Gozine

An existence born for that purpose from the beginning?

Nox couldn’t help but freeze the moment he heard Altende’s story.

Of course, when he first possessed this world.
To be precise, he realized it when the system appeared before his eyes.

This semi-transparent interface window clearly had a will of its own.
Though he didn’t know what it desired, there must have been a reason it brought him here.

Somewhere beyond the reach of his thoughts, the existence that created the system must have known the secret of Nox’s existence.
Because he already knew. Perhaps that was why he struggled even harder.

Why am I here?

Why did the system respond to me?

Because he wanted to know, Nox had done his best to clear every chapter.

But what if all of it was nothing more than a carefully arranged chessboard?
If Nox couldn’t find a solution, there was nothing he could do.

“How could you…? I…”

Nox gritted his teeth.
Then, with great difficulty, he parted his lips and asked.

“I’m your son, no?”

The words, spat out as if vomited, seemed to drip with sorrow.
He had searched for so long. For traces of his family.

Was I truly abandoned? He had asked himself that countless times.
But the more he searched, the deeper Nox fell into despair.

Because there were no traces anywhere.
Because nothing remained of him or his family.
As Nox’s eyes reddened, his teeth clashed together with an audible sound.

‘But… in the end, was this all it was? From the beginning, this person brought me here just to use me’

“I might have missed you quite a bit.”

Nox began like that.

Then, he poured out his emotions.

“Even while enduring hellish times, the thought that I still had blood ties, that I still had family, made things a little better. Every moment felt like hell… but that’s also what kept me going. The faint memory of missing someone I called ‘mother’ is what kept me alive.”

“As a servant of the Creator God, I merely do what must be done.”

Nox clenched his fists tightly at the worst possible moment. Drops of blood formed.

“Am I supposed to do the same? Because I’m your son?”

“Whether you’re my son or not doesn’t matter.”

“But, Nox, you too cannot escape this fate. The will of the Creator God is absolute…”

“I refuse. Why should I become your servant…?!”

“It’s already done.”

Altende cut him off firmly and continued.

“You may not remember, but you’ve struggled in the same world 27 times. Now, you’re facing your 28th failure.”

Nox’s expression froze coldly.
Because what had just been revealed was the foundation of his existence, the answer to the beginning and end of this hellish game.
His mind raced, and from among countless hypotheses, he reluctantly drew out the one conclusion he never wanted to face.

“…The 27 endings I’ve seen. Fragments of worlds where I failed in the game Inner Lunatic. I just kept forgetting those memories.”

Finally, he understood.

That what he had played as Inner Lunatic was actually the past. Only now could Nox navigate the tidal wave of memories crashing over him.

Inner Lunatic.
Looking back, every story’s ending had continued. Even in what he thought were happy endings, not all the demons on the continent had been eradicated.

And that had happened 27 times…
Nox recalled how futile his repeated pasts had been.

Now, because everything had risen vividly to his mind, it was unbearable.

He repeated it to himself.
Nox pondered the gap between his memories—what he had dismissed as his past, and the game Inner Lunatic.

In some cycles and timelines, he hadn’t helped Zitri.
In others, he hadn’t resolved the conflict with Eleanor.
In others, he hadn’t helped Paracelsus, leading to escalating conflict and death.
In others, Leon had gone berserk and tried to kill him….

Nox had already faced countless irreparable disasters and endings.

The visceral realization that all of it had been real made Nox feel like he was about to lose his mind. It was hard to even stand straight.

Altende reached out to steady her son, but Nox roughly shook her off.

“Let go. You… and Arden or whatever, I’m not interested in any of it from the beginning. The Creator God? What am I supposed to do? What more do I have to do here? You made me repeat this hell 27 times! Just let me go already…!”

Memories flooded his mind.
In countless cycles where he had lost his companions, Nox couldn’t help but suffer.
He had done his best every time, but moments when he could protect his companions were vanishingly rare.

That was why.

Even in this hellish moment, Nox’s desperate efforts to never rely on anyone in the past had all been manifestations of his subconscious.

A brand seared into his body from repeating past memories.
The memory of failing to protect his companions.

The endless repetition of questioning whether he could stand by the side of those he loved.

But Altende’s response to Nox’s words was cold.

“This is an answer I didn’t anticipate.”

“…What?”

As Nox spoke, she continued flatly.

“In all 27 times I’ve sent your soul back to the past, you’ve never once given this answer. You always chose to go back.”

“Why would I? Why the hell should I go back to the past? Why?”

