It was Yerim.

Park Ha-yul, who had been surveying this world to call down lightning, discovered water. An endless, vast sea of slumber stretched beneath a dreamlike surface. The very foundation of this world, laid out by the Mermaid Queen. And Yerim—Yerim’s spirit—bore the title of the Mermaid Queen’s successor.

Perhaps only Yerim could wield the Transcendent’s immense power that sustained the dreamworld. So Yerim was sent to Park Ha-yul, so that they might touch the sleeping sea.

“Yerim!”

He called out toward the still-invisible Yerim. His mouth opened, but it was hard to explain anything. The one holding me back… well, in other words…

‘Anyway, first things first.’

Calm everyone down. Try to resolve this through talking. He opened his mouth to shout again, but before he could, a voice, fraught with embarrassment, echoed through the swells.

“But I’m sorry!”

“…Hm?”

“I managed to pull it out, but I really can’t handle this—eeeek!!”

Y-Yerim? All eyes turned toward the water. It looked translucent rather than liquid, more like a shadow of water. Yet it clearly emitted the aura of water. Yerim herself still remained unseen; only her voice resonated with the waves.

“It doesn’t seem dangerous! Move away!”

Even at her warning, no one moved. Even if they tried to dodge…

“Where am I supposed to dodge to?”

The Puppeteer replied indifferently. Grrrr—everything vibrated. Water poured from above and all around, bursting up from underground as well. Whether you leapt or burrowed beneath the earth, there was nowhere to flee. Unless one could teleport vast distances, it was literally water everywhere.

“Ahh, I can’t hold on any longer! It’s bursting!!”

At Yerim’s final cry, without any way to respond—

Shhhhh—!

The water washed over them. Not from a single direction—they couldn’t be pushed out, only submerged. The water, heavy with magic, extinguished the lingering heat in an instant, and even the circle drawn by the Puppeteer was washed away. The black butterflies that had fluttered without pause and the scattering blue willow-leaves melted away as if they’d dissolved. The electric current coiled around the Seeker’s chains dispersed too.

A powerful watery domain that swallowed up every activated Skill.

“…Cough!”

The breath he’d held reflexively could not last and burst out. Even the cough was drowned by the water. Just before his breath was submerged, something slid into his mouth—an underwater-operation item. Through his strained-open eyes, he saw all manner of things floating by. Yuhyun still held onto me, the hem of his black coat rippling in the waves. His other brother was nowhere to be seen. Peace, Seong Hyunjae, Director Song, and even the Puppeteer seemed swept away somewhere.

Bubbles bubbled up among the debris. Burned soil turned to swirling dust, forming schools of fish that circled in eddies. I looked up at Yuhyun; I couldn’t bear to look below his torso. Even hidden by his coat, I could not see.

“I came looking for you.”

The Memory Orb—that was it.

“…I sought you out.”

He’d had to leave behind only a single fragment of new, age-twenty memory. Then his twenty-five-year-old brother had returned in that body. Even if only the body remained, even if it was only the memory that remained.

“Because you’re my brother.”

Eyes of inscrutable black looked at me, calm and composed.

“There’s no need to search anymore, hyung.”

“…Han Yuhyun.”

“So go back. Forget me—who I was before I relapsed.”

The hand holding mine slipped away. As I was about to be carried off by the current, I hastily grabbed Yuhyun’s arm and clung on.

“Forgetting what? How could I ever—!”

Could I forget?

“Sometime, maybe it’ll be okay. Sometime, maybe you’ll be buried in the past. But you mustn’t forget!”

Yuhyun’s hand grasped mine—but it was not a hold of support. Slowly, he peeled his hand away from mine.

“No, hyung.”

“Han Yuhyun!”

“I’m not the little brother you knew.”

“That’s not for you to decide alone! I feel that you are!”

My hand slipped out of his. No matter how I flailed and tried to grab it again, it was useless. I could not hold onto Yuhyun. Through the waves, black butterflies faintly appeared, one after another.

