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#080. Vortex of Desire (6)
The blue dot shone brightly like a star at noon.
At first I thought it was Michael’s servant, but as it gradually grew larger I realized it wasn’t.
“… … ?”
Veronica’s eyes widened as she looked up following Ray.
I was also so surprised that I couldn’t close my mouth.
That was Rockdeer.
A rock deer whose entire body, including its eyes, nose, and mouth, is made of water, so that the other side is transparent and visible.
The guy was running through the sky, emitting an overwhelming presence along with a brilliant blue light.
“… … !”
Veronica was so surprised that she gaped at Ray.
But there was no response from Ray.
With a bewildered look on his face, he simply watched the approaching Rock Deer.
Soon, a blue rock deer landed in the empty space.
A gesture as light as a feather.
There was no sound of landing.
It was located about 20 meters behind Michael.
The water that made up the guy’s entire body was constantly rippling, creating the illusion that the space was rippling.
The guy slowly turned his head.
I looked back at the vacant lot that had become a mess.
Meanwhile.
… … .
──.
Our eyes met.
The boy didn’t avoid eye contact.
The beast also did not avoid gaze.
‘That’s why it’s shining.’
There was a diamond-shaped gem set into the boy’s forehead.
A deep blue like the deep sea.
The light emitted by the jewel was refracting within the creature’s body, reflecting in all directions.
Heart pounding.
The boy’s heart somehow pounded.
Heart pounding.
A different type of heartbeat from the heartbeats that result from emotions such as excitement, tension, and nervousness.
That was longing.
It was definitely a longing.
Even though it was an emotion he had never experienced before, the boy felt very certain about the identity of the emotion he was currently feeling.
It was sad and hazy.
It feels like someone is pressing a corner of my heart with their finger.
‘Why?’
Why do I feel like I’ve seen that gem somewhere else?
Why, why does it feel like we’re meeting again after a long time apart?
Also, what the boy was currently seeing was a universe of blue light.
A massive amount of blue mana was emanating from the jewel, twinkling like starlight and covering the surrounding atmosphere.
‘beautiful.’
It was impossible to think of anything else.
A beauty that you might be able to witness if you walk up into the blue night sky and stand shoulder to shoulder with the stars.
When the boy was sinking into such deep emotions.
Lockdeer took his gaze away from the boy and looked at the people beside him.
And then it started to slowly approach.
“Ah… ahh… ! Aaaah… !”
John’s eyes trembled violently as he discovered Rock Deer.
“Sir…? What… Oh, my God.”
Michael turned his head to follow John’s fingers and swallowed a breath.
Everyone present was speechless.
I couldn’t take any action.
It wasn’t just because of the unfathomable amount of mana that filled the area at some point.
It wasn’t just because I thought I might die if I took action.
The guy was a wonder.
A wonder that electrifies the human mind and body with its very existence.
In the suffocating silence, the guy stopped walking in front of John.
“Ah… ahhh…!”
John’s fingertips stretched out toward the guy began to tremble.
Tears welled up in her clouded eyes, and emotions of emotion and longing surged through the multi-colored bowl.
The guy’s head tilted forward.
Moving slowly, John’s fingertips touched his forehead, then quickly pulled away and returned to their original position.
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The guy stared blankly at John.
Then he turned and headed towards the large puddle in the center of the empty lot.
Everyone watched the scene in silence.
Knock knock!
Fran appeared from somewhere and wagged his tail at the guy in a friendly manner.
The guy gave Fran a look, but didn’t stop walking.
Fran’s mother, who had been watching from a distance, let out a cry.
Kkuruk─
Fran, who heard the call, returned to her mother, and the boy, the blue rock deer, arrived at the center of the pond.
The next moment.
A dazzling blue light filled my field of vision.
Just a few seconds like that.
Everyone slowly opened their eyes as they felt the light disappear.
“… … !”
And I was shocked.
It was an oasis.
The pool was filled with clear, transparent water.
The blue rock deer flew into the sky again, and disappeared into the distance, somewhere far away.
“This… how on earth…?”
Michael’s foolish voice.
It was a sight I couldn’t believe even though I saw it with my own eyes.
Was it magic?
