Childhood Friend of the Zenith

When it comes to memories of my mother, I must admit, I don’t recall much.

I was too young back then, and decades have passed since.

At best, only fragments remain.

One memory is that she loved winter.

On snowy days, she would always hold my sister’s and my hands as we walked through the snow-covered paths.

She once mentioned that she liked things that were pure white.

Or at least, that’s what I think she said.

And perhaps because of that, she also loved white flowers.

Actually, she seemed to love anything that was white.

But there was one exception.

"She liked our hair.

"Despite her love for all things white, my mother had an odd fondness for our pitch-black hair.

Her own hair was as white as freshly fallen snow, but she once said it was fortunate that ours was black.

It made no sense, but she would say it so earnestly.

Those were happy times.

Every day seemed that way when I think back on it.

There were no worries, just days spent enjoying the moment.

“Son, do you like this?

”“Yes.

”On snowy days, I would often nap on the wooden porch, my head resting on my mother’s lap.

Her embrace was warm.

Yet, despite her warmth, my mother, like all members of the Gu family who radiated heat, felt the cold acutely, even though she loved winter.

Why was that?

I remember it being a strange reason.

Ah, right.

“It’s because I don’t have fur.

”That’s what she said.

Even now, it’s hard to make sense of those words.

Maybe it just meant she was sensitive to the cold.

Anyway—I liked my mother.

No, I’m sure I did.

Even if I don’t remember everything clearly, I believed I did.

Which is why…I must be dreaming about her now.

A dream about something I can’t return to, something I can only long for.

“My son.

”“…”I felt a touch on my hair.

Perhaps because it’s been so long since I’ve dreamt of her, the sensation felt vivid.

The gentle strokes of her hand were soft.

As if she were truly there, stroking my hair…“…”Something felt off.

"Isn’t this too real for a dream?

"That thought lingered as I slowly opened my eyes.

“Ah.

”“…”The first thing I saw was a pair of violet eyes staring back at me, along with a familiar, beautiful face.

“Hello.

”Her monotone greeting made me immediately sit up.

I pulled away and glared at her.

“Ah…”Cheonma looked at me with a disappointed expression, which only made me frown deeper.

“…What the hell are you doing?

”I thought this dream felt unusually vivid.

It turned out I had been lying on Cheonma’s lap this whole time.

I scratched the back of my head with an annoyed grimace.

Damn it.

How did this happen?

"Did I pass out?

"That seemed likely.

I tried to recall my last memory before losing consciousness.

“…!

”I remembered.

"The Blood Demon.

"I had come to find Cheonma when the Blood Demon appeared.

They fought, and I had drawn the White Flame to stop him…"As soon as he saw it, the Blood Demon tried to kill me.

"His unsettling grin vanished the moment he saw the White Flame.

His expression hardened, and he moved to kill me on the spot.

And then—"Mother appeared.

"She appeared, wrapping me in her energy.

Though it was only her presence, I knew it was her.

She even subdued the Blood Demon.

"That monster…"The moment I felt his power, I realized something.

The Blood Demon was far beyond anything I had imagined.

But if my mother could suppress him, that meant her power was even greater.

No, more importantly…"They seemed to know each other.

"That fact bothered me.

I had long suspected my mother wasn’t an ordinary person.

I’d even heard about her before.

"A calamity.

"If the Blood Demon was the first calamity, my mother was the second.

Yet, the world had survived them both, leading to the present day.

Still, why would my mother and the Blood Demon know each other?

"The Blood Demon called her Mangye.

"Mangye —the Lord of Myriad Realms.

Muah had also described her as such.

It meant my mother was the ruler of some realm.

"But setting that aside…"How had she appeared back at the Sinryong Pavilion?

And what did her final words mean?

"She told me never to look for her.

"Why?

I didn’t know.

As I frowned and sank into thought, a voice interrupted.

“Are you all right?

”“…Tch.

”I clicked my tongue at the voice in front of me.

"Right, she’s still here.

"It wasn’t just my mother or the Blood Demon I needed to think about.

There was something I needed to confirm with Cheonma, too.

The Blood Demon had said she was his daughter.

“You—”I turned to ask her about it but stopped.

I grimaced and scanned my surroundings.

Something felt wrong.

“What is this…?

”Only then did I realize it.

“Where are we?

”This wasn’t the open field we’d been in.

The wide, open space was gone, replaced by a forest filled with massive trees.

And the trees—"What are these?

"The trees were unnaturally thick and towering.

