The S-Classes That I Raised

Chapter 623: Happy Ending (2)

“Urgh…”

The moment I registered what was wrapping around me, my vision blurred and a vicious dizziness crashed over me. It was such a simple touch. It wasn’t even physical. And yet a horrifying fear that crushed both body and soul surged in like a tidal wave. The oppressive force that coiled up from my toes, sticky and thick, turned into clumps of mud that filled my throat and cut off my air.

A gigantic hand that wrapped around my entire body. A gaze from so high up I couldn’t even guess at its position. An overwhelming difference that didn’t even let the word resistance occur to me. As I struggled just to breathe, a voice reached me. A soft whisper with its own presence suppressed to the absolute minimum.

[We can’t talk like this.]

And then, with a snap, my body dropped.

Soft ground met the tips of my toes. My blocked breath loosened and I finally managed to open my eyes properly. Everything around me was dark. Not an ordinary night, but a space where it felt like the sun, moon, and stars had never existed to begin with.

In that darkness, a table and chairs suddenly appeared. A pure–white silhouette seeped out of the dark and sat down on one of the chairs. Long silver hair, as light as air, cascaded down like a waterfall. The ends of that hair spilled past the hem of her white clothes all the way to the floor, then scattered into moonlight and spread endlessly across the pitch–black ground, like clustered starlight forming a long river.

A goddess.

Anyone who saw her would think of that word first. She was unimaginably beautiful, graceful, and radiated divinity. Silver eyes tinged faintly with gold looked at me. I had the sudden urge to drop to my knees, but I forced myself to stay standing.

“Sit.”

Even her voice overflowed with authority. At the same time, something about it felt off. This was way too…

“That is the image of me you imagined.”

Crescent Moon. She spoke.

“The god you sense from the moon. And I resemble the Little Moon a little as well.”

D–do I…? If Seong Hyunjae had a mother, she might look like this. When you thought about it, she was a being who’d played a part in making the current Seong Hyunjae. She just tossed him from one world to another and let him live however he wanted on his own. Basically, she was something like an irresponsible parent.

Trying not to shrink back, I walked to the table. I hadn’t expected to run into her like this, so suddenly. My hand rattled a little as I pulled the chair out. Sitting down, I unconsciously unclenched my fist and rubbed my palm against my pants.

“First off, what exactly happened.”

“I borrowed your body for a little while.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You have already accepted me once before, and you’ve also held the powers of other Transcendents in that body. On top of that, you chose of your own will to become the groom and stand in the wedding hall, so it was even easier to enter.”

…So in other words, I’d once been linked to Crescent Moon, then I walked of my own two feet into a wedding hall prepared for her and volunteered as the groom. I’d basically gone, Please, help yourself.

“So that means my body could get taken over like this again.”

“It will not be easy. Your world is currently shrouded in the mist of the King of Harmless, and greatly shaken by the erasure of Chatterbox’s existence. Even under such circumstances, multiple conditions had to align for this to be possible.”

In practical terms, it was close to impossible. That was a relief, at least.

I opened my mouth, then just moved my lips soundlessly a few times. I definitely had a ton of things I wanted to ask, to protest, but I felt like a little kid who didn’t know what to do in front of an adult.

“First of all, uh, I think dragging someone who says they don’t want to go from world to world against their will is a bad thing to do.”

…That was the best I managed to get out. “That’s bad, you know,” seriously? Meanwhile, Crescent Moon’s demeanor was relaxed, almost kindly so. There wasn’t even a trace of hostility toward me.

“Of course it is. I have trampled a human life and am attempting to destroy that existence itself.”

“…Could you maybe not do that.”

“I cannot grant that request.”

Y–yeah. I mean, uh.

My mouth clamped shut again. No matter what I said, there was no way Crescent Moon would suddenly be persuaded by my words and declare she was letting Seong Hyunjae go. It felt like shouting at a wall, or at a towering mountain range, or at a vast ocean. No matter how much I raged and cried and begged, they would stay the same, like the sun and moon quietly crossing the sky.

It was suffocating. And the worst part was that this suffocation felt like the natural result, so I couldn’t even muster real defiance. Still, the fact that she was here having a conversation with me like this meant…

“Is there something you want from me.”

Her silver eyes curved in a smile. The shape was really just like Seong Hyunjae’s.

“First of all, child, I do not view you as my enemy.”

“…Even though I’ve been getting in your way? I’ll keep interfering too. For as long as you’re trying to harm Seong Hyunjae and Song Taewon.”

“The Eclipse is a power that can erase the Little Moon’s existence itself. Yet you are the one filling the Little Moon up, are you not.”

“…That’s…”

“Even the pre–regression Little Moon was filled because of you and the Eclipse.”

My teeth clenched before I could stop them. Back then, there wasn’t much new left for Seong Hyunjae, so he’d nearly stopped, leaving only a tiny empty space instead of fully filling up. The ones who brought new experiences to a man like that were me and Song Taewon.

