Beyond the Eternity

Kim Seohwa stepped inside the office and was greeted politely by the middle school headmaster.

Having arrived on short notice and adjusted her schedule, she was dressed simply in a plain white shirt, black pants, and a face cap. In her rush, she had even forgotten to put on makeup.

Obviously, she was tensed.

The school institution unexpectedly called her, requesting a meeting the next to discuss matters concerning her son, Kim Jakga. Concerned, she wondered if he had gotten into trouble or if something had happened to him.

The headmaster noticed her tense expression and spoke gently to reassure her.

"Rest assured, Miss Kim. Your son hasn't gotten into any trouble."

She let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad to hear that. But in that case, why did you call me here?"

"Please, have a seat. I'll explain the matter shortly."

The headmaster gestured to the couch across from him, and Kim Seohwa settled down, with her eyes expecting for an explanation. Noticing those eyes, the headmaster reached into his drawer, and showed her a book.

Seohwa frowned slightly and asked. "What's this?"

"That's your son's book. Take a look at what's inside."

At his prompting, Kim Seohwa opened the book and began to read. She read through to the very end, and a puzzled expression crossed her face.

Was she called for something like this? She shot back with a puzzled expression.

"What is wrong with this book...?"

"There's nothing wrong with the book, per se. After all, it was written by an eleven-year-old child. However, that books contains some disturbing elements that would raise concern. Take a look at the very first sentence."

He pointed at the beginning sentence which read,

"I received a revelation from the 'King of Angels' who descended from the top of the <Tree of Beginnings>"

"Surely, you aren't taking the words of a child seriously?"

Of course, the words of a child couldn't be taken seriously when they said something as absurd as seeing a ghost lurking in the corner of their room. In fact, some might even say it was simply a product of an overactive imagination.

However, was she truly summoned to the school because her son, Kim Jakga, claimed he saw an angel, something he might have imagined during a silly dream?

No matter how she viewed the situation, it seemed utterly absurd, and she felt as though she had squandered her time attending a meeting about such a trivial matter, especially given her busy schedule. Yet, the headmaster appeared poised to share more information.

"I understand how you feel, Mrs. Kim, and I'm aware that you have a busy schedule. However, this is only the beginning. Please allow me to read further."

Seohwa's expression tightened as the headmaster continued reading.

"The 'End' draweth near, and everyone shall die—including me."

"They call it the 'Final Story'. The sound of the Angel's triumphant shall mark the end of the Fourth Epoch (Humanity)."

"An unchangeable chain of destruction has begun, which had started with the death of a single person."

"Everyone will die. That's the truth that will soon become a reality, and it will be all because of me."

Seohwa's eyes widened, her initial puzzlement shifting to concern. "My son… wrote this?"

"Yes. These aren't the kind of thoughts we'd expect from a child his age. It's clear he had a unique imagination and has a talent for storytelling, but…" He paused, gathering his thoughts before adding, "These passages indicate he may be delving into some unsettling themes that warrant concern." .net

"Has he… shown any other signs of distress? I mean, at home, he's always been quiet, but he's never spoken about anything like this."

The headmaster closed the book and set it on his desk. "Sometimes, children express their emotions and experiences through stories rather than words. I called you here because we're worried that he might have picked up some strange hobby that might lead to further isolation."

"Isolation? Don't tell me he's being bullied as well?"

"Nothing of the sorts. He's just being avoided by the other students, but he doesn't seem to mind solitude which is an unusual behaviour from a child. In fact, he doesn't seem to perceive the people around him as humans."

"Eh? W-What?"

"Take a look at this."

The headmaster reached into his drawer once more and retrieved a stack of papers, placing them on his desk. The sheets were filled with various drawings.

"These are the assignments given by the art teacher, where students were tasked with drawing portraits of one another. As you can see, these are the drawings created by his classmates."

The white papers laid out before her showcased portraits of students, each drawn by their classmates. The illustrations were extremely ordinary, and nothing appeared amiss.

"And these were the ones drawn by your son, Kim Jak-ga."

The headmaster pushed forward another set of portraits drawn by a child's small hand. However, the faces of the students were intentionally blurred out for some reason.

Seohwa noticed this abnormality and narrowed her eyes. "Their faces are... blurred out?"

"That's correct. When the art teacher inquired about his reasons for drawing them this way, Kim Jak-ga explained that it was simply how he perceived his classmates, and he followed the instructions exactly as given."

"...."

"Now do you understand why the other students avoid your son? Why would they want to befriend someone who doesn't even seem to care enough to remember their faces? And yet, that's not even the most troubling part."

"There's more?"

