The Great War, A Reenactment of That Day
Wooooooong!
In an instant, a massive surge of magic began to flow wildly across the central plaza’s floor. At the same time, the once stark white walls rapidly turned a deep blue. No, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t the walls themselves that changed color, but the inscriptions on them that began to glow.
Soon, the light from the walls spread out in a wide arc, illuminating the dimly lit central plaza. The light wasn’t focused on us, but rather on the four statues standing nearby.
“What… what’s happening?”
Someone muttered in a daze.
Wooooong!
Then, as if on cue, the blinding light from the walls began to dim.
But it wasn’t over yet. The inscriptions on the walls seemed to lift off into the air, swirling chaotically at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.
Moments later, the letters rearranged themselves and came to a sudden halt. The flow of magic surged once more, and the letters split into four directions, racing towards the statues.
The glowing blue letters, like water soaking into a sponge, were absorbed by the statues. As they did, a blue aura began to rise from the statues like a shimmering mirage.
Wooooooong!
An immense amount of magic began to rise from the ground, enveloping the entire area.
I finally managed to regain my senses. I instinctively reached for my sword, but stopped when Ansol gripped my arm tightly.
“Ansol?”
I called her name, but she shook her head. Confused, I was about to ask what she meant when a flash of deep purple hair caught my eye.
“Hup!”
With a short shout, Heo Junyoung dashed forward. Drawing a long sword, he swung it with all his might at the nearest statue. Like me, he must have sensed something was amiss and aimed to stop it by destroying the statue.
Clang!
But the powerful strike only resulted in a hollow metallic sound. I stared at the statue in disbelief. The decrepit statue that seemed ready to crumble at any moment was now glowing with a soft light.
Then, from what appeared to be the statue’s face, two blue eyes flashed.
A powerful, resonant voice echoed through the air, and the blue light from the statue flowed down to the ground like water. There were so many streams of light that it was impossible to count them all.
The streams of light spread across the central plaza, branching out in all directions.
Crackle! Crackle!
Crackle! Crackle!
Drrrr…. Ea - Yaal!
Drrrr…. Ea - Yaal!
Drrrr…. Ea - Yaal!
Drrrr…. Ea - Yaal!
The voice boomed again, shaking the very air with its majestic sound, though the words were incomprehensible.
Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle! Rattle!
“Ugh!”
“Aaah!”
Suddenly, the sound of hard objects clashing and rattling erupted from all around. Clan members clutched their ears, grimacing in pain. The cacophony was overwhelming, as if hundreds, no, thousands of sounds were assaulting us simultaneously.
What on earth is happening in this fortress?
I tore my gaze away from the walls and statues to look back the way we had come. And as I did, I found myself frozen in place.
Bones were rising.
Literally. The bones we had passed through were floating into the air, clattering as they assembled into something. The blue light that had spread across the ground surged up, slowly enveloping the airborne bones.
As the bones were completely covered in the blue light, the shimmering mass filled my vision like a gentle wave.
And then, just as the statue’s voice rang out again.
Kwoooong!
With a powerful tremor that shook my entire body, the light surrounding the statue shot up like a pillar, piercing the sky.
The pillar of light, a blend of white and blue, emitted a terrifying flow of magic. The force was so intense that it felt like it might strip away not just my hair but the very gear I wore. My vision turned blindingly white, and I clutched Ansol tightly, squeezing my eyes shut.
Hoooooo….
How much time passed like that?
As the majestic voice that had filled the air and the deafening noise that had shaken my eardrums gradually subsided, I sensed the magic’s flow weakening and cautiously opened my eyes. I saw the blue pillar of light around the statue quietly scattering its glow before fading away like an afterimage.
“My God… what is that…?”
It was then.
A dazed sigh escaped from Vivian, who had somehow ended up on the ground.
Her gaze was fixed straight ahead. Following her line of sight, I felt my entire body stiffen.
There stood skeletons, or rather, revenants. Not just a few, but an uncountable horde of them.
