Chapter 406

Swoosh-

The gentle sound of waves tickled Se-Hoon’s ears. It was a wretched sound, one he heard every time he was just about to forget. Forced to listen, Se-Hoon slowly opened his eyes.

A dark sky stretched endlessly above, and beyond the horizon lay a vast black ocean. Normally, just the sight of that ocean would have made him sick to his stomach. Now, though, he was glad to.

“Did it work...?”

Basing it off his previous experience of entering the Destroyer of Fragmentation’s synesthetic mindscape in the City of Nightmares, he had used Metamorphosing Dreams to infiltrate the synesthetic mindscape of the Sword of Destruction.

Fortunately, it seemed to have worked without major issues.

I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly.

Piercing into a Harbinger of Destruction’s synesthetic mindscape was no easy task even for Se-Hoon, who could use the reality-altering Metamorphosing Dreams.

So, he had used a trick. Instead of directly forcing his way in, he placed Aria—who harbored latent potential as a Harbinger of Destruction—at the forefront and then used the Silver River’s assimilation effect to follow inside.

Still... the reason it worked so well must be because the Sword of Destruction wasn’t in its right mind.

The Sword of Destruction’s original plan was to corrupt Aria and awaken her as a Harbinger of Destruction. However, when Jake interfered, things got messy.

At that moment, perhaps the Sword of Destruction had lacked the composure to try again—or it just lost the ability to make rational judgments—which made it forcibly pushed ahead with its own demonization.

Unlike Aria, though, Jake had no latent potential as a Harbinger of Destruction. In the end, what resulted was the process had become an incomplete absorption rather than a proper awakening. Se-Hoon and Aria had taken advantage of that instability, allowing them to slip into the Sword of Destruction’s synesthetic mindscape successfully.

But still...

Swoosh-

The quiet waves rolled before him, returning to the black ocean stretching into the horizon. There was no doubt it was the landscape of the ruined world he was so familiar with—a vision that existed only within Se-Hoon’s own synesthetic mindscape.

And yet, there was something clearly different to it. In stark contrast to the dark sea, the shoreline was covered in pristine white sand.

Se-Hoon frowned.

Something foreign has mixed in.

At first, he thought it was the foreign souls tainting his synesthetic mindscape that had somehow distorted his memories. But on second thought, if that were truly the case, he wouldn’t have even realized the landscape had changed.

That left only one likely explanation: Aria’s synesthetic mindscape had partially overlapped with his own.

Is it because we assimilated through the Silver River?

While there were no immediate problems since their minds hadn’t fused completely, just as he could glimpse parts of her mind, it was highly likely that Aria was experiencing the same.

It wasn’t an ideal situation at all, but Se-Hoon pushed aside his dissatisfaction.

Now’s not the time to worry about that.

He first needed to figure out how time was flowing here. If the Sword of Destruction fully absorbed Jake and completed its awakening, there was no telling what would happen. To avoid that, he needed to separate Jake from the Sword of Destruction and destroy the Harbinger Shard imbued within as soon as possible.

With that thought in mind, he began scanning his surroundings for clues.

“Is that...?”

Tiny footprints marked the left side of the shoreline. They were clearly freshly made from how their shapes were perfectly distinct.

Following them with his eyes, Se-Hoon traced the coast straight toward the horizon.

That way, huh?

It seemed suspicious, but given how heavily the landscape was influenced by his own synesthetic mindscape, the chance of a trap was slim.

Without need for further hesitation, Se-Hoon began following the footprints.

Crunch, crunch-

The soft sound of his steps on the sand intertwined with the crashing of the waves. Then, at some point, the rhythm of the sounds changed. Now, the sound of someone else’s footsteps were seemingly overlapping with his own.

Turning his head, Se-Hoon found a girl walking naturally beside him.

“You...”

A child, no older than seven, was stepping precisely in line with the footprints in the sand. Her young features made Se-Hoon hesitate, but the golden hair shining as if kissed by sunlight made her identity clear.

Aria?

Of course, it wasn’t the real Aria—just a fragment formed within the synesthetic mindscape. The child was likely a representation of her childhood memories.

As Se-Hoon curiously observed her, the young Aria suddenly turned to meet his gaze.

“Mister.”

“...Me?”

“Yeah.”

Se-Hoon grimaced. Sure, to a child, anyone older might seem like an adult... but calling him

mister

? That was harsh.

However, just as he was about to complain, he felt something changing.

Swish-

Old scars appeared on his once-unblemished skin as aches and lingering pains spread throughout his body—it was all so familiar, yet distant.

And after a moment, a realization struck him.

My body... is reverting back to how it was before regressing.

Was it another effect of the synesthetic mindscape world?

