Side Story 8

In that brief moment, he saw a lot of things. A flood of information poured into his head.

Bagamadra was deeply rooted in his dimension. He hadn’t taken even a bit of damage. He was merely testing his weapons with intrigued eyes, curious when the toy known as Earth would fall into his hands.

Bagamadra was now creating the ultimate weapon to obliterate Earth. Once it descended, no one would be able to stop it. Even if it somehow were stopped, it would be after Earth has already been reduced to ashes.

A monster whose very existence heralded destruction.

There was no escape from that.

That's why Garuda, the creature standing before him, had come to him.

Garuda, the warrior who had not succumbed to the countless despairs he went through.

The several visions he shared were all pointing to a single path.

"You want to go, together?" Yi-An asked.

Garuda nodded.

The only path given to them was taking them directly into Bagamadra's lair to execute him.

"I've gambled everything to come here for that very reason."

Garuda blinked once.

Coming to Earth was a huge gamble for him.

Garuda, who had been fighting one hopeless battle after another, learned about the fearsome warrior from another world who was executing Bagamadra's weapons one by one. Even Bagamadra, who was about to descend into this dimension, felt fear and was creating a new weapon.

Garuda infiltrated the inside of Parthenon and crossed over to Earth so he could meet this warrior.

What he saw was a beautiful world.

Before Bagamadra showed up, his world was like this too.

"This world is weak. Only you are strong. Alone, you cannot win. We must unite our strength."

It was Garuda who had awakened the first monster Azhi Dahaka from its dormant state to return to his dimension.

"The gate will open soon."

The world called Earth was weak, but this human was strong. Stronger than anyone Garuda knew. Garuda saw hope.

He pleaded with a sense of begging.

"You and me. Let's save our worlds, human. There is no time."

Yi-An closed his eyes.

It was a sudden crisis. He wasn’t given any time to hesitate.

Yet, he ended up understanding that Garuda's proposal was the only sliver of possibility.

The information Garuda shared shattered all of Yi-An’s predictions. Bagamadra's power was only growing stronger.

They had to go before it was too late.

But why like this? Why in this manner?

Until that morning, he believed he would be able to return to Korea soon.

He was going to go back to Korea after eliminating Azhi Dahaka, see Yi-Yoo, see his master and friends, enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, and then...

Just smile.

It was all a vain dream.

In the end, he was alone.

Yi-An whispered to god.

‘Isn't this too cruel?’

There wasn’t any answer coming back.

The order of the universe he saw on the day he slashed the Ashen God or the warriors who used to extend their fists toward him. None were by his side now.

He felt like he might finally crumble.

"Human."

"Let's go," Yi-An muttered.

"I said let's go."

The gate was opening.

Yi-An tried hard not to think further.

This was the only way.

There was no time to complain.

Even if no one acknowledged what he was doing, and regardless of what kind of hell was waiting for him, it was something only he could do.

But, It was just... a little lonely.

Forgotten god, are you watching me?

Yi-An longed for the skies of Elder Lord, where gods and magic were alive, and where warriors stood shoulder to shoulder with him.

"Human, thank you!"Garuda said.

Yi-An nodded.

* * *

They moved forward together.

The darkness beyond the gate welcomed them.

"Here we go."

The moment they were about to cross into the other dimension, something happened.

Garuda looked back, and Yi-An raised his greatsword.

The barrier was being torn apart.

"What's happening?"

"Impossible."

For the first time, Garuda showed his emotion.

"This is not supposed to open. It's a powerful force. Is it Bagamadra? How did he know?"

The translucent barrier sealing the Uluru area was trembling. Parts of it began to fragment.

Behind them, the malicious energy coming from beyond the barrier was already pressing against his back.

That alone was enough worry, and now a new crisis emerged. Had an enemy appeared?

And then...

Yi-An couldn't believe his eyes.

There...

"Kiyoooooot————!”

The barrier encircling the area shattered into pieces, and a convertible off-road car emerged as it raised a sandstorm.

They were there.

"We've arriveddddd————!"

The man standing up in the passenger seat and shouting out the car was someone he could never forget.

"No way."

Yi-An was astonished.

"Tiyo?"

One unbelievable event followed by another. The car racing across the ground soared into the air and landed at the top of Uluru.

The source of the power was the man in the hood in the back seat. Every time he waved his hand, a terrifying force stirred the atmosphere.

Even without seeing his face, his build and silhouette made his identity unmistakable.

"Tashaquil?"

The moment the car stopped midair right above their heads, a sword energy flew toward them. Garuda stepped back, swinging his pincers. The sword strike was deflected.

"Why is swinging your sword the first thing you do?"

"Is it not an enemy?"

"They’re standing together!"

"I see. He didn't die."

There were two voices, one without a hint of warmth and another slathered in kindness even when yelling.

"Driden, Anor?"

Then the car came crashing down.

"Woaaaaahhhhhhh!"

And, there was the human grabbing onto the steering wheel too.

"Hansung?"

Crash! Bang!

The car bounced off the ground from the impact of the fall, stirring up a cloud of dust.

"Wow! You actually pulled your weight this time, Tashaquil!"

"’ This time’? Do I have to tell you again that I am Tashaquil, the mentor of shamans..."

"Go apologize for swinging your sword rashly like that."

"I don’t want to."

"Eughhhhhhh..."

The dust settled, and they walked out.

Garuda, looking confused, asked Yi-An, "They're strong. Very strong. Not human. Do you know them? Comrades?"

Yi-An couldn't respond.

Tiyo was walking toward him.

Though his appearance had changed, he was unmistakably the Tiyo he knew.