Could it be some other mysterious force?
Or is he dreaming right now?
I couldn’t even guess what process this phenomenon went through.
Knock knock.
Knock knock.
The first ones to move were the rock deers.
Those who had collapsed from long-term thirst and the aftereffects of battle began to struggle to get up.
Those who managed to stand on all fours staggered towards the oasis.
The oasis was soon surrounded by rock deers.
All that could be heard was the sound of people hurriedly drinking water, and the bodies of the rock deers that had been in a state of dehydration began to regain their vitality.
The sight flashed on the old man’s retina.
Her eyes looked cloudy and blurry due to the tears that had collected in them.
It was exactly the same scenery he had seen in his youth.
“Ah… ahhhh… .”
Tears flowed ceaselessly from the old man’s eyes.
Tears as clear and transparent as the water in the oasis.
*
John wasn’t breathing anymore.
A faint smile appeared on his wrinkled face.
“…you were my hero.”
Michael closed John’s eyes.
After carefully laying his head and body on the floor, he got up from his seat and looked around.
The rock deers, having quenched their thirst, were leaving the canyon in a group.
Leaving behind a disorganized scene of broken vehicles, dead people and rock deers.
Michael’s mind was just as confused and complicated.
“… What are you going to do, Ray? Are you going to leave right away?”
“I’m planning to leave a little later. I’ll pack what I need to pack and organize my thoughts a bit.”
It was an answer without much hesitation.
Check out the blue-skinned rock deer up close, and also get hold of John and Skyle’s Ignis cards.
All objectives were achieved.
In particular, I never expected to actually see the rock deer that John had told me about.
‘What on earth could it have been?’
Where are we born and what purpose do we have in our lives?
Could the jewel embedded in his forehead be the source of his power?
Could it possibly have something to do with the rainbow fragments?
While I was lost in thought, Michael’s voice continued to be heard.
“I… don’t know.”
“What is it?”
“What should I do next… The CEO told me to leave. But I am a person who cannot shine on my own.”
“What exactly does it mean to be unable to shine on your own?”
“It means that I don’t have the ability to live and achieve great things like you, sir.”
Ray said, after a moment of silence.
“I don’t know.”
“yes?”
“Because you seem like the kind of person who can live life doing what they want.”
“… Me?”
Ray’s head nods slightly.
It was a statement with some basis.
‘You can’t force emotions on Michael.’
Michael’s current feelings are confusing.
I tried to amplify the emotion by injecting the mana in the air, but the moved mana did not enter the vessel.
Ray had discovered one thing in common among the subjects he could not inject emotions into.
‘There’s a halo of light.’
Philip, Veronica, Michael, and several other passersby I met on the street.
There was a halo of light in the center of their bowl.
Each of a different color.
A halo the size of a fingernail.
‘Now that I think about it, it seems like Niles and a few other people from Sector 50 were in the same boat.’
This is something I just recently learned.
Efforts to understand people’s emotions are increasing, and at the same time, the sense of mana is developing rapidly.
Ray did some deductions about what people with ‘stars’ made of light had in common, and came to one conclusion.
‘Everyone has their own opinions and thoughts.’
He is not easily swayed by what others say and has clear values.
… Veronica in particular had a tendency to turn a deaf ear to what others said.
‘He has a tendency to only listen to what he wants to hear.’
Anyway, if I were to describe the nature of those who hold stars in their bowls in a word I found in the dictionary, it would be like this.
faith.
The power to believe that what you think is right.
‘You’re bound to have a much greater advantage over others when it comes to achieving your goals. That means your thoughts won’t be easily shaken.’
I thought so.
So if there’s something you want, Michael is a person with a very high probability of making it happen.
Ray nodded, giving his answer after a moment of delay.
“Yes. You.”
“… … .”
Ray’s attitude was so serious that it didn’t feel like he was just saying something to comfort me.
Michael spoke quietly, unsure of how to react.
“… Thank you. At least for saying that. But what can I do after losing my missionary?”
Beep──
Ppaaeak──
It was then that a sound was heard from across the sky.
When I raised my head, I could see three dots approaching me at a rapid pace.
