.

My body felt light.

I couldn’t see anything, but the sensation of flying was the only way to describe the refreshing feeling I had.

I forgot my labored breathing and just kept moving my feet.

And then, before my eyes, a brilliant light appeared.

There was no need to look back anymore.

I leapt forward.

* * *

I stared blankly ahead.

“Ah...”

The sun was gently rising above the horizon.

The sea shimmered beautifully, as if filled with gold.

The waves that had been cloaked in darkness slowly took on a soft purple hue, then quickly turned into shades of orange.

‘...Sunrise?’

The clouds surrounding the rising sun were tinted with a rosy hue, creating a watercolor-like scene between the sky and the sea.

It felt as if the world was being born anew.

The magnificent view would continue until the sun fully rose.

“......”

...And I knew this place.

The 50th sector of the Demon Realm.

A land of death once blanketed in overwhelming demonic energy now had faint light seeping in.

I stood still until the brilliant sun fully rose above the horizon.

Until the sharp morning sunlight chased away the cool air and erased the last shadow on the ground.

“......”

Thus, the dawn finally came to an end.

I stood there, gripped by an indescribable emotion.

A gentle breeze lightly brushed past my ear... and with it, a playful voice.

“What are you staring at so wistfully? You can see it again tomorrow, can’t you?”

The moment I heard her voice, it felt as if no time had passed at all since the past.

I slowly turned around.

“Welcome back, sleepyhead.”

“......”

“They’ve all been waiting for you for so long.”

Despite standing with my back to the sun, why did it feel so dazzling?

I met the eyes of each and every one of the many faces surrounding me.

Without words, the warmth in their gazes was clear.

‘Welcome back.’

Yes.

The first thing to say, after all, must be this.

A short phrase, but one that held so much, fitting to mark the end of a long journey.

“I’m home.”

------------------

HELHEIM SCANS

Join our Discord for release /invite/dbdMDhzWa2

------------------