The headmaster didn't reply. Instead, he slid another paper toward her. What kind of drawing would it be this time?

With a pair of nervous eyes, Kim Seo-hwa looked at the final image.

In front of a seemingly ordinary house stood four figures—a man, a woman, a boy, and a girl on some land. Kim Seo-hwa immediately recognized this as a portrait of her family. But something was wrong.

She narrowed her eyes once more. 'Who is this girl?'

She had no memory of ever giving birth to a daughter, nor did she recall Jak-ga ever mentioning he wanted a sister. The girl's face was blurred, and she wore a blood-stained white dress—details that filled Kim Seo-hwa with a deep, unsettling sense of unease.

'Wait, was it possible that he drew that person?'

In that moment, she realized the identity of the blood-stained girl. But that person had already left this world exactly one year ago.

"Do you happen to know who this girl is, or why Kim Jak-ga would create an image like this?"

.... She knew but it wasn't possible for her to carelessly give out that sensitive information. Therefore, she could only shake her head.

"... As I thought."

The headmaster nodded as if he understood something.

Initially, the school suspected that Kim Jak-ga might have experienced abuse at home or undergone a significant trauma, but they found no evidence to support this. It seemed more likely that he was struggling with isolation—something understandable given his parents' demanding careers.

His father served as a sergeant in the military, and his mother was a renowned actress. It was a small miracle that she'd even managed to attend this meeting.

It was not that rare for children to suffer from solitude.

"It appears this was a misunderstanding on our part. However, I strongly recommend that you carve out some time for Kim Jak-ga, even amidst your busy schedule, as your attention and presence could make a significant difference in his emotional well-being and help him feel less isolated. It's strange for a child to already feel this isolated."

"Yes, I understand."

"At the very least, It seems he has a talent for writing."

Seo-hwa could only smile awkwardly at those words, relieved that the situation wasn't more serious. She could rest a little bit.

However, that was not the end of the headmaster's business. After conducting some research on some news articles, he uncovered troubling information that he could no longer ignore.

He adjusted his glasses and regarded Seo-hwa with a more serious expression than before. It almost as if he was about to carry out an interrogation.

"Actually, Miss Kim, there's another matter I would like to discuss with you, if you don't mind."

* * *

As I awoke from my slumber, a system message appeared infront of my retina.

[The effects of good sleep has restored some of your mental health.]

Ignoring the system message, I noticed my body felt stiff despite having slept for several hours. As I fully awakened, I finally recognized the source of my discomfort.

I had been sleeping atop a crater.

Ah, so that's what happened...

Recognizing the awkwardness of the situation, I reluctantly allowed Angelica to use the blanket, despite her insistence, while I settled atop the crater. But why hadn't I chosen to sleep on the ground instead? Surely, sleeping on the ground would have been more comfortable than sleeping on a crater.

[The Constellations find your choice utterly absurd.]

[Some constellations are questioning your choice.]

[Some constellations are calling you a fool.]

'Damn it. Can you all quiet down? It's too early in the morning for your nonsense, you annoying constellations.'

I was itching to shout those words, but I dreaded the backlash that would inevitably follow. Seriously, what could possibly be entertaining about watching other people sleep?

Were the constellations just a bunch of perverts?

I stood up from the uncomfortable crater and stretched my stiff body. Then I pulled out my smartphone to check the time.

[ 4 : 00 AM]

4 am, huh?

It would have been beneficial for us to start moving, but I quickly reconsidered when I noticed Angelica still sleeping.

This was not a reckless choice.

She looked so peaceful in her slumber, you would never guess the hardships she had endured. Waking her up out of my own selfishness would surely be rude.

I couldn't take that from her.

「 T@K∆ @#∆@%@%@%@%@ 」

I shook my head, pushing all unnecessary thoughts aside. Just then, Angelica's eyelids fluttered open, and she slowly turned her head in my direction.

I forced a smile and greeted. "Good morning. Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes. I had a dream."

"A dream? Are you trying to raise curiousity? I think the constellations would like something like that?"

"... Constellations? Oh, right."

Angelica's brows furrowed at the mention of 'Constellations', and her mood instantly darkened.

It was understandable.

I doubted there were any humans who truly viewed the Constellations in a positive light. Sure, some might see them as symbols of hope and power, but others saw them for what they truly were.

Watchers who perceived mortals as mere characters in a story.

Indeed, that was the true nature of the beings known as the Constellations.

Angelica wrestled her way out of the blanket, raised herself up, and rubbed her eyes. She still looked half-asleep, but she was rapidly coming to her senses.

She looked at me, "What are we going to do next?"

