Her body matured with each passing day. Her skill with the sword grew more seasoned. Externally, Seol-yoon was developing steadily as time flowed by, like fruit ripening in its season.
But Seol-yoon knew the truth.
In reality, she hadn’t grown at all. Her time had frozen on the day everything precious was stolen from her. She remained that young girl, sobbing and dying in the mud. Since that day, Seol-yoon’s world had been monochrome, silent, and scentless. There was no joy for her. In a colorless world, the small girl merely swung her sword aimlessly, like a half-wit who knew how to do nothing else.
A Genius.
A sword chosen by the heavens.
Though countless people showered her with praise, it moved her not at all.
What did any of it matter? What meaning was there in merely swinging a piece of sharpened metal? Where was the greatness or glory in swinging it a bit better than others, or in committing murder more skillfully than the rest?
Seol-yoon’s insides were festering and rotting away.
Unlike her polished exterior, her inner self was slowly dying.
Perhaps that was why, despite being a vaunted genius, she had been unable to scale the wall of the 「Sword Runner」. To spread one’s wings, an awakening was essential. To awaken a Mystery, one needed a personal conviction regarding life and the world. But Seol-yoon possessed no such thing. To her, the sword was merely a means to become an Immortal, and life was something she endured only because she hadn’t died yet. Thus, she had remained stagnant for a long time.
An immature girl cannot take flight.
The young girl did not know the path she was meant to walk.
The one who took the hand of that wandering girl was a certain boy.
A boy who, like her, had lost everything. Yet, the boy knew exactly which path he had to take. Even though the world had stripped him of everything dear, his eyes burned fiercely like the sun. No matter how many times he was broken or how many times he fell, he never stopped. He fought against the world with a single sword that was insignificant compared to hers.
Before she knew it, that boy had grown up.
The boy had reached the end of his childhood and was now walking ahead of her.
In the girl’s monochrome world, the boy alone possessed color.
In a world steeped in gray, only the boy’s eyes sparkled.
Eventually, a flutter stirred in Seol-yoon’s heart.
Eventually, she found herself walking behind him.
Eventually, she began to want to walk with him.
She didn’t want to stay here, never growing, slowly dying; she wanted to live for tomorrow, looking toward the path she had to walk. Just as the defeated soldier said, just as her friends said, just as her parents said…
Perhaps the moment she had that thought, her childhood finally came to an end.
“…Small Gladiator.”
Seol-yoon gripped her sword so tightly it seemed it might snap.
“No.”
Seol-yoon’s wings were unique.
Unlike the world filled with countless colors, her wings were composed entirely of black and white. Like an ink wash painting created by the masters of the Eastern Continent. Her wings were profoundly oriental and suited her perfectly.
“Arhan.”
The moment her wings fully manifested, a black-and-white light swirled around Seol-yoon’s sword. A halo of light the same color as her wings. That was Seol-yoon’s Mystery.
The power gained by a pitiful girl as she reached the end of her childhood.
The flower bloomed by the genius of the age at the culmination of her realization.
“Show me everything you have.”
Seol-yoon’s sword shot toward Arhan.
A simple thrust.
Arhan tried to parry the thrust by meeting it at an angle. But Seol-yoon did not allow for such a technical defense. The thrusting sword wavered mid-air. With a single tremor, her sword transformed. The thrust vanished, replaced by seven distinct slashes. Arhan’s eyes shook. He hurriedly took a defensive stance, but he was too late.
With a sharp clack , a vivid sword mark was etched into Arhan’s breastplate. The sword Seol-yoon swung didn’t stop at just leaving a mark. Droplets of blood sprayed.
“Unless you want this to end pointlessly, that is.”
“……”
That was the Mystery Seol-yoon had realized.
「Ever-changing Mystery」.
Endless transformation.
‘You can become anything, child.’
The words of the defeated soldier who had pulled her from the brink of death.
‘You must come see us someday. You have to become an Immortal and find us in paradise. You can do it, Sister. Yes, if it’s you…’
The words of the children who had died in vain.
‘Seol-yoon. They say that when one’s mastery of the sword reaches the heavens, they can ascend and leave for paradise.’
And,
‘In that paradise, the ones you cherished will be waiting for you, and it is filled with sweet happiness.’
The words of her parents that had been carved into her heart.
But those words didn’t actually end there.
‘However.’
There was more to what Seol-yoon’s parents had told their young daughter.
‘This world is the true paradise.’
Seol-yoon had simply forgotten.
‘Daughter, you will experience many things in life. Because this world is harsh, there may be very sad things, things that make you angry, and terrifying things may happen. One day, this world might take away everything you hold dear without a second thought. Like grains of sand slipping through your fingers.’
