17. Goddess Aria – 12
“…Goddess, Arbel.”
In front of my eyes, in the form of Ariel, I smiled with Ariel’s face, and while wearing Ariel’s body, I uttered the name of the girl who stabilized Arya’s divinity.
“…Huh.”
At the same time as the name Arbel leaked out of my mouth, she smiled softly at me. Seeing her benevolent and benevolent smile toward me, for some reason, I felt my heart pounding and sinking.
It must have been. This feeling of looking up at the heavens, far beyond reach by human hands, the divinity unique to the absolute that makes you realize how small and insignificant you are in this world. It was clear that the Ariel in front of me was, without a doubt, a goddess placed on the same level as Arya.
“You have noticed that I am a goddess. But how did you know that I was Arbel? Didn’t you think I was Clarisse or Sepia?”
I was able to answer her question with a more relaxed look than before. Apparently, since there was a precedent called Aria, she seemed to have gotten used to facing the divinity head-on.
“Isn’t that a simple thing? The goddess Clarisse and the goddess Sepia are currently sealed by Devhardt’s hand. Even if their seal had been released for some reason I don’t know, they would have appeared in the world in their own bodies, just like Arya did. There is no need to have a spiritual spirit in Ariel’s body like you do now.”
“…Critically, isn’t Ariel a believer who is favored by you enough to receive power from you? I think the fact that you can bestow authority on her is in line with the saying that the passage is open for your consciousness to descend on her at any time.”
“…That’s correct. That’s great. Cain von Estel.”
As if she really liked my straightforward answer, she gave me a kind smile once again. And at her enchanting smile, I closed my eyes tightly without realizing it. Even though her current face must be that of Ariel, whom I knew well, I couldn’t figure out why my heart was beating so fast whenever I saw her face.
“If you are currently using Ariel’s body, what happened to Ariel’s own consciousness?”
“Don’t worry. Ariel is currently in a state of sleep as a result of overuse of my powers. If I release the spirit and leave, she will be able to regain control of her body. Well, in the first place, if it weren’t for this special situation, I wouldn’t have been able to do the spirits, so in the end, it’s nothing more than a meaningless explanation.”
“…A special, circumstance?”
what the heck does that mean So, does that mean that, originally, the goddess Arbel could not manifest on this earth using Ariel’s body as a medium?
“A thousand years ago, the four goddesses who ruled the earth left this earth in one way or another, and had no choice but to hand over the burden of supporting this world to the World Tree. At first glance, it sounds good to say that the burden is shifted elsewhere, but in reality it was not. In return for giving up the maintenance of this world, we lost the right to directly interfere with this world.”
“But just a while ago, as the goddess Arya was resurrected on this earth, I also became able to interfere with this world on a limited basis. Of course, I can’t even dream of manifesting my body, but with Ariel, who has the strongest connection with me on earth, as a medium, I can interfere to the extent of having a conversation with you like this.”
“…Then, the reason you came down to earth at this moment is none other than—”
“Yes. It’s nothing else, to finish what I couldn’t finish a thousand years ago.”
Saying that, she cautiously takes the ring from my hand. She looks at the ring where Arya’s divinity is sealed, with a vague look in her eyes.
“Aria was the most powerful among the goddesses. Probably because she was worshiped by humans as a goddess who presides over the end and the end. It was the miracle of miracles that Devhard was able to subdue her a thousand years ago.”
She clutched the ring she was holding in her own hand with both hands. And at the same time, a subtle luster formed on her hands, and soon the ring also lost its original shape and changed into a light sphere.
“So I knew it from the start. That the seal imprisoning Arya is not perfect. I don’t know when, but she will wake up and reappear on this earth. And that the winter from her divinity sweeps across the continent, all of it.”
“But even though I knew that future well, I couldn’t prepare for it. Because I have already lost all authority to interfere with the ground. There was nothing I could do except give this child a clue that the cause of winter was in the north through an oracle.”
She opens her own hands wide open. The photosphere freed from her hand was dancing in the air like fluttering petals.
“Cain von Estel. you have done well Beyond time, beyond space, you accepted the aria and even stopped it at the end. Your heart has reached her, and she too can sleep peacefully in your arms. I think this is one reason and harmony that makes up the world.”
“You did everything a human being could do. Then, from now on, I will have to handle the aftermath that humans cannot handle. As for the karma that Arya has accumulated, I want to handle all of them. That is the last role given to me.”
She spread her arms wide toward the sky like a priest holding a rite to a god. The next moment, the photosphere was quietly absorbed into her chest as it should have been.
…And at that moment, something in the world changed. I didn’t know what had changed, but I knew instinctively that something crucial was over.
Realized. With this, everything is over. The long journey I’ve walked so far must have come to an end with this.
“Just now, Arya’s divinity was sent back to the sky. She is no longer a goddess, nor a witch to destroy the world. I’m just an ordinary girl by your side.”
She loses her mind and looks at Arya lying on the floor lovingly, then clasping her palms together like someone with a good idea.
“Oh, I see. According to ancient tales, warriors who have served the goddess were given the right to make a wish to the god. That’s why I also want to give you the right to make a wish. There is a small amount of Aria’s divinity, albeit a very small amount, so it should be able to fulfill a modest wish.”
“…Wish, do you mean?”
I was dumbfounded by the fairly sudden statement. Even if I say that, in the first place, this side doesn’t have a wish that I want to come true.
“Yes. That’s right. Specifications will be specified. Because you deserve to be happier than anyone else in the world. Please speak. Whatever your wish may be, as long as it is feasible, I will make it come true.”
As I looked at her smiling expectantly, asking me to speak quickly, I suddenly had an idea. I had doubts about whether I could make such a wish, but I opened my mouth to her with the thought that it would be worth the money.
“Then, could you sever the relationship between Kyrie and the World Tree and erase her immortality?”
“…yes?”
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, her eyes slightly slanted upward.
“…If it’s Kyrie, you’re referring to Kyrie El Denaris, who I’m familiar with, right? Are you saying that you will give up your rights for the sake of the woman who just a moment ago was at odds with you and who offered you to live?”
“Yes. I hope to use the right you gave me for her sake.”
At my answer, she looks at me with a genuinely disapproving expression. To my eyes, her expression just felt extremely human.
“…You seem to want to make the desire of others your wish, not your own. Are you really satisfied with it? Everything you longed for might come true with just one word you utter right now. For what reason do you mean that you would only spend this enormous right for the sake of others?”
“…Kyrie, Kyrie, to me, is not a woman who can only be called a stranger.”
In an instant, I remembered her past that I had seen through the ‘string’ one day. Kyrie was a woman who hated her own life. The cost of living a life so long was that she had lost all the colors of her memories that made her up.
She had to face the terrible nightmare that everything she possessed spilled out of her palms like sand over the course of a thousand years. That’s how she no longer feels any emotion when faced with meaningless memories that disappear for no reason. I have become very accustomed to living a life with only memories, not emotions.
…But there was something she couldn’t give up either. It was the memories of the moments when they were with me, laughed together, and were hurt because of me. Even though it was a mean, insignificant, and trivial moment in the eyes of others, I knew very well how valuable and precious she valued that moment.
she was afraid As it had been until now, he did not want the feelings he had to change into something futile. So, she wished for her own death. Rather than living an immortal life as a doll without emotions, he hoped to die with the emotions that filled him in the present.
“…but, but I hated Kyrie’s longing for her own death. Even if it was hypocrisy, I wanted her to live on. I wanted you to live and be by my side. As much as I have never felt happy, I hoped to be happier than everyone else in the world put together.”
Yes. Even if I can’t do anything for her, even if my current greed eventually becomes a curse on her-
I wanted her to live. After hating her own life, she didn’t just yearn for death, she hoped that one day she would come to like herself. I wished for her to be very, very happy.
…However, she becomes unhappy as a result. Unable to face death due to immortality due to the connection with the World Tree, she has no choice but to enjoy suffering forever. And, as Kyrie herself revealed, her wishes are of a kind that cannot be reached by human hands. But now, a possibility has arisen. If so, wouldn’t there be a reason not to ask the goddess for such a wish?
“She has kept me in the dark, acknowledged me as her companion, and lent her strength for my happiness. So this time it’s my turn. I also want to do something for her. So I dare to ask you. I want Kyrie to be free from immortality and face the death that life deserves one day.”
“…..”
At my answer, she waved her hand without saying anything. And at the same time, a small thread connected to the World Tree in front of us came into my field of vision. The moment I saw that thread, I realized instinctively. Even though that thread is so thin that it seems like it will break at any moment, no force in the world will be able to cut that thread.
“…Anyway. He’s a frustrating man. Well, that’s what Ariel liked about you.”
In a slightly grumbling voice, she pointed to the shimmering thread in front of her eyes.
“That is the connection between Kyrie and the World Tree. It can be said that it is the source that makes her existence immortal.”
From her fingertips, the same intangible energy as that time welled up. That energy that is so far away, yet noble, that a mere human body can never reach. The energy that could replace everything in human life with omnipotence must have been none other than divinity.
“A thousand years ago, the World Tree assumed the role of supporting the world on behalf of us who left the earth. If something happened to the World Tree, there was a risk that this world would collapse, so the World Tree made its guardian immortal. It would have been a choice that even as a world tree could not help, but in the end, it ended up making a woman’s life endlessly miserable.”
She pointed her divinity-enveloped finger at the World Tree. At that moment, the thread that seemed unlikely to be cut by anything was enveloped in phantom flames, and soon disappeared from this world in the blink of an eye.
“…Cain von Estelle. You are right. The life of life is limited, and parting exists in every encounter in life. Parting with someone is obviously painful and sad, but at the same time, what remains in your hand cannot be only pain. I think life is about being able to move forward with condolences toward someone, sadness toward someone, and the memories that stem from it in one’s heart.”
