Thinking about it was painful. To be forgotten.
Perhaps the real sting lies in not having an ending. A strange feeling haunts me that I might close my eyes one day, and when I open them, I'll be back with my old family.
But is that what I truly want? Would I prefer returning to my dull, monotonous life, or seize this chance to live in a fantasy world?
No, I don't think so.
Although I hadn't thought deeply over the past month, I've gradually started to accept the Song princesses as my sisters. And during the last dinner—I don't know when or how it happened—I truly began to feel a sense of belonging to Ki Song as my mom.
If I don't have an ending, then perhaps I must create one for myself. Instead of suppressing my feelings, I'll try to let them out.
But will I ever accept my current life as reality? It's so annoying; so many questions without answers.
Slowly, a chill began to settle deep within me. I didn't realize I was walking through the ice caves beneath the great fortress. I kept walking, driven by that familiar yet strange sensation, as if my blood were calling to me.
The cold had one effect on my psychological state: it reminded me of that snowy night when I first woke up in this world.
Back then, I thought it was a dream. I played in the snow and spoke some philosophical nonsense to the first woman I met. God, I still remember telling Ki Song, "It seems the world has not been kind to you."
How embarrassing! I have a desperate urge to go back in time just to leave a better impression than that pathetic one. I feel foolish whenever I remember that night.
But she adopted me, didn't she? That must mean I left some kind of impression at least. Fine, I should make that impression my starting point.
Suddenly, I noticed icy steps before me. I climbed them one by one. As thoughts drowned me, I couldn't help but wonder: just how long is this damn staircase?
When I finally reached the end, I found her. Mom.
Without realizing it, I had given her that place in my heart and recognized her as my mother, after she recognized me as her son.
She was sitting on the throne alone. Despite the calm in her eyes, a hint of loneliness always clung to her. I remember now what was said in the novel about her loneliness; she never found someone to stand by her side.
Everyone around her was either someone she needed to care for, or someone she needed to kill.
"Mom..." I whispered before I could realize it, tears welling up in my eyes.
Perhaps no one will ever understand the loneliness my mom felt in this world but me. After all, aren't we alike? I am a soul in a world where I don't belong, and she is a soul in a world that rejected her.
"Mom," I repeated, feeling the dam holding back my emotions finally break.
Before I knew it, I was in her lap, weeping bitterly while she patted me gently. Ah, I hate my emotions, and I hate my weakness. But what else can I do?
I didn't transition into a romance novel where the world is peaceful and the most dangerous villain is a love rival. I am in a world whose end was written within a few short years.
Survival. That is all I must do. I may not have a noble goal, but I know for certain I won't waste my life. I want to leave my mark on this world before it disappears... or before I disappear from it.
And to survive, I need strength.
But another thought took hold: should I change the future or maintain the flow of events? Should I leave the world's fate in the hands of teenagers suffering from various psychological disorders?
"Stupid, blind, and a slave"...
can this mix save the world? Save my ass! They did nothing but rely on plot armor and fate. To hell with the sequence of events; I won't maintain anything.
However, I am still a weak child, and there are ten years before the beginning of the end. Ten years to prepare and learn. And maybe there is one thing I can do right now:
get the world's strongest Saintess on my side.
When the idea settled in my mind, I heard my mom's voice: "Do you feel better now?"
Oh... damn it.
I just realized where I was and what I had done. I ruined every "composed" impression I tried to build in a single moment!
"Hmmmm," I made a muffled sound, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me. I couldn't raise my head to look at her.
But a month of training to ignore Eunbin and the maids had started to pay off; I had become shameless!
I opened my mouth and said, "Mom."
"Yes?"
"Can you do something for me?" (Say yes... say yes... please say yes!)
"And what would that be?"
Well, she didn't refuse, and that's a good start.
"To adopt someone else."
"Who?"
"A girl from the Outskirts."
"Tell me about her."
I told her, "I don't know her exact age, but she's likely sixteen or seventeen now. She has black hair and blue eyes."
"Do you know her name?"
''Yes... her name is Jet.''
----------------------------------------------------
Hello everyone, the author here.
I just wanted to clarify how I calculated Jet's age for this story.
When Sunny saw her after his first nightmare, he said:
"The woman seemed to be in her late twenties"
In the Eternal City chapters, it was stated that she was in her forties—or approaching them. At that point in time, about 10 to 11 years had passed since the start of the novel when Sunny was 16 years old.
If we go back those 10 to 11 years to our current timeline—where both Orion and Sunny are 5 years old—Jet would be approximately 17 years old now.
I found this age to be the most fitting, and it ensures the story remains consistent with the original lore.