The tree was enormous—several times the size of anything around it.

Even among great trees, it wouldn’t be lacking in grandeur. It was smaller than the Divine Tree at Mount Hua, but no ordinary tree could possibly look like this.

And yet—

'Why is it so black?'

The tree was unnaturally dark.

Not just its leaves, but all the way down to the trunk—everything was pitch black.

It looked as if it had been scorched by fire.

At a glance, that’s exactly what it seemed like.

'...But it’s not actually burned.'

It wasn’t a dead tree. I was certain of that.

If it had been burned to death, there was no way I’d be sensing this vital energy from it.

Not just vitality—there was more to it than that.

Vwooom.

My heart resonated on its own. From that tree, I could feel something pure and sacred.

It was the same feeling I had when I encountered the Divine Tree at Mount Hua.

The same feeling I had when I saw the Divine Tree in Yahwol.

Which meant—

'That’s the Divine Tree of Mount Marryeong.'

That black, murky tree was a Divine Tree.

It didn’t look anything like what I associated with Divine Trees, but as I learned in Yahwol, appearance had nothing to do with it.

"......."

Splish.

I took a slow step forward, my foot dipping into the lake.

The water wasn’t very deep.

As if drawn by a force, I walked toward the tree.

I climbed up the hill. The closer I got, the more massive the Divine Tree became.

I reached out my hand, intending to touch it—

"...I must first offer my apologies for forcing such an honored one to come here in person."

A voice called out near the tree.

I stopped my hand mid-motion, turning toward the sound.

Right next to the tree.

Had I been so entranced by the Divine Tree that I hadn’t noticed someone sitting there?

"I hope your journey here was not too difficult."

The figure spoke cautiously. I looked at them and asked,

"Are you the Heroic Spirit?"

At my question, the person sitting there slowly rose.

Their body swayed slightly, unsteady, before they adjusted their posture and knelt before me.

"This lowly one humbly greets the honored one."

"So, you’re the Heroic Spirit?"

"That is correct... It is an honor that you remember me."

"......."

For a moment, I was at a loss for words.

I had finally met the being that had referred to itself as the Heroic Spirit—but...

'They’re just a kid.'

Now that I saw them in person, they looked far too young.

How old were they? They didn’t even seem ten years old.

'...No.'

Of course, I couldn’t determine age just by appearance, but still—wasn’t this a bit much?

The Heroic Spirit looked barely seven or eight years old, draped in a long, white robe.

A white cloth, the same color as their clothes, covered their eyes.

"...What exactly are you?"

What was their identity?

How had they noticed me the moment I arrived and sought me out so quickly?

As soon as I asked, the Heroic Spirit responded.

"I am a shaman, a guardian of this Divine Tree."

"...A shaman?"

A shaman—was it the kind I was thinking of?

I had heard stories about those who were bound to spirits in the past.

But those kinds of practices had disappeared shortly after the birth of the Magyeong Gate.

The rise of the Magyeong Gate had led to the downfall of those who worshiped gods.

'And yet, a shaman?'

Did such beings still exist in Mangye?

If so—

"How did a shaman recognize me and bring me here?"

Why had this Heroic Spirit sought me out?

I was curious.

"The soul of the Divine Tree spoke to me...."

"The soul of the Divine Tree?"

At those words, I turned to the black Divine Tree.

I didn’t even need to think about it.

It was obvious that this was the entity the Heroic Spirit referred to.

"The Divine Tree declared that an honored one had arrived and must be greeted with utmost reverence."

"......."

That damned phrase again.

Honored one.

I was really getting tired of that word.

'...The Divine Tree notified them of my arrival?'

Was that true?

The idea of a shaman guarding a Divine Tree was strange enough.

But the claim that the Divine Tree itself had informed the Heroic Spirit of my coming—

Was I supposed to just accept that?

As I pondered over this—

"Honored one."

The Heroic Spirit called out to me.

"That damned ‘honored’..."

"May I be so bold as to ask a question?"

"...Go ahead."

Just from listening to them, I knew I’d have to ask them to use a different title later.

For now, I waited for their question.

And then—

"This humble one wishes to ask... What world do you preside over, honored one?"

"...What?"

I frowned.

What the hell did they just say?

"...Preside over a world? What does that mean?"

"Excuse me?"

The shaman lifted their head.

Even though their eyes were covered, I could feel their confusion.

"You are the ruler of another world. I merely wished to know where that world is."