Feeling as though he were wearing clothes that didn’t quite fit him, he narrowed his eyes, trying to assess the situation.

I could probably break free from here... but the assimilation with Aria might be undone.

If that happened, there was the risk he could be ejected from the Sword of Destruction’s synesthetic mindscape entirely. In other words, it was a dangerous gamble.

“So, why did you call me?”

Furthermore, if Aria’s synesthetic mindscape resisted, things could become even more complicated. With so many potential complications, Se-Hoon thought it best to just go along with the flow for now.

However, the young Aria simply looked at him instead of answering. She stared at him for a short period, only then opening her mouth.

“Can you see that?”

“See what?”

“Up in the sky.” She pointed upward.

Following her fingertip, Se-Hoon looked toward the sky blanketed with dark clouds thick of demonic aura. He had long grown sick of such a sight.

What is she pointing at?

If she were just referring to the sky itself, she wouldn’t have phrased it that way. Squinting his eyes in search, Se-Hoon soon noticed something beginning to reveal itself from beyond the darkness.

Woong-

The golden radiance of a vast, curving arc of light—shimmering like the Milky Way in the night sky—appeared, stretching beyond the horizon. Staring at it, Se-Hoon soon found himself recalling a familiar shape.

A ring...

The ring, or more specifically, the Golden Ring, powered both the Towers of Heroes and gave birth to the Abyss of Demons—a transcendent force encircling the world. It was the very entity that the Pilgrimage Church referred to as “God.”

How am I seeing this now?

Se-Hoon tensed as he stared up at the sky. Before his regression and even after it, he had never witnessed it so clearly.

“This is the first time,” the young Aria suddenly muttered in awe, as if responding to his bewilderment.

“...What?”

“The first time someone besides me has seen it.”

Se-Hoon froze. Then, a beat later, his expression phased to one of shock as he quickly asked, “Has that ring always been visible to you?”

“Yeah.”

She answered so casually, as if it was no big deal, before resuming her walk along the footprints.

“Actually, I don’t see it all the time. But whenever I meditate, it appears. That ring also presented me with my sword.”

“A sword...”

“It’s a golden sword, and it’s unbelievably sharp. I think once it gets honed to its finest, it’ll be able to cut through anything.”

The young Aria swung her hands through the air as if she were wielding a sword. Her playful gestures made it seem like she was joking, but Se-Hoon could instantly tell that wasn’t the case.

So she was aware of the Golden Ring even back then? This isn’t just talent... it’s something far beyond that.

She was a seed of transcendence, a being chosen by the Golden Ring from birth. At that revelation, Se-Hoon couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer number of gifts Aria possessed. He had thought he understood her well enough, but it seemed there were still aspects of her he had yet to uncover.

Maybe she just forgot about it later on.

Despite being intrinsically connected to the Tower of Heroes, the Abyss of Demons, and the essence of both the Perfect Ones and the Harbingers of Destruction, the young Aria remained unaware of the significance of her existence.

Watching her small back in thought, Se-Hoon suddenly recalled something. “Right, your golden sword—can you show it to me?”

“...Why?”

𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

“Because I’m a blacksmith. I’d like to see what kind of sword it is.”

Considering what lay ahead, understanding Aria’s sword—basically her synesthetic mindscape in physical form—would only be beneficial.

However, after glancing at him briefly, the young Aria turned away.

“I can’t,” she mumbled.

“

Hmm

. Is it because it’s not finished yet?”

“That too, but...” she trailed off, hesitating. Then, after a moment, she muttered in a small voice, “You won’t be able to see it.”

“I won’t be able to... see it?”

“None of the other heroes could.”

Even when she summoned it after a struggle and proudly presented it, all they ever said was that she had a powerful imagination or vivid synesthetic mindscape. Her own brother, Lloyd, even went as far as accusing her of lying while claiming she was only after the family head position.

I should’ve broken one of his legs back then...

Even now, recalling the moment irritated her. She stomped on the sand, pressing her foot into the footprints as if trying to crush them.

“You never know, though.”

Se-Hoon’s voice cut through her frustration. He pointed toward the Golden Ring in the sky.

“I’m the only one that sees that other than you, aren’t I?”

If he could see the Golden Ring, then surely, he could also see the sword it had given her. It was a logical assumption.

Yet, despite that, Aria’s expression clouded over.

“But...”

She couldn’t bring herself to finish her sentence. And it didn’t take long for Se-Hoon to figure out what was holding her back.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?”

“...”

“Because if I can’t see it either, then it really could be a lie altogether.”

The young Aria had spoken as if she was just annoyed by others dismissing her. In truth, however, she had begun doubting the sword

herself

.

