Could a man really touch the sky?
Even if they reached the Zenith, could they really touch the sky?
In the past, I would’ve scoffed at such a notion.
How could someone touch the sky?
You’d have to be a god to do so.
And yet…
“…It’s blue.”
That very notion I refused to acknowledge appeared right before my very eyes.
“The sky is blue.”
But how?
How could it be?
“A-Am I seeing things? Did the sky really change…?”
“This…!”
“Hahaha!”
The joyful laughter and voices of the people around me brought me out of my thoughts. Gazing up at the dull, familiar sky I had long grown indifferent to, I watched their reactions, and at that moment, I realized that what I had always taken for granted was a gift they always strived to see.
“Master…! You did it!”
“Mas-“
It was also amid their joy that they finally took notice of the old man and their reactions changed.
“Master?”
With his gaze on the sky, he was smiling.
He was smiling, but…
“He’s not breathing!”
“Check his pulse…! Someone!”
“Master!”
Everyone started to crowd the old man.
With clear worry in their eyes, the people hurried toward the one man who had sealed them into puppets.
And yet, there was no resentment in their eyes.
Just worry.
“Master…!”
“Ah, someone! Any medicine! Pills!”
“Someone.”
‘I bet the old man would’ve been pleased to see this.’
He was a man who didn’t want to forget.
A man who didn’t want to be discarded by the people he loved.
In the end, in his worry, he created this whole scenario which rose from his obsession.
‘Ironic considering how he was trying to get us to get rid of our own obsessions…’
Still, in his very last moments, he was able to get rid of his obsession and touch the sky. He saw through the end but was never able to reach it before his life came to an end.
He wanted to rip the sky, but became the sky.
Such was what his life amounted to.
A cold, yet fulfilling life.
“Huu.”
As I heard a cold breath coming from my side, I looked to see Caius staring intently at the old
man.
I saw the faint changes in his face and jaw.
It was a sight that would’ve shocked me in the past, but that was no longer the case.
A certain someone’s voice rang in my mind.
‘People don’t get close to you because you keep rejecting them. Even if your personality is nasty, if you don’t reject them, there’s bound to be some people who will stick with you. Maybe then I won’t have to worry about you all the time. Can you promise me that?’
How annoying.
“Remember this feeling. This pain. It’ll help you recall better.”
Caius slowly turned his head to look at me before blankly stating,
“Emotions are painful.”
“Ha.”
Yes, they are.
But beyond the pain, there was something else.
“They’re also what makes everything look colorful.”
Like the change in the sky.
From gray to blue.
From sadness to joy.
“The pain you’re feeling, it’s sadness. I know you already know it.”
He probably was well aware of the pain.
Though he couldn’t feel emotions, that didn’t mean he was ignorant of them.
He knew, but he just needed reminding.
“It’s-“
“Pretty.”
Caius’s voice gently brushed past mine as he looked towards the sky.
“The sky, it’s pretty.”
And that was when I saw it.
The small and crystal path tracing down his right cheek.
I opened my mouth but soon smiled and looked at the sky.
“Right…”
The sky was indeed pretty.
It looked like any regular sky, and yet, something about it felt so different.
…It was really pretty.
“Excuse me.”
Right then, a familiar voice reached my ears and I slowly tore my sight away from the sky.
Looking down, Kora appeared not far from me.
She looked at the three of us with a complicated look before she eventually lowered her head.
“Thank you.”
She wasn’t the only one.
Following her, everyone else turned in our direction.
“Thank you.”
“….Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
We were flooded with endless gratitude.
Beyond their gratitude, I once again looked at the old man.
‘Now that I think about it, I don’t even know his name.’
I never once asked.
In his memories, he never showed a name.
The people referred to him as master. I knew this because I had gone into their memories too, using the second leaf. It was through that that I was able to figure out the truth of everything.
Did he even have a name to begin with?
“People from the Empire.”
Kora raised her head to look at us in the eye.
“As the foremost authority present, I want to thank you on behalf of the House of Astrid for your help. For helping our master, and us overcome a large tragedy. From this moment forth,
we’ll not look at you as enemies of our house, but friends.”
“….Thank you.”
I nodded in acknowledgment.
I didn’t quite understand what her words meant, but I guess it meant that they owed us a
favor.
‘Well good because I might have to use that favor really soon.’
Even now, I was still not in contact with Owl-Mighty. Though I was worried, I was too busy
handling this entire situation.
Still, given the fact that my connection was still stable, their situation wasn’t dire to the point
where I’d have to be extremely worried.
With that being said, it was still far from ideal.
“Thankfully, it seems like I might’ve just found myself the right reinforcements for this.’
Looking around and seeing the numerous people available, I was just about to speak when we
heard a large ‘bang’ coming from the distance. Immediately all heads turned in the direction
of where the noise came from.
Bang-!
It was another explosion, this time closer than the previous one.
“What’s happening?”
“…Are we under attack?”
The surroundings suddenly grew tense.
And just as the atmosphere reached a boiling point, another explosion resounded.
Bang!
This one was louder than all the previous ones.
What came after were several silhouettes, all wearing familiar red robes. My brow raised at
the sight.
