Chapter 160 – You’re Back

It was over.

The seemingly endless journey through the past.

“…Ah.”

A wooden ceiling lay above me.

Feeling the rawness in my voice, I sighed at the emptiness in the corner of my heart. It didn’t feel real. Was I truly in the past?

When I opened my eyes, I was lying on a soft bed.

[…Are you awake?]

“I have an odd sensation. It’s like I was having a dream, and it was cut off at the very end.”

In a word, it felt tainted.

However, contrary to that feeling, my mind was calm and composed. It seemed that Baekyang had done something while I was unconscious.

I raised my hand, bringing my previously broken arm into view. I moved my fingers one by one. They were fine.

‘The mana conduit… It’s still the same. That’s fortunate, at least.’

I got up from the bed.

Feeling groggy as though he had slept soundly all day, he stretched his stiff shoulders.

“Ughhhhh…”

He gave a good stretch, then rubbed his eyes. After a long yawn, he smacked his lips to regain his taste.

Pulling himself together, he said,

“Get it together.”

He turned his head and asked the creature.

[…….]

Baekyang, now blackened entirely. The blue hue that was once there had vanished. He resembled an ancient tree on the brink of death, with cracked bark. Soon, he would likely wither and die. The World Tree, which had lived for eons, now faced its demise.

A part of his chest felt cold, but he casually dismissed the emotion.

“Dying is dying, but there are things we need to know. How much longer can you live?”

[Not much longer. Is that what you want to hear as soon as you wake up?]

“Well, at least I can pray for your peaceful rest when you die.”

[Hehehe…]

Baekyang let out a bitter laugh and began to speak.

[I cannot speak against the flow of time… I was unable to say anything in the past. First and foremost, the past you were in is indeed the past.]

“What does that mean?”

[Endless repetition without origin.]

Past, present, and future.

My knowledge falls short of the World Tree.
Even if I could devise a hypothesis, there is no way to prove it.

Thus, up until now, I had foolishly acted based solely on speculation and intuition, harboring a faint hope in the corner of my heart, thinking, “Could it be like this?”

Defying the flow of time, you say? Well…

It may be easy to say, but in the world I inhabited, it was a realm of pure imagination.
Entropy cannot be decreased, so in reality, it’s impossible. I had a vague understanding of such matters, but I was far from being an expert.

The scope of what I could predict was limited to my own creativity and intuition.

“Explain further.”

“I don’t know the details of the nature of my ability itself. The only thing that knows that is beyond the World Tree… an absolute existence. I’m not sure if such a being exists.”

Even so, Baekyang had some grasp of it and continued.

“Your prediction is correct. The things you did in the past are now the history of this world.”

From the beginning, I went back to the past, and events that occurred there eventually came back to me.

It’s a loop.

I understand up to that point. The problem is the other aspects. There were still many things I didn’t comprehend.

“Did I go to the past to change the future… or not?”

“That’s what I was told. But I don’t know everything either.”

I went to the past to change the future, but the actions I took seemed unrelated to the future.

“They’re not entirely unrelated.”

Yes, one might think so. I crossed my arms and pondered once more.

‘Enhancement of abilities, formation of connections…’

Baekyang received a prophecy from the future and sent me back to the past. Even Baekyang did not know the reason, and when asked about the events of the future, he replied that he only had a vague understanding.

But… didn’t this guy show me the future? The image of Se-Young dying still lingers before my eyes.

I’ve vomited several times because of it. Is he saying now that it won’t actually happen?

[The direction of the power, as it develops, its utility increases. The future I showed you… in some sense, it is the correct future.]

“What do you mean? Are you going to keep talking in circles?”

[I apologize. I may have some power left, but I don’t have enough strength to completely comprehend it.]

What’s the point of arguing with someone who’s only half-informed? I clicked my tongue in irritation at Baekyang’s words.

Recalling what I had heard before, the future in which Se-Young dies is one that can be averted.

A mutable future and an immutable future.
For starters, it was impossible for me to prevent Do-won’s demise on my own.

After pondering for a while, I spoke up.

“Listen carefully.”

A hypothesis reached calmly at the end of a long deliberation.
I went through it point by point.