I tried to remain calm as I turned my head to survey the surroundings.
Front.
Back.
Left.
Right.
They were everywhere. There was no other way to describe it.
The central plaza was now surrounded by skeleton revenants, each armed and encircling us. Even a quick magical scan revealed hundreds, if not more.
A thought struck me. Perhaps the bones we had been treading on belonged to these very revenants.
Despite having been dead for countless years, each one exuded an intimidating presence. The pressure from all sides was suffocating.
I realized instinctively that these skeleton revenants were the ancient inhabitants who had once battled mythical dragons.
I shook my head vigorously, trying to clear my mind, and focused on the scene before me.
The skeleton revenants watched us with glowing blue eyes. Their gaze was anything but friendly.
The clan members stood in stunned silence. Everyone was at a loss for words. I was no different. The possibility I had considered upon entering had now become a reality, leaving me speechless.
‘If only… if only we had stopped it earlier…’
I gritted my teeth. I wanted to shout, to do something, but now was not the time. I sensed movement among the skeleton revenants and shouted without hesitation.
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
The clan members slowly regained their composure, though they still looked to me with uncertainty. They seemed as lost as I felt.
But we couldn’t just stand here and die.
“Vivian! Summon the best beast army you can. One for defense, and another for breaking through!”
“Got it. ───. ───. ───.”
The order was clear: use the beast army as a shield to break through. After confirming Vivian had begun her incantation, I issued further instructions to the remaining clan members.
“I’ll take the lead. Heo Junyoung, Nam Daeun, and Cha Sorim, move to the left, right, and rear respectively. Lee Yoojung and Woo Jungmin, be ready to support any breakthrough points. Everyone else, gather in the center. Do not attack. Focus solely on defense spells…!”
But I stopped mid-sentence. A metallic voice rang out from among the skeleton revenants, halting my words.
Moments later.
The blue light in the revenants’ eyes flickered, and they began to move slowly. Swords and shields were raised, spears and arrows aimed at us, and staffs lifted high. Then, with a humming sound, a myriad of colors began to gather at the tips of the raised staffs.
I closed my eyes quietly. The sounds of weapons being drawn, bones clattering, and low incantations filled the air. It was an ominous symphony, like a chorus of death. Amidst it all, a thought crossed my mind, and I quickly checked on Ansol.
Ansol was crying. Silent tears streamed down her face. Whether it was from sorrow or fear of impending death, I couldn’t tell.
‘Is this your choice… Ansol?’
I wanted to shout out loud, but I barely managed to calm myself. What good would it do to fight now, in the middle of an expedition, or right before a battle? I wasn’t sure how things had gotten this bad, but escaping was the priority.
”───. ───. ───. Whew.”
Just then, Vivian finished her incantation. As she turned to me, clutching the Order of Harmony, I knew the moment had come and steeled myself. The skeletal warriors stood poised, weapons aimed at us.
‘As soon as the summoning is complete, we charge forward.’
In the tense atmosphere, I nodded quietly.
Vivian raised the Order of Harmony high into the air and began to speak.
And then, it happened.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
“Come forth, Pierre… Ah!”
Just as she was about to complete the summoning spell, a massive tremor shook the fortress, causing everyone, including Vivian and me, to stagger. Even the statues that stood firm toppled over, and the ground beneath us heaved violently.
Boom! Crash! Boom! Crash! Boom! Crash!
Crack! Crackle!
No, it wasn’t just shaking—it was breaking apart. A series of thundering booms echoed from below, and the ground began to crack, sending shards flying. It felt as if we were at the epicenter of an earthquake.
Some clan members couldn’t keep their balance and fell, but I managed to stay upright.
But it was too soon to relax.
Bang!
A deafening explosion, far louder than anything before, shook me to my core. It was several times louder than the thunder my brother could summon. The noise grew exponentially, and soon a piercing ringing filled my ears, as if my eardrums might burst.
