Chapter 167
Swoosh—.
Waves rippled with the gentle breeze.
Catching the salty scent on her nose, Fox lifted her closed eyelids.
Lukewarm air caressed her cheek.
“……”
What met her gaze was none other than the endlessly stretching Endless Ocean.
Warm sunlight shimmered on her vermilion hair.
Only a familiar silence echoed in her ears.
It was an eerie landscape.
Gently undulating waves.
An endlessly stretching surface.
The sky-blue backdrop resembled a painting of the sea.
Fox realized she was in a nightmare.
*This is...*
A hard object pressed against her back.
Turning at the strange sensation, she saw an upright iron cage surrounding her.
Its surface was rusted as if it had endured ages.
It was a single-cell prison standing in the middle of the sea.
The girl smiled bitterly.
*...It's been a while.*
The dream that had tormented her for years.
And at the same time, the Nightmare she had barely experienced since being with *that person* returned.
A faint sense of déjà vu flickered.
-*You will be trapped in eternity.*
-*In a place where one hour is a year, you will meet no one and live out a thousand-year sentence.*
-*Are your altruism and resolve strong enough to bear such a burden of sin?*
So this is the Inner World.
Was it a reflection of her subconscious?
Or was this prison on the water's surface truly a representation of her Inner World?
The loneliness she thought she had forgotten pricked at her heart.
Irene had to force herself to look away.
“……”
A view filled with the refreshing clarity of a summer day.
Waves are rippling gently.
The bottom was slightly submerged beneath the surface.
Thanks to this, the lapping seawater covered the girl's ankles.
Yet, her clothes and tail remained completely dry, clearly indicating this was a dream.
Her movements were unsteady.
*It's quiet.*
Whoosh—.
Suddenly, a sea breeze ruffled her hair.
Fox, whose hair had been momentarily fluttering in the wind, soon leaned her back against the old Iron Cage and sank down.
The utterly silent, rusted iron bars groaned with a clatter.
Creak.
Regardless, Fox hugged her knees.
Beyond the bars, nothing existed.
Only empty waves flowed.
As her gaze lingered beyond the horizon, a faint sense of exhaustion soon pressed down on her shoulders.
Deep within her black eyes, only the blue sea was reflected.
Irene was as fragile as if she might break at any moment.
“……There really is no one.”
She murmured faintly.
This place was lonely.
As if the entire landscape had been formed to isolate her.
There was no sign of life, not even another living creature, around her.
Only the horizon was where sea and sunlight existed.
The girl was perfectly alone.
“How long will I have to wait?”
The sinking silence.
The serene scenery was beautiful, but beyond that, it was cruel.
The girl shook off her unnecessary melancholy and fell into thought.
It was about a certain boy.
-*Miss Irene.*
Fox let out a faint smile.
Her eyes gently closed.
She whispered words that couldn't be heard.
It was a monologue that filled the emptiness completely.
“Please come quickly.”
Perhaps it was weakness.
With a hint of fear, the girl confessed her vulnerability.
“A world without you… is this lonely.”
Swoosh—.
Only the sound of waves remained in her ears.
Of the thousands of days she had to endure, this was merely the first.
Fox waited silently.
***
I heard the news and returned to the Academy.
The situation was already over.
-*Only the corpses of the assailants remained at the scene.*
-*Student Regia carried Miss Irene to our Faculty Infirmary.*
-*We immediately issued a lockdown order for the entire Academy.*
-*We are ashamed of our belated response.*
Professor Kadel's voice explained the situation.
Ignoring the unheard noise, I could only look down at Fox, who lay in the infirmary bed.
Perhaps he noticed that my expression was particularly unmanaged.
Kadel hesitated beside me for a while, then uncharacteristically patted my back.
And then offered clumsy comfort.
-*Miss Irene protected the Academy.*
-*Everyone at the Academy owes her their lives.*
-*I express my regret.*
I just listened silently.
I didn't know what to say about the scene before my eyes.
Even amidst all this, Irene showed no movement.
As if she were asleep.
*Inner Slumber.*
According to the Infirmary's diagnosis, Fox was trapped in her Inner World.
It seemed to be the price for forcibly drawing out her latent power.
As I looked down at the girl who had fought alone, Selena, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke.
The woman's voice was cautious, unlike the usual.
I quietly turned to Jujeongbaengi.
“Student Yuda…”
“How is Miss Irene's condition?”
“Since she's trapped in her Inner World… her life isn't immediately in danger, but I don't know if her mind will hold up later.”
“……”
Right.
Because the Inner World is different from the real world, it holds its own unique concepts.
The most representative example is the difference in the flow of time.
When one hour passes in reality, a year passes in the Inner World.
That's why they're concerned about Fox's mental state.
Time will eventually break down the inner self.
“How much time has passed?”
“Approximately… five hours.”
“So, five years have already passed inside.”
There was no time to delay.
Even at this very moment, Irene must be enduring an eternity.
As I maintained a serious expression for a moment, the sobbing girl suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
It was Regia, who had been holding Fox's hand by the bedside all along.
The pink-haired girl broke down with deep tear stains.
“It’s all my fault.”
“Miss Regia.”
“Ms. Irene… because of me… trying to protect someone like me…”
“Don't cry. This isn't anyone's fault.”
“Because I'm weak… still lacking, I ended up being a hindrance.”