She once believed in it without question. But as time went on and no one acknowledged it, a sliver of doubt had crept in—fueling her desperation for validation.

“Hmph...”

She clenched her tiny fists. She felt exposed, ashamed that her true feelings had been laid bare; frustrated because she couldn’t deny it; and worst of all, terrified that her sword might truly be nothing but an illusion.

She was experiencing a swirl of emotions in her tiny frame.

What a cruel twist of fate.

She possessed an extraordinary gift—the ability to perceive the Golden Ring and conjure a brilliant golden sword—yet that very brilliance had isolated her, planting the seeds of self-doubt. The cruel irony distorted her synesthetic mindscape over time, leaving her caught between the realms of a Perfect One and a Harbinger of Destruction, belonging to neither fully.

No wonder she turned out so twisted... tsk.

For a child to struggle with such internal turmoil at such a young age, it was a miracle she hadn’t lost herself completely and that her synesthetic mindscape hadn’t collapsed entirely.

Now then... what should I do?

With the footprints in the sand nearing their end, he could already sense the Sword of Destruction’s presence in the distance. If he wanted, he could reach it immediately.

However, for some reason, leaving the young Aria bothered him.

This probably won’t change much, but...

Even if it didn’t, if he wanted to make a difference, perhaps the small things were the place to start.

With that thought, Se-Hoon stepped in front of her.

“...”

Aria was still staring at the ground, lost in thought. Seeing her like that, he crouched down to meet her eyes.

“So you really were lying all along?”

At the blunt question, Aria’s head shot up, her eyes flashing with indignation. But when she met Se-Hoon’s gaze, she paused.

It was far from an accusatory gaze. His gaze was unwavering—full of trust in her.

Meeting that gaze, her lips quivered for a moment before she finally murmured, “...No. I wasn’t lying.”

“Then do you want others to see it?”

“I do...”

More than anything, she wanted to show her sword proudly to the world, to be acknowledged by all.

And upon hearing the sincerity shine through her quiet voice, Se-Hoon nodded.

“Alright. Then I’ll make it happen.”

“...You will?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a blacksmith.”

Se-Hoon raised his hand toward the air, and with a simple flick of his wrist, a dazzling golden sword manifested before them.

“!”

Aria’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“Normally, I don’t do such favors for free. But I’ll make an exception just this time,” he said gently, handing her the blade.

“...Really?”

“Of course. Now go. Show them, all of them.”

Aria’s face lit up. Gone was the hesitant, uncertain girl.

And unlike before, she nodded with unshakable confidence.

“Okay!”

Clutching the golden sword tightly, she turned and sprinted back the way she had come.

As he watched her go, Se-Hoon called out one last question. “Wait, who’s the first person you’re going to show?”

It wasn’t particularly important to know for him, but for some reason, he just wanted to know.

“My little brother!” Aria shouted, gleaming with joy as she glanced back over her shoulder.

Her giggles filled the air, the mere thought making her happy.

“He always believed in me, even if he couldn’t see it!”

With that, she ran off, her footprints vanishing into the distance.

Swoosh-

The sound of the waves returned promptly, filling the silence she left behind.

Se-Hoon remained where he stood, just staring at the empty shoreline as he listened. Then, with a deep breath, he turned and set out once again.

Whoosh!

Like the turning of a page, the world around him shifted. The darkened ocean and white sand vanished, replaced by an endless corrupted plain. He now stood on a land polluted by demonic aura—a place found

beyond

the Pilgrimage Path.

Glancing around, nothing seemed too out of place. However, upon looking up at the sky, that thought completely changed.

Rumble-

A massive scar was carved across the heavens, left by the Sword of Destruction. It had sliced through the very concept of the sky, permanently distorting it.

Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

The Northern Bloom Plains...

The landscape has changed to the very place where the Destroyer of Sword had been slain before the regression. Somehow, it seemed the Northern Bloom Plains were deeply intertwined with the Sword of Destruction’s fate.

Seeing that it can’t even maintain its own synesthetic mindscape... it must be in an incredibly unstable state.

While it could be a good sign, Se-Hoon felt no relief. After all, the Destroyer of Sword wasn’t the only thing that had died here.

His eyes rapidly scanned the area, searching for something.

Woong-

His gaze paused. Far away, a figure was drenched in darkness: Jake, his body tainted black, had the Sword of Destruction impaled in his chest.

And standing above him, watching silently, was Aria.

“...”

Se-Hoon approached.

Hearing his footsteps, Aria slowly turned to face him. Her hair was completely disheveled, her complexion was pale, and she looked utterly defeated.

Yet, despite it all, she forced a faint, sorrowful smile onto her face.

“...You’re late.”