Episode 288
Chapter 90: Fragments of the Past – Silderay (Part 1)

To hear a voice from a distant past—
and to hear it so vividly…

No matter how many times Jin looked around, all he could see was a swirling vortex made entirely of spiritual energy.

In his combined 47 years of past and present lives, Jin had encountered many mysterious phenomena, but nothing as shocking as this moment.

Just hearing a voice from a thousand years ago felt unreal enough.

Yet Solderet spoke as if he had already foreseen the “thousand years later” from that very time.

It was disorienting. It felt as if someone had plunged their hand into his mind and was rummaging through his brain. He nearly retched.

There was no way this could be some third party’s cruel prank.

He had never even heard of magic that could capture voices like this. And even if such a thing existed, who could possibly imitate Solderet’s voice?

“This isn’t a prank or a trap. I’m not losing my mind after the battle. This has to be a message Solderet left for me.”

If not, there was no other way to explain this bizarre phenomenon.

Crackle, crackle…!

A faint sound, like straw being crushed, echoed in his ears.

As his focus wavered, the voice began to fade again.

“Stay calm. Calm down. First, I have to hear the whole message.”

Jin steadied his mind and concentrated once more on the sounds leaking from the vortex.

Then the conversation from a thousand years ago began to come through again. Not just heard—Jin was drawn into the vortex of spiritual energy, pulled somewhere deep within.

When he opened his eyes again, he was surrounded by utter darkness.

A pocket dimension within a pocket dimension.

The darkness was deeper and more absolute than the landscape he had just been standing in. Not a single thing was visible in the pitch blackness. Yet strangely, Jin himself remained fully colored, fully solid.

This strange pocket dimension, which should have felt alien, somehow felt familiar.

Because in his past life, when he first made a contract with Solderet, he had briefly fallen into a similar space.

“This is like the day I contracted with Solderet.”

Even though that was his first experience with such a dimension, Jin hadn’t felt any particular sense of alienation then.

Instead, as a shadow’s contractor, he had instinctively felt a sense of stability. The moment he set foot there, he realized this was a space no one but those bound to shadows could enter.

It was the same now. Jin no longer felt confused.

There was only one difference.

The voices from the past were clearer than ever.

“Hey, Solderet. Why aren’t you answering? This silence feels… unsettling.”

“Hey, Solderet. Why no reply? It’s just…”

“Hey, Solderet. Why…”

Temar’s voice echoed.

Jin followed the direction of the voice, walking forward without hesitation.

Looking ahead, he saw a massive sphere glowing with an ashen light in the distance.

As he approached the sphere, Jin could see with his own eyes the scene of Solderet and Temar conversing a thousand years ago.

The two were talking inside the ashen orb.

The surface of the sphere was blurry, so he couldn’t make out every detail, but the rough shapes of people and objects were visible.

Everything was tinted a deep gray, making it impossible to distinguish colors—like a faded, weathered painting.

In other words, Jin had become an observer, peering into the world of a thousand years past.

“The figure sitting at the table must be Temar… Yeah, he looks just like I saw him in the Great Desert.”

Solderet appeared in his human form.

But only his back was visible. Jin had never seen Solderet manifest in his past life, so it was hard to imagine his face.

Jin pressed his eyes closer to the ashen sphere.

The scene where the two sat felt strangely familiar—and soon he understood why.

“This is the central hall of the Storm Fortress. It looked the same back then.”

The central hall of the Storm Fortress hadn’t changed much compared to recent times.

“Well, as you know, I’m the god of swords and shadows. Unlike Az Mil, I can’t see the future clearly.”

“What? How can a guy like that already have the contractor for a thousand years later picked out?”

“That’s a separate matter from the future. As a god, I can grant certain blessings in advance.”

Clack, creak—!

The main doors of the central hall swung open.

The newcomer was none other than Silderay Runcandel. He still wore his armor and carried the massive greatsword slung over his shoulder—the same way Jin had just fought him.

“Silderay, do you really have to carry that intimidating greatsword indoors?”

Ignoring Temar’s teasing, Silderay bowed politely to Solderet.

“Silderay Runcandel, guardian deity of the family, pays his respects.”

“The family head doesn’t even listen to a word of that. Hah, really. Hey, Silderay, what do you think?”

“What do you mean, family head?”

“Solderet says he doesn’t know if we’ll win or lose against Ziphl. He’s already picked the contractor a thousand years from now, but he can’t even figure out what’s right in front of us.”

“Family head…”

“Why?”

“Are you worried?”

Temar didn’t answer but met Silderay’s gaze for a moment.

“I’m curious about Solderet’s opinion.”

Everyone looks only to the family head. Don’t you realize how much weight your words carry? Don’t ask such frivolous questions in front of the other retainers, please.

Temar shrugged.

“Well, that’s true. But honestly, I’m worried. Aren’t you, Silderay?”

“I am not.”

“More lies. Even I, who have ascended to Changseong, fear fighting Ziphl. How much more must you and the others fear?”

