When I was thirteen, a warrior came to see me at the magic tower. She was a beauty with pure white hair and golden eyes.
"He was known as the genius wizard of the century, but he was such a cute little kid?"
I remember that at that time, I was quietly working on classifying books.
"excuse me...?"
"...."
"hey...?"
I didn't mean to ignore it on purpose, I just had a lot to think about.
"I'm neither a genius nor a brat. My name is Lin."
I felt a little sorry for him and answered him while putting the book back in the bookshelf. His face lit up and he followed me around like a puppy for a while.
"Lies! A four-star wizard at the age of thirteen? That's unprecedented in the history of the Empire."
"...."
"And since you're so short, you're still a kid, right? Why, are you treating me like an adult? But you're still at an age where someone needs to change your diapers? If you come to our party, I'll change your diapers every day!"
Then he pretended to cover his mouth and giggled. So I spread out my palm and calculated the magic.
"Fireball."
"Ouch, sorry, sorry! I was just kidding!"
She was a funny woman. A person like this is a hero. This is the end of the world. No, this is really the end of the world.
I remember chuckling.
I just smiled slightly, but strangely enough, she smiled several times brighter than I did.
"Now you're smiling...?"
That's when I got interested.
There are such strange people out there, I've never really been interested in people.
"I am Lista Alter Schirpang. I am a FakeWarrior of the Gwangryong Church."
He said that summer has begun in the world and that the abyss is raging in Antarctica, so he needs my help.
It was the so-called warrior party.
There were two more celebrities.
It was the Bow Star Keyes, one of the Imperial Guards of the Holy Human Empire, and the Fire Dragon priestess Friede from the Republic of Yongin.
"I don't want to die."
"No one wants to die."
"Are the other two people as fun as Rista?"
Then, Rista put his finger on his cheek and, as if lost in thought, gave a strange answer.
"Those two are both comparable to me, but… there's something more fun."
"What is it?"
When I showed interest, Rista smiled like a girl telling a teenage secret.
"World."
world.
To me, who had been living in the rooftop ever since I was picked up by the dean in the slums, that language had a strange resonance.
That's how I joined the party.
Keith was a mute archer whose accuracy dropped drastically when he didn't drink, and Friede was a shaman who was a heavy smoker and smoked whenever she had the chance.
"You're the so-called Fire Dragon priestess, so shouldn't you be able to breathe at least?"
And then there was this crazy woman who would blow black smoke in my face and laugh out loud. But we both had solid skills, so we did well.
Five years, five years of fighting.
In between our journey, Lista would always tease me and say things like:
"Lin, you can never fall in love with me?"
"Lin, when it's all over, do you want to go on a trip with me?"
"Rin is so innocent that I'm worried she'll be fooled by another woman later."
So 5 years… … .
Now, as I face the final battle, I am dying, consumed by a dark poison that is corroding my soul.
The remaining life span is… … not much.
"Rin, wake up, Rin! Please… Friede, what are you doing!"
"Lista, the poison is too strong."
Friede shed tears.
"Even I can't do it... This... I might die...."
"Don't die, who would die!"
"I don't want to die...."
"I know, I will never let you die. Just hold on a little longer."
With blood clots flowing out of my body, I lifted my shirt with my hands, which were turning black, to reveal my chest.
The master is making small plans and making big moves.
The magic of immortality that I had culminated in four years of research was engraved on the heart.
"No... So, I made... magic before..."
It was a magic that completely froze the body, forcing it into a state of forced hibernation, and then using healing amplification magic and holy verses to completely heal the body.
If my calculations are correct, that is.
Of course, I don't know how long it will take. It may remain dormant for the rest of its life. But it is something that has to be done.
"I'll be back… I'll definitely win…."
Now, the life left is only a moment.
Let's activate the magic before it's too late. Starting from the tips of my toes, my body is covered in ice.
Lista, her face streaked with tears, held my hand tightly.
"You promised, Lin. We'll meet again. You promised to come back, right?"
Lista was pretty when she smiled. But now that I look at her, she seems even prettier when she cries.
"Then together, the four of us… let's go see the world together. Okay…? I'll wait by your side until you wake up."
The ice, the chill of death, slowly creeps up my body. My shins, thighs, hips, back, neck… … .
I smiled weakly.
Just like when we first met at Rista and Matap.
"Yeah, promise."
And my consciousness sank into the bitter cold. A feeling of floating and emptiness, as if sinking into a lukewarm swamp… … .
Death left me with a strange sense of regret.
In the grand 7-star magic system of the empire, have you ever wanted to see the end of the truth? While traveling this large and wide world with your party members… … .
dark.
dark.
dark.
dark.
As I was starting to get tired of struggling in the darkness, my eyelids suddenly lifted.
Warm sunshine.
And a refreshing spring breeze.
The energy of life that warmly and gently caresses the whole body.
"Rain, are you okay?"
I was blankly blinking when my mother grabbed my shoulder. The thought that instinctively crossed my mind made me feel uneasy.
mother?
You call me mother… … ?
I was an orphan?
The Golden Square was dazzling with awards. The scorching heat of the South and the sobbing of the muddy abyss were not heard.