“What is the Gardener planning! What are you going to do to her—!”

Yuhyun’s figure receded and then blurred out of sight. In the swirling water, another familiar hand grabbed me. I was dragged along. Beneath my feet lay an abyss of darkness—water so black it had swallowed all light.

Splash!

I was hauled up to the surface. The tops of buildings broke through the water here and there. Yuhyun led me up onto the nearest rooftop. Perhaps because he’d drained the water, the sky had cleared. Beneath a great moon, a light—sunlight or moonlight—I couldn’t tell—sparkled.

“Hyung.”

I looked at the still-rising water. On the distant rooftop stood Seong Hyunjae and Director Song. The Puppeteer had vanished, and Peace surfaced, spreading his wings as he rushed over.

“You’re the Gardener, right?”

Perhaps from being soaked through, or because his heart couldn’t be startled anymore, his voice flowed out calmly. Peace, having morphed from liquid, leapt the railing and pressed himself against me. He cradled the small, chirping monster. His faint warmth slowly dried my drenched body.

“You won’t be simply targeting Seong Hyunjae like the other Transcendents, will you, Yuhyun?”

I looked back at my brother. Those same black eyes now trembled faintly, clearly showing emotion.

“When did we meet?”

“……”

“When I asked you.”

“…On my birthday.”

My heart, which had thought it could take no more blows, leapt again. Birthday—that mountain cabin. The ruined living room, the shattered sofa, the scorched floor.

“So it wasn’t Byeol after all.”

It wasn’t Byeol who’d come—it was Yuhyun. I remembered Irin, who had been so gloomy.

“Irin.”

“I didn’t mean to hide it from you, hyung!”

Irin, who’d come to me, spun around.

“But, with two of you—two Yuhyuns—…”

“You felt like Yuhyun, too, didn’t you?”

“…He was exactly like Yuhyun. But they said part of Yuhyun was in him. If it was only the same memories in a body, they wouldn’t be this alike.”

Yuhyun had insisted to the end that he wasn’t the real one. Was it really just the effect of the Memory Orb? Without it, he’d be no more than…

“Anyway. Anyway, Yuhyun, you’re the brother I was searching for before I relapsed.”

I stared at him.

“Someone different from you.”

Different. Clearly different.

“I will reclaim my brother from the Gardener and return home.”

No matter what Yuhyun said, it didn’t matter. That had been my goal the moment I learned I’d lost my pre-relapse brother—and I could never let it go.

“…I don’t know.”

“Yuhyun.”

“Healed and reconciled with me. You kept telling me it was all right. That I could be different from you. That I could want more. But all of that…”

Confusion flickered in his eyes.

“Means nothing without you, doesn’t it?”

“I’m here.”

“You almost died, hyung! When the me before my relapse appeared—if he hadn’t helped you, you would’ve…”

“…What?”

At that moment, Yuhyun?

“What are you—”

Something struck me. The item in the King of Innocence’s drawer. He’d said my life was almost gone. Yet when I met the Child of Chaos after your birthday, he said I was all right.

“So…on your birthday—”

“The life I’d left behind in the Japanese dungeon. He said he used that. But he can’t do it again.”

Yuhyun, Yuhyun… then at that time already the Gardener had taken hold of Yuhyun and made him able to move. Wait, could ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ it be…

‘For me…to heal me. For my sake, once more.’

…Han Yuhyun. You—you’re real. Even until now.

“Even then, I wavered. Because I truly hadn’t put your protection first. I enjoyed our time together.”

“If you enjoyed it, that’s enough!”

“Our chatterbox party was dangerous. But you enjoyed it too, and the time after we reconciled…”

Yuhyun stepped back. Irin returned to his owner as a small flame.

“I really can’t do without you.”

A low, small voice sounded. I hurriedly reached out to Yuhyun. My fingertips brushed his clutch. Blue willow-leaves drifted across my vision.

“As you said, we’re different. Even if our paths split again.”