“It was just an unfortunate situation.”
I gently admonished the Puppeteer.
She was merely a target; she was in no position to feel guilty.
If blame were to be placed on anyone… it should rightfully fall on me.
I failed to fulfill the responsibility I had promised from the start.
*I should have protected her.*
I hadn't anticipated the movements of the Heretic Cult.
Of all days, today was when I left to discuss defense measures for the Academy.
I didn't know that their infiltration would coincide with that timing.
I clenched my fist, blaming myself for being complacent.
My nails dug into my flesh, stinging.
*I...*
At times like this, I always remind myself.
That I am not a god.
I was neither omnipotent nor omniscient , as one might be.
I was merely an ignorant puppet even in the face of tomorrow.
As I calmed my turbulent heart, Selena then posed a question.
It was a question of my intentions.
“According to records so far… there are almost no cases of recovery from a state like Student Irene's. Most people live the rest of their lives unconscious, they say. Student Yuda, what do you intend to do now?”
“……Naturally, I must fulfill my duty.”
I replied.
Without a trace of hesitation.
“I will save Miss Irene, even if it means direct intervention.”
“Direct intervention… surely you don't mean entering her Inner World yourself?”
“You heard correctly.”
Selena was literally aghast.
She furrowed her brow, meeting my gaze as if asking if I was insane.
The vivid red in her pupils seemed somewhat sad.
“You know how dangerous that is… , Student Yuda.”
“Life, after all, goes hand in hand with danger.”
“This isn't a matter of assessing risk! It's simply considered impossible!”
The woman spoke with a somewhat agitated voice.
I understood her reaction.
Because stepping into someone else's Inner World… was akin to swimming in lava.
The process of intruding upon an established ego carries countless risks.
One could easily be absorbed into the Inner World itself.
As such, the Mental Realm was treated as an absolute Domain.
And I had just declared I would break through such a place.
“I have a responsibility.”
What is essential is invisible to the eye.
Just as the Rose was precious to the prince in the fairy tale, Fox is precious to me because of the time I've invested in her.
People, generation after generation, eventually lost this truth.
I hoped not to.
“I must go.”
Responsibility always follows what one has tamed.
Therefore, I must take responsibility for my Rose.
As a certain fairy tale says.
“……”
I held a resolute gaze.
Our gazes, cool and intersecting.
Perhaps she realized I wouldn't back down.
Selena, who had been looking up at me for a while, then spoke with a complicated sigh.
Her expression was as if she desperately needed a drink.
“You wouldn't listen… even if I tried to stop you, would you?”
“I apologize for being such a stubborn Disciple.”
“It's a relief that you know that.”
Ultimately, the master conceded to the disciple.
There was no time to waste like this.
Jujeongbaengi took my hand.
“I'll assist you to make your entry as safe as possible.”
“That would be a great help. Thank you.”
Mana waves rippled.
Feeling my consciousness grow hazy, I deployed my Shadow without hesitation.
With a gently extended finger, I touched Irene's forehead.
A soft, blossoming light resembled a star.
Ready to enter, I closed my eyes.
Snap—!
The distinct snapping sound of fingers echoed clearly.
Snapping my fingers, I enacted the illusion.
And the next moment.
“……”
Swoosh—.
When I opened my eyes again
The faint sound of waves reached my quiet ears.
I stood in the center of a vast sea.
***
From then on, it was a continuous wandering.
I crossed the transparent waves, parted the gentle ripples, and navigated the sea of ignorance.
The small boat woven from Shadow faithfully performed its role.
How long had I been breathing the sea air like that?
“Haa…”
By my estimation, nearly half a year had passed.
The scenery here was similar to the 'Nightmare' Irene often spoke of.
It seemed her subconscious had influenced the Inner World.
While worrying about Fox, who must be suffering from terrible loneliness, I steeled my heart and rowed with an oar carved from Shadow.
It was with the belief that the girl waiting for me was somewhere beyond that horizon.
I traversed the sea for a long time.
And then.
“……”
I finally reached my destination.
The Iron Cage is floating on the water's surface.
Just as Irene had described, a single-cell prison floated there.
Beyond the bars, a glimpse of Orange Hair was visible.
I steered the bow towards it.
Swoosh—.
Waves are gently lapping around.
In the center of that scene, Fox had her eyelids quietly closed.
Judging by her pale complexion, she seemed exhausted from long solitude.
Clear tear stains marked her pale cheeks.
It was time to go back now.
Beyond this old sea, to the home we shared.
*Together.*
I knocked on the bars from outside the prison.
A low metallic clang resonated.
Clang-clang—.
“……?”
An unfamiliar sound.
At that, the girl's closed eyelids fluttered open.
Her stiff neck turned, and soon Black Eyes came into view.
Beyond a transparent surface, only the Golden-haired boy was fully reflected.
Her eyes held disbelief at the present moment.
Her lifeless pupils slowly began to waver.
I waved my hand towards Irene.
A gentle smile played on my lips.
Our intersecting gazes resembled a certain time.
It was like the moment we first met.
-*It's a pleasure to meet you.*
-*You probably can't imagine how much I've wanted to meet you.*
Just like then, I smiled.
A faint monologue colored the scene.
“Miss Irene.”
I told you.
I wouldn't leave you alone.
“I'm sorry for making you wait so long.”
The snake found the Fox.