The dot soon took the shape of a hawk and landed on the ground next to Michael.
The metal helmets that had been placed on the guys’ heads to cover their eyes were gone.
It appeared that all of the pieces had probably been damaged during combat and had fallen off during the flight.
The guys didn’t leave Michael’s vicinity.
Even though the blindfold is gone, you can fly away to find freedom.
“I guess you chose to stay by my side.”
“… … .”
Michael made a complicated face.
He soon unfolded his coat.
In response, the low-flying servants disappeared into the subspace connected to the inside of the coat.
Ssuk.
The coat was closed again.
Michael, who had been standing there blankly for a moment, approached John and took him into his arms.
“What are you going to do?”
“After burying the representative in a sunny place… I plan to return to the tower. There, I will think about what I can do next. I have been very rude. And thank you. For allowing the representative and I to take refuge within the shelter.”
Michael nodded politely and turned around.
After laying John down inside the bodyguard’s vehicle, which seemed to be in the best condition, he got into the driver’s seat.
“If we are destined to meet… I’ll see you again.”
Words passed through a broken window.
The vehicle left the vacant lot.
“… … .”
“… … .”
A moment of silence followed.
Among the boy and girl, it was Ray who moved first.
Ray took the cannon out of the vehicle and walked around the empty lot, taking currency and anything else that could be of value from the arms of the mercenaries and bodyguards.
Veronica stared blankly at the sight.
It seemed that the shock from the devastation of the battle had not yet subsided.
In a way, it was natural.
What unfolds before my eyes is a gruesome scene of human and animal corpses intertwined.
It would have been stranger if a sixteen-year-old child had remained calm and composed without any disturbance.
Since I was young, I have lived on the streets where someone’s death was an everyday occurrence.
Also, unless you’re a special case like Ray, whose emotional range is limited and he can’t be shaken.
Ray said, reading Veronica’s emotions.
“It’s better not to harbor any petty sympathy or concern towards your enemies.”
“······.”
“Even if you try to help, you’ll just be ambushed or used against you. It could have been dangerous when John rushed at you earlier.”
“······.”
“An enemy is just an enemy. A threat that must be eliminated without mercy.”
Ray continued his plunder, throwing out words one by one.
Before we knew it, the pod was piled high with bills, coins, and trinkets.
In fact, it may not have been such a meaningful action.
In monetary terms, it may not even be a fraction of the fortune I would gain through John’s card.
However, the reason Ray is currently doing this is largely because it is a routine action rather than something to gain some kind of benefit.
In a fight, the one standing at the end is the ultimate winner.
It is the winner’s duty and right to take everything that remains.
That was the way of the streets.
“A pitiful feeling of guilt doesn’t help you survive.”
“······.”
Veronica, who had been listening to Ray’s story, slowly approached him and began to help him with the loot.
It seemed like he had realized something and felt something.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you taking care of it?”
Rather, he even urged Ray, who had stopped acting for a moment.
Ray resumes his plunder.
As silence fell again, Veronica asked.
“When you used the ministry magic on the Rock Deers earlier, that moment came, right?”
Veronica said, staring blankly at Ray’s chest where the circle was.
“At that moment?”
“The moment of enlightenment.”
“ah.”
“I couldn’t help but feel the Mana Revolution. It was so strong and fast. How is it? Have you reached the 2nd circle?”
There was a hint of anticipation in Veronica’s voice, but that anticipation was not immediately fulfilled.
“1.5 circle.”
“huh?”
“Higher than Circle 1, but lower than Circle 2.”
It was an unknown answer.
It’s not 1 circle or 2 circle, it’s 1.5 circle.
“What does that mean?”
“I’ll explain when we get back to the sector.”
Veronica tried to look as curious as possible.
But Ray didn’t seem to have any intention of giving him an answer right away.
It didn’t really matter.
There were other questions that remained unresolved, and questions that needed to be asked.
“What on earth was that rock deer earlier? It was so beautiful.”
Veronica asked, glancing up at the sky.
Ray’s movements stopped for a moment.
Just as I was about to open my mouth to answer.
“Yes. It was truly beautiful. I couldn’t take my eyes off it for even a moment.”
A voice was heard behind me.