The series of events calmed down only after Hermes intervened to stop me. According to Anubis, he’d just been joking. Maybe it was because he had seen too many of the dead? Every now and then, he seemed to say things that defied common sense.
I examined the installations. Perhaps I should be relieved that the statues and the coffin were undamaged.
[Coffin Woven with Flowers of the Tomb A]
[A coffin woven with flowers said to grow only within graves. It carries the blessing of Anubis. When placed within the designated area, the Constellation’s blessing becomes even more powerful. (Effect applies upon placement)]
With this, my <Sanctuary of the Soul> had strayed so far from anything resembling ordinary. It was truly regrettable.
“You don’t look so good, Ga-hyeon.”
“Would you be pleased if you were in my shoes, Hermes?”
“Well, try to look on the bright side. The game just started, and you’ve already scored this kind of bonus. Nothing to lose, right?”
Hermes tried to console me. I answered firmly.
“I think this is a case of visual damage.”
With the three monuments lined up in a row, the room had turned into something utterly ridiculous. Now, Apollo and Anubis were arguing over which looked better—my coffin or their respective statues. Standing with arms crossed as I watched their quarrel, I spoke.
“Come to think of it, I have something to ask.”
“What is it?”
‘Skill window.’
[Skill: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self
It is said that any human who sees the true form of a god will be struck blind.]
“This skill, <Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self>… What exactly does it do?”
Apollo, who had just been grappling with Anubis, responded while panting, his hair in complete disarray.
“It reveals your true form as a Constellation.”
“True form?”
“Don’t you find it suspicious that your current body—a mere human—serves as your holy vessel? There’s no way such a weak frame could possibly be your full Constellation state.”
Hermes spun once in the air before adding more explanation.
“It means drawing out the Constellation’s power from Ga-hyeon’s body. Just look at us. We appear like this, but imagine what would happen if we showed up in the human world in our true forms?”
That reminded me of a certain myth.
There was once a woman named Semele, a princess of Thebes, who had shared love with Zeus. Deceived by Hera, who was consumed with jealousy, Semele came to doubt Zeus, suspecting he might be an imposter. So, she asked him to reveal his true form.
Zeus had already sworn upon the River Styx to grant her any wish, so he had no choice but to comply. Upon witnessing Zeus’s true form, Semele was instantly reduced to ashes in the radiance of his divine light.
The child born from that incinerated Semele was none other than Dionysus.
In short, while I would be fine since I too was a Constellation, any other human who witnessed a Constellation in such a state could very well die before the light of divinity.
“Hmm… But you, Ga-hyeon, possess a human body and a human soul. You’re not a full-fledged Constellation yet, are you?”
Anubis agreed.
“That’s right. In a way, you could be described as the most incomplete existence.”
“So who knows what’ll happen. You might blow up just trying to reveal your Constellation form.”
“Blow up?!”
I spoke in a horrified voice.
“No human body could possibly withstand the power of a Constellation. Boom!—you could explode, or maybe you’d crack apart… something like that.”
“So even you, Apollo, aren’t sure?”
Apollo retorted, as if it were obvious.
“Of course I’m not. You’re the first of your kind.”
“Then how about trying it now?”
Hermes interjected, lightly tapping my shoulder with the staff he held.
“Wouldn’t that be better than triggering some catastrophe outside?”
That… was true.
If using this skill outside meant risking disaster, it’d be far safer to try it here, in a secure space, surrounded by Constellations who could assist if needed.
The more I thought about it, the stranger it felt—almost like I was standing before guardians. Guardians? In all my life, I’d never had anyone like that. And now I was feeling that kind of emotion toward Constellations?
No, wait.
‘Didn’t I once feel something similar… with Baek Tae-beom?’
The thought came to me suddenly. Though I now had many people I was acquainted with, I had this strange certainty that if I were in danger, Baek Tae-beom would be the only one to come running to me. He’d do anything for me.
I took a slow, deep breath. And prayed that my body wouldn’t explode.
[Skill: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self]
[You are using the skill. Skill: Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self]
[Activating Manifestation of the Otherworldly Self. You feel the power of your true Constellation self.]
And so, it felt as if I had been buried deep beneath the ocean for an eternity, only to be hauled up at last and face the sun, blazing in the sky with my own two eyes. A sharp sensation bloomed along my spine, something sprouting from my back. A strange, tingling heat surged through me. It felt like my throat had swallowed fire.
