Eternally Regressing Knight Chapter 646

646. Afterglow

“I am fire. And you are the angel who transmits fire.”

During that time, the devil spoke many different words. Among them was this temptation.
A temptation filled with lies. Even the sensitivity of a fairy could not find any flaws in the devil’s words, so it sounded like the truth.

‘Words have power.’

Repeated words leave a mark on the mind and can influence behavior, so words have power.

“Did I burn it? Or did you burn it?”

Was it the devil’s doing, or did she call the devil herself?
If so, was the fire started by the devil her own?
Black ash flowed through Shinar’s veins. The ash ate away at her heart and planted fear.
Shinar held on, though. She
had no pride left for a long time, so it was more like a struggle. She
faced the fire and felt fear, but pretended not to. That was Shinar’s rebellion.
It goes without saying how surprised she was to see Encred’s actions in this situation.

‘Light the tent?’

It was crazy, but somehow it felt okay at the time. The fire that was like a symbol of fear, terror, and the devil didn’t seem like that at the time.
Why? I didn’t want to know. I didn’t have time to think about the reason in a time when I was busy hiding my feelings and emotions.
All the fairy who was cursed to not be able to face flames could do at that time was to keep her mouth shut.
And then the fire started.
I couldn’t bear to look at the blazing flames, so I turned away, but it wasn’t so painful that I died.

‘Should I say it’s Brand Duck?’

My master and old friend Bran taught me not to fear fire.
He taught me the way the Elves teach: through action, attitude, and life. Woodguard burned a cigar. It was as awkward as a ghoul eating chocolate pudding, but Bran did it.
It’s not that Elves don’t use fire, but Woodguard, being descended from trees, doesn’t come near fire. It’s an instinctive behavior.

‘Wood and fire.’

It was a strange combination.
It was true, but Bran finally bit the cigarette and lit it.
Shinar felt time accelerate. At the same time, he realized that this was a lucid dream.
The old shackles were released. It was a curse that struck the metal of words and wrapped and twisted the talent of time.
The demon held Shinar in his grasp for a long time and slowly ate away at him. The demon died.
Reality and dreams mixed together, and memories of the past invaded the dream.

“It’s fire. It’s fire.”

The serpent made of flame wrapped around my ankle again and burned my flesh. Crackling, the grass and flowers burned and gave off a pungent smell.
Cold sweat flowed down. It seemed as if my real body was soaked in sweat.
I couldn’t escape the curse left by the devil all at once. It was a curse that was not a spell or magic, but words.

“Do you still feel like picking and dying?”

The voice of another person pierces my ears. As is often the case with dreams, the surroundings change quickly without me realizing it. It was the same now.
Before I knew it, I was sitting in the middle of the forest. Shinar saw that my hands had become smaller than when I was a child.
I could see the white back of my hands. If I pulled up my sleeves and exposed my arms, there would probably be scars that were not long ago.

“If I have to die, I will.”

Just before becoming an adult, Sinar, who had become a cursed child, said that, and his father said that it was not his fault. He saw his father leaning against a tree. It was the owner of the voice he had heard earlier.

“Or have you changed your mind?”

Father asked again. Shinar stared blankly at his father.
Usually, when his father appeared in his dreams, he would barely utter a few words in the darkness, but today, he stood proudly in front of him, bathed in sunlight.
The faint sunlight shining on the forest swept over his father from his face to his toes, capturing him in his sight.

“It has changed.”

The answer was given by his mother. He was standing next to his father, who had come at any time. His eyebrows, eyes, nose, and lips were all similar to his own.
When he was young, his sisters said that he resembled his father, and that Shinar resembled his mother.

“How do you know that?”

The father asked the mother. The mother was also standing there, her blonde hair reflecting the sunlight.

“We have something in common.”
“I do.”
“Yes, I feel a deeper bond with that child.”
“I feel it too.”

Although his speech is bland to control his emotions, when he thinks back to his childhood, Shinar’s father and mother often fought.
It could be called a fairy-like quarrel.
His father seemed to be calmly insisting, while his mother seemed to be calmly ignoring him.

“It’s raining.”

The mother answers. Her gaze is fixed on her. Her mouth moves for her father, but her eyes hold a gentle light for herself. She is the same as always.

“No, I’m a fairy. I only tell the truth.”

My father didn’t have an earthquake either.

“It must be a distortion.”
“No, that’s how I feel.”
“You’re distorting your own mind.”
“My heart is telling me so.”

The argument is prolonged. Even though I know it’s a dream, I still enjoy watching it. Isn’t it a lovely sight?

“Both of you, stop. Bloodlines affect us, but they don’t do everything.”

Even my sister came out. It was Naira Kirhais. She added in a sarcastic tone.

“Naira, you’re cold.”

Her father spoke to her.

“I’m just a regular elf.”
“Bran said I was particularly good at controlling my emotions.”
“I take care of my own business.”
“How sad.”

Just because you don’t show emotions doesn’t mean you don’t have them.
Fairies feel emotions with their innate sensitivity. When the range of their emotions expands, they become sad and happy over small things and their emotions fluctuate.
Prock easily recognizes limitations because he sees talent, and fairies easily feel emotions, so they are easily influenced by others. In other words, their psychological structure was weak.
It was like a pure white canvas that could be dyed with any paint.
If Prock lived intoxicated by desire to break his limitations, fairies learned to control their emotions in order to protect their weak psychological structure.
So fairies whose psychological structure had become solid would show some of their emotions again.
Just like Shinar’s parents.
Even if the two of them showed their emotions to that extent, it wouldn’t harm each other. However, other fairies, especially young fairies, would be shaken by such expressions of emotion.
So it was also emotional control to raise a sensitive child. So now?
They are all grown up. That’s why they can do that.
And sister, Naira.
She was talented since she was young. She would learn and realize anything in an instant.
The random thoughts mixed and tangled together and came to a conclusion in a strange way.
Originally, the one who should have remained was not himself… … .

