A being born from Destruction?
I opened my mouth to speak, baffled by the incomprehensible words. But Angrboda raised a finger to what resembled lips and hushed me.
“You wouldn’t be able to understand what I’m saying.”
Of course not. A being born from Destruction? That was a direct denial of my very origin. Wasn’t it like declaring that my entire past—being born as an ordinary human—was a lie?
“You’re a human from another world.”
“I already know that much…”
“More precisely, you’re a human from a world that has already been destroyed.”
…What?
“Though, can you really be called a human? You only look human on the outside… inside, you’re an absurd existence that no Constellation could possibly comprehend.”
“Hold on.”
I spoke without thinking, overwhelmed by confusion. A human from a world that had already been destroyed? That couldn’t be true.
Because—
“This is inside a book, isn’t it?”
For the first time, I said it out loud. Something I’d never confessed to anyone, something treated like a taboo.
How long had it taken before I could even face people as people and not as words on a page? It felt like just yesterday when I was still denying Baek Tae-beom. And yet, Angrboda dared to say this as if understanding how I felt.
Angrboda puckered her lips as if frowning, then stretched them into a grin, revealing a mouth dripping with some vile fluid. In a way, she almost looked… pleased.
Pleased?
“In some worlds, this world may exist only as scraps of text.”
“What?”
“In some worlds, this very moment may be written in words—being read by someone else.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“That’s how varied parallel worlds can be, little god.”
Still embracing me as if I were some pitiful version of my younger self, Angrboda gently stroked my hair with her long claws. Disgust churned in my stomach, but I needed to understand what she was saying first.
“Your soul originated from the Destruction of a world.”
“…I can’t understand.”
“To put it simply, a god named ‘Destruction’ created you.”
Angrboda bent down to meet my eyes, like one would when explaining something to a helpless child.
“You’re nothing more than a manufactured being. Created, given the most suitable shell. A human shell without parents, relatives, or even a single friend who genuinely cares for you.”
Angrboda slowly patted my frightened cheek. I couldn’t move a single finger.
“Destruction, as if playing a game, created the person called ‘Choi Ga-hyeon’ in its own hands, just to see what kind of outcome it might trigger in another world.”
“It… created me?”
“Yes. Itself.”
Her claw scratched my cheek. I felt the skin tear and blood trickle down.
“You are Destruction.”
[<Sanctuary of the Soul> has been upgraded. A certain threshold has been surpassed, allowing ??? ???? to be unlocked. Would you like to synchronize? (Yes)]
A system window appeared before my eyes. There was no ‘No’ option. I backed away. But the ground beneath me was nothing but darkness.
[Forced update in progress…]
I had to find a flaw in what Angrboda said. This had to be some trick to deceive me. This world was clearly supposed to be just a book, and I was just an ordinary person pulled into it.
Not something like Destruction. I was supposed to be someone trying to stop Destruction.
[Upgrade complete. New synchronization has been established.]
But the system acted as though Angrboda’s words were true. Powerless, I stared up at the floating window.
[The update of ‘Destruction’ is complete.]
“…So I was originally born from Destruction, and the only reason I was created was because it was curious about what kind of world it could make?”
“More precisely, it’s your soul as a Constellation that is. Your body is still just an ordinary human.”
Angrboda stared directly at me. My younger form had vanished without a trace. In the pitch-black void, only she and I remained.
“Which is why trying to stop me is nothing more than going against the natural order.”
Because you’re nothing but a lump of Destruction. Angrboda pointed at my chest. It burned. Some unknowable emotion was dragging me down into the abyss.
[Constellation ‘Destruction’ is synchronizing with its Vessel.]
“Even if you try to change the ending of this world to your liking, it will end in Destruction. Because Destruction itself—you—are here.”
I could feel the rate of erosion surging through my body. I couldn’t control the twitching in my hands. And along with that came a rush of memories.
It was the dream I’d had.
—Am I happy over there?
The image of Baek Tae-beom crying out tore through my mind like rapidly flipping calendar pages. I clutched my burning head. A sharp pain throbbed. I tried to reject it, but I had no choice but to accept it.
—Choi Ga-hyeon.
Something inside me boiled over, impossible to name. A gag rose in my throat. I staggered, falling to my knees, shaking my head.
