The words the World Tree had spoken left me standing there, dazed, as if I had been struck by a heavy blow to my head.

How could I not be stunned?

"My mother... is a calamity?"

From what the World Tree had told me so far, a calamity was a being sent by the world to find and eliminate the original rulers of realms, while also wiping out all living beings on the surface.

If the Blood Demon appeared following a disaster, the next logical figure to think of would be the Heavenly Demon.

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

I growled, unable to contain the words. Not the Heavenly Demon... but my mother?

"How could that make any sense?" [Calm yourself, apostle.] "Calm down?"

Whoosh.

The emotions that surged up my throat ignited, and flames leaped from my body before I could even control them.

For the first time since reaching the peak, I couldn't suppress the fire within me, burning with the force of my emotions.

I had spent countless hours pondering what the creature inside me could be. If it had been with me in my past life, as they said, then fine.

It could have remained dormant all that time.

If it only awoke in this life because of the fortuitous events I had encountered, I could accept that too.

I would find a way to piece it together, no matter how much mental gymnastics it required.

But...

"A calamity..."

A being destined to wipe out all life on earth and bring chaos to the world’s natural order...

My mother couldn’t possibly be such a figure.

Boom.

I slammed my foot into the ground, the impact leaving a crack and a dent in the floor.

"...Where does such a ridiculous idea come from?"

I tried to cool my head and listen, but I couldn't calm down. The mere mention of my mother, who had always remained a painful memory in my heart, left me rattled in ways I couldn’t have anticipated.

As if I wasn't already overwhelmed by the flood of information, now this?

Even so, I had to push through.

This was the only chance I had to uncover such secrets.

"Why would you say my mother is a calamity?" [Apostle.] "Yes."

Even though my voice was full of anger, the World Tree remained unfazed. It was as if it had anticipated this reaction from me.

[What do you think a calamity is?] "...You've already explained that to me multiple times."

A representative sent by the world, sent to correct the natural order. At least three times I had heard those words.

As I frowned, the World Tree added to its explanation.

[Then, where do you think such a being comes from?] "Excuse me?"

I frowned in confusion at the World Tree’s question. Where does a calamity come from?

[To understand your mother, you must first understand what they are.] "What do you mean by that?"

I need to understand what a calamity is to understand my mother?

As I struggled to make sense of the meaning, the World Tree, sensing my confusion, provided the answer.

[What you refer to as a calamity...] [...is the ruler of another world.]

The words made my eyes widen.

A ruler of another world?

The Blood Demon, and if my mother was indeed a calamity, it would mean she was also a ruler of another world.

When I first learned that the creature inside me was a ruler, I had expected that not all rulers would take the form of trees like the World Tree.

The Blood Demon was a ruler of another world, and...

'...Was my mother not human from the very beginning?'

I recalled my mother’s face, always smiling.

In my memories, my mother was no different from any other ordinary woman. She loved caring for her children, and she enjoyed the changing seasons and had a particular fondness for flowers.

If such a gentle woman was actually a calamity, meant to annihilate all life on earth...

"...That's impossible. If that were the case, how is the world so peaceful right now?"

If a calamity had come, surely the world would not be functioning as it is now. And what kind of ruler from another world would leave their own world to invade ours?

If my mother had indeed been a calamity...

Then what about my father?

That thought made me clench my fists.

If what I was hearing was true, did my father know?

"My mother was an ordinary woman. She wasn’t some kind of calamity."

The Blood Demon was proof enough. The Heavenly Demon was proof enough.

Both had appearances and an overwhelming presence that made it clear they weren’t ordinary beings.

So when the World Tree said the Blood Demon was the ruler of another world, it didn’t seem all that strange to me.

But if my mother were a calamity, no matter how I thought about it, it made no sense.

And even worse...

'Would that mean I’m not human either?'

The question about my own identity deepened.

[Your mother was indeed a calamity.] "Then why do you keep saying that? Explain!"

I demanded an answer from the World Tree, my voice harsh.

The World Tree paused in silence, as if carefully selecting its words.

Then, after a quiet moment, its branches gently brushed my hair in a gesture that felt almost apologetic.

[To be precise, she was the ruler of a world that has already disappeared. But that is something you should hear from your father, not me.] "...What?"

The World Tree’s words made me swallow hard.

"Are you saying my father knew as well?"

How many years had it been since I uttered the word "father"? If I included my previous life, it had been an incredibly long time. It was a word that held a lot of weight.

And...

"That means... you also know my father."

The World Tree knew my father.

How far does this connection go?

Just how deeply entangled is everything?

[...]

Once again, the World Tree remained silent, as if carefully choosing its words.

I hated that silence now more than ever.

As my patience reached its limit, the World Tree seemed to sense it and finally began to speak.

[It happened a long, long time ago.]

In the context of this world, it was indeed long ago.

[Your father came here, holding the hand of a woman with hair as white as snow.] "My father... came here?"

[Yes, he held the hand of a woman with white hair.]

White hair? Who could that have been?

For a moment, I thought of my mother, but her hair had been black, as had her eyes.

[How could a human find this place on their own? I was astonished.]

He found this place by himself?

How could that be possible?

Without Cheol Ji-seon’s power, I wouldn’t have been able to come here myself.

This wasn’t just any ordinary demonic realm, after all. It made even more sense now, knowing the truth.

[I knew immediately upon seeing her. She was the second calamity.] "...!"

The fact that the World Tree recognized her as a calamity confirmed it—this white-haired woman was my mother.

'But... my mother’s hair wasn’t white...'

That certainly hadn’t been the case.

[I didn’t know why she came to me. There was no reason for her to seek me out.]

Her former master had already been sealed away, so there should have been no reason for a calamity to come to the World Tree.