"Hmm… it's hard to say. At least we won't have to worry about the Fables for a while. We could use this time to search for the other party members or consider an alternative route to our original destination."

"Isn't the bridge collapsed?"

"We don't need to cross the Han River. We can still take the road, but it might be a different experience given our large numbers."

"You mean the survivors?"

"Of course. It's not like we can just leave them behind."

Angelica's eyes widened, clearly taken aback by my words. Why was she so shocked?

"I see," she replied softly.

"Angell, is something bothering you?"

"No, it's nothing... Actually, there is something, but never mind."

"If something is troubling you, I might be able to help."

"No, it's really nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Shut up. I told you it's nothing."

"...."

What's going on?

She mentioned that something was bothering her, yet when I pressed for details, she brushed it off completely. Was she hesitant to speak because the Constellations were watching, or was there something else altogether?

I don't understand. I really don't understand at all.

As I was lost in thought, Angelica spoke up again.

"You wouldn't mind if I asked, would you?"

"Not at all. As long as it's not something unreasonable, I'll answer."

"Then…" She hesitated before continuing. "Do you remember what we talked about back at the hospital?"

"What? You mean that New Year's conversation? Honestly, I never imagined the year would start off like this."

"Not that! I mean the conservation after that, of course."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "The conservation after that? Wait, you don't really mean..."

"Yes. So you still remembered after all. I'm glad."

W-What? She still remembered that conversation? At a time like this?

Wouldn't anyone else have forgotten something so trivial by now? So why was it still on her mind?

Was she trying to hold onto some unreachable reality or something?

I snapped out of my reverie abruptly, and spoke in the calmest voice I could muster. "Yes, I remember somewhat. But why are you asking me this now?"

"I'm just curious," she said, with a hint of a smile breaking through. "I never got to hear your answer back then."

"You know why. Too many strange things have happened since then."

"I know. But I'll ask you again anyway—who were you planning to ask out on New Year's Eve?"

"W-well? T-That..."

I stumbled over my words, feeling her gaze drilling into me as if she were trying to read my mind.

How I could I answer such an impossible question?

No. Did I even have the right to answer that question?

I might have answered that question honestly if the circumstances were different. But after everything that has happened, I definitely did not have the right to pursue my own happiness.

It felt impossible to respond, yet Angelica was clearly waiting for an answer and showed no signs of accepting anything less than complete honesty.

What should I do?

... Ah, would saying that work?

[The constellations that support romances are curious of your answer.]

[The constellations that champion romance are eagerly awaiting your response.]

I cleared my throat, faking a flush of embarrassment. "Well... you know Han Sora? I was actually planning to ask her out before I ended up in a coma."

"Han Sora? Oh, I see... I didn't realize you two were close, though."

"We weren't particularly close, but after having a few conversations, I realized we shared similar interests, which made it worth exploring the possibility of a deeper relationship."

Han Sora was a member of the same Literature Club as Angelica and me, where she held the position of Vice President. While it was true that we had engaged in a few conversations and discovered shared interests, I had never felt any physical attraction or romantic feelings for her.

Simply put, my words were a lie.

In the first place, I didn't have to provide a truthful answer with her name. As long as I addressed her question, she'd satisfy her curiosity and likely drop the matter entirely.

[Some constellations are disappointed by your answer.]

[A few constellations are inquiring about the identity of the individual known as Han Sora.]

Everything was fine this way.

"I see..."

Angelica lowered her gaze for a moment, only to lift her head again with a beaming smile. "It's such a shame you never had the chance to ask her out."

"Yeah..."

For some reason, her smile seemed oddly strained, as if she were putting on a façade.

At that moment

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

A piercing scream suddenly cut through the air, causing Angelica and me to turn our heads simultaneously in the direction of the sound.

What's happening? Was it an enemy attack? No… that voice?

"Isn't that Yoo Rin's voice?"

"I know. C'mon, let's go!"

With a sense of urgency, both of us ran towards the direction where the scream came from, the place where the other survivors were resting.

That couldn't have happened, right?

My worst fears became true as we arrived at the location.

"Oh my god..."

Angelica immediately turned pale like a ghost, and seemed as if she was about to vomit.

The other survivors gathered nearby stared at the scene in horror, while the twins cried out in distress. This damn story... were we not allowed happy endings?

[The constellation, 'Primordial Mother of Dragons' is laughing.]

[The constellations are interested by the new development.]

Some of the survivors met a brutal end, with blood and brain matter splattered across the scene. Among the fallen was the twins' mother, one of the tragic souls who would never again see the light of day.

Tragically, she succumbed to her fate as written in the revelations.