Tiyo stopped in front of Yi-An.

"Hey, Crockta."

Their eyes met.

Neither of them thought they would see each other again.

It was a reunion.

"Your face was better before. Kyahaha."

Tiyo laughed.

He was an orc back then, and now he was a human, but nothing had changed.

Their souls remained the same.

"Your form has changed, but the light of your soul is as brilliant as ever. Were you alive? Kekeke."

Tashaquil laughed, removing his hood.

"Wow. Is it really you, Crockta? You've gotten handsome. No way!"

"What's with that look? You look weak and boring."

Anor and Driden, the Dark Elf duo, showed their reactions.

Yi-An still couldn't believe what he was looking at.

They came.

At the moment when he needed someone the most, they came to him.

"Everyone..."

He didn’t know what was going on.

But there was no time to catch up now. In that brief moment, while he tried to speak, Yi-An had a vision flash through his mind.

Numerous scenes appeared in front of his eyes.

He saw himself laughing with them.

Riding in a wide-open convertible, speeding along a cool, open road. The backdrop shifted from Europe to the Middle East, Africa to Asia, and then to the Americas. The sights of countless cities passed by.

The Earth was safe.

Bagamadra had fallen by their hands.

It wasn’t an easy path. It was more dangerous than any fight they had before. But just like when they defeated the Ashen God, they would ultimately prevail.

Eliminating Bagamadra, saving Garuda’s world, protecting Earth from the threat of monsters, then returning to this very spot.

Then, traveling the Earth with them without a single worry.

Such images...

A future where everything falls into place, they return laughing, finally finding happiness.

Yi-An blinked once.

He couldn’t find the words.

He gritted his teeth, then finally asked them.

It was just a single sentence.

"Will you come with me?"

The gate was wide open.

The darkness beyond called to them. Swirling malicious energy drooled and growled toward them.

They didn't have the context. They didn’t know what was happening or what kind of enemy awaited on the other side of the gate.

In that short moment, Yi-An could not possibly explain everything to them.

He simply asked them to join him in that danger-filled hell.

And they responded, "That sounds fun."

Tiyo was the first to nod.

"Being with a great warrior is the highest honor. Bul’tar!"

"Crockta is asking. Of course, we’re going."

"I always welcome a new battle."

Yi-An tried to force a smile.

He wanted to smile, but it didn’t come out.

He was no longer alone.

Yi-An said to Garuda.

"Garuda. These are my friends."

"Friends."

Garuda twitched its antennae.

"Understood."

It almost seemed as if Garuda was smiling.

"Your friend. Small human. He looks a lot like him."

"Him?"

"After Bagamadra started the invasion, small human from Earth came to our dimension. He helped us. He told us about you."

"Who is ‘he’?"

"That small human, he said his name was Hedoro."

Tiyo suddenly choked and screamed, the others sighed and shook their heads.

Eventually, even Yi-An burst out laughing.

He thought they were doomed. The future he had hoped for seemed impossible, with no way forward, but...

Like a dream, the pieces began falling back into place at that moment.

"Human, there is no time. The gate is closing."

"Just a moment."

Yi-An looked up.

"Tashaquil. Can you keep that thing open just for a moment?"

"I can't hold it for too long."

"Just a moment is enough."

The greatest shaman of Elder Lord, the mentor of orc shamans, Tashaquil, exerted his power.

The gate, which seemed to fade slowly, halted. His magic grasped and fixed the gate in place.

Yi-An walked over to Choi Hansung.

"Hansung."

"Hey, what's all this about?"

"There’s no time to explain. Can I borrow your phone?"

Choi Hansung handed his phone over.

Yi-An took a deep breath and dialed a number.

He was not a child. He understood from a young age that life would not always go as wished. Even when he was informed of his parents' death, he didn’t cry. Even then, he was an adult.

But even adults, sometimes wished for everything to fall perfectly into place. Sometimes, they harbored child-like hopes that everything they planned would come true.

That dream started coming back.

Friends he thought he'd never see again came looking for him.

He was not afraid of Bagamadra. They would save the world with Garuda. Then, he would finally meet that Hedoro guy.

Yes, they would return to Earth, laughing, saying it was a tough job. He would get to fulfill the promise he couldn't keep before. He would get to introduce the beautiful nature of Earth to his friends, traveling the world together.

Once again, they were all by his side in all of that.

Fantasies where dreams all come true.

"Yeo-Ri."

"Yi-An?" she answered, surprised.

Their conversation wasn’t long. No conclusions were drawn. But it was enough.

Yi-An handed the phone back to Choi Hansung.

"Do you really have to go?"

"Yeah."

"I don’t know what it’s about... but just know that I'm always sorry and grateful to you. You better come back."

Yi-An grinned.

Thus, a new battle was decided.

Yi-An stood in front of the gate with his friends and their new comrade Garuda.

He reflected on his past, his life had been a perilous journey.

The things he longed for always seemed to slip through his fingers. Even what he thought he had secured eventually escaped his grasp.

Still, he accepted it as inevitable. He believed complaining was something only a child could afford to do.

On the battlefield, in Elder Lord, and even on Earth as monsters began to appear, he bore everything on his shoulders without expecting anything in return.

But this time, it was different.

Somehow, vague, unknown premonitions stirred in his heart.

Just before entering the gate.

Yi-An looked back.

There was something he couldn’t get himself to say to her at the end of their call.

It was what he really wanted to say.

Yi-An opened his mouth.

He said with a slight smile as if all of this was nothing.

"I'll be back. See you then."

Then he moved forward.

The response was not his to have yet.