Summer vaguely knew what was going to happen to her.
That she wouldn’t be able to live in that world or this one. ‘It’s all over. Anyway.’ Still, she wanted to take her last breath while seeing the people she missed rather than living in a book. As Summer had predicted, light suddenly spread through the pitch-black darkness, revealing a familiar landscape. It was a room. One that contained all her school days. Outside, it was dark, as if night had fallen even in South Korea. ‘Mom.’ And her mother was sitting on the bed. Her vacant gaze looked hollow. Summer had to return to this world. How much her family and friends must be waiting for her. “Koko. Do you miss your sister too?” “Meow.” A black cat slipped through the open door and nestled into her mother’s arms. It was a black cat they had raised for a long time at home. ‘Mom. I’m here. I’m here… not there, but here.’ There are moments when you know it won’t work, yet you still try. Just like Russell had tried to deceive the world. Summer sat next to her mother. ‘Mom. Don’t be too sad. Actually, I’m the most confused.’ “Koko. You’re being so mean. Really, so mean.” “Meow.” Gathering her courage, Summer approached the shelf. In front of the white box, her name was written in black letters. Kim Dan. No matter how she looked at it, it felt unreal. She wasn’t sick, and there hadn’t been anything strange before she fell asleep. But to be dead? Why? ‘Kim Dan.’ Summer called out the name aloud. “...Daughter?” The voice that came from behind her lacked certainty. Turning her head sharply, she faced her mother, who was looking directly at the box. ‘Mom?’ This time, whether she heard something or not, her mother’s eyes turned to shock, and soon tears welled up in her wrinkled eyes. “Ugh, Mom… Mom must be hearing things now. Dan-a, I miss you, Dan-a.” Kim Dan stood still, watching her mother cry. It felt strange. She had thought that her family and friends, and all those who treated her kindly even though she was seeing them for the first time, would be sad about someone’s death. But could parting be this painful? For Kim Dan, it was an unimaginable realm, making it feel unreal. Dan turned her gaze back to the box. <Kim Dan> The year was written beneath that name. Exactly, two years ago. Two years ago, she had died. ‘...’ Kim Dan was at a loss for words. How many people would see their own box after dying in this world? Could this be called luck? Seeing her family still grieving her death as if it were just yesterday was not misfortune? Kim Dan couldn’t touch or hug her mother. Because she was dead in this world. She had to go back. That thought remained obsessively in her mind. But where to? She was dead in both this world and that one. Was there a place to return to? Then would she have to witness the pain, the sobbing, and the withering of those who mourned her death forever? “Dan-a, if it’s hard, you could have told me it was hard… I didn’t know you would be like this, really didn’t know, Dan-a…” ‘Mom? What are you talking about…?’ “Did you think it was good to drive a nail into my heart like this? Huh? Now I can hear everything. Your voice.” ‘...’ “When you were little and threw a tantrum for a balloon, was it because I embarrassed you in front of people? Huh?” ‘No, that’s not it. I know you love me, Mom. What are you saying!’ “Was it a wound that you went to college and the house became empty? Or what should I have done, what should I have done…?” Her mother was crumbling. The mother who had stubbornly told her that social life was like that, that the world wasn’t so easy. Crying like a child, she was beating her chest. The startled Koko jumped down and hid under the desk. In the darkness, Koko’s yellow eyes were fixed directly on Kim Dan. “Mom says you’re still a seven-year-old child who wants to see her, who can’t do anything without her, Dan-a…” ‘...’ Dan’s eyes trembled. What was this? Why was she talking about her death like that? Cardiac arrest, sudden death. Wasn’t it something like that? The string that had been shaking inside her felt like it snapped, and Dan’s body staggered. “Ugh!” Black blood soaked her chest. Dan looked down at her wet hands with disbelief. “...Daughter? Is it really you, Dan? Am I dreaming, dreaming?” “...Mom?” “Dan-a, Dan-a!” Her mother held Dan’s body tightly while crying endlessly. Ah. It’s warm. With that thought, Dan fainted. “Dear, what’s wrong? You again…” “Dan came! Our Dan came!” “You’re seeing things. I’ll tell them to move the consultation we have scheduled for next week up a few days. So you stop… send Dan away.” Ah. Has God given me one last mercy? In this sudden farewell, at least to say goodbye. ‘I love you.’ To my mother. To my father. To Koko. To my friends. And to this noisy and cold world. To the fragments of a life that laughed without worry, to the pieces of happy moments. * * * “Stop it! There’s nothing we can do!” Pey blocked Russell. Russell, who had stopped moving, slowly raised his head. His eyes, which always shone with intelligence and neatness, had completely lost focus. The bloodshot eyes were hardly recognizable as those of the Duke of Bertrand. “...Get out of the way.” “You’ll die like this! You just need to come back in two hours.” “Come back?” After Summer disappeared, Damien went to the basement library to find related books, while Pey and Russell remained in the prayer room. Russell searched frantically under the fountain, soaking wet until dawn. Perhaps because he had been in the cold water for too long, his body was trembling, but Russell was already close to losing his mind. “You said it was a witch.” “Yeah. At one time, she was a pope. Impressive, right?” “What happened to Summer?” Only then did Russell’s eyes regain a bit of reason as he pushed his wet hair back and asked. One wrong answer, and it felt like he would chase anyone to the ends of the earth with a fierce spirit. “It seems she temporarily crossed over to that world with her physical body all at once. Anyway, the body can’t last long in that world, so she’ll be back soon.” “Returning. Summer wanted to come back. Can she come back in this situation?” “...I can’t guarantee that anymore. If she’s been pulled in with her body… it seems the bond between body and soul was stronger than expected. If it exceeds two hours, it’ll be a big problem, but there’s still plenty of time.” “...” “If Summer comes back, isn’t that good for you too? Why do you look so grim?” “That’s what I wanted, not what Summer wanted.” “What?” Pey asked back with a look of disbelief. Even so, there was no reason to have such a dark expression if Summer was going to return to this world. “Summer wanted to come back. She wanted to find her real name and reclaim the life she left behind there. My feelings in that process don’t matter.” “...That’s harsh. Anyway, it won’t take long. As far as I know, time flows slower in this world than in that one.” Pey clicked her tongue lightly and tried to leave the prayer room. “Wait.” Russell’s voice made Pey stop in her tracks. “What’s the nature of this place? If you fall into this water, can Summer see another world? How?” “What’s contained there is just water.” “...” Russell’s eyes sharpened as he looked at Pey. He was sensitive and on edge. He searched silently inside the fountain, trying to find a way, but inside, it was already a mess. Perhaps, as Summer said, this world could be terrible. The world constantly, truly endlessly rendered humans powerless and took away what was precious. “The important thing is the fountain itself. There’s one thing that hasn’t broken since the temple collapsed and was rebuilt, and that’s this fountain.” “This has been here since then.” “Yeah. It definitely has some mysterious power. Since it’s part of the temple that the Creator instructed us to build, it must contain the will of God strongly, right?” “The will of God.” Even the pope had spoken about the will of God. What on earth was that will of God? Was it to manipulate and control the people in this world at will? “...Damn it.” Russell muttered a curse under his breath as he rolled up the sleeves of his wet shirt. “That fountain is the only place that connects the world where God lives and the world we live in.” “...” “It’s also the place where the will of God remains the strongest.” With those words, Pey abruptly left the prayer room. After Pey left, Russell roughly threw his tie to the floor. He felt utterly powerless. Was this what it felt like to know that no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t achieve anything? He had forgotten for a moment, as it was a long time ago. The world had always taken away the most precious things from Russell and forced him into roles. If it wanted him to take on such a role, couldn’t it spare at least his mother? “Ha, haha…” Russell let out a hollow laugh. Every moment had been a life of doing his best. He could confidently say there hadn’t been a moment without effort. Yet the outcome was just this. In the end, his mother couldn’t overcome her illness and passed away, and Russell became accustomed to taking care of the empire rather than himself. And now, even Summer. “Is this how you felt? This is how it was…” Russell murmured. Now, he felt like he could understand Summer’s gaze, her expressions a little better. It was then. “...” It was just a very small trigger. As Russell was about to roll up his shirt sleeves further, he caught a glimpse of black letters faintly shining through the now transparent fabric soaked in water. It was the writing Summer had given him before leaving. As Russell took off his shirt, the letters became clear. -Hello. I have come here, transcending the world.