A calamity would simply destroy all life.

And yet, my mother sought out the World Tree.

"...Why did she come? What did she want?" [She asked me to tell her how she could cast off the burden of her calamity.]

The World Tree explained that my mother had come to find a way to remove the burden of her destiny as a calamity.

"...Is that even possible?"

The natural order of the world was so significant that the World Tree itself had become stuck in this place.

Even the wandering spirit had been able to turn back time with the World Tree’s power but had ultimately only managed to seal the Blood Demon.

But was it truly possible to remove such a burden?

[No, it is not possible.]

As expected, the World Tree shook its head.

Even I could understand why... Although I questioned whether I should even call myself human anymore.

But regardless of that, it seemed impossible.

And yet...

[However, your mother believed it might be possible.] "What?"

[As I said before, to understand what burden you carry and what the creature inside you is, you must understand your mother.]

I had heard this before.

[Even though they are all rulers, no two are exactly the same.]

Not the same?

Just as the Blood Demon and the World Tree were different, my mother, as a ruler, was different in some way as well.

But I still couldn't believe my mother wasn’t human. I couldn't think of her as a being that existed on the same plane as the World Tree, which I was currently conversing with.

No matter how much I thought about it, in my mind, my mother had always been a simple, ordinary woman.

Despite my lingering doubts, the World Tree continued.

[The ruler of myriad worlds.]

It said softly.

[That is your mother's true title.] "..."

Just hearing those words, I knew this was no ordinary matter.

 

Deep within a cold, dim basement, where the air was chilled and vapor settled onto the floor like mist, a woman with a veiled face knelt on the ground, her head bowed.

This woman was called the "Dancer."

She had no other name.

Her master had called her that, and so it had become her name.

Though only a brief moment had passed, the Dancer remained perfectly still, her breathing steady.

How much time had passed?

To measure it in seconds would be meaningless. A fleeting moment for some, but for her, it felt much longer.

Her master had left this nest of theirs for a while, and the impact of that absence had not been insignificant.

So, the Dancer held her breath, waiting for her master to return.

Then, suddenly,

Boom.

A loud rumble echoed through the room, the vibrations causing dust to fall from the ceiling, dirtying the Dancer’s hair.

But she didn’t move an inch. Not even a flicker of motion passed through her as seconds ticked by.

Then, as the smoke on the ground grew thicker, the Dancer finally lifted her head and looked forward.

Woooong.

Something within the mist in front of her began to vibrate. A faint light flickered.

[Not bad.]

The voice of her returning master tickled her ears. It was a voice filled with amusement, a tone that suggested they were in a very good mood.

"...Are you all right?"

The Dancer asked, her voice tinged with worry.

It was understandable. Her master wasn’t in a position to leave this place so easily.

[I’m fine. In fact, I’ve had quite an enjoyable experience.]

The Blood Demon’s voice continued, laced with satisfaction.

[There was only a trace left, so I wondered what had happened. It was quite laughable, really.]

There had only been the faintest of traces left behind, and nothing more.

The Blood Demon had been curious about what the ruler of this world had done and why an anomaly beyond the natural order had managed to stand against him.

[The reason was more insignificant than I had imagined.]

A ruler who had broken the natural law and been banished to the Abyss.

Yet despite that, the ruler seemed determined to cling to this world, unwilling to let go.

Whatever the reason may have been...

[Still, I can’t say I’m displeased.]

Even if someone defied the natural law, the world would never allow it. Eventually, it would correct the course and return everything to the way it was meant to be.

But watching someone struggle so hard against fate had its own entertainment value.

However...

[The price paid was far higher than expected.]

The Blood Demon was aware of the significant toll it had taken.

To send his consciousness to the Abyss, where the original ruler had been sealed away, required an immense amount of power.

And entering a vessel that had long since lost its value as a living body took even more effort.

[Dancer.] "Yes."

At the Blood Demon’s call, the Dancer’s veil fluttered.

[Prepare the scales.]

At these words, the Dancer’s shoulders stiffened.

Preparing the scales meant only one thing.

The Blood Demon, who had remained dormant for so many years, was about to take action.

"...Are you sure?" she asked hesitantly. [It seems the time I’ve been waiting for will come sooner than expected.]

The Blood Demon’s voice was filled with excitement. It was a tone the Dancer had never heard before, brimming with enthusiasm.

As she listened to that voice, the Dancer cautiously asked another question.

"...What should we do about the vessel?" [The vessel...]

For the Blood Demon to move directly, a body was necessary.

The Dancer already knew the answer to her own question. There were plenty of means available for the Blood Demon to obtain a body. He simply hadn’t wished to do so until now.

As the Dancer began to rise to find a solution,

[The one born of the Zhang family is dead.]

The Dancer froze at the Blood Demon’s words. First, it had been the issue of Namgung Cheon-jun, but now the vessel of the Zhang family had also died.

The Dancer, knowing what "it" was, understood the weight of this news.

[It doesn’t seem to be fully dead yet, but it will be soon.]

Though the vessel hadn’t completely perished, the Blood Demon’s words implied it would meet death again eventually.

Understanding the implications, the Dancer slowly turned to face the Blood Demon.

"I will prepare a new body. Should I also recover its memories..." [No need.]

The Blood Demon’s response caught the Dancer off guard, and she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Why was he refusing?

The vessel of Zhang Sun-yeon was still useful to the Blood Demon’s goals.

Why would he make such a statement now?

As the Dancer pondered this, the Blood Demon spoke again, as if addressing her confusion.

[Though I’ve already recovered the soul and memories, there is no need to place them back into the vessel.]

And then, as if to resolve the Dancer’s lingering doubts,

[I will be the one to inhabit that vessel.]

The Blood Demon answered.