“Because you must. Only you.”

“I’ve already failed 27 times. There’s no way I’ll back…”

Nox sneered, but Altende’s next words left him frozen.

“Is it because none of your companions died in this cycle?”

Thud.

His heart sank.
Before he could even process what she meant, a shocking sight began to encroach on Nox’s vision. Altende’s wings slowly turned black.
Like a demon. The beautiful woman who claimed to be an angel was nowhere to be seen.

All that remained was an existence that had used him.

Nox despaired deeply at the realization that his mother, Altende—had abandoned him.

Moreover, her words were enough to awaken another emotion tangled in Nox’s heart.

**********

[Nox von Reinhaver. My son is already dying. And rapidly.]

A demon-like whisper.

Though paradoxical, the voice that reached Zitri carried that weight. A strangely alluring yet sharp voice that felt like it would stab her in the back the moment she turned around.

Zitri struggled to maintain her composure under the heart-stopping shock.

His young master.
Nox von Reinhaver was dying?

“W, what do you mean? Altende…nim, does that mean young master was… from the beginning….”

[Yes. He knew. That he was dying. Even so, he risked his life to protect his companions. Perhaps that’s why he could care for you all so deeply. He already knew his life would be short.]

“That’s…”

[You’ve been given much time, child. That boy is terminally-ill.]

Terminally-ill
An epithet for those with little life left.
Zitri’s brow furrowed.
No breath escaped her choked lungs.
The thought of losing someone she loved so dearly?
It was difficult to accept.

Especially when that person was a girl barely fifteen.

“What do you mean I’ve been given much time…”

[Yes. That’s right. The day he visits Theo to save you, staying awake all night to protect you from demons, fighting to restore your family… In the end, most of the time he spent with you was meaningless. Worthless.]

Altende whispered.

[Even while dying, he couldn’t let you go. So Nox burned his own life for you.]

What?
For a moment, Zitri felt an intense dissonance.

[So, will you help my son return to the beginning?]

Though the angel before her radiated holy energy, the strangeness of their conversation made Zitri hesitate.

‘Altende-nim’s words must be true. If the young master really is terminally-ill and lived his limited life that way… then the time he gave me was worthless. But….’

Zitri wondered.

Was that really all there was to it?

Had Nox ever once shown displeasure while saving her, spending time with her, or traveling together?
To Zitri, Altende’s words clearly had something off about them.

And at that moment.

“Don’t… falter, Zitri.”

A voice.
A voice tinged with the unmistakable hue of a man who had passed through puberty.
Nox von Reinhaver. His master.
The reckless young master of the Reinhaver family was speaking to him.

“Young master!”

[How foolish, my son. To push yourself up like this. Didn’t I tell you? This time, too, you’ll choose to go back.]

“I’ve never made such a choice. And—”

Nox smirked.

“From the beginning, that’s all nonsense. Time flows equally for everyone. Even if I’m terminally-ill, even if I die tomorrow, that doesn’t change anything.”

[…What are you trying to say?]

“People in my past world used to say it.”

Nox drew his sword.

Stormbringer.

With Zitri’s support, he stood and began channeling mana into his blade.

[You cannot use the system’s power!]

Altende firmly declared it meaningless.

[Nox, your power is sealed by the system. Now, the only way is to use that child’s emotions to return to the past…]

[Player has become aware of ‘reality’!]

[Player has surpassed the system’s limits!]

It was then that a faint smile appeared on Nox’s lips.
Because this was what he had aimed for from the start.

‘No matter how much the system made me stronger, if this wasn’t a game but reality, then the one who grew stronger wasn’t the game character Nox, it was me. Nox von Reinhaver. Myself.’

He had created this very moment.

“I won’t return to the past. And I won’t let anyone else be sacrificed.”

Nox poured his strength into the sword in his hand. At the same time, he succeeded in cutting down Altende, who had taken the form of an angel.

[W, what… is this…?!]

Altende’s voice faded faintly as her statue-like form split in two. Nox had known from the start. That all of this was nothing more than an illusion.
As Altende had explained midway, this was all a fabrication. Had his mother not loved him even a speck? He couldn’t know.

Nox only thought one thing.

That if he chose to go back now, he would regret it.
He reminded himself of a clear, transparent truth, that even if this were the 28th, 29th, or 30th, nothing would change.

[Congratulations. You have cleared the first layer of Aksaras’ Labyrinth.]

The system’s voice rang out.

He had crossed one step, but Nox had undoubtedly grown stronger than before.