Chapter 155: Prophecies Of Disaster
A long time ago, when the species called humans formed the foundation of civilization on this land.
A being that descended from the cosmos told the first human it met about its mission and purpose.
It had a mission to destroy the world and wondered how to set the criteria for that destruction.
Whether it should be the extinction of the human species, the destruction of their foundation… or turning the entire world into ashes.
The being from the cosmos sought human help to establish the criteria for its mission and eventually formed a bond, leading to the birth of a child.
And soon, she ascended back to the heavens.
Leaving behind the prophecy to her partner and child, and their descendants, that the world would one day face destruction even if she did not complete her mission herself.
“And the last successor of that family is me, Airi Haven.”
Airi, who had shared all those stories, pointed to herself at the end, revealing the identity she had kept secret.
“I am the one before you, inheritor of the blood of the ‘Foreign God’ who came to destroy this world.”An inheritor of the blood of a being called a god.
It indicated that her stature was incomparable to that of a human like me.
In some ways, she might be considered higher than the Four Heavenly Kings, including Merilyn and Tashian.
“Airi, are you a god?”
“Not quite. I could be called a demigod, but aside from the prophecy, I am on the level of an ordinary human.”
Even the power of prophecy alone was extraordinary.
Her prophecies were perfect, unless interrupted by an intervention from beings known as transcendents, or unless some unforeseen ‘whim’ occurred to alter fate.
“Th-that is…”
Such an extraordinary person was bonded with me, and we were expecting the birth of our child soon.
Feeling the tension of such a realization, Airi closed her eyes and continued her story.
“It’s natural to feel burdened. Being bonded with me means sharing the mission of my family.”
It wasn’t an easy matter to take lightly.
Because she was a descendant of a being called a god.
For someone as insignificant as I was, I couldn’t even begin to fathom the enormity of such a mission.
“I have a mission to save the world.”
Her firm voice confirmed my fears, making it clear that my concerns were justified.
“I inherited a mission to destroy the world from my ancestor, but instead of fulfilling that mission, they chose to pass their power down through their descendants.”
Even so, her hand gently caressed her belly, showing boundless affection.
The compassion in her eyes, looking down at her belly, proved that she carried not just her mission but also human love.
“Though I don’t know the exact reason, they gave everyone in this world a chance.”
Yes, the determination felt in this moment was undoubtedly driven by such love.
“A chance for their descendants, who inherited their power, to raise a ‘savior’ who can resist the impending destruction.”
“Savior?”
“Yes, that’s my mission as the last successor of the Haven family…”
At the end of her explanation, Airi took out a note from her bosom and handed it to me.
Just by feeling the seriousness of her touch, I could tell that the note contained a prophecy about future events.
“My mission is to ensure that the one bonded with me becomes a being worthy of it.”
I had witnessed her prophecies multiple times before.
While not all of them had unfolded perfectly, the majority had.
Since becoming pregnant, Airi had limited her prophecies to avoid straining herself, but now, she was pushing her limits again, for my sake.
“…I’ve written down the prophecies needed for the upcoming six-month expedition. Only read them when absolutely necessary.”
The note, filled with such determination, felt incredibly heavy.
I could understand that Airi was a descendant of an foreign god, but the idea that I was chosen to bear the mission of a savior? That was something I couldn’t easily accept.
“A savior…? But that’s…”
“It’s overwhelming, isn’t it?”
Airi, as if she had already anticipated my thoughts, spoke to me with a heavy voice.
“As an ordinary human, realizing your own limits recently, it’s natural to feel confused hearing such things suddenly.”
She was right. No matter how strong I had become, I was still just a human. How could someone like me, who struggled just to protect those close to me, possibly carry the weight of saving the world?
“But, Hyo-sung, there’s one thing you should know. Your mission is not to stop the destruction but to first determine the world you need to save.”
Airi, as if to soothe my confusion, took out another item from her bosom.
“My distant ancestor, the child of the Goddess of Destruction, told me this: Destruction is inevitable, so when it comes, limit the world you need to save.”
The letter was written in what appeared to be an ancient language, one I couldn’t decipher. But Airi’s gaze remained firm as she explained its meaning.
“What’s required of someone facing destruction is not to suppress it but to ‘prepare’ for it as it approaches. Handle only what you can manage and save only what you can save…”
“Only what I can manage…?”
“Heroes and saviors are ultimately just individuals… It’s foolish to expect them to bear responsibility for everything in the world.”
Airi put down the note and quietly reached out to me.
She took my hand and guided my gaze towards her, speaking as she did.
“Hyo-sung, as someone with the mission to support the savior, I can tell you this with certainty.”
