Book 1 Chapter 454

In consciousness sinking into the abyss, someone's cry was faintly heard.

'Ar?'

My consciousness, fading away, slowly came back to life with that voice, which sent unwavering faith as if it were foolish.

Along with it, an old memory surfaced.

The Age of Catastrophe.

An era where countless orphans were born and it was considered perfectly natural.

I didn't know what happiness in an ordinary family was.

It was an era where unhappiness was natural.

Peace had vanished before I was born, and the world was filled with despair.

In that catastrophe, the weakest were the orphans, who had nowhere to go and no one to rely on.

Days of merely extending life somehow, day by day.

A childhood where everyone I saw was unhappy.

Among them, I was a child who was more unfortunate than others.

"Why is she acting like that again?"

"I don't know. She's scared of the sky."

"Seriously, what's there to be scared of? Coward."

The other orphans in the alley always looked at me with pity.

It was natural.

Because I was always scared.

I was afraid of the gray sky.

So I couldn't dare to lift my head.

"They say the sky used to be blue."

"What's blue?"

"They say it's a pale blue."

"What's that? That's weird!"

The orphans ate the food they got during the day to fill their stomachs.

"Little wolf, eat some of this too."

Back then, I was called Little Wolf.

I didn't have a name.

Because I didn't have parents to give me one.

It was just a name they used for convenience among themselves.

Fortunately, I was lucky enough to have good people around me even when I was young.

Because there was a human girl in our orphan group who took good care of the other children.

She always gave me food, even though I was a little scared.

Then, one day.

A wolf shapeshifter visited the orphans' street.

"Did you hear? They say he's Agon, the Guardian of the Celestial Sky!"

"I've heard of him! He's an amazing person!"

"Why would such an amazing person come to this street?"

"He's going to take care of us! He said we wouldn't have to beg for food anymore!"

"Really?!"

Agon, the Guardian of the Celestial Sky.

He was no different from a savior to the orphans.

We couldn't eat our fill, but we no longer had to starve while struggling to beg.

The children rejoiced, saying this was true happiness.

And so, a big change came to the orphans' street.

But it was around then.

That I became even more frightened.

From the day Agon came to the orphans' street, I ran away from him.

'Scary! So scary!'

Little Wolf was afraid of Agon.

In the little one's eyes, Agon was too enormous.

I had seen people embarking on expeditions to protect the city in the past.

Little Wolf had felt fear from them too, but Agon was on another level.

Agon was always on the orphans' street, so Little Wolf often went hungry.

One day, so hungry that even the rumbling of my stomach was silent.

Agon appeared before the slumped Little Wolf.

"Are you too weak to run away now?"

"Eek-!"

Little Wolf, scared, tried to crawl away.

But even that little bit of strength was gone.

Agon silently placed a bowl of soup and a piece of bread in front of Little Wolf.

Then he sat far away and watched Little Wolf.

The hungry Little Wolf wolfed down the soup and bread.

"Cough-! Cough-!"

I choked while eating too quickly.

But Agon closed his eyes and waited until Little Wolf finished his meal.

A moment later.

Little Wolf approached Agon.

He thought I had let my guard down because of the food.

Agon opened his eyes, expecting that, but was met with an unexpected sight.

"Th-thank you."

Little Wolf was still trembling with fear.

What about me made this child so scared?

While wondering this, Agon was impressed by Little Wolf's courage to express his gratitude despite his great fear.

"The other children call you a coward. Unlike what I heard, you seem like a truly brave child."

"M-me?"

Seeing the wolf boy trembling and looking bewildered, Agon smiled gently.

"Yes, little one. What about me is so scary?"

"L-Lord Agon… you are too enormous. It seems invisible to the eyes of the other children… but you seem to possess too great a power."

At those words, Agon's expression changed.

'He saw through my power and is scared?'

Agon thought he had perfectly concealed his power.

Surprised, Agon concealed all of his unintentionally emitted aura.

Then Little Wolf's eyes widened.

His pale face returned to normal.

As the fear disappeared, the child showed a bright expression.

After that, Agon had many conversations with Arion.

"You're scared of the sky… I see. You were born with immense power."

"Me?"

Little Wolf's eyes widened.

"Yes. The reason you are always scared is because your instincts know something others don't. Uncontrollable power, in a sense, is close to a curse. It must have been difficult."

At those words, Little Wolf pouted.

"Then I hate that power! It means I'm always scared because of it!"

Little Wolf began to hate the power he was born with.

"No, there must be a reason why you were born with such great power."

"It's difficult."

"You'll understand when you grow a little older. So don't be afraid of your power. Accept it and make it your own. If you do, you might become someone who saves the world."

Agon smiled brightly, seeing the child's potential beyond imagination.

"What does it mean to save the world?"

"Hmm. How can I make it easy to understand?"

Agon pondered, then nodded.

"Yes, saving the world means regaining a clear sky."

"What is a clear sky?"

"A sky full of colors like this."

*Whoosh-*

Sky-blue aura flowed from Agon's hand.

"In the past, the sky was all this color."

"Wow… it's pretty…"

His eyes were captivated by the beautiful color he saw for the first time.

Little Wolf felt deep emotion seeing that color.

And then, in an excited voice, he asked,

"What do I have to do to save the world!?"

"It is a very difficult task."

"I'll do it even if it's hard! I want to see a clear sky!"

"Really? Then you must become strong first."

"Strong?"

"Don't worry about that part. I will train you. Before that, it would be good to have a name."

Agon smiled faintly, pondering.

"Arion would be good."

"Arion?"

"Yes. In the ancient shapeshifter language, 'Ar' means courage, and 'on' means person. Combined, it means a courageous person."

"A courageous person… that doesn't seem to fit me much, does it?"

"No. It suits you well. Arion. You thought you wanted to save the world even though you saw the sky blue and knew it was a difficult task, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"That is courage."

"Courage…"

"Yes, so when you feel anxious and scared, remember the sky blue you saw today."

Agon stroked Arion's white hair.

"It will surely give you courage."

*Aaaaaaaaaah-!*

The sudden howling sound fully awakened Arion's consciousness.

'Ar.'

Ar's howling gave him courage.

And in response to Ar's howling, strength surged throughout Arion's body.

*Whoosh-*

With the power of Ar's howling, Arion transformed.

His fading body returned to normal.

When he opened his eyes, he saw sky-blue hair.

And then he saw the broken sword that Chelsea was holding.

Brave.

The symbol of a broken hero.

Chelsea had bravely come to give him this.

Arion looked at Chelsea's hair and grasped the broken sword.

*Rattle-rattle-*

'Dwe'no's flame?'

Golden flames, which suddenly erupted, became Brave's blade.

Arion smiled, seeing Brave returned to its perfect form.

Ar's howling ignited the extinguished courage.

The sky-blue hair spread before his eyes showed him the way.

The sword made by Dwe'no pushed him from behind.

Golden glints flashed in Arion's eyes.

*Whoosh-*

Brave cut through the flames of catastrophe.

*Crackles-*

Arion, who had returned to the world once more, smiled gently and asked Chelsea, who was embracing him,

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, Chelsea. Thanks to you, I could be brave."

"What did I even do…?"

"Sky blue gives me courage."

Arion smiled softly and carefully let Chelsea down.

Seeing Arion like that, Erebus distorted his face.

-How did you return? Was it the stubbornness to protect the name of a pathetic hero that brought about a miracle?

Arion replied to Erebus's angry words.

"I have no attachment to the name of a hero. Perhaps I returned because I stepped into the realm of the gods."

-Such absurd nonsense.

"Such absurd nonsense."

Erebus's eyes twitched, seeing Arion speak the same words he had been thinking.

-You… could it be that you foresaw…?

"Yes, I can see it clearly."

-You…

"So I understand. The fact that the future can be changed in countless ways."

A very short but.

He gained eyes that could see a clear future beyond fragmented futures.

For a very brief moment.

He succeeded in briefly stepping into the realm of the gods.

Thanks to that, he succeeded in obtaining a fragment of divine power.

"It's just a tiny shard… but it's enough to finish you."

*Flash-*

Arion's sword swung at an invisible speed.

*Kuwak-*

Erebus's body was cut in two from head to toe.

-A mere specter of the past, long dead!

Erebus's furious voice was heard.

Arion laughed, looking at Erebus like that.

"We're in the same boat, so let's not cling to the world."

-Guaaaaaaaaah!

Erebus's rage-filled roar echoed.

Arion swung his sword, watching that scene.

A golden flash flickered, and Erebus's body disintegrated into thousands, tens of thousands of pieces.

*Puff-*

"Amazing…!"

The moment Chelsea's eyes widened in amazement.

*Flash-*

Leo's staff emitted light, and a pure white light surged into Arion's sword.

Arion's eyes widened, seeing Leo casting magic on his sword.

Leo made a throat-slitting gesture towards Arion.

Arion, understanding his meaning, gripped the sword with both hands and raised it.

And just before swinging.

As if remembering, he turned around and said,

"Chelsea."

"Yes!"

"Shall I tell you a secret?"

"A secret?"

"Yes. Actually, Leo…"

Arion whispered very softly.

"He's the hero of the beginning."

Chelsea's eyes widened.

"Kyle carried too many burdens. He will never try to share those burdens. So please. As a younger brother, become Leo's strength… create a space where Leo can smile comfortably."

"Find what you want to do."

Before entering the final battle.

The words Kyle had spoken to him, as an older brother before being a friend.

'I thought I wanted to become a true hero by coming to this world… but that's not what I want.'

I wasn't interested in that in the first place.

'There is only one thing I want. For my family to smile in a peaceful world with good people. That is my wish for myself.'

Leo would probably have gotten angry if he heard that.

He would have scolded me, calling it a selfless wish.

But Arion liked it.

Just thinking about it made him happy.

So he decided to keep this fact buried in his heart.

*Thump- thump-*

Arion walked towards Erebus, who was reigniting, holding the sword imbued with pure white power.

"This is the end now."

*Swoosh-*

Arion, re-gripping his sword, wore a fierce expression.

"Disappear, primordial evil."

*Flash-*

*Kuwauooooooooooh!*

The fragments of Erebus, cut by pure white light and golden aura, let out cries of pain.

*Kuaaaaaaaah! Whoosh-*

Engulfed by pure white light, Erebus vanished.

The dark red sky disappeared.

The fearsome monsters were also engulfed by black flames and burned, then faded.

Erebus vanished.

The only evidence of the primordial evil's existence was the traces of the fierce battlefield.

As everyone remained silent, dawn began to break.

Arion shouted, watching the scene.

"We have won!"

"Waaaaaaaah!"