“First of all… I understand that your power itself is quite peculiar. With it, a connection has been formed between the present and the past, involving Do-won and myself.”

[That’s correct.]

“Then, similarly, a connection has been established between the future and something in the present, which led someone to trigger my journey to the past?”

[…I believe that’s highly likely.]

“Why do you sound so uncertain?”

Let’s assume that’s correct and try to summarize.

Past, present, and future. Something possessing abilities akin to Baekyang’s was mysteriously intertwined, connecting the timelines of these three locations.

The purpose is to change the future.
Baekyang, having received a signal from the future, hastened our meeting and sent me to the past.

On the day we first met, Baekyang was unaware of what I should acquire from the past.

[At first, that was the case.]

“So you know now?”

[To some extent. I can sense what serves as a connection to the present and what will be utilized in the future.]

Baekyang’s role was to send me to the past from the very beginning.
Indeed, he even confirmed this himself.

Thus, while observing my actions by my side, Baekyang intuitively grasped what I should be doing.

“…Really?”

[Living for a thousand years, it’s only natural for me to develop such intuition.]

“So, what was I supposed to do?”

[It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly. However, if you hadn’t been there in the first place, those sisters would have perished on the spot. That was the first thing.]

Skill growth.
Dowon’s demise was postponed, and the deaths of the peaches were prevented.

[Another thing that made Heavenly Demon revisit his dreams.]

It seems to be referring to the conversation he had with an elder during his training.

[Advancing Dowon… forging bonds with certain individuals. That was what you were meant to do.]

It refers to the tasks he undertook in Dowon.

[In my experience, a single seemingly insignificant action can often bring about significant change. Your memories from the past… they will be of great help in the future.]

Is it somehow helpful?

There were indeed many people who had established various connections.
And if it means that my actions still apply to the present…
Heaven, White Peach, and Zodiac.
What becomes of these three’s memories?

[They remain unchanged.]

“…Why is that?”

[The present includes the history of your past deeds. Nothing has changed. It’s just that memories from the past have returned to you.]

“Does that mean the three of them lost their memories of me due to something else, can I assume that?”

[Indeed, that is the case. It seems to be a curse related to the World Tree.]

“Is that also the intuition of the thousand-year-old World Tree?”

[Hehe… It’s not intuition, but certainty. After the death of the Heavenly Demon, the family was marked. They must have forgotten all traces of the World Tree, and you are one of those traces.]

“So, I’m a trace of the World Tree?”

[Didn’t you travel to the past through me? Well… even if I say this, the curse of the World Tree has not yet been fully revealed. However, I know how to lift it.]

Lift the curse of the World Tree.
…Curse?

-A copy tree, yes. Not a particularly honorable family.

The words I heard during my first encounter with Cheondo surfaced in my mind.

– The deeds of the past will undoubtedly extend into the future. If it’s called a curse, then it must be a curse.

Later, it was mentioned that they were born from one body at the same time. There was a high probability that those words were simply made up. They were spoken as if flowing naturally, perhaps a blend of half-truths and half-lies.

That curse was the curse of the World Tree. Was it cursed when Do-won fell apart?

“Hey.”

[Yes.]

“When the curse of the World Tree eroded the family lineage, was there ever a case where three bodies merged into one?”

In response to my speculation, Baekyang answered with a sullen expression.

[It’s not impossible. Such a form of curse does exist.]

“…Why did they choose to curse instead of killing?”

More and more questions arose. Why did the World Tree not kill Cheondo? And why was White Peach cooperating with the Association?

‘Jung Ho-Moon.’

If that man had helped the three of them find their place, then the latter’s question would be resolved. They must have had to accept certain things in order to survive, and joining the association was likely inevitable.

[Perhaps they couldn’t kill him.]

“Why?”

[I… I don’t know why the Heavenly Demon is being treated similarly to King Mokryeong at this point. I couldn’t tell just from what I saw. He might have done something before he died.]

Is that all they can predict for now? There could have been a dramatic negotiation between the World Tree and the Heavenly Demon.

So, how does one break the curse?

The World Tree of Time, reading the question in my eyes, answered without hesitation.

[To kill the World Tree that cast the curse. Once a curse has been placed… It won’t be lifted unless the tree that cast it dies.]