“However, the heart that Kirie wanted to cherish, who had fallen into an immortal body, was reduced to something worn out and ended up lying on the ground. The body is alive, but the mind has died and has become a living corpse. Eternal and endless is in line with the saying that there is no value.”
“…But, that is a thing of the past now. Kyrie el Denaris is now mortal. An ordinary person who has a lifespan openly, grows up again, and is called to heaven when he reaches the end.”
She smiled softly on Ariel’s face, and soon took a step forward towards me.
“I’ve used up all my remaining divinity with this, so this is the end of my time. Do you have any questions about anything? It seems there is still time to answer your questions.”
At her playful words, I opened my mouth after some hesitation. In fact, it was because she had one question.
“…Do you know anything about Iris?”
For a moment, I didn’t miss the fact that her eyelids widened just a little bit and then quickly sank.
“You are the last descendant of Devhart left on this land. I know about her too. I also share all of Ariel’s memories.”
It’s like talking about someone else. But I was able to gain some confidence through her tone.
“A thousand years ago, for some reason, you helped Devhart to seal another goddess. It may be a little off topic, but somehow I guessed what the reason was.”
At my words, she doesn’t show displeasure, but instead shows an interesting smile as if she’s having fun.
“Funny. good. If so, let’s try it once. As for why I sided with mere humans, even betraying the other sisters.”
At her words, I took a deep breath and carefully opened my mouth.
“In my personal opinion, Iris is…”
“I think he might be the last descendant of your blood.”
In an instant, everything around them forgot the sound they were hearing. In the clearing, where there is neither the chirping of birds nor the rustling of grass, only the sun setting behind and the long shadows stretched by it.
“A man named Devhart was a really stupid man.”
She quietly opened her mouth. Somewhere vague, somewhere with eyes that seemed to be groping for the past.
“He was a man who did not know the subject, who pitied the goddesses in a human subject. However, he was the only man who realized that we, who remained on this earth and ruled over humans forever after the seasons became myths, were implicitly tired.”
“He called us slaves, not goddesses. They sympathized with us who will be worshiped by humans and live our lives for them for eternity to come.”
“…In the end he came to love me, and I came to love him too. I knew full well that my love for him was only a fleeting moment, but I also didn’t want to let go of the happiness I was enjoying. Yes, just as Kyrie el Denaris cherishes your memories so much.”
She carefully folded her hands. In an instant, I realized that this was her habit. A habit that comes out inadvertently when facing a man as a woman, not as a goddess.
“However, even such a man could not bring me to rest in the end. Even though he knew well that it was right, he couldn’t realize it after being bound by emotion. Because of that, we fought a lot. Now that I think about it, I don’t know why I filled my last moments with him with such petty arguments.”
Contrary to the harsh words she was spitting out, she was smiling brightly.
“But it’s okay. For the past thousand years, just taking out the memories I had with him from time to time and reflecting on them made my life so gentle and warm.”
The light leaking from her body begins to melt into the air. It was a clear sign that her existence in this world was being banished.
“Anyway, it really seems like it’s time to say goodbye. This is truly the end of the story of goddesses who are destined to serve humans, to serve humans, and to do their duty to humans. From now on, please make history on this earth.”
Saying that, she carefully stroked Arya’s head, who had fallen unconscious.
“Cain von Estel, I bless you as the last goddess left on earth at this moment. And I would like to ask you a favor.”
“Please take good care of Iris. Please also take care of the last descendant of me and Devhart, whom she will soon give birth to.”
“Please take care of Ariel. As that agent, please take good care of her who had to spend her entire life in pain.”
“Please take good care of Kyrie. Please take good care of her who had to suffer for a thousand years because the goddesses, including me, irresponsibly left the earth.”
“…And please take good care of Aria. Please ask for my sisters who have always been shunned by humans and had to watch their happiness from a distance. Please take good care of her, who had to come here to meet you, to be with you, to be happy with you.”
“The story of the goddess Arya ends here, but the story of the human Arya begins here. For you, for her, for each other, and for everyone.”
“Take care of her and love her. And let me go on a journey. A journey that begins with you and returns to us.”
“So, be happy until the end. Even from far away, I wish you happiness.”
Light scattered everywhere like tears. At the same time, everything disappeared. Not to mention the subtle divinity that hovered in this place, the blizzard that hovered in the sky also disappeared.
There is already nothing around. The entire area that had been blown away had become a desolate plain that put the word Great Forest to shame.
The sun was setting above the sky where the blizzard had lifted. Above the horizon, twilight was shining.
“…..”
This is how it ended. everything is over sure that too.
I closed my eyes for a moment. About what I saw here, what I lost, and what I gained today.
I quietly engrave the scene in my soul, making a wish so that I will not forget it for the rest of my life.
Reach your hands toward the sky. In the air, I no longer felt the cold chill, but only the warmth greeted me.
With this, the winter that embraced us is over.
Spring in its true sense is approaching us again.