What on earth was happening? What was going on in this fortress? My mind was a whirlwind of confusion. Amidst the chaos, I managed to draw my sword and stab it into the ground for support. As I clung to it, the tremors gradually subsided.
But then, from a distance, I heard a voice that was not human, roaring loudly.
Roarrrrrrrrrrr!
A sound like a beast’s cry.
A massive explosion from somewhere else.
And a fierce wind brushing past my skin.
Flap! Whoosh!
Flap! Whoosh!
I swallowed hard. It was unmistakably the sound of giant wings flapping.
‘Get a grip, Kim Su-hyun!’
Yes, I’ve faced worse than this before.
Determined to check on my clan members, I turned my head.
And that’s when I saw it.
A colossal shadow slowly creeping over the ground.
’…….’
I slowly, very slowly, lifted my head to the sky.
When I finally looked up, I saw it.
The first thing I noticed were the hollow eye sockets, glowing red from within. Two horns protruded from the skull, and its massive, skeletal wings seemed to cover the entire fortress. No, its entire body, even its long tail, was made of bone.
Flap! Whoosh!
Flap! Whoosh!
The creature circling above the fortress, flapping its bony wings, looked like something out of legend—a true bone dragon.
‘Wait a minute. Horns?’
For a moment, something about its shape seemed familiar.
Mageuna….
kareuta….
Mageunakareuta….
Mageunakareuta….
But then, strange murmurs began to echo from all around. Instinctively, I glanced at the skeletal warriors. They were no longer focused on us.
All of them, eyes gleaming, were looking up at the sky, muttering in unison.
And as the voice that had once shouted at us rang out again.
Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!
Boom! Boom boom!
A tremendous explosion.
Simultaneously, hundreds, thousands of spells and arrows, in a dazzling array of colors, soared into the sky.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
『Off The Record.』
(Three men, with white bands tied around their heads, shout passionately.)
Mavolo de Ailight: Nerf Hwajeong! Nerf it!
Simon: Nerf it! Nerf it!
Nergal: Nerf it! Nerf it!
(Just then, a massive shadow approaches the three men.)
Massive Shadow: Um… Hello there…
(Mavolo de Ailight pauses the protest.)
Mavolo de Ailight: Huh? Who might you be… Gasp! A dragon?
Massive Shadow: Oh, please don’t be too startled… I’m called Magna Carta, the dragon of the apocalypse.
Mavolo de Ailight: Such a mighty dragon, what brings you here…
Magna Carta: Oh, it’s nothing much… Is this the Memorize protest site?
(Simon nods vigorously.)
Simon: Yes, it is. Though no one seems to listen… What brings you here? This protest is about nerfing Hwajeong… Are you here for that too?
Magna Carta: Ah… That’s a spoiler, so I can’t say…
Simon: Hmm. Then why are you here?
(Magna Carta suddenly starts to sob.)
Magna Carta: It’s just… I got ganged up on as soon as I appeared…
(The three protesting men sigh in unison.)
(Mavolo de Ailight places a hand on the crying dragon’s shoulder.)
Mavolo de Ailight: Didn’t you appear because you seemed to have something special?
Magna Carta: Yes, yes! That’s right. I had high hopes… Oh, sob. Beeeep. (Spoiler prevention.)
Mavolo de Ailight: I see… It’s natural to be sad after such an ordeal. But don’t be too down. Look over there.
(Magna Carta looks where Mavolo de Ailight is pointing.)
(There, a man holding a black spear sits, crying.)
Magna Carta: Why is that man like that…?
Mavolo de Ailight: He was doing okay until the first part, but when the second part started, the author turned him into a despicable character. He’s been getting a lot of hate lately. At least you have some sympathy votes.
(Nergal chimes in like a chatterbox.)
Nergal: That’s not all. He thought he finally had a girlfriend, but she has to remain a virgin, so he’s forever… well, you know.
(Magna Carta looks at the isolated man with pity.)
Look forward to Off The Record 2!