What.

“No! That’s not what—!”

I couldn’t keep pace with the step he took lightly upon the willow-leaves. Yuhyun was slipping away.

“Peace!”

“No.”

A firm voice gave the order. Peace, who was about to break free of my arms and take solid form, froze. In Yuhyun’s hand glowed his Master’s token. And from him exuded a dominating presence beyond mere taming—a command born of shared essence. Though displeased, Peace lowered himself. The leader who must obey this moment was Han Yuhyun.

“Even if we part ways, we won’t fall apart! From the start, I—”

“I’ll look into the Gardener too. I know where he is.”

Yuhyun cut me off and turned away. His gaze flicked briefly to the sparkling surface.

“You can protect Park Yerim properly, right?”

That was all he said. Without a chance to argue, his back receded into the distance. He vanished from sight in an instant, as if running across the water. My heart clogged up.

—Kiiang.

Peace fluttered around in confusion. He gave a heavy sigh.

“…Don’t worry, Peace. They say siblings fight sometimes.”

Though it was not at all how I’d expected, there was no time to be deflated. I’d face this head-on. And have a proper conversation—with both of them.

“All right, Gardener or whatever—you meddled with someone else’s sibling.”

Transcendent or not, we’d see about that. Taking Peace, I climbed onto the railing. Far off, Director Song and Seong Hyunjae were gathering items on the rooftop, as if to make a raft. Seong Hyunjae signaled at me—checking if I was all right. I gave a rough nod.

‘The Puppeteer seems to want to stop Yuhyun… but for now, it’s fine.’

Because Yuhyun had gone to Yuhyun. Their goals aligned, so they’d combine forces, and then even the Puppeteer couldn’t do anything. Hyunjae’s neck is in more danger.

“Yerim, are you okay?”

I tried calling out, but there was no answer—only Yerim’s voice. Perhaps she was still in the dream-within-a-dream, manipulating the water. If she could control this power properly, it wouldn’t be hard to deal with the bound ones.

For now, I asked Peace to carry me, and headed toward Seong Hyunjae and Director Song.

“Siblings fight sometimes, right?”

The moment Seong Hyunjae saw me, he spoke calmly. As I leapt from Peace’s back to the rooftop, he strode over and peered down at me.

“It’s dangerous wandering alone.”

“Peace is here too. And if things go sideways, Director Song will knock him out for me.”

To Seong Hyunjae now, I made a convenient target in many ways. I have Skills, and as a hostage in front of Yuhyun I’d be useful. But—

“I might have to use Guildmaster Seong as bait.”

Yuhyun will come to kill Seong Hyunjae. I have to meet him first to plan.

“A perfect environment for fishing.”

“If you lend me a neck for bait, the hook will slip in perfectly. Grabbing the collar would work, too.”

And if I dip it in the water… maybe Yuhyun will show up. Electric eel fishing is illegal, though.

“…Are you sure that’s okay?”

Director Song approached me, creating space between Seong Hyunjae and me, and spoke.

“I’m fine. As Seong Hyunjae said, siblings fight sometimes. But, Director Song, about—this Gardener.”

“Yes, I remember.”

Director Song was the Transcendent who helped plant the Eclipse Seed in our world. So he too must be involved.

“The White Bird is still nowhere to be found, but the Gardener has grown closer.”

I had a rough idea where the White Bird might be. In any case, even if it weren’t Yuhyun, I’d need to deal with the Gardener because of Director Song. I should thank him for bringing my brother here.

“As for the Gardener…”

I glanced around. He must be nearby.

“Hey, youngest son. Where are you? If you don’t show yourself, I’ll add you to my family registry.”

“Your mouth’s been floating since earlier, you know?”

The Puppeteer slid into view. Of course he was here. To protect Sigma, he would never stray far from Seong Hyunjae.

“Tell me everything you know about the Gardener.”

Since your child and my child are both at stake, we’ll have to cooperate.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep