Episode 68
“…Still only show up when you need something, huh.”
She didn’t feel particularly relieved or upset. It just felt like she had finally spit out a bitter persimmon she had accidentally swallowed.
Even so, it was as if some lingering attachment to the past, which she’d held onto foolishly just because they were family, had finally snapped. She was about to look down again when—
A strong gust of wind blew through. She instinctively shut her eyes, and when she opened them again, a completely different scene unfolded before her.
A dark alleyway. Not even the faintest light from a streetlamp. A bleak, pitch-black space where harsh, ominous sounds echoed.
When she headed toward the source of the sound, she saw a figure curled up on the ground, being beaten.
The men surrounding him, who looked unmistakably like gangsters, seemed to be doling out violence with the same indifference as if they were stepping on trash.
“We’re running a legit business here. And you’ve got the nerve to call it a scam? You lost your damn mind?”
“Kuhek—s-spare me…”
“If you want to gamble, bring money. Don’t try to pull stunts.”
“Where would he get money, this bastard? Looks like he maxed out every loan shark in town. He’ll be sleeping with the fishes in concrete boots soon.”
“Ah… damn.”
“What?”
“Think we cracked his skull. He’s not breathing.”
“Ugh. What a hassle.”
Spit. As they flipped the figure over, her brother’s face was revealed—just in time for a glob of spit to land squarely on it.
His face was swollen and bloodied beyond recognition. Blood, flowing from who-knew-where, pooled beneath him, soaking the ground.
It was such a fitting end for him. Luisa couldn’t tell if this was truly something conjured by her own subconscious desires, but whatever the case, she no longer wanted to look. With a sigh, she turned her head away.
‘What is this? A dream?’
Just as she was about to close her eyes again, she felt a hand gently cover them. It had no warmth but radiated a familiar, holy energy. A large, luminous hand.
[You’ve opened your power too wide. So much that you’re now seeing cracks between worlds.]
The voice echoed in her head. She instinctively reached up and grabbed the wrist, pulling the hand away.
The dark alley vanished, replaced by a blinding white void—silent and empty.
She looked toward the hand, hoping to see the face of its owner. But there was no form, no body—only a mass of radiant white light standing before her.
“…Another world? Did I really just see the place I used to live in?”
[Yes. It’s still too early, but because your powers were released prematurely, the connection reached this far.]
“Then… my family… No, those people… Did they really end up like that? Are they truly dead?”
[They were never meant to be connected to you in the first place. I only wanted to give you some peace in this world, but I didn’t realize how persistently that demonic energy had clung to you. You’ve suffered because of it.]
“Demonic energy? Please explain more clearly!”
[I can’t tell you everything. Someday, you’ll come to understand on your own.]
The voice was gentle, like someone soothing a child. Surrounded by the soft light, Luisa found her heart strangely at ease.
[My child, shall I erase all memories of them for you?]
Luisa hesitated. There wasn’t a single good memory connected to those people—just a string of toxic entanglements. Even their last appearance had been pathetic. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to say yes.
“…That won’t be necessary.”
Maybe it was because she no longer felt shaken by them. Watching them didn’t faze her at all anymore.
Rather than leaving a gaping, uncomfortable hole in her memory, maybe it was better to let everything be and cherish what she had now.
Luisa thought of Duke Blake and Damian and slowly shook her head.
“Perhaps it’s those memories that make my current family feel even more precious. Even if they’re not my biological family, I want to try and live well with them.”
Though it had no form, the white light somehow looked like it was smiling.
“…By the way, who are you?”
[I am the beginning and the end. The one your kind calls God.]
It was the most important question, yet it came so late. And the answer, strangely, didn’t surprise her. It just made sense.
If this being was the god they worshipped—was it perhaps Lady Eanna?
This surreal experience and the familiar divine energy… the pure power that embraced her—it all made sense as the source of her ability.
Luisa was about to ask if this world was really from the book, but the god’s voice came before she could.
[But why do you still think this isn’t real?]
As the voice echoed, a fragrant wave of floral scent washed over her, and her vision faded to black.
