Waiting For Your Reincarnation Chapter 113

“…Chairman!”

 

Saeri’s body was changing in a bizarre way, but Yeon-young immediately ran across the field to where she was. With both hands, Yeon-young gently grasped Saeri’s arm.

 

Even though her body was falling apart, she gently stroked the top of Yeon-young’s head. It was as if she wanted to remember this warmth.

 

“You’re brave to find me.”

 

“Didn’t you want me to come here?”

 

“Yes. I intended it. And you’ve followed the path well.”

 

“You helped me with the emergency room, didn’t you, Chairman?”

 

“A small sacrifice for the greater good. I was about to be destroyed anyway, and I became the sacrifice.”

 

Saeri’s voice changed. It was a little higher and clearer than her usual voice. Yeon-young raised her head and looked at Saeri.

 

Behind her chrysalis-like form, her true form was revealed. She was like a pillar of Iris.

 

Gentle, yet weighty eyes peeking out from beneath long blond hair that flowed like silk.

 

A figure that seemed to hold all the light of the world, shining and lofty with its mere existence.

 

It seemed more befitting of the source of this world.

 

“The same being…, you were right…. Is this what you really look like?”

 

Before Yeon-young’s eyes sat the woman she remembered from the northwest mountain. Saeri nodded once.

 

Saeri already knew who she was.

 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve greeted you in this form, Iris.”

 

“…You knew I was Iris from the beginning, didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything?”

 

“That’s your punishment.”

 

At that moment, a video of the myth of Iris that she had seen in the library long ago flashed through her mind.

 

Saeri smiled lightly, like she was cracking a joke. Her voice was sweet, but Yeon-young knew she wasn’t joking.

 

Her heart sank at the sound of the name Iris. Memories flashed through her mind, and the assumptions she had made before meeting Saeri were confirmed.

 

Yeon-young was Iris.

 

And Saeri was deeply related to her.

 

Saeri ran a hand through her hair out of habit. Everything was familiar.

 

She savored the pleasant breeze that blew through the Iris fields. She knew her body was becoming as transparent as her mutilated soul, but she didn’t shiver.

 

Saeri didn’t have much time left.

 

“I still find it hard to understand you.”

 

“Me?”

 

“Even after all this effort to understand you.”

 

Saeri paused and pointed to her body. Perhaps she was referring to her old self.

 

Yeon-young sat down in the grass, still holding Saeri’s hand.

 

This was going to be a long story.

 

“I never knew. I still shudder at the thought of Snarl eating me.”

 

“A snarl that eats the chairman? Is that a different kind of snarl?”

 

Yeon-young pondered Saeri’s words. She couldn’t figure out what the Snarl was eating.

 

Saeri reached out her arm, which had become transparent enough for Yeon-young to see her hand, and grabbed the back of her head. Then she pulled her toward her, their foreheads touching.

 

“But the world has changed too much for me to insist on my own way, and you’re always at the center of change.”

 

“…Me?”

 

“That’s why I wanted to stay, but…, the Snarl’s power has grown too much. Neither Ji Hua nor my power is enough.”

 

A muttering sounded like a breath. At the same time, she felt her forehead heat up against hers.

 

It was as if Saeri was slowly infusing some kind of energy into Yeon-young.

 

She tried to follow the warmth.

 

Her vision blurred for a moment, then cleared. It was more like Saeri was showing her something than she was using her powers.

 

“Here.”

 

Saeri’s voice came from behind Yeon-young, and she saw an antique bookcase lining the path. 

 

It was a familiar place to Yeon-young.

 

Saeri led the way to the library in the center’s building.

 

Her footsteps echoed through the quiet library.

 

A faint glimmer of light could be seen behind the dark interior. Yeon-young furrowed her brow and took a few steps forward.

 

Saeri passed between the bookshelves without turning on the lights.

 

“Sly?”

 

Yeon-young’s eyes widened slightly. She recognized the white Slys she’d seen in the mountains to the northwest, and they followed her silently, their lights turned off.

 

From what she remembered reading, the Slys were clearly afraid of Saeri, but now they seemed relaxed.

 

“…I wonder why the Slys came to the Center.”