Where am I…?
Deep in his mind, the memories of Lin, who died at the age of eighteen, and of Rain, who was nine, were tangled together.
"This is...."
"This is Heroes' Square in the Vatican. The statue here was erected to commemorate the Rista party. Why, don't you like it?"
I quietly looked up at the statue that had weathered over eons of time. It was a face I knew all along.
Warrior, Lista.
Archer, Keith.
Priestess, Friede.
And me… … Lin.
Deep in my heart, a pain defined as sorrow welled up. On the pedestal, an inscription was engraved majestically, telling the story of the long passage of time.
[Resta: 1082 ~ 1116] [Keys: 1076 ~ 1154] [Friede: 1079 ~ 1168] [Lin: 1090 ~ 1107]
They're all dead... ... ?
The lifespan of a Payquerier, whose strength was enhanced through body modification, was originally short, so Lista's death was to be expected.
That's why I tried to pass it on.
"Mother, how old are you now?"
"Hey, why are you acting so formal all of a sudden? Don't do that, it's scary."
"How many years?"
"It's the year 1418 in the Tersian calendar."
1418… … ?
To put it simply, I had awakened again in a time approximately 300 years removed from the time Rin lived in.
Is it a new birth, or is it a memory that has been added…?
It felt like an indescribable nightmare. A time 300 years removed from the laughter of Lista, the drunkenness of Keith, and the smoke of Friede's cigarette.
"Did you win?"
It was a meaningless question.
Since he won, a statue was erected, so that's why we have such peaceful skies.
"Do you see that tower of the Vatican? They say that the corpse of Archmage Lin is still there. It's completely frozen, just like before."
"is it so?"
"And they say that Lady Lista stayed by his side until the day he died. Isn't it a truly beautiful and sad relationship?"
It was funny.
To me, the battle happened just a moment ago, but it seems like a legend from hundreds of years ago.
"Why are you laughing? It's a sad story."
"I just... thought you really kept your promise."
You just promised to do it, and you held my right hand tightly, and I can still feel it vividly… … .
"lane?"
My mother tilted her head as if she didn't know what I was talking about.
"But there are some people who don't keep their promises."
He muttered as if spitting out words and touched the pedestal's scream, and hot water flowed down both of his cheeks. Quietly and powerlessly.
"I couldn't keep it..."
* * *
As the three people wrote about me, I became a historically great figure.
Elemental Master.
Master of multi-operations.
I received a huge reward and a plaque of appreciation from the Emperor of the Holy Human Empire, and many magic towers and magic houses described me as a saint.
It was a trivial nickname, the 11th Great Wizard.
In the 300 long years since then, there has only been one other archmage who has reached the rank of 5-star after me, and the position is currently vacant.
'Now, really, there's nothing left.'
I think blankly.
All I have left is magic.
Memories of traveling to countless places and the smiles of colleagues that shone brightly in those memories have become legends of old stories rather than memories.
Memories are memories only when you can share them with someone, Lista used to tell me.
Therefore, the memories I have are not recollections.
Until the day I die.
It must be an unanswered echo that I must carry on alone.
'I remember feeling regretful about my magical achievements before I died.'
The Holy Human Empire has systematized its vast magic into the 'Imperial Seven-Star Magic System'.
1st grade normal wizard, Bandoran.
2nd grade middle level wizard, Limites.
Atlas, a 3-star high-ranking wizard.
GLaDOS, the 4-star extreme wizard.
5-star Archmage, Aquizard.
What I have reached is the level of 5 stars, and from 6 stars onwards, they are called sages, the pinnacle of truth that only two people in the history of the empire have reached.
'If I hadn't followed Lista, I might have reached the ranks of a 6-star before I died of old age.'
But I'm sure you regretted it.
Even if I could turn back time, I would follow her on her journey again and again.
'But now there is no Rista… … .'
If so, let's fulfill the dreams we couldn't fulfill in our past lives in this life.
'In this life, we will see the truth.'
It is said that those who have reached the end of magic and the truth can see through all the truth of the world.
- I wish this world was filled with laughter.
Rista said so.
Let us take a look with the eyes of truth to see if the world we desperately protected together is really like that now.
So let's do our best.
Let me whip myself so that I can forget this stinging feeling of grief and futility.
Before leaving the square.
Finally, I looked up at the statue, slowly closed my eyes, and tried to recall the unanswered echo.
- Lin, over here! Look at these flowers!
Lista.
And Friede.
- It's such a romantic flower garden for a cute little brat like Lin.
Because he couldn't speak, K.I.S. would always express his feelings by stroking my head.
- Instead of watching this, I'd rather read another magic book. What's so good about this...
And me, who was always grumbling.
I always get on my nerves, but the truth is, I really enjoyed my trip with you guys.
"Lista, Keith, Friede."
I quietly savored their names, prayed that my voice would reach their souls, and then said my final farewell.
"Now, goodbye...."
The dead only remain in the past.
The living cannot go against the flow of time, so they must move forward into the future.
I persuaded my feet, which would not fall, like that.
That's how my second life began.