…In the end, in making pre–regression Chief Song die and making Seong Hyunjae leave Korea, I’d had a hand as well. Even if it wasn’t my intention.

And even now. If it weren’t for the pre–regression Seong Hyunjae absorbed into Gyeol and the part we’d shaved off with Gyeol’s help, he would’ve already been full. And even after that, he was probably still filling up little by little. My very existence was helping Crescent Moon.

“And you.”

Crescent Moon looked at me with gentle eyes.

“You will not simply watch as the Little Moon is swallowed by the Eclipse.”

“It’s not for your sake.”

I forced myself to glare back at that gaze.

“I just want the people I care about to live their own lives, that’s all.”

“All lives have an end, child.”

Snacks appeared on the table. A sweet smell tickled my nose, but I ignored it.

“I understand well that you wish to shield the Little Moon. But that child must also meet his end. Even if not now, you will have to part ways someday.”

“Someday, sure.”

No matter how hard I tried to protect Seong Hyunjae, and Yuhyun, and Yerim, and everyone else that was mine, the end would come eventually. Everyone in the world knew that. But.

“Living is still good. So what if there’s a last page, an ending. Isn’t that what you live to see? Living is just living. Because I’m alive like this.”

I don’t really get stuff like the meaning of being born, or “we’re all gonna die someday so what’s the point of living.” I don’t know and I don’t really care.

“Your Little Moon still wants to live. As himself. So there’s no need for ‘someday’ and all that. If he wants to live, that’s enough. What more meaning do you need.”

Why stick all sorts of extra labels onto living. Why do you need anything more than living your own life. Sure, you can think about what kind of life you want to build. If you think about it and work at it, it’ll probably get better. But the act of living itself – that’s already enough.

Crescent Moon smiled, as if she truly understood my heart.

“I believe you already suspect it to some extent.”

“…I don’t.”

“I am trying to create a being that will replace the Source.”

I wondered if it was really okay for her to say something like that so casually, but either way, I had no choice but to keep that secret. If Crescent Moon’s goal got out, the person in the most danger wouldn’t be anyone else but Seong Hyunjae. She knew that, which was probably why she could speak so openly. Because she trusted that I would protect him.

“A new being – shall we call it a god. The Little Moon is perfectly suited to be a power that tends the world. He is fair to all existences, yet cherishes and cares for those who strive for themselves. If only that innate nature remained and his self–awareness disappeared, he would become the god you desire, different from the Source that devours worlds.”

…He was definitely whimsical, but he was fair. If you erased his ego and left only that fair care behind.

“But you said you disliked that, did you not.”

“When the new god is born, the Source will disappear.”

Crescent Moon spoke in a tone that simply stated a fact, not one trying to persuade me.

“Your world will be safe.”

“How am I supposed to believe that.”

“At the very least, the Source will no longer try to swallow the world. The interference of Transcendents will also vanish, and the children you are raising, who will live long ages to come, will be granted a peaceful time.”

“Even so.”

The Source disappears. And a god based on Seong Hyunjae takes its place.

“Behind that god, there will be you, won’t there.”

“To anchor a power that has lost its self, a regulating existence is necessary. I will not tell you to trust me. But child, I will grant everything you desire.”

The chair I was sitting on jolted hard. I shot to my feet without thinking. I didn’t want to hear any more. I wanted to storm off, but there was no exit.

“I will let you share your lifespan with your younger brother. I will return your lost younger sibling to you. It may be difficult to separate a soul that died long ago and has already returned to the Source. But you will be able to retrieve his body intact and hold him again. After all of that is over, I and the other Transcendents will completely withdraw from your world. If you wish, I can even leave the dungeons as they are. In a safe state where they simply reset.”

…Everything I’d wanted.

“You will be able to live happily, for a very, very long time.”

With no problems. With no worries. Without ever losing again, or living under the fear that I might.

It was sweet to a horrifying degree. A sickeningly sweet story. A twisted laugh forced its way out. I couldn’t bring myself to say, How can I believe you. Crescent Moon would grant all of that without the slightest deviation. My lower jaw trembled.

“…I.”

“If you do just one thing for me.”

I couldn’t bring myself to ask what. Crescent Moon continued.

“On the first day of the year, there is a ceremony that begins a new life. If that is performed perfectly, I can turn the Little Moon back to before he belonged to that world and retrieve him safely. If I also return the magic stones in your arm, that child will swell to a full moon.”

Once all preparations are complete.

“In the space I have prepared, the Little Moon will become a full moon. With no effect on your world, safely.”

A new god would be born.

“For the ritual to succeed, there are two methods. One – even if the two are unrelated, countless people acknowledge their union. The other – two people with a deep and strong bond are united. So, child.”

Her voice poured out, sweet as syrup.

“Before the end of the 1st, show the people of your world the wedding between the prepared bride and the Little Moon.”

The broadcast equipment was still there. It was entirely doable.