Her gaze, unwavering and full of conviction, locked onto mine.
“You are doing well. Better than my expectations, and probably better than those of my ancestors…”
Her eyes assured me that I had not disappointed her.
“And by the end of this expedition, you will finally gain the power to resist the fate this world is facing.”
She confidently stated that the future ahead would meet her expectations.
“So believe in yourself. No matter what happens, if you don’t give up, you will be rewarded.”
Airi, having conveyed her sincere feelings, then pulled my hand towards her belly.
As if to let me feel the life within.
“And in the world you will reach, the child we are expecting will live.”
The movement beneath my palm was undeniable—there was life there, growing and waiting to be born into the world.
-Thump, thump.
The heartbeat was strong and clear, proof of the existence of the child within.
This child would soon be born into the world.
A world that might soon face destruction.
“…Really.”
Even in a world filled with chaos and suffering, this child had a right to live in the peace that we would fight to create.
How much of that future would depend on me? How much more would I need to achieve?
“Really, this child will be born…”
“Yes. Without a doubt.”
I felt tears welling up from such certainty.
As much as the thought that it might not come to pass lingered.
And further because I could feel that I would bond with the person before me and soon face the fruition.
“…You have to start preparing for the expedition from tomorrow, right?”
Was it also prophesied that I would shed tears?
Airi wiped my tears with a prepared handkerchief and spoke in a firm voice, preparing to turn away.
The lack of her usual gentleness was to maintain her current determination.
“You should rest now. For the sake of the tasks ahead…”
“Ah, wait a moment.”
But even so, I couldn’t put off what I had planned.
We wouldn’t see each other for the next six months, so now was the only time for my planned confession.
“Airi, I have one last thing to say…”
“Wait.”
The urgent interruption came as soon as I tried to speak.
I paused, and Airi, who had stopped in her tracks, looked back at me hesitantly.
“Um, can you say what you want to say after you come back?”
“What?”
“I’m not ready yet…”
Bathed in the light of the moon, her flushed face held none of the seriousness she had just displayed. Instead, it was filled with nervousness and embarrassment.
“Uh, it’s just that hearing it now is… Maybe when I see you off tomorrow morning…”
“…Haha.”
Seeing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
In that moment, I realized one undeniable truth.
No matter what fate awaited, the person in front of me was my partner, the one I would spend the rest of my life with.
“Airi!”
“Y-yes?!!”
Airi stiffened at my call.
I took out the prepared item and made my planned confession to her.
“Please be with me for the rest of our lives.”
A belated proposal.
An eternal vow stemming from that moment.
“And when I return from this mission… let’s have our wedding with our newborn child.”
Though everything had been messy up until now, I hoped she would accept this.
As I conveyed my intention firmly, she faced me and looked down at her belly.
Was she unable to accept the ring I offered because she wasn’t ready, or was she just shy?
“…Yes.”
But in the end, it was just a matter of time.
Finally, she accepted the ring I gave her, slipping it onto her finger with a faint smile.
“Go and come back, my love.”
As if hiding the anxiety welling up from deep within.
Reflecting tears of joy more vividly than the moonlight shining behind her.
Yes, everything was as prophesied.
Him hearing the full prophecy, accepting his fate, and even planning a proposal to her today…
With all the prophecies coming true, she began to feel that future events would also unfold as prophesied.
“Ugh!”
Such realizations filled her mind and led to nausea after he left for the expedition.
“Haa, haa… Ugh!”
It wasn’t morning sickness from being pregnant.
It was a feeling far from the burden of the mission.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, baby…”
Instead, she was happy.
So happy that she couldn’t bear the future she prophesied.
“Just wait a little longer.”
But she couldn’t just sit still like this.
Airi steadied her twisting heart and began another prophecy with a crystal ball where he had left.
What unfolded within was about events before the ‘moment of destruction’ awaiting in the near future.
-…Is this the child of that person?
Vivian Platonis.
The remnant of a being once called the greatest disaster in this world, presenting something before her, crouched on the floor.
A being like a membrane made of translucent, soft material.
Its appearance, wriggling as if trying to come out of the world, would commonly be called an ‘amniotic sac.’
-My baby, my dear baby…
Yes, the place where a child grows inside a mother’s womb.
Seeing the witch point her finger at the amniotic sac she had always carried in her belly, her own hand quickly reached out there too.
But resistance was impossible with the inside of her belly cut out entirely.
-Smack!
Her finger flicked away, and the wriggling amniotic sac disappeared from sight.
“Uwaaaa!”
Even the composure she had maintained until the end finally crumbled miserably.