—I know who you are now.
Tears streamed down uncontrollably.
Was all of it truly meaningless? Was I really just created by the so-called Destruction of a parallel world, only for it to observe what outcome I would bring about? To watch what happened to a world? How a life would unfold?
Could a life be so purposeless, so aimless? Wasn’t it a life with a predetermined destination all along? I clamped a hand over my mouth. Again, I retched. My back hunched as I trembled violently.
[Constellation ‘Destruction’ is synchronizing with its Vessel.]
Stop. Stop it.
[Constellation ‘Destruction’ is synchronizing with its Vessel.]
I said stop!
As if to fill the void left by vanished emotions, an endless despair poured in. The deeper it got, the more I felt myself unravel. It was something beyond physical sensation—something that shook me to the core. I asked myself whether everything I’d done was pointless, whether it had all led to nothing.
Had my entire life been a lie? Was there not even a single thing that had ever been real?
I kept retracing the past. Searching for evidence. But if what Angrboda said was true, then there truly had been no one in my past. No one I loved, no connections that remained.
Someone who could’ve been dropped into the world at any moment, and it wouldn’t have seemed strange.
Someone whose insides could be swapped out, and no one would know the difference.
I looked down at my hands. I thought I was retching, but instead, black fluid was oozing from my mouth. It felt like someone was pounding on my heart. They wanted to break me.
Why…
Why me?
Was it tears? Or was it blood? I staggered, choking back sobs. Everything I’d done had been useless struggling. My origin itself was corrupted. I was a being who shouldn’t exist.
[Constellation ‘Destruction’ is synchronizing with its Vessel.]
If I had known it would be like this, I never should’ve gotten involved with Destruction or anything else. I should’ve just gone along with the flow. I shouldn’t have stepped up in front of others. I shouldn’t have saved anyone. If only I had…
Can someone whose very existence has been denied go on living? Do I even have the right to live? Can hope exist at all?
My body was being consumed. It felt like I was sinking underwater. My knees gave out. I collapsed. A chilling sensation enveloped me.
Yeah. It was all meaningless anyway. Everything. I placed my hand on the ground. Scratched at the darkness with my nails. My sobs gradually died down. I slammed my head on the floor again and again.
It hurt.
But even that pain felt fake somehow.
And yet—
And yet…
A single face kept rising to the surface. And yet…
Can I really say that even the time I spent with Baek Tae-beom was meaningless?
The single greatest deviation from what was originally fated. The one thing that allowed me to believe this life might still be worth something. Can I really say that meeting a man like that meant nothing?
I lifted my head. Angrboda stared down at me.
At first, I’d thought I’d just gotten caught up in something absurd. But then Baek Tae-beom took my hand. A man who should’ve been holding a sword, cutting people down, took my hand instead and whispered that he would protect me.
Not just because I was his Constellation, but because I was a fellow human being. Because he loved me. Again and again, he said he would protect me and stay by my side. Even when I pushed him away, Baek Tae-beom never gave up.
Baek Tae-beom.
“…Tae-beom-ah…”
The moment I whispered his name, a rush of cold wind swept against my cheek like I’d been yanked out of the water. Whatever had been clogging up my chest sank away. I murmured mindlessly—Baek Tae-beom, Tae-beom—whispering his name over and over.
“Have you gone mad?”
Angrboda’s whisper snapped me back. I shot my head up. I couldn’t forget. I must not forget. Even if my reason for existing came from Destruction—even if all of this was a lie, an illusion—
“If you can’t give me an answer, then I will. I’ll stay by your side, hyung.”
Me too.
Now, finally—I would answer.
“I have to go to Tae-beom.”
“Hmm?”
Angrboda tilted his head as though watching something entertaining. Slime dripped to the floor. The legs on his back twitched and curled.
“Let me go. I’ve made my choice. I’m going to be by Tae-beom’s side. I don’t care about Destruction or anything else—I’ve already decided. I’ll be with him.”
Angrboda soothed me with his words.
“You’re mistaken about something, little god. The place you belong is here.”
“No!”
I clenched my teeth and shouted. My fists curled tightly.
“I decide where I belong.”
[Skill: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self]
[You use the skill. Skill: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self]
[Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self has activated. You feel the power of a true Constellation.]