Their appearance was unfamiliar, unlike any I had ever seen.

Trees of this size should have been ancient, yet there were so many of them here.

While it might be possible in some remote region, I was certain there was no forest like this in Hanam.

Moreover—"Why does the air feel so strange?

"Even breathing felt unusual.

The air was heavier and seemed to fill my lungs more completely.

"…The concentration of qi in the air is this high?

"Every breath was drawing in far more qi than normal.

It was all too strange.

This wasn’t anywhere I knew.

Which meant—“Where the hell did you bring me?

”Assuming Cheonma was responsible, I spoke with certainty.

“…?

”Cheonma tilted her head, her expression puzzled, as if to say it wasn’t her doing.

“Don’t play dumb.

If not you, then who—”I began to press her further when she suddenly raised a finger.

I tensed, expecting an attack, but she simply pointed upward.

She was gesturing at the sky.

Following her hand, I looked up.

“What are you trying to show me?

”All I could see was the night sky dotted with stars.

"What is this?

Is she asking me to figure out how long I’ve been unconscious?

"I’d passed out at sunset, and now it was night.

That meant I’d been out for at least a couple of hours.

As I thought about it, I paid closer attention to the sky.

“…Huh?

”I noticed something strange.

Whoosh—!

I lit a flame and propelled myself upward.

In an instant, I reached the top of the towering trees, revealing the vast expanse of the sky.

“Damn it…”The sight made me curse.

“What the hell is this?

”A vivid galaxy stretched across the night sky.

The Milky Way, flowing unnaturally with a crimson hue, was breathtaking.

The auroras dancing above it were stunning enough to leave anyone speechless.

It was a sight so vast and awe-inspiring, it felt overwhelming.

Yet, I couldn’t admire it.

“…Ha…”At the center of that starry expanse, a problem hung in the air.

No, not one moon—there were two.

“Shit.

”A blue moon and a crimson moon hovered in the sky.

****************In my life, I’ve experienced many things.

I’ve abandoned my humanity, killed my own father, and even turned back time.

I thought nothing could surprise me anymore.

Ah, well, I was pretty shocked when that brat Dol-dol turned into a child who resembled me.

But let’s set that aside.

Anyway, I figured I’d seen it all and convinced myself there was nothing left to astonish me.

“Life.

”I had to lament my arrogance as I became painfully aware of it.

It seemed the world still held countless things I didn’t know.

Damn it all.

“Haa…”A sigh escaped me naturally.

How could it not?

After wandering around for what I’d estimate to be roughly two hours, I’d ended up right back where I started.

I had no choice but to admit it now.

“Shit, where the hell is this place…?

”At first, I thought it might be an unfamiliar part of the northern regions, like the Outer Lands of Murim.

“…But they wouldn’t have two moons, right?

”Even though I’d never been there, I knew they only had one moon.

If it wasn’t that—"Could this be the Blood Demon’s doing?

"I wondered if he’d done something to me.

It wasn’t impossible.

There were precedents, like when Tang Sunbae sent me back to a past life.

Perhaps the Blood Demon had used some trick like that on me.

But—"No, that doesn’t make sense.

"The last energy that enveloped me wasn’t the Blood Demon’s—it was my mother’s.

So, was it her doing?

“…But why would she?

”If it was my mother’s power, there was no reason for her to send me to a place like this.

“Ugh.

”No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure it out.

The only thing I could be certain of was—"This isn’t Zhongyuan.

"This definitely wasn’t the world I knew.

It might sound absurd, but there was no other explanation.

The massive ancient trees surrounding me, the unfamiliar sensation in the air—And above all—"The moment I saw two moons, everything stopped making sense.

"The beautiful night sky with two moons shining above.

Taking everything into account, this wasn’t Zhongyuan.

Ugh, my head hurts.

“Phew…”I pressed a hand to my forehead, overwhelmed by the absurdity of the situation.

So now I’ve somehow ended up in another world?

How am I supposed to return to where I was?

"Tomorrow is Father’s trial.

"I couldn’t afford to waste time in a place like this.

The entire Murim Alliance was in chaos, and I needed to be there.

And on top of that—I glanced behind me.

"With her following me around?

"Cheonma was trailing me.

“Hey.

”“Hm?

”At my call, she turned to look at me.

“Why the hell do you keep following me?

”“I’m not following you.

”Not following me?

We’ve been walking together for nearly two hours now.

“Then what?

Are you saying I’m following you?

”“It’s not following.

We’re just walking together.

