HIF 37

Even If I Can’t Understand It

Truthfully, I didn’t particularly dislike it. There was just no reason to cling to him to go. It wasn’t something that needed to be said so desperately. As I nodded, Raen smiled faintly.

Simultaneously, a breeze rustled. Raen’s robe gently settled over my body. A sweet fragrance softly spread.

“I’ll lift you up now.”

Along with Raen’s voice, my field of vision slowly rose. Looking down, the ground I had been standing on just moments ago was gradually receding.

The three figures standing by the campfire looked small. One of them waved a hand grandly, as if greeting us. Then, as if snuffed out in an instant, they all vanished without a trace.

Only the blazing flames remained in that spot. I stared blankly at the empty space, then lifted my gaze upward. The sky was also utterly empty.

The darkness, devoid of stars or moon, looked desolate. I tilted my head and quietly leaned against Raen. Warmth transmitted through. Through the body touching mine, and through the heart as well.

Somehow, I thought I could hear the sound of my heart pounding fiercely.

‘What is this?’

It was the sound of my heart beating rapidly, as if I had run with all my might.

I was definitely not nervous right now. There was no way I’d be afraid of heights just because I had stumbled and fallen once.

The moment I tried to raise my hand to my chest.

“…Yi-han.”

Raen’s voice came from right beside me. Perhaps mixed with the sound of the wind, it seemed to waver slightly.

Raen looked down and met my gaze. My reflection appeared in his golden eyes, which seemed slightly wider open than usual. Raen’s red hair fluttered softly.

The sound of cutting through the wind brushed past my ears, making them feel muffled. Raen raised an eyebrow slightly and smiled faintly. Then he slowly opened his mouth.

“…thing …you.”

A small whisper scattered into the void. That voice didn’t fully reach me.

Before I could say I hadn’t heard it, Raen lightly shook his head. It seemed as if it wasn’t something he had intended to tell me from the start.

Lately, I had already been accumulating questions one by one, and now Raen was kindly adding to my curiosity like this.

Just as I was about to ask him to say it one more time, the surroundings gradually brightened.

Small, bright yellow lights were spreading sporadically through the darkness. Each one was like a star. As if following us slowly rising into the sky, those lights also moved along.

“…So there’s magic like this too.”

My voice escaped without me realizing it. Is this how it would feel to walk the Milky Way?

Raen let out a small laugh. Then he held me more firmly. I could still hear the sound of my heart in my ears.

That was possible. Because it sparkled so dazzlingly before my eyes. It was enough to make my heart feel like it would burst, pounding so intensely. Even the warmth touching me felt vivid.

It was when we had risen to a certain height. Suddenly, an alien sensation, as if passing through a veil, swept through my body.

“Raen hyung. That was it just now.”

Raen closed his eyes and slightly furrowed his brow as if concentrating for a moment. Then, with an expression of not quite understanding, he opened his eyes again.

“Yi-han. Could you cover your ears for a moment?”

“Yes.”

“Can you hear my voice now?”

He was speaking right next to me while holding me; there was no way I couldn’t hear it. With both hands covering my ears, I nodded. Raen continued with a troubled expression.

“Hmm. That won’t do then…”

“Why?”

“It might be a bit loud… So I’ll block the surrounding sounds for a moment. Don’t be alarmed even if you don’t hear anything.”

Confirming my nod again, Raen slowly moved his mouth. Then he slowly recited an incomprehensible sentence.

Instantly, the surroundings became completely silent.

Even though I could clearly feel the wind touching my skin, there wasn’t even the faint sound of wind brushing past my ears. I lowered the hands covering my ears. Still, I heard nothing.

Raen lowered his gaze downward, quietly observing the empty darkness. He seemed to be gauging approximately where the place I mentioned was.

I looked at Raen’s face. Though I couldn’t hear his voice, it seemed like he was reciting another sentence.

Simultaneously, a gust of wind blew up from below. Raen’s robe, which had been draped over me, lifted slightly and then settled back down. A sharp red light seemed to flash briefly.

Raen turned his head toward me. His expression, which had hardened, softened slightly as he mouthed the words clearly and distinctly.

Cold?

He seemed to be asking that. I shook my head. Raen smiled faintly and rose a bit higher.

Following Raen’s gaze downward, I also looked below. In the darkness, red lights flashed and burst here and there, repeatedly flaring up and dying down. It looked exactly like something was exploding.

After the lights had calmed down to a certain extent, the sound of wind brushing past my ears began, and the surrounding sounds gradually became audible. Raen looked at me and spoke.

“I just checked, and there was no Mana detected in the surroundings.”

He said that while something faint might be felt, it probably wasn’t Mana. He continued, saying it was impossible to create a barrier capable of warping space with just that amount of Mana.

The way back down was quite long. According to Raen, we had gone to a height so great that one normally wouldn’t even come up using magic.