At a very early age, Seol-yoon’s parents had given her the answer.
‘But there may also be joyful things. You might find someone to love. Heart-pounding things might happen, and there might be a very happy future.’
.
.
.
‘Yoon-ah, my little daughter. The world is this fickle and ever-changing. Ever-changing. Just like the words our ancestors left behind.’
Why had she only remembered this now?
‘That is why this world is beautiful. That is why this world is paradise. So, daughter, no matter what happens, live while looking forward to tomorrow. Live while looking at this world, where you never know what might happen, with sparkling eyes.’
Seol-yoon’s parents had spoken with such warm eyes and voices.
While embracing their tiny daughter.
‘To us, you are paradise and the world, Yoon-ah.’
Ever-changing.
Fickleness.
Endless transformation.
Without a fixed end.
A sword that could become anything.
The Mystery Seol-yoon had awakened was her world.
The world as she saw it,
And the world the girl had never known.
Seol-yoon looked at the wounded Arhan.
Pointing the sharp tip of her sword at him, she spoke.
“…I’m curious to see what your world is like.”
No answer came.
Arhan merely adjusted his grip on his sword.
To Seol-yoon, that was a much more satisfying answer.
Yes, Seol-yoon had always preferred conversations held through swords over those held with words…
* * *
「The sword you devoured, the Lantern, is a violent blade.」
I took a deep breath.
「True to its name, the Lantern possesses the properties of fire. It uses itself as the wick.」
“……”
「It illuminates its surroundings by using its own eyes, ears, and body as fuel. And when there is nothing left to burn, it even consumes its own soul. Like the stars in the night sky.」
A single breath swirled in my nostrils, brushed past my trachea, and was expelled through my lungs. That natural series of actions was incredibly painful. Oxygen felt like fire. My nose and the back of my neck felt hot, as if I had swallowed flames. It felt like my insides were melting. It felt like my entire body was about to collapse.
「That sword is far too violent and self-destructive for you to use right now. For it is a blade that burns itself away entirely until only ash remains.」
Master was right.
At this moment, my hand holding the sword was shaking uncontrollably. It wasn’t a mental issue. It was a natural physical reaction. My bones and muscles were telling me that I must not move.
「But what does that matter?」
Crack.
Every time I moved my arm, a sound that shouldn’t be heard echoed.
「This is merely a spiritual world created by the Witches.」
Crunch.
With every step I took, my body felt like it was crumbling.
「It doesn’t matter if you burn yourself to nothing. Even if you turn to ash, it is still just a spiritual world.」
“……”
「So do not worry about the aftermath.」
I glared at Seol-yoon with melting eyes.
Her sword was still mysterious.
I still could not understand her blade.
「Cast aside your concerns and pour in everything you have.」
Even so, I did not back down.
At this moment, besides Master’s voice, there was another voice in my head. The will of a certain Monarch—solemn, great, and wondrous. The resolve of a leader who could not retreat until the very end, who had to burn everything he had without leaving a trace.
『It did not matter even if I became ashes.』
The Seol-yoon reflected in my eyes was a single girl.
But the Seol-yoon who had spread her wings was no longer a lost girl. Though still small and immature, there was light in her eyes. The girl had found the path she needed to walk.
『If only the Age of Stars I so dearly missed could return.』
Still, I cannot let go of my sword.
Even if she has found her path, it is also the role of the Lantern to illuminate that path.
『If that is possible, nothing else matters.』
『It does not matter if I am not at the center of that era.』
Just as the original master of this sword in the distant past had burned himself to provide a bright path for his people’s future, I, too, intended to pour out everything I had to show Seol-yoon.
『If only these beautiful and shining ones can avoid crumbling away in vain.』
Seol-yoon is like me.
That was why I wanted to show her what I possessed without shame.
My sword.
The resolve I held the very first moment I picked up a blade.
My world.
『If that is possible, I can burn my insignificant body and soul as much as needed.』
I exhaled sharply.
『Truly, as much as needed.』
The Dragon Sword—or to call it by its original name, the 「Lantern」—this ancient blade had successfully taken root in my body. But I must not be consumed by it. I must utilize the Doubt I possess. I cannot defeat that terrifying genius by relying solely on an ancient blade.
‘…I mustn’t let this drag on.’
Seol-yoon.
Her other name is Genius.
‘I have to end this quickly.’
Seol-yoon can dismantle and analyze any sword she experiences with her genius intuition and make it her own. That unprecedented talent will soon see through the blade I struggled so hard to devour. If we fight for long, my 「Lantern」 will be stolen by her. Just as Swordswoman Mary’s 「Needle」 was stolen when I fought her in the Arena.
‘…But how?’