“What kind of being is it?”

[I don’t know that either.]

Killing it brings back memories.

I closed my eyes. The tasks at hand were beginning to take shape.

“So… they don’t remember me at all?”

[Vaguely… They probably only know the information. For instance, what you taught them.]

Zodiac possesses a talent for magic. Something along those lines.
Rather than remembering through memory, it seems to be imprinted on their senses and instincts.

“Then, when they saw me, was their strange familiarity partly due to that?”

Baekyang offered no response. Perhaps that was mere speculation.
It appeared that he couldn’t provide a definitive answer since he couldn’t confirm my memories.

Nevertheless, there was a possibility. After all, it was true that I received such peculiar kindness from the mentor.

“I roughly understand.”

I sorted the memories in my head.

First and foremost, Do-won had ultimately met his downfall.
Heaven had survived. Their bodies merged under the curse.

The reason I traveled to the past was to change the future. The memories of my actions in the past have a significant impact.
I needed to be cautious, as the future where my teacher dies was a possibility.
If things continued this way, the future would lead to disaster.

I was forced to learn the past that my teacher never disclosed.
I also discovered the untold past, which in itself was a considerable gain.

The realization that I couldn’t trust the association,
And the fact that the number of world trees I had to slay increased.

“But if there’s a future perspective, doesn’t that mean I can’t change the future? It’s fate, isn’t it?”

[Only you can change it.]

“Why are you so sure?”

[Because he did it.]

King Mokryeong.
The more I hear, the more it sounds like a bizarre tale.
Wave after wave, only incredible stories emerge.

[I believed I could achieve anything with my powers…until I met him.]

In summary, if one were to adeptly follow King Mokryeong’s path, it would be possible to distort even the predetermined timeline. I felt dizzy.

[Have all of your questions been answered?]

“Ah, more or less.”

I ceased my thoughts, laid down, and gazed up at the sky.

My heart felt heavy.
Once we part, I must meet Jin Dal-rae, Lee Se-Young… and Sansuyu again. And the enigmatic, mad Guseul as well.

[So then… is it time for me to close my eyes?]

“Do you have any last words?”

I raised my body once more and looked at Baekyang.

Hearing my words, Baekyang shook a branch, appearing somewhat surprised. The sight of the barren branches, devoid of a single leaf, evoked pity.

[Though our time was brief, I was happy to have had a conversation with you.]

[You gave me a name… I didn’t say it, but I was happy.]

“Ah.”

[I wanted to experience sex with a human.]

“Pfft. Seriously… Do you have to say that in this situation?”

[Since I can’t, and I’m going to die soon, isn’t this something I can leave behind?]

“Come find me when you’re reborn. Then… I can do whatever you desire.”

[Heh, past lives… I don’t personally believe in them, but alright. If I’m reborn, I’ll come to see you.]

At the end of the withered branch, Baekyang’s last mana gathered. Yellow petals formed and fell before my eyes.

I picked them up and spread them across my palm.

[This is a power. The last power I possess… The last one I can use now. Swallow it, and it will be of great help later on.]

A charming flower, unlike the age it had been consumed for so long. I placed the flower in my mouth as Baekyang watched.

It felt like a warm sensation in a corner of my chest, as if I had drunk Kaoliang wine.

[…This is a bit embarrassing.]

“It’s fine.”

[And, um. Although it may be difficult for you, please don’t hate the World Trees too much.]

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

If there were a friendly World Tree, I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to confront it. If it weren’t for the likes of Baekyang, I would have just treated it as a mere large tree and burned it down. There must be other trees with this kind of disposition somewhere – trees that one can have a casual conversation with while exchanging playful banter.

[Well then… Lee Si-heon.]

“Yes?”

[I’ll go first.]

*Snap*. *Whoosh*.

The branch that was in front of me is severed. It crumbles into dust like a sandcastle swept away by the wind, leaving only debris behind.

The sky shatters. The bed I was sitting on sinks to the ground. My entire body feels weightless, and my consciousness begins to fade.

*Blink*!

A shrine maiden appears before my eyes. Upon seeing her face, I have an inkling.

“You’re back.”