‘If it weren’t for the System, I would have been completely unaware.’

It felt strange, as if I was being dragged along according to the System’s intentions. However, since the choice was made by my own will, I had nothing particular to say.

Of course, the failure Penalty nudging my back was also a reason, but if the quest itself had been something beyond my capacity from the start, I wouldn’t have attempted it regardless of any Penalty.

No matter how much the quest was shoved in my face, the decision to execute it or not was mine. I knew that well.

‘Well, in the end, it’s not a bad thing either.’

Since I found a new clue about this warped place, I didn’t gain nothing at all. Though I didn’t figure out anything precisely.

While I was lost in thought for a while, Raen, who had been staring at me intently, opened his mouth.

“You said the sky seemed to ripple to you, Yi-han. We completely passed through that barrier earlier.”

“Yes, that’s right. It felt like we passed through the barrier and went even higher than that.”

Raen bit his lip, thought for a moment, and then slowly continued.

“Your Mana isn’t of a normal form. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“So, if there is indeed a barrier, and if that barrier is also of a form similar to your Mana… Then it makes sense that it only reacts to you. But…”

Raen hesitated and paused his words briefly.

Before I knew it, we seemed to be almost close to the ground. The scattered lights began to gather in one place. Just as we were about to reach the ground, Raen continued in a trembling voice.

“If what you say is true, that we crossed the barrier earlier… then why is the sky there… still dark?”

A strong wind blew past, sweeping over me. Raen landed completely on the ground. With the sound of wind slapping against my ears, I tightly closed my eyes.

“It’s okay to open your eyes now.”

A voice tinged with laughter was heard. I peeked open my eyes. Raen was looking at me, meeting my gaze, and smiling faintly.

Raen, still holding me, took a few steps. Then he slowly sat me down on the log placed in front of the campfire. My feet touched the ground. Somehow, it felt like it had been a long time since I stood on my own feet.

Raen, who gently smoothed my hair as if tidying it, sat down gracefully right beside me. Before I knew it, his robe was naturally draped over my shoulders. I folded it neatly and handed it back to him.

“Thank you, Raen hyung.”

Raen, holding the robe quietly in his hand, blinked rapidly as if thinking. Then he unfolded it and draped it over my lap.

“I’m thankful too.”

What is he thankful for? That I returned the robe? But I couldn’t understand why he was handing it back.

Raen quietly patted my knee. I couldn’t bring myself to brush off that touch, gather the robe, and hand it back.

Warmth seemed to circulate through my body. Staring at the blazing campfire right in front, I pondered over what Raen had said earlier.

‘It is strange that nothing changed even after crossing the barrier, isn’t it?’

Isn’t a barrier supposed to separate the inside and outside? If so, the exterior should be intact.

But the sky I saw earlier wasn’t like that. It wasn’t a normal night sky but a pitch-black darkness where not even a single starlight was visible. Just like when viewed from below.

“Yi-han.”

Raen’s voice came from beside me. I turned my head toward him. The flames seemed to flicker close to Raen, who was looking at me.

“Even if it’s something incomprehensible, there’s no need to vaguely fear it. Everything has a proper reason.”

“But… if the reason is unknown, it’s as good as not existing, isn’t it?”

“That’s not true.”

Raen lifted his head and took in the pitch-black darkness spread across the void.

“It’s just that we haven’t found it yet. As long as we don’t stop, we can find it. Because it doesn’t disappear.”

In the darkness as black as ink, golden eyes as bright as the moon sparkled. Raen’s voice continued calmly.

“Whatever it is, I will definitely figure it out. Without fail, by the day this generation’s Hero’s term ends.”

Looking at Raen, I nodded. I too sincerely hoped that everyone would uncover the hidden truth and save the world by the remaining days.

It was after Park Yul told me last time that Heroes are chosen every five years. Thinking quietly, what the System told me was to save the world.

‘So, if everyone fails to save the world this time…’

If such a thing happens, I might have to start anew with the next generation of Heroes.

Somehow, I disliked that a little. As a true Healer, should I not have such thoughts? But I couldn’t help it.

I don’t know if it’s because they are the first Heroes I’ve met, but it was even difficult to imagine other Heroes being chosen after you all.

So, I hope you all save the world.

Of course, this wasn’t my goal. In reality, what I could do was extremely limited, so it was more accurate to call it my greed.

‘Still, isn’t it okay to be a little greedy?’

I’ll do my best to move forward together too. Even if it’s a bit selfish, I wanted to hold onto such a wish.

Raen’s hand was still resting on my knee. I lightly grasped that hand and stood up.

Taking one step, I faced Raen. Raen silently looked up at me. The pupils holding my reflection seemed to waver faintly.

“Raen hyung.”

The firm hand touching mine trembled briefly.