After leaving the fortress, I was plagued for a while by a restless feeling. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand the clan members’ reactions. It was strange enough that they all came out in a crowd just because I was going to the temple, but their way of seeing me off was even stranger. It felt like we were parting for a long time, maybe never to see each other again. For a moment, I even wondered if I was heading to a dangerous death trap instead of the temple.
“Ugh.”
Was there any point in agonizing over it alone? Ansol had said it himself: sometimes it’s better to just let things be. If a whole group acted that way, there must have been a reason. I could ask later. Besides, I had business with Seraph, so I decided to just take it easy. Yeah, that was better.
Clearing my thoughts, I looked up and realized I was already climbing the stairs to the temple. I forced the lingering doubts in my chest aside and stepped into the portal.
“Welcome, Suhyun.”
As always, a calm, melodious voice greeted me the moment I entered. The only subtle difference was that Seraph wasn’t sitting in the center of the altar but had shifted slightly to the left, waiting. When I plopped down on the floor, pretending not to notice, Seraph opened his mouth as if to say something but then clamped it shut. Instead, he just stared at me silently. I looked away and pulled out a cigarette.
“…”
I waited and waited, but not a word came out while I smoked it down to the filter. The silence stretched on even as I lit a second cigarette. What was this? Why was he silently screaming today? Had the whole group taken some kind of drug? Eventually, I stubbed out the half-burned cigarette on the floor and stood up.
“Alright, alright, I get it.”
Resigned, I walked over and flopped down on the altar. At first, I sat as far to the edge as possible, but Seraph, as if expecting that, leaned toward me immediately. Well, I knew you’d do that, too. So I moved closer, pressing my body against his. I felt him flinch in surprise, then glance back at me with a reluctant expression. Still smells good.
“S-Suhyun, what brings you here?”
“You were going to come anyway, weren’t you? Even if I’d stayed put.”
“Well… no, that’s not it. Not at all.”
“Don’t lie. You even put on a show.”
Though I had solid proof, Seraph stubbornly played innocent. As he awkwardly cleared his throat, I pulled out a fresh cigarette, lit it, and exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“What about the angels?”
“…The situation has become urgent due to the destruction of the Seven Great Demons. That’s all the information I’ve received.”
I chuckled. Gabriel really is a coward.
“Anyway, I didn’t expect you to call me at this late hour.”
“Is it inconvenient?”
“No, not at all. Actually, it’s good timing. I was planning to come see you anyway.”
“Oh, really?”
Suddenly, Seraph’s tone felt a bit casual. But I was the curious one, so I cut straight to the chase and asked about the possibility of opening a passage connecting Earth and the Whole Plane. Unexpectedly, Seraph nodded without hesitation.
“Based on the results, it is possible.”
His voice was calm.
“Are there any restrictions or conditions in the process?”
“Yes. There are two main limitations. Suhyun, you want to be able to travel back and forth between Earth and the Whole Plane whenever you wish, correct?”
“That would be ideal… but it sounds like it’s impossible.”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Seraph nodded again.
“The Zero Code is the crystallization of divine infinite power. But ‘infinite’ only refers to the range of wishes it can fulfill. Strictly speaking, there is a limit to the amount of power it can exert at one time.”
I wanted to say, “You call that infinite when you can’t even make a resident a user?” but I held back.
“So, it needs to recharge before it can be used again? Like a cooldown period?”
“Exactly. The request includes not only sending you to Earth but also bringing you back. The heavier the wish, the exponentially more power is required.”
“I get that… but how long does it take?”
“If it’s just you traveling back and forth, no recharge is needed…”
Seraph trailed off, and I could guess what was coming next. The more people traveling with me, the heavier the load.
“Including a margin of error, it’s estimated to take about five to six years.”
Huh? I’d only just brought up the idea—I hadn’t even mentioned how many people would be coming back with me. Yet he’d already calculated it, including the margin of error? That was strange.
…Well, maybe it was just a rough estimate. Still, five to six years was longer than I expected.
“Wasn’t the time regression handled quickly?”
“That was because the wish was simple and limited to you alone. Especially since it was confined to the Whole Plane. Requests that balance between Earth and the Whole Plane are much more complex.”
“Right… So is there any way to shorten the period?”
“By reducing the number of people returning.”
“Besides that. Honestly, I don’t even know how many will come back. It could be hundreds.”
“Alternatively, individuals can give up their user information. Sending ordinary humans weighs less than sending high-level users.”
So giving up one’s abilities as a user reduces the load. But I doubt anyone would want to do that easily. After all the effort to gain that power, just giving it up feels wrong. I’m sure most would think the same.
Seriously, ‘infinite’ my ass. When I get back, I’ll have to tell Zero Code it’s useless.
“Anyway, setting that aside, you said there was one more thing?”
“Yes. Suhyun, are you aware that there is another version of you on Earth?”
The sudden question didn’t faze me. I already knew.
“Yes. The one on Earth is a copy of the original, and the one here is the original itself, relocated to the Whole Plane.”
“Partially correct. Do you know that time flows identically on Earth and the Whole Plane?”
“…I guess so? Probably. What are you getting at?”
“It’s about the timing of your return. You were summoned to the Whole Plane while on the train returning from your discharge.”
That wasn’t exactly comforting. Seraph must have sensed my discomfort because he quickly continued.
“If you return to Earth, which point in time do you intend to go back to?”
“Obviously, just before I was summoned… Wait. What about users who have different service years than me?”
“They will automatically return to the time you go back to.”
“What?”
“But there’s no need to worry. The base is still the human on Earth.”
“…?”
As if he knew what I was worried about, Seraph elaborated.
“As you said, users in the Whole Plane were forcibly summoned. So the two existences don’t merge equally; rather, the user is overlaid onto the human. Do you understand?”
Ah, I see. Seraph meant that the human accepts the user, not the other way around. For example, Go Yeonju, who’s been a user for eleven years, wouldn’t feel a gap during the six-year blank period.
Now that I think about it, that’s fascinating. What would it feel like to live an ordinary life and suddenly have years of memories and experiences merged in? There’d be some dissonance, of course, but it’d be much better than the alternative. It feels like being treated as a component, but whether here or there, it’s still me. That thought brought me some peace.
“Oh, right. Seraph.”
“Yes?”
“Is it possible to arbitrarily adjust the return time? Not five years ago, but maybe fifteen?”
“…It’s not entirely impossible, but…”
For the first time, Seraph’s calm face twisted slightly.
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“Fifteen years ago… you would have been around eleven or twelve years old, right?”
“Yeah. Why… oh.”
Only then did I realize why Seraph hesitated—and how ridiculous my suggestion was. I’d forgotten for a moment while talking to him.
Even I, a healthy twenty-four-year-old discharged soldier, can’t be sure I’d fully accept my current self. If it only caused mental issues, that’d be the best-case scenario. I might even make an extreme choice out of guilt. But expecting my middle school self to handle who I am now? Even a passing dog would laugh.
“Yeah, I get it now.”
Seraph sighed in relief, probably worried I’d insist. I smiled bitterly. Of course, I wasn’t entirely free of worry…
Still, I had to do it. I had to. Rather than wasting meaningless days, I wanted to carve out a path, even if the future was uncertain.
Anyway, now I had a rough outline and had heard everything I needed. All that was left was to finalize the details.
“This is going to take some time…”
Honestly, I’d thought it would be simple—just go back without a second thought. But the more I examined it, the more complicated it became. Especially since it wasn’t just me; coordinating dozens of people meant considering all sorts of factors.
But as they say, well begun is half done. And I still needed to gather opinions from my brother, Han So-young, and the clan members. There was no rush; I could take my time.
“…Alright. I should get going.”
“Suhyun?”
“Ah, I’m heading out. It’s late.”
“Ah…”
I replied with a casual word and stood up. Maybe from sitting too long, my body felt stiff, so I stretched out fully to loosen up.
“Let’s start with this basic outline for now. We can discuss the rest slowly and I’ll let you know as things get decided, okay?”
Just as I stepped away from the altar, moving a few paces…
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
I also prefer happy endings. :)