"...What?"

I blinked, taken aback.

"Ruler...? Why would I be?"

They suddenly called me a ruler—I had no idea where this was coming from.

So, I asked again.

The Heroic Spirit tilted their head, as if puzzled by my confusion.

"I can see it... You bear a soul intertwined with Wood, and thus, you contain a world within you. The only beings capable of holding such radiance... are those who govern entire realms."

"......."

The Heroic Spirit lowered their head once more.

Judging by their behavior, they seemed to believe I was testing them.

But—

'...What the hell is this nonsense?'

I had no intention of testing them.

I was genuinely confused.

'Me? A ruler?'

The Heroic Spirit’s words—

They upended the thoughts I had just managed to steady.

Suppressing the tremble in my eyes, I turned around.

I was looking for Cheonma.

Not because I expected an answer—just out of habit.

That damn habit was starting to stick.

So I looked toward where Cheonma should have been.

But—

'Huh?'

My body froze.

I had to freeze.

Because the Cheonma who had been following me until just a moment ago—

'Where the hell did she go?'

She was nowhere to be seen.

**********

At the highest point of Mount Marryeong—

A place so elevated that powerful winds howled relentlessly, nearly reaching the clouds.

At the edge of a sheer cliff, a woman sat.

She had long, jet-black hair.

With her eyes gently closed, she let the wind wash over her, as if savoring the sensation.

The only movement she made was occasionally tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear as they fluttered wildly in the gusts.

For a while, she remained like that—eyes shut, embracing the wind—until, at last, she opened them and looked down below.

A vast expanse of seemingly ordinary rocky mountains spread beneath her.

But what others might have dismissed as mere barren stone, her gaze pierced through—seeing everything hidden within.

Focusing a little more, she spotted a prepared hill and a black tree.

And in front of it—

A young man, standing stiffly, his face marked by unease.

"Haha."

Seeing this, the woman let out an involuntary chuckle.

That expression—it was just too amusing.

She hadn’t meant to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself.

"That face of his... it never changes, does it?"

No matter how many times it happened.

No matter how many cycles passed.

No matter how often she had seen it—

That expression never changed.

So unshakably constant.

That was the face he always made when caught off guard or utterly dumbfounded.

She had seen it countless times, and yet—it never got old.

"That's a relief."

So much had changed and been forgotten, yet this remained the same.

That, at least—that one thing—was still there.

And for that, she was grateful.

Sitting at the edge of the cliff, she swung her legs idly through the air.

Part of her wanted to stay a little longer, to remain just a bit closer.

But unfortunately, this wasn’t the time.

The time she had was far too short.

Too insufficient to indulge in her own selfish desires.

So, instead, she simply chose to watch him from afar for a little while.

Even though forgetfulness had shattered her heart and clouded her eyes—

Even though so much had faded—

For her, just this much was enough.

"......."

She continued gazing at the young man for a long moment—until, eventually, she turned her head and looked behind her.

Someone was standing there.

A place that had been empty just moments before—

Now occupied.

She wasn’t surprised.

She had expected this.

The woman slowly rose to her feet, facing the figure.

"Hello."

She was the first to greet them.

But the other person did not respond.

They simply stood there, watching her silently from behind a black mask.

At this, the woman smiled faintly.

"You're just like me..."

She spoke softly as she closed the distance between them.

The gap between them narrowed, yet the masked figure did not move.

"Just like me, aren’t you?"

Her white fingertips reached out—

And grasped the edge of the mask.

Click.

With a soft sound, the mask came off.

The face beneath was revealed.

"Your taste in men... is annoyingly similar to mine."

"And because of that, we ended up like this."

Their faces were identical.

The only difference—

Was the color of their eyes and hair.

Apart from that, they were exactly the same.

"So... what should I call you?"

"What name would you like me to use?"

"......."

The woman already knew she wouldn’t get an answer.

She had asked the question anyway.

But she had never expected a response in the first place.

"‘How have you been?’ would be pointless."

"‘It’s been a long time’ would sound ridiculous."

"And apologizing to each other is meaningless."

Nor would it be right to say ‘thank you’.

Because they had been the same to each other.

"So, let’s just keep it simple."

There was only one thing left to say.

"Hello."

Just as she had greeted them at the start—

She repeated the same words once more.

"Little brother."

"......."

The woman greeted the other half of herself—

The one she had killed and been killed by, countless times before.