“Elders!”
And the moment one of the people around me recognized them, the previous tension that
lingered in the air shattered.
“Elders…!”
“Elders! You’re here!”
Several people ran up to them.
“What happened over here?” “…Is everyone okay?” There weren’t many of them. Just a few dozen, but the pressure each individual gave out was
nothing to scoff at.
“Head Elder.”
In particular, an aged woman with long white hair and dark robes.
The moment she appeared, the surroundings grew silent as she turned her head in our general
direction.
I felt my body freeze on the spot at the sight of her.
‘She’s very strong.’
Perhaps not at the same level as the old man, but it was nothing to scoff at.
“Hmm?”
Her brows furrowed the more she looked at us.
“Who are you?”
As she raised her hand, an invisible pressure swept over me, freezing my body in place. Just as
she was about to act, someone intervened and stopped her.
“Wait!”
It was Kora.
Rushing towards the ‘Head Elder’, she went by her side and explained to her the situation.
Almost immediately, the Head Elder’s face changed as her features softened.
“I see.”
The pressure revolving around us was alleviated.
“I almost caused a discourtesy. I apologize for that. I didn’t mean to do so, but your…”
She pointed at our faces and that was when I understood.
“Ah.”
Right, we were still wearing our disguises.
I looked around me to see both Kaelion and Caius look at me at the same time. Without much
thought, I placed my hand over my face and pulled the mask off.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter anymore.’
Right as I pulled the mask off, a dead silence followed suit.
Surprised, I raised my head to see everyone staring in our direction with gaping mouths. In
particular, the shock on Kora’s face was hard to describe.
“You, ah, what…?”
Noticing their lost and confused expressions, I briefly glanced to my right. A few words began
to leave my lips, but I found myself suddenly pausing mid-sentence.
“I bet they’re surprised by your stupi-Ah.”
Right.
He wasn’t here.
I scratched the side of my face and saw Caius and Kaelion looking at me.
Staring at them, I dismissed them with a wave.
“Don’t bother with me. I was just talking to myself.”
||
***
Before everything.
“…How did I even fall into an illusion?”
Leon’s expression was extremely grim as he looked at the Owl. Suddenly being told he was
stuck in an illusion, he didn’t know how to feel.
He felt lost.
Especially since he never noticed the change.
“You most likely fell for the illusion the moment you touched my leaf.”
“What?”
“Getting someone to fall for an illusion is extremely easy. It can be a simple action or a single
item. What matters is if someone is aware that they’re in the middle of an illusion.”
“…I am aware.”
“I know you are, which is why the situation is not bad for you.”
As Owl-Mighty raised its head, it started to look around the place.
“Illusions all have their own rules. The first and most important step is knowing that you’re
inside of an illusion. The moment you find out you’re inside of an illusion, you’ll know that
nothing within can truly harm you.”
“Yes.”
Leon listened to the Owl attentively.
He could still recall the Owl turning into a tree just a few moments prior. Though he didn’t
show it on the outside, Leon was secretly cursing inside.
“That bastard, I thought it was strange that he got an Owl a while back, but it’s clear now. He teamed
up with the monster that almost killed us last time!’
Leon almost felt like strangling Julien.
Only he would be insane enough to work alongside someone who almost killed him.
‘Oh, wait…’
“It is also important to remember that within the illusion, your real body is slowly being
drained of its life. The longer you spend within the illusion, the more dangerous things will
be for you.”
“…I am aware.”
Leon had already experienced this before.
In fact, his situation had been extremely bad back then.
“The stronger your mental capacity, the longer you’ll be able to survive. In your case, you
should be able to last a few days within the illusion.”
“Just a few days?”
“Yes.”
The Owl looked around.
“Don’t be too sad, human. A few days may not sound like a lot, but you’re dealing with an
incomplete form.”
Leon looked at the Owl.
He sort of understood what it was trying to say.
“…Finding the core of the illusion shouldn’t be too difficult. Especially since I’m here with
you.”
Flapping its wings and floating into the air, the Owl looked in the direction of the dimly lit hallway ahead of them.
“Follow me, I’ll lead you to it.”
It was just as the Owl started to move when it stopped and looked back.
“Right, I forgot to mention something.”
“Hm?”
“…The illusion should be the least of your worries. What you should be truly worried about is
the one waiting for you outside of the illusion. The mastermind behind all of this.”
The Owl shot forward without elaborating any further, leaving a stunned Leon standing by
himself in silence.
He eventually snapped out of it after two seconds as his face grew grim. ‘Should be worried about the one waiting outside of the illusion?’ Pushing forward, Leon almost cursed out loud. Eventually, he thought better of it and
shouted.
“What about Julien? Wasn’t he in trouble?”
“…He is.”
As Owl-Mighty’s voice echoed from afar, Leon found himself rushing forward.
“And…?”
“I’ve lost connection with him. I’ll be able to communicate with him once we’re out.”
Without saying anything further, the Owl picked up speed.
Leon could only silently follow it from behind.
As he followed, he caught the faint sound of Owl-Mighty’s voice. It seemed more like a
whisper, one that wasn’t meant for Leon to overhear.
‘Existence…’