Even if I knew the right answer, realizing it was a different matter. Seol-yoon’s talent wasn’t limited to that. The swordsmanship she performed, which resembled nature, was far too exquisite and perfect. The most difficult part was the Taiji.
The Taiji Seol-yoon drew twisted the 「Path」 and exquisitely parried external attacks, reflecting them back at the attacker. I had no technique to pierce Seol-yoon’s defense, nor did I have swordsmanship more profound than hers. And since her realm was now higher than mine, it was impossible to draw a Line and crush her with raw power. With the cheat known as the Line no longer working, the genius named Seol-yoon felt like an infinitely high wall. An impregnable enemy that could not be defeated by any means.
Even more, the Seol-yoon who had spread her wings was greater than before. Now, Seol-yoon looked less like a genius and more like a monster in my eyes. She hadn’t even used the acceleration from her wings yet, and yet, she was overwhelming me.
‘That insanely ever-changing sword she just showed. It must be the Mystery she gained by spreading her wings. A Mystery that suits a genius swordsman all too well…’
Seol-yoon’s thrust had just changed in an impossible way, tearing my body apart. It was an attack that transcended technique. No matter how much of a genius one is, they cannot perform such a feat with general techniques alone. That was the conclusion my Doubt reached. Just now, Seol-yoon had revealed her Mystery.
But what changes even if I know it’s a Mystery? My Doubt reached its limit right there. It could not conclude how to break it or how to deal with it. It was laughable. My Doubt failed to produce a single meaningful conclusion in the face of this genius.
Solve one problem, and another appears.
I felt keenly that I was nothing more than an ordinary talent.
However.
“Whew.”
Even so, I do not back down.
“Hoo—”
If you don’t know the answer, it’s natural to run away. It’s natural to admit defeat. But I do not choose those natural things. If I had decided to live a natural life, I wouldn’t have picked up a sword in the first place. I wouldn’t have broken my oath to my mother, I wouldn’t have set the absurd goal of killing a damn Swordmaster, and I wouldn’t have shoved a sword into my mouth just because I believed the words that Steel blood flowed in me.
Therefore, I cannot choose the natural options.
From the moment I first picked up a sword, I decided to live in an unnatural world. I decided to scream that I could not accept the natural and harsh things the world offered. Because I couldn’t accept them, I decided to stand against them. I decided to establish my own answer.
“Hup!”
I inhaled until my lungs felt like they would burst. Now my body had become unbearably hot. This was the power of the 「Lantern」. The more the Lantern inhaled, the more it heated my heart, and the heated blood and mana circulated through my body, heating it once again. A body heated like that breaks and malfunctions, but it harbors an intense power like a momentary flare of flame. It is paying for the future to protect the present. It is paying with one’s own body and soul to protect what is precious.
And the sword created that way is dazzling. Like a lantern in a world filled with darkness. Like a star rising in a night sky where not a single point of light can be found.
“Seol-yoon.”
A breath inhaled to the limit. Bones and muscles already screaming. I could tell instinctively. To me, who was still only a 「Sword Walker」, only a single swing was permitted. After this swing, my body would crumble and vanish as the price for using a power that was not permitted.
“Can you take this?”
Seol-yoon would know too.
She would see right through my state, which had reached its limit. She would know that if she just stepped back once, she could easily win. But Seol-yoon was facing me head-on. There was no sign of her trying to run.
“As much as you want.”
Yes. I knew she would. I knew even before asking.
Because she is a swordsman, too…
And…
『I once read a book from the West.』
Because Seol-yoon is like me.
『It was written like this.』
The world reflected in my eyes grew dark.
The blackened sky was a sea of stars. Beneath the sea of stars, I saw a wandering crowd. At the very front, leading the crowd, was a man. He was a lantern, and he was a star.
『How happy were the ages when the starry sky was the map of all possible paths, and when the paths were illuminated by the light of the stars?』
At this moment, that man dwelled within me.
The pain in my arm was so great it felt like it would snap. My hand holding the sword trembled as if it would break right now. As I lowered my body and shifted my weight forward, my feet and knees screamed. It felt like my waist was being torn apart.
『And how happy were the ages when the starlight brightly illuminated those paths?』
But I can swing it once.
『I missed the Age of Stars.』
My body screams.
I opened my mouth and screamed with it. A beast-like howl poured out, and within it, my sword cut through the air, drawing a line. A crude but exhilarating sword path was drawn. At the end of that path was Seol-yoon. Flowers began to bloom from Seol-yoon’s fingertips. A beautiful sword that changed every moment. It looked like countless petals. I even had the illusion of smelling the scent of flowers.
『Not some era of war.』
Clang.
Sword met sword, and sparks flew. Seol-yoon’s blade caught the blade I swung. Her ever-changing technique exquisitely parried and dismantled the power contained in my sword. She didn’t leave it at that. She angled her blade, scraping against mine as she lunged in.