”“…Fuck.

”I regretted talking to her.

My headache only grew worse.

“Get lost.

I don’t want to travel with you.

”“Okay.

”“…What?

”That was quicker than I expected.

What’s this about?

I looked back at Cheonma, puzzled, but despite her words, she wasn’t leaving.

“Why aren’t you leaving?

You said you understood.

”“You said you don’t want to walk together.

So now, I’ll follow you instead.

”“…Unbelievable.

”I was at a loss for words.

Does she even hear herself?

“Whether you call it following or walking together, it’s annoying as hell, so just leave me alone.

”“No.

”“You crazy woman…”Grinding my teeth, I turned away.

I was already furious, and she just kept provoking me.

I started to gather energy, intending to drive her away forcefully.

“I don’t know the way.

”Cheonma’s confident statement made me pause.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“And you think I do?

Do I look like I know where we are?

”I didn’t even know what this place was.

Did she expect me to have any answers?

Hearing my response, Cheonma nodded.

“Then we should stick together.

”“I told you I don’t want to!

Why can’t you get that through your thick skull?

”“We should stick together.

”“Agh, forget it.

”I was on the verge of losing it.

Maybe I should just fight her and settle this.

With that thought, I took a step forward.

But—“So I can protect you.

”“…”Her words made me freeze in place.

"I’ll protect you.

"I remembered Cheonma standing in front of me during the Blood Demon’s attack, her small back shielding me.

I remembered clenching my teeth as I watched her.

The memory left a bitter taste in my mouth.

“Damn it.

”I cursed under my breath, frowning deeply.

“Protect me?

Do I look like someone who needs protecting?

”“Yes.

”Her reply was so confident it made me sick.

“I don’t need it.

Get lost.

How many times do I have to tell you?

You disgust me.

If you stay near me, I’ll end up killing you.

”“That’s fine.

”Her response came without hesitation.

“You’re fine with me killing you?

”“Yes.

”Her expression remained unchanged.

“If that’s what you want, I’m okay with it.

”“…Unbelievable.

”I was at my wit’s end.

Why the hell is she acting like this?

"Did something go wrong during my regression?

"The Cheonma I knew wasn’t like this.

She could be reckless, sure, but she wasn’t an idiot.

“Let me stay with you.

”The current Cheonma was nothing like the one I remembered.

“…Ah.

”My headache worsened.

Should I just abandon her?

But would she even let me?

"Probably not.

"She didn’t seem like she’d leave on her own.

"So… Should I just kill her?

"Wouldn’t it be easier to just get rid of her?

My thoughts spiraled, each option more frustrating than the last.

After a long internal debate, I sighed and spoke through gritted teeth.

“…If you piss me off, I’ll kill you.

So just shut up and follow quietly.

”Her eyes widened slightly.

Then she nodded, a faint trace of joy in her expression.

"Unbelievable.

"Is she really Cheonma?

Or am I mistaken?

I couldn’t help but wonder.

"Is this the right decision…?

"Why did I even allow this?

I couldn’t understand myself.

I should’ve just killed her here and now.

Instead, I let her follow me.

"Maybe I’m losing my mind, too.

"I must’ve gone crazy.

Honestly, I hoped I had.

If this entire situation were just a hallucination, that’d be even better.

I wished for it with all my heart.

I could’ve even prayed for it.

But—Rumble—!!!

“…!

”As if to crush my hopes, the ground trembled violently.

The shockwave was massive.

Cheonma and I exchanged a glance.

Then we both leapt into the air, landing atop the towering trees to get a better view.

The sky and moons were the same as before.

Still as beautiful as ever, but…“…Ha…”Beneath that sky—“Guuuuaaaaargh—!!!

”A massive black mass of energy had appeared on the ground.

I narrowed my eyes at the sight.

Even from this distance, I could see it clearly.

"A demonic beast?

"No, it was far too large to be a typical demonic beast.

It was the biggest creature I’d ever seen in my life.

Its head alone touched the clouds.

“Guuuuaaaaargh—!!!

”Was that a roar?

My hands were trembling slightly.

The sheer presence of it was overwhelming.

What the hell was that thing?

What kind of being could radiate such power?

My mind raced to make sense of it.

"Should I retreat for now?

"It didn’t seem wise to approach it.

Just as I was about to decide to leave—“Roooooooar—!!!

”“…Huh?

”I turned to look at the monstrous creature again.

This couldn’t be possible, but…“Kurung…?

”It felt oddly familiar.