A sudden release.
“Gasp…”
Luisa’s eyes snapped open to an unfamiliar ceiling. She let out a deep breath, blinking rapidly to bring her blurry vision into focus.
“Luisa!”
Thud—there were sounds of furniture being knocked over and people rushing toward her. Familiar faces surrounded her.
Duke Blake. Damian. Mary. And Raphael. All of them wore expressions of shock and overwhelming relief.
“Are you okay? Can you hear my voice?”
“Uh, yeah…”
“Miss! Here’s water!”
As she winced at the dryness in her throat, Mary hurried over with water. Luisa sipped it slowly, grateful for the gentle hands helping her.
“…I’m fine. But… where am I?”
“Fine?! You’ve been asleep for three days!”
“Father?”
Luisa blinked in surprise at Duke Blake’s uncharacteristically emotional outburst.
“If I had known this would make you so sick, I never would’ve brought you here. This was my mistake.”
“…But I insisted on coming. Wait—three days?”
She’d thought she’d only taken a deep nap, but clearly, that wasn’t the case. And strangely enough, she felt better than ever.
Her body brimmed with divine energy—so much that it was hard to believe she’d been unconscious for days. She didn’t feel sick at all—in fact, she felt energized.
“Do you know how worried we were when you wouldn’t wake up? Are you really okay? Tell me if anything feels off.”
“Oppa, you probably won’t believe me, but I’m seriously fine. I feel great…”
“I’m not trusting your ‘I’m fine’ anymore.”
“Um…”
She looked at Damian’s anguished expression and was about to reply when a cautious voice interrupted.
“May I check her condition for a moment?”
A person in a white coat peeked nervously from behind. Duke Blake and Damian quickly made way.
The doctor examined Luisa thoroughly, looking increasingly flustered the whole time. He looked like prey in a predator’s den.
After a long check-up, the doctor hesitantly spoke.
“She’s perfectly healthy. No abnormalities at all—actually, her condition seems excellent. Perhaps her rest fully restored her.”
“Are you certain?”
“Y-yes! Without a doubt. Lady Luisa is in peak health!”
“…Very well. Where’s the healing priest?”
“R-right here!”
The doctor scurried out under the weight of Duke Blake’s intimidating presence, and a trembling healing priest came in to examine her.
He placed his hands gently over her and closed his eyes. Moments later, his eyes flew open in shock.
“A tremendous divine power…! It’s like an endless ocean of holy energy… My word…”
Ah, she should’ve concealed some of it. She’d been so dazed she hadn’t kept it in check.
Trying to avoid the priest’s reverent, almost worshipful gaze, Luisa turned to the duke.
“I’m really okay. Like the doctor said, I feel incredibly light—like I got the best sleep ever.”
To emphasize her point, she swung her arms a bit. But the looks they gave her were filled with disbelief.
Sighing, Luisa gave up trying to convince them and glanced over at Raphael, who had been standing silently the whole time.
He ran a hand through his hair, visibly conflicted. His expression was so complex that Luisa couldn’t even begin to guess what he was thinking.
But just then, as the healing priest began to leave, Raphael quickly stepped in front of him.
“Priest, could you keep everything you saw and felt here to yourself?”
“Ah… But such power shouldn’t be judged by a mere priest alone—”
“The duke plans to go to the Central Temple. Please—just until then.”
“S-sir! Please don’t bow to me! I understand, I swear!”
Luisa furrowed her brows at Raphael’s polite bow. Everyone else in the room looked just as stunned.
The healing priest, on the verge of fainting, nodded furiously.
“Then I’ll trust you.”
“Y-yes, of course!”
As the priest fled the room in a panic, Luisa’s eyes met Raphael’s. His deep blue gaze trembled slightly—and she couldn’t help but stare back, her heart stirred by some unfamiliar feeling.
A week had passed since they arrived in the East.
She had wanted to get up the day after waking, but despite repeatedly confirming her good health, everyone had refused to let her move. As a result, she was stuck in her room with nothing to do but think.
‘But what did he mean by “why do you think this isn’t real”?’
