Despite the relative distance, Ki Song could hear the footsteps as clearly as if the person were walking right beside her.
Soon, she caught the scent of her own blood emanating from the owner of those steps.
Orion?
Why was he here? And how did he find the way to her fortified throne hall? Hadn't the maid reported just a while ago that he was fast asleep?
Wait. Hmm.
Ki Song focused her consciousness on some of her Pilgrims scattered throughout the Raven's Heart. She soon realized the truth; ten full hours had passed since the maid's last report.
To her, time was merely a frayed thread that slipped through her fingers unnoticed.
She opened her eyes slightly and lowered her gaze to find him advancing toward her across the vast icy hall.
As she focused on his face, she noticed the changes that had occurred. Despite his previous childish beauty, he now looked like a legendary doll crafted with unbelievable precision.
But it wasn't his beauty that caught her attention, it was the look in his eyes. He seemed to be struggling against something within, while simultaneously drowning in a whirlpool of endless thoughts.
The young boy reached the base of the throne's steps, his expression barely changing. He began to climb the stairs with calm, steady steps, bit by bit, until he stood directly before her.
Throughout this time, Ki Song did not utter a single word, nor did she try to stop him. She watched his every move with curiosity mixed with amusement and interest.
When he stood before her, she noticed his eyes beginning to take on a tint of redness.
"Mom."
He spoke in a weak voice, and soon he climbed into her lap and threw himself into her embrace.
"Mom."
He repeated it once more, and before she could process the situation, he was hugging her with desperate strength, burying his head in her lap.
Soon, she felt a cold dampness piercing through her gown. He was crying.
Why was he crying?
She wondered to herself, but she didn't demand an answer. She extended her hands to hold him; one hand rested on his back and the other combed through his hair with gentle tenderness.
At that moment, the reasons didn't matter. The sorrow the boy carried was real enough.
They remained like this for a long time, until she felt his small body stop trembling and his sobs fade. His breathing gradually began to calm.
"Do you feel better now?" she asked, patting his back gently.
"Hmmmm."
She heard nothing but a muffled hum which she took as agreement.
Ki Song felt no need to add anything, while she felt her blood within his veins calming down bit by bit. The silence that followed in the icy throne hall was a comfortable one, wrapping them away from the noise of the two worlds.
After a long time, she heard his voice again. "Mother."
"Yes?" she replied calmly.
"Can you do something for me?"
"what would that be?"
"To adopt someone else."
Ki Song's thoughts paused for a moment. Of all the requests she expected to hear, this was not one of them. Why did he want her to adopt someone else?
She kept her doubts to herself and answered briefly, "Who?"
He answered her after a short silence, "A girl from the Outskirts."
Oh. Does he know her?
Calculations began to spin in her mind. In fact, she had already decided that Orion would be the last one to join her family.
However, his trembling voice and the strange certainty her consciousness sensed through her blood flowing inside him made her hesitate.
No one had ever asked this of her before; all her daughters were her own personal choice.
"Tell me about her."
"I don't know her exact age, but she's likely sixteen or seventeen now. She has black hair and blue eyes."
Hmm. Common features, not particularly unique, the Queen thought. Then she asked, "Do you know her name?"
"Yes. Her name is..."
--------------------------------------------------------
Ah.
I opened my eyes slowly. The moment I woke up, a ridiculous thought struck me when I noticed I was in a strange and completely unfamiliar room.
"Did I reincarnate again?"
I laughed internally at my own lame joke before the memories of last night flooded back; my meeting with Ki Song, the dinner, that delicious drink, and my new name.
Orion. Song Orion.
It's a good name, though it still feels strange as I mutter it with my tongue.
In truth, I wasn't interested in the name itself. These names are nothing more than labels to define my identity in this world.
What I truly yearned for was a true name. An anchor to hold my soul in a world where it doesn't belong.
I began to get out of bed and quickly noticed something different: lightness.
I felt as light as a feather. Ah. I had drunk from the Beast God lineage. This must be its doing. Well, I'm not in a position to object to extra power.
I sat on the edge of the bed, clenching and unclenching my hands, trying to absorb the new strength.
But that feeling soon faded to be replaced by something else. I raised my head and looked around the room. I was alone for the first time since I arrived here.
This silence was, in a strange way, terrifying.
For the first time since my arrival, I was able to stop and think about everything; the absurdity of my situation, and everything that had happened to me. It was overwhelming.
In fact, among the dozens of thoughts attacking my mind, not a single one concerned my current situation. Instead, they were all directed toward my previous life.
I didn't get an "ending" there.
I simply vanished, as if I were suddenly pulled from a movie scene only to find myself in another. I don't even remember the last thing I did, nor do I know what happened to my real body.
What about my family? Did I die in my previous world? Or was I erased from existence as if I never were? Has my family already forgotten me?
"God... stop. Stop thinking!"
I realized I would lose my mind completely if I continued with these thoughts. I stood up firmly, determined to leave the room immediately.
"Maybe I'll explore the Raven's Heart. Who knows, I might find some treasure."
I tried to distract myself, but I failed; my mind kept returning over and over to the same point I was running from.
Finally, I opened the door and stepped out. At that moment, a strange sensation washed over me.
It felt as though there was a mysterious connection between my blood and something far away. Something calling to me.
I followed this sensation, walking through the dark corridors, yet with every step, my old thoughts pursued me like a shadow.