 

This was only the second time the Slys had been in another space outside of the northwestern mountains.

 

First the temple, and now the library in the Center.

 

She wondered if there was another connection between the gaps.

 

After climbing a flight of stairs, Saeri stood in front of a bookshelf. Clutching a thick tome, she turned around and looked at the Slys.

 

“You’ll be safe here for now.”

 

“Ming!”

 

The Sly’s light brightened for a moment, then dimmed again. Saeri yanked one of the books outward, and the bookcase split in half, creating a door.

 

She opened the door, which led to an unknown destination, and pushed the Slys through it. 

 

When she saw that all the Slys had gone in, she slid herself in as well.

 

The memory ended there.

 

Yeon-young reviewed her memory to make sure she hadn’t missed anything.

 

This memory also raised questions for her.

 

‘What did the Slys need to hide from?’

 

“Is there a place to hide in the library?”

 

Not that she remembered. It was large enough to get lost in, but it wasn’t the kind of place Saeri had meant for evacuation. It was open on all sides, making it easy to be seen no matter where she hid.

 

“What if there was a reason to come here?”

 

For example, there were plenty of reasons to come to the library if there were other hiding places.

 

She stood still in the darkness and bit her lip tightly. She wanted to read more memories, but that was it. No matter how hard she focused, she couldn’t see any other memories.

 

“The library. I think I can find out more if I go to the library.”

 

Yeon-young concluded.

 

She had to go to the library, not look for more clues here. Just then, her vision brightened again.

Her whole body pulsed with warmth. It was as if Saeri had triggered another memory.

 

Yeon-young clenched her fists and pressed them gently against her chest. She wondered if she should be using her powers this hard.

 

In her vision, she saw a vast expanse of sky with no land in sight.

 

It was a sky devoid of life of any kind.

 

Then, a light the size of a fingernail rose from the sky. It traveled through the void, exploring every corner of the sky.

 

“Cael, your apprenticeship is over. This place is yours now. Build your world here, for this is the condition for the next Light Path.”

 

The voice was as heavy and commanding as the earth. Nothing was visible but light and sky.

 

The light stopped circling the sky as if it understood the words.

 

“Hmm. Yes…. Now that you’re out of apprenticeship, you’ll need a new name.”

 

“…….”

 

“Tanato. Tanato.”

 

As the voice said Tanato, the light glowed with such intensity that it covered the sky.

 

Yeon-young shielded her eyes with her arms, feeling like her eyeballs were going to fall out. She slowly steadied her breathing.

 

Between her arms, she could see the intense light slowly recede. As she slowly lowered her arms, she saw a familiar figure behind the glare.

 

A gentle smile of gentleness. The mysterious being who appeared like a comet was none other than Saeri.

 

“Tanato… I like it.”

 

Saeri muttered the name the voice had given her. She smiled widely as if she liked the name.

 

Saeri walked through the sky with light steps. She seemed to savor this world she had been given.

 

“Use your talents to your heart’s content. As long as you fulfill the conditions, you will naturally follow the path of light.”

 

“And what are those conditions?”

 

“To create a perfect world.”

 

“A perfect world…”

 

“Remember, child, remember. You are the world, and the world is Tanato.”

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll show you what a perfect world looks like. And I’ll make sure I fulfill its requirements.”

 

“It won’t be easy, for one wrong choice on your part could bring the world crashing down.”

 

Saeri’s confident demeanor was so dazzling, the aura of her regal appearance was so dazzling that she didn’t dare to look at her.

 

Saeri stretched out her hand, looking at the empty sky. She closed her eyes and muttered something, and clouds formed in the sky.

 

Saeri began to create this world.

 

Saeri was Tanato.

 

“Chairman.”

 

If Saeri was Tanato, she was no ordinary soul.

 

Saeri, her entire body now transparent, reached out toward Yeon-young. Her hand gently touched Yeon-young’s cheek, then fell away.

 

She seemed to draw on some last bit of energy. As the light enveloped her from her toes, her form began to return to what Saeri knew.

 

Saeri’s mystical golden eyes touched the sky she had created.

 

“Let’s go back to our center. I think that’s the last place I’ll be.”

 

With those words, Saeri closed her eyes.