“It’s a useless thought. Shinar. If my ability was superior and I had to stay, it should have been my mother, not me. If I had gone into the labyrinth knowing that I couldn’t use my spirit, my mother would have been able to cut down the demon and still survive.”

It was as if she had read his mind. Naira comforted him with her usual tone.
Her words made sense. Logic is the forte of fairies.
Mother was a genius among geniuses born to the fairy clan. That was what she was talking about.
Naira looked at her with her blunt gaze, filled with worry and concern.
She spoke with her eyes. You don’t have to get better all at once. Just hold on to something small and hold on.
It wasn’t much different from what she had said before she left.

“It’s not your fault here. Okay?”

She said the same thing with her mouth. Her
father said something after hearing that, and her mother spoke of the bond again.
It wasn’t noisy. Fairies wouldn’t be noisy even when they gathered, so that’s why.
But it wouldn’t be unloving just because it was quiet.
Shinar enjoyed the peace for a moment. He did it even though he knew it would end. This was a lucid dream. They were dead. He wouldn’t see them again. He might have been killed by the devil and become his nutrient.
As his thoughts deepened, gloominess rose up.

Sarak.

It seemed as if there was a sound. And then someone was cupping Shinar’s cheek. It was Aden.

“I didn’t know you would go to someone else but me.”

Aden enjoyed the Elven jokes. Even now, he said something silly.
Why would he say something like that when he had treated Shinar like a sister or family member, not a woman, all his life?

“Flames are destruction and birth. That’s what Lafratio meant. So flames are not something to be feared. You just have to be careful.”

Aden said.
I know. I knew that, so I repeated it countless times. Fire must be
treated with caution. It was a declaration of intent to handle it with caution, not to avoid it.
To teach that one fact, Bran, despite being a Woodguard, overcame the fear engrained in his instincts and bit and burned the tobacco.
And Lafratio, the castle of the House of Aden. That is, Aden Lafratio, it was also the name of the Elven Blacksmith House.
Lafratio, if you translate it directly into the language of the Continent, is the fire that does not die. If you translate it again, you can say it is ‘regeneration’.
Regeneration, it means surviving again even after being broken.

“Igniculus, light the spark. Breathe soul into the extinguished fire.”

Aden said. And that was what Aden did. Hammering iron to give life, breathing life into flames.
Today was a particularly sentimental dream.
Then, with a bang, everything around him darkened as if it were going to go out.
In the forest that was the background of Aden and his family, black soot gathered, flowed, and clumped together, filling the forest. Before long, the sunlight had disappeared as if it was fading away.

“You are a cursed child.”
“Everyone died because of you.”

The restrained emotions of fairies may seem like that to humans, but this was enough for fairies to convey their intentions.
The subtle meaning mixed in their speech was enough to convey everything.
It was an unspecified voice coming from inside the soot. It was complaining, blaming, and complaining. It was putting all the blame on me.
Shinar was not yet free from his curse. He was just enduring it. He realized that it was time to endure, but his father stopped him.

“If you are dead, become pretty pollen.”

Mother also steps forward.

“Things like potato sprouts.”

He even spit out some harsh curse words.

“Shall I burn everything? It’s not only the devil who uses fire.”

Aden also stepped forward.
The sisters crouched down in front of such a Shinar and looked into each other’s eyes.

“How about that guy?”

Even among fairies, Naira was particularly good at hiding her emotions, but she never did so to herself.
Before she died, she used to say such trivial things. She still does now. It was like a typical conversation between sisters.

“He’s so stubborn and crazy.”
“Yeah, that’s how it is.”

The sister said with a smile. Then she got up and blocked the way. Soot gathered above the curse-like resentment.
What did Encred say? Did the devil come to her in her dream and say something, but she forgot?
The soot spoke with determination.

“You fucking bitch, scream my name now. You know my real name, so scream it now!”

In her dreams, she was always being chased and torn apart. But now she wouldn’t have to be like that.
Shinar steeled herself. She couldn’t win it all at once. But she could start.

“If you stop thinking it’s too late and that it can’t be done, nothing will happen anyway.”

Enki, you are right. You are right, and I respect your will.
Shinar opened her mouth with difficulty. She needed courage, so she summoned up courage. Courage became will, and she gave strength, and she spoke to the demon.

“Who are you?”

If it’s time to forget, then I will forget now. Those were the words I uttered with that intention in mind.

“What the fuck is that bitch?”

The devil expressed his anger. Then he burned the forest. A large flame filled my eyes.
There were terrible burns on Shinar’s back and arms. Pain was felt again from the burn marks.
The family blocking my path was burning. Neither Aden nor her sister could stop the flames. The flames were eating away at my dreams and burning me.
A blue light slowly shone through the flames, splitting some of them and holding on in front of me. Was it because of that? It was hot, but I could bear it. So I will do it. I will endure it.

“Someday, you too will smile. Shinar. For that day, don’t forget how to smile.”

As he was burning, his father said,
“Yes, father, such a day has come.”
Shinar smiled brightly, like a flower in full bloom, not softly.
Shinar woke up from his dream and felt that his eyes were moist. It was because he had been crying while dreaming.

“Oh, it wasn’t a bad dream.”

I got up from my seat, muttering to myself. Various thoughts flashed through my mind, and I remembered Encred going into the spring before I went to bed.
Shinar came out of the wooden house.
When I went outside, the air was cold, but the sunlight was nice and refreshing. It was a day when I just wanted to soak in water.