“Silderay is, without a doubt, the strongest, family head.”

“Fear isn’t a sin. It’s something to be proud of when you don’t run away despite it.”

“My thoughts differ.”

“Right, your thoughts differ. But unfortunately, at Runcandel, my word is law and truth. Lately, I hear you scolding the retainers for showing fear. That’s very wrong. People can be scared. Especially before an unprecedented war.”

His tone wasn’t oppressive.

But beneath Temar’s soft, playful voice lay an undeniable authority.

“You’re scared too, so you snap at the retainers and me, aren’t you? Don’t fool yourself, Silderay. Admit it, accept it, and control it. Carrying that fearsome greatsword all the time is just another way of expressing your fear.”

“…Understood.”

“Good, good. But why did you come here?”

“Oh, recently, unusual energy was detected at Ziphl’s First Tower, so I came to report.”

“The First Tower? The Tower of Stories, right?”

“Yes, family head. Over three hundred dragons have suddenly gathered there, so Sara Runcandel led five magic swordsmen to investigate.”

“That many? They should be able to escape without issue if discovered. Actually, now that you mention it, I want to go see for myself. I’m curious what they’re planning with three hundred dragons. Prepare yourself, Silderay.”

“Yes.”

“Solderet, I’ll be back soon…”

Crackle, screech—!

Suddenly, the ashen sphere distorted.

“What’s this?”

Jin flinched and stared at the sphere.

Though the image continued, it was so blurred and mangled that nothing was recognizable. The voices were mixed into a strange, unintelligible jumble.

It felt as if someone had deliberately cut out parts of a book.

But Jin knew nothing about this strange form of “recording device,” so he couldn’t take any action.

If he acted rashly, things might get worse.

Time seemed to crawl.

“Oh.”

After a long while, the ashen sphere returned to normal, and Jin couldn’t help but exclaim. The sphere was showing the scene from a thousand years ago again.

But the perspective had shifted.

The scene was no longer the central hall of the Storm Fortress where Solderet, Temar, and Silderay had been.

Nor was it the moment when Temar and Silderay were heading to support Sara Runcandel.

What Jin saw now was a treatment room from a thousand years ago.

A man sat slumped by a sickbed, looking weak and defeated—it was Silderay.

After the distortion, quite some time seemed to have passed. Jin guessed this from the thick beard covering Silderay’s face.

But what had happened between the two points in time shown in the sphere was beyond Jin’s knowledge.

“…Family head, everyone looked only to you…”

The one lying in the sickbed was Temar.

Though he showed no outward wounds, he was gaunt and barely breathing.

Silderay sighed heavily, casting resentful glances between the bed and the ceiling.

“Everyone looked only to the family head… Damn it! Solderet, you damn traitor! Is this what you meant by keeping your promise? Show yourself, you cursed—!”

As Silderay roared, a group of knights outside rushed into the room. They tried to restrain him, but his overwhelming strength was too much.

“Sir Silderay! If even you act like this, what are the other retainers supposed to do? Please, calm down!”

“The guardian deity didn’t do this to the family head. Lower your voice, Sir Silderay.”

“If not Solderet, then who else made the family head like this? When the family head suffered, where was that useless god? What was he doing?”

“What blasphemy is this, Silderay!”

A young woman who had just entered grabbed Silderay’s shoulder. She was one of the ten knights, like Silderay.

“Blasphemy?”

Did you not hear the last command of the clan head? Never blame the guardian spirit, and fulfill the promise made to it. Even as he was losing consciousness, he urged us again and again.

At this, Silderay trembled as if struck dumb.

Diana, you still believe in Solderet after seeing the clan head like this…?

Whether I believe or not isn’t the point.

Look at you—you’re starting to doubt Solderet too! You feel the same as I do, don’t you, Diana? You think I don’t know you?

My feelings don’t matter either, Silderay. What matters is this… it is the clan head’s command. The clan head’s orders are absolute. We are the ones who established the laws of Runcandel! If you continue to show such disgraceful behavior, no matter who you are, I won’t let it slide.

Ha.

Obey the clan head’s command. It is the only duty and hope left to us.

At Diana’s gesture, all the knights except Silderay rose from the bedside.

For a long while, she held the man of immense strength who wept like a child.

Sssiiiiiik—!

Crackle… hisss…

Once again, the ashen orb distorted.

But this time, it didn’t twist uncertainly and then return as before.

The spiritual energy forming the gray sphere was scattering into particles. Not only that, but the pocket dimension itself was breaking down into spiritual particles.

All in an instant.

Jin emerged from the double layers of the pocket dimension and found himself standing in the middle of Baolrai, the vast Anz Plains. The very spot where he and Murakan had activated the “key.”

Taking a long breath, just as he tried to clear his mind—

Two unfamiliar objects appeared before his eyes.

One was a black orb made of spiritual energy, and the other, a fragment of the greatsword once wielded by Silderay Runcandel a thousand years ago.