“Or have the Little Moon hold the ceremony with one of the two people who share the strongest bond with him – you, or the Eclipse. Although I dwell in your body, the Little Moon does not recognize the current you as you, so you must do it yourself. Until sunrise, you will be able to use my power.”

“…If Chief Song is an option, couldn’t you just do it directly right now.”

“If I drag everything along by force instead of you, do you believe the Eclipse would calmly go through with the ceremony.”

…Not a chance. Chief Song would sooner die, or kill Seong Hyunjae.

Another laugh leaked out. If I gave up on Seong Hyunjae, everything would end. Perfectly, with a happy ending. Leaving out just one person. Not only me, but countless worlds would be safe from the Source.

It really was, sickeningly sweet.

Yuhyun came to mind. My little brother, still lying in the snow, still wrapped up in nameless anxiety. Yerim came to mind too. A kid still far too young to be living in danger. And everyone else.

“I…”

Tears followed on the heels of my laughter. I barely held back the emotions that felt like they were about to burst.

“I don’t… really like sweet things…”

I hate things that are too sweet… but it was so sweet. Way too sweet.

The relatively small body was lifted as if it weighed nothing. With just a bit of force, his neck would have snapped with a crack. Seong Hyunjae met the gaze of the smiling eyes without a flicker. Silver eyes bound him.

Jingle. A bell rang.

Seong Hyunjae flung Han Yujin’s body away and, at the same time, slipped out of that spot.

Crack! Boom!

Moonlight pouring down through the shattered ceiling turned into silver chains that speared the floor. The body that had been thrown slammed into the ground beneath the clock. The hands, having just passed twelve, trembled faintly.

“What a trivial thing to say.”

As he spoke, as politely as if he were offering a greeting, golden chains coiled and swirled around him. Under the moonlight seeping in, current flickered like stars. Gold and silver sparks jumped here and there, casting dizzy shadows over the veiled face.

“You care deeply for this child.”

Han Yujin – Crescent Moon – rose to her feet. Moonlight dangled around her with a bright jangle. Seong Hyunjae’s fingertips caught and wrapped around the long trailing veil.

“Of course. I cherish him very much. That’s why.”

Clang!

Chains smashed into each other and tangled in an instant. Numerous relatively thin silver chains coiled around a single thick gold chain. And the moonlight drifting in the air—

Rumble!

Blinding golden light, bright enough to feel like it would rip your corneas apart, blew it all away at once. As if a flashbang had gone off, the world flared white, and in the next instant, as if he’d teleported, Seong Hyunjae’s fingers brushed the nape of Han Yujin’s neck. Grace was definitely active, but—

Screee–

The black shadow gathered at his fingertips scraped across Han Yujin’s skin, carving a long red line. At the same time, he stomped one foot down hard enough to leave a mark in the marble and swung his other leg in a wide arc. Thud – with a dull impact, Han Yujin’s back slammed against the wall again.

Thunk.

Pinned against the wall, Han Yujin’s throat was once more captured in Seong Hyunjae’s grip. His body completely blocked the view; Han Yujin couldn’t be seen at all.

“S–stop!”

“Han Yujin–!”

At the sight, Han Yuhyun and Song Taewon shouted hoarsely. Ignoring the two of them, Seong Hyunjae looked down at the man – at her – in his grasp. The sound of metal twisting and grinding echoed again and again.

“I will kill Han Yujin as Han Yujin.”

His golden eyes smiled brilliantly.

“It’s a once–in–a–lifetime chance.”

A certain death, one that could never be undone—

“It would be far too wasteful to let go of the only chance I’ll ever have to see for myself what eyes he looks at me with, what words he says, what gestures he makes.”

“More than your own life?”

“That is my life.”

If it were something he could easily set aside just to survive this crisis, he wouldn’t have made it this far. Crescent Moon laughed. It was a clear sound. Her hand lifted and cupped Seong Hyunjae’s cheek. No matter what happened, he lived his own life.

“My little moon, unchanged as ever.”

And then—

Crack.

Countless shafts of moonlight poured down like rain. The golden chains were mercilessly shattered and scattered over the pure–white floor. Bright red blood splattered across them. White clothes turned crimson. The blood–soaked veil hung heavy. A torso riddled with holes. A head so mangled it was hard to recognize.

“Seong Hyunjae!”

Song Taewon screamed, his voice like a shriek. Noah also sucked in a shocked breath. Only Han Yuhyun still stared at Crescent Moon – at his brother – relentlessly, as if hunting for any trace of him.

The fallen body twitched. Right after all breath had fully stopped, it rapidly returned to its original form. The instant he finally exhaled a ragged breath—

Jingle, jingle.

Moonlight poured down again. The body drenched in blood tumbled down the stairs. Crescent Moon’s foot stepped on the red veil as she walked to the edge of the platform. Staring holes into that figure, Han Yuhyun’s eyes flew wide.

“Hyung!”

Han Yujin opened his mouth. His face twisted as if in sorrow, his voice tinged with a bitter lament.

“Run away from me, Seong Hyunjae.”

He spoke.