Seol-yoon tried to parry even that. A technique close to perfection. But parrying was impossible. The Line was belatedly infused into the 「Lantern」. The Path of Steel that destroys anything tore through Seol-yoon’s flowers at this moment. Seol-yoon’s eyes shook. For a very brief moment, her eyes scanned my sword several times. The power of the 「Wings」 that grants acceleration to everything. Mental acceleration.
How many situations did that genius foresee?
I couldn’t tell. Soon, Seol-yoon’s sword changed in another direction. Now, there was no defense in her sword. No parrying, either. Her blade curved and aimed for my neck with an exquisite and lethal trajectory I couldn’t understand.
It wasn’t just the sword that was changing.
Seol-yoon’s wings sparkled. Now her blade accelerated at an insane speed. She had shifted from mental acceleration to physical acceleration. The Mystery Seol-yoon possessed could even change the authority granted by her wings to suit the situation. It was a Mystery that suited her perfectly. A genius who finds the answer no matter what problem arises. A power that fit that description.
Seol-yoon’s sword was now dozens of times faster than mine.
At this rate, her sword would slice through my neck and send my head rolling. There was no way to resist. But I did not give up until the end. At this moment, Master’s voice flowed through my head.
‘I believe that geniuses are those who find the answer amidst any difficulty.’
Master had said.
‘However. It is not the geniuses who are most praised on this continent.’
It felt like my head was burning up.
‘Those who cannot find the perfect answer amidst difficulty, but who nevertheless do not give up.’
‘Those who nevertheless do not back down.’
A heat that felt like it would drive me insane.
What came after that heat was, strangely, clarity.
‘People call what they achieve legends.’
‘Then, do you know what those who achieve legends are called?’
The dizzying world looked clear.
In that moment, the world I was looking at slowed down as if it had stopped.
‘Heroes.’
My body felt light, matching the slowed-down world. In the next moment, I was swept away by a sense of liberation I had never felt before. A feeling of being truly free. A feeling of losing all weight and soaring into the sky.
As if.
「Ah.」
As if I had grown wings.
「This time, it was different.」
My vision was dyed black. I couldn’t see an inch ahead.
「Yes, this time was different.」
Only after a while did my sight return. When I could see ahead again, my sword had completely finished its swing and was pointing at the ground. And,
「This time, it was not lacking, young descendant.」
Beyond my sword was Seol-yoon, sprawled on the dirt floor, having lost the sword from her hand.
「Did I not tell you? Not to be too disappointed. That you only need to survive.」
In my dazed state, only then did the world that had stopped begin to move again. As my dulled senses returned, I heard the insanely loud cheers from the surroundings.
「That next time, you would win.」
My heart pounded. It felt like my beating heart would break my ribs and jump out of my body. Terrible pain hammered my entire body. Only then did I realize, belatedly.
「That the blood of Steel flows in you.」
I won.
I actually did.
* * *
In her fading consciousness, Seol-yoon tasted the grit of dirt in her mouth. The bitter taste signaled her defeat. It was impossible. The counterattack just now had been perfect. A single strike accelerated by her wings was an attack Arhan shouldn’t have been able to react to. It was a sword that should have killed him before he even knew what attack had struck him down. Thus, even as she felt death approaching, Seol-yoon could not accept it.
“…Ah.”
Seol-yoon, who was endlessly replaying the situation in her head, clung to her fading consciousness and slightly lifted her head to look ahead. Only then did she accept the result.
“So, that’s how it was.”
There stood Arhan.
Arhan stood there dazed, not yet having processed his own victory. Behind him hovered a faint shimmer of light. Unlike Seol-yoon’s, this light pulsed with an incredibly intense hue.
Though still faint and incomplete, it was unmistakably…
“So, that’s… what it was…”
Wings.
“You, too…”
Steel Wings.
The moment she saw those wings, Seol-yoon felt her end approaching and recalled her parents’ words.
‘Yoon, my little daughter. The world is so fickle and ever-changing.’
Ah, her parents had been right.
‘Live while looking forward to a tomorrow where anything can happen. Live while looking at this world, where you never know what might occur, with sparkling eyes.’
Yes. In this ever-changing world, no one knows what the future holds…
And so, because of that—as bitter as it was—
‘That is why this world is beautiful.’
Seol-yoon found herself wanting to live for tomorrow, if only for a little while longer.
* * *
「Name: Thousand Changes」
「Seol-yoon’s Mystery」
「Ever-changing, fickle, endless transformation.」
「A sword with no fixed end, capable of becoming anything.」
「Inflicts countless changes upon the swordsman and anything the sword touches.」