My mouth felt refreshed. My vision sharpened in an instant, my movements lightened, and it felt like I could cross from one end of the room to the other in a single stride. I felt like the conductor of an orchestra called the majesty of nature itself.
Everything moved slowly around me. It felt like time itself had paused—but no, that wasn’t it. I had become far too fast. I inhaled deeply. The air tasted clean, alive.
I wanted to stay like this forever. Forever.
Becoming something beyond human was so incredibly sweet.
“…Hyun. Ga-hyeon! Choi Ga-hyeon!”
Then, the sensation of something grabbing and shaking my shoulder snapped me back to consciousness.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction,’ synchronizes with the holy vessel.]
“Haa….”
I unconsciously canceled the skill. The weight of my body returned all at once, and my knees buckled beneath me. Apollo caught me as I slumped, hastily checking my condition.
[The Constellation, ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction,’ synchronizes with the holy vessel.]
It was as if I had sprinted madly for three days and nights—my body drained and limp. A thirst I shouldn’t be feeling crept in. My eyes stung, and a wave of fatigue crashed over me. I barely managed to force out a question.
“What… was that?”
Apollo looked uncharacteristically flustered, his expression shaken. The others didn’t look any better.
Apollo answered bluntly.
“Use it only in emergencies.”
“What?”
“That skill—only use it when you think you’re really going to die. And only for a moment. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“No, I don’t get it at all….”
I tried to push myself upright, swaying. Anubis reached out and steadied me.
“What just happened to me?”
“…From what I can tell, it’s like you have two souls inside you right now.”
“What?”
Apollo poked my chest with his finger and said,
“One is your soul as a human. The other is your soul as a Constellation. It seems we misunderstood something. The space we’re in right now—that’s the soul-space of your human self.”
“You’re telling me I have two souls?”
“Exactly. And the one you just called forth—that was your Constellation soul.”
Apollo continued slowly.
“Humans have infinite potential because they continue to evolve. But we Constellations are buried in old text and myth. We don’t evolve. We can’t move forward. We remain exactly as we are. But you… you’re different.”
I couldn’t quite grasp what he was saying.
“You’re a being that continues to evolve. Look at your Constellation title—it’s changed again, hasn’t it?”
“So Ga-hyeon, if you keep using that skill for too long, you might lose your human self.”
“My human self?”
“It’s not Angrboda’s traps you should be worried about—it’s you, the Constellation known as ‘One Who Seeks to Prevent Destruction.’ You could end up being devoured by your own self.”
Apollo grabbed my hand. I didn’t even have the strength to resist.
“Do you understand? Don’t use it carelessly. Promise me.”
“…I promise.”
I nodded weakly.
I still couldn’t understand exactly what had happened, but one thing was clear—if I used that skill, my life could be in danger. Still, I didn’t think I’d ever forget that sensation.
The feeling of all the chains binding my body being shattered, of soaring freely through the sky. Of awakening a dormant body and running through the world in an instant.
It was like I had visited another realm in the blink of an eye.
As I was trying to pull myself together, my phone buzzed with a vibration. I clenched and unclenched my hand a few times before taking it out.
A message from Ahn Ki-yoon had arrived.
[Ahn Ki-yoon: Everything’s ready.]
[Ahn Ki-yoon: How’s it going on your end?]
I managed to move my fingers just enough to type out a reply.
[Me: I’ll grab it and be right there.]
I gently pushed away Anubis’s hand and stood up. The three Constellations were looking at me with obvious concern.
What a fresh dynamic this was.
“Where do you think you’re going in that state? You that busy?”
“Ga-hyeon, shouldn’t you rest a bit? You really don’t look good.”
“You might get motion sickness. Sit for a while before you go. You’ll regret it otherwise.”
The absurdity of it all made me laugh. Hermes must have thought I’d lost it.
“Why not rest a while inside Apollo’s soul-space before you leave? He’s always whining about being bored anyway—he won’t mind if you stick around for a few hours.”
“What did you just say, you punk?!”
“It’s fine. What am I, a kid or something?”
“From our perspective, you definitely are a kid.”
Leaving Apollo behind to mutter complaints under his breath, I stepped out of the <Sanctuary of the Soul>. Then, I called Lee Myung-won.
