The moment Yong-yong, empowered by the Celestials, charged at the Primordial One, a radiant light enveloped the world. I opened my eyes to find myself in a pure white space.

As I looked around this empty space, I heard a voice—one that was so warm and comforting, it was almost unreal.

Could there really be a voice more soothing than my mother’s?

"Yuna… no, Outsider. I wish to speak with you alone."
"Is this… the Primordial One?"

"Yes. This is the form I commonly use."

A girl with silver hair and crimson eyes stood before me.

At a glance, she looked like one of the Clan of the Night, with an appearance resembling that of Nia, the Executioner.

"Isn’t this resemblance to Nia a bit too close?"
"Do you know how the Clan of the Night was born? I am their progenitor."
"Oh…"

The Primordial One explained that she wasn’t just the mother of the Clan of the Night, but of countless other beings.

"My true identity is the Creator who made this world."

So, that’s why she’s called the beginning and the end.

A table and chairs materialized, and the Creator invited me to sit and make myself comfortable.

"You are not a native being of this world. Your soul was drawn here by a great power, replacing the one that originally resided here. Not many beings are capable of something like that."

As she spoke, a new figure appeared.

The figure’s form was pure white, making it impossible to tell if they were human or monster.

"This is a being known as a god, responsible for overseeing the Celestial Realm. It’s a part of me."

"A part of you…?"

"I didn’t expect it to act on its own like this. It certainly caught me off guard."

She chuckled softly and mentioned that this would be a long story, asking if I was alright with that.

"It’s fine. We have plenty of time, don’t we?"
"True. Then, where shall I begin?"

The Creator’s story began.

In the beginning, she found happiness simply by observing the world peacefully, blessing countless creatures with her love.

But soon, conflicts and wars began to arise among living beings, growing more and more corrupt over time.

She watched as the situation worsened and tried to intervene several times to set things right, but each attempt only made things worse.

Eventually, she concluded that the world was beyond saving and decided that the only solution was to destroy everything and start anew.

That’s why she began the events that led to all of this.

"At least, that’s what I thought—until I met you."

"…"

She said that meeting me changed her perspective. Even though I wasn’t from this world, I had shown genuine effort to save it in its time of need.

"I recalled a very old memory—of the will and hope carried by living beings."

"So, does that mean… you won’t destroy the world?"

Without answering, the Creator looked at me.

"I’ll give you the final decision."

She asked me to speak my wish.

Without hesitation, I replied.

"I want a world where everyone can live happily."

"That sounds like a dream. Conflicts will arise, and when interests clash, wars will break out, leading the world back to the path of ruin."

"That may be possible, but it’s also possible that it won’t. I’m not smart enough to worry about things that haven’t happened yet."

The Creator looked at me, slightly taken aback by my response.

Was that the wrong thing to say in this situation?

But soon, a gentle smile appeared on her face.

"I nearly made a grave mistake due to my own fault. Thank you, Outsider… no, Yuna."

The world around me began to shatter.

"When you wake up, everything will have changed—for the better. We’ll meet again someday. I’ll prepare delicious tea and snacks for you."

With those words, I lost consciousness.

I was curious about what the Creator meant, but the thought of returning to the real world filled me with both fear and anticipation.

---

When I opened my eyes, I was in my room, lying on my bed.

I sat there for a while, trying to understand what had just happened. Then I heard a familiar voice.

"Kyuung."
"Yong-yong!? Are you alright!?"
"Kyuung?"

Yong-yong gave me a puzzled look, wondering what nonsense I was talking about.

But we had just been fighting the Primordial One… or rather, the Creator… hadn’t we?

As I held Yong-yong’s face and looked him over, I heard footsteps approaching.

A knock on the door, and then it opened. It was my sister.

"My lovely little sister! You’re awake!? Come down for breakfast!"
"Sis…?"

I stared at her blankly as she told me to hurry downstairs before closing the door and leaving.

Is this… another illusion?

"Yong-yong, is this another illusion?"
"Kyuung?"

Yong-yong tilted his head, clearly not understanding what I was talking about.

I needed an explanation for what was happening, but there was no one who could give it to me.

Could this be…?

I quickly ran out of my room and down to the kitchen, where I saw my mom preparing breakfast and my dad reading the newspaper.

"Our daughter’s up? Hm? Why are you still in your pajamas at this hour? Aren’t you going to the library? You need to pass this year, remember?"
"She’ll handle it in her own time. Come, have a seat."

"Is this… not a dream?"

I stood there, tears streaming down my face as my family looked at me, concerned.

They comforted me, asking if I’d had a nightmare. I was overwhelmed, unable to understand what was happening.

After a while, Dad left for work, and my sister went off to university.

I followed Mom around as she did the housework, but when I went to change clothes in my room, I found a letter on my bed.

It hadn’t been there when I woke up…

I opened the envelope and immediately knew who it was from.

To Yuna,
I’m sending you a small gift, and I hope it brings you joy.
I’m not a petty god, after all.
Life will have its ups and downs, but when you look back, everything will be a memory.
I’ll keep watching over you, cheering you on.
From, 
The one with delicious tea and treats prepared, come visit anytime.

A drop fell onto the letter.

Tears streamed down my face as I read it.

She called it a “small gift,” but to me, it was the greatest gift of all.

Yong-yong comforted me as I cried.

Then a thought crossed my mind.

What about everyone else?

After changing clothes, I went next door and rang the bell, but someone else answered.

It was the woman who had always lived next door.

"Oh, Yuna! What brings you here?"
"Oh, hello, ma’am. I just wanted to say hello."
"How sweet of you! You must be working hard with your studies. Wait here a moment."

She handed me a bag of fruit, and I returned home.

But what about Leah and the others?

I checked my phone and found that Leah’s contact was gone.

The Frey Guild members’ contacts were also missing.

C-could it be… that I’ve returned to my original world? With Yong-yong?

As I sat on the sofa, stunned, a familiar voice came from the TV.

I looked up instinctively—it was Nia.

Why is Nia, the Clan of the Night’s Executioner, being interviewed on TV?

"This new virtual reality…"

"With everyone’s effort, we were able to create it. A new world… Arcana…"

I couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

And the reporter… it was Melin, the elf.

As I watched in disbelief, videos showing various races—including dwarves and other species—living in harmony with monsters began to play.

What in the world was going on? I was overwhelmed, unable to grasp the situation.

A week passed, and I learned the truth about this world.

It was a merged world where two parallel realities had combined, creating a place where humans, various races, and monsters coexisted.

I slowly adjusted to this new world and settled into a daily routine.

I would wake up, eat breakfast with my family, and head to the library to study.

I’m… a student retaking exams?

What happened to my record of getting into Korea University? How did I end up as a repeat applicant?

Since I had forgotten everything after the entrance exam, it was going to take a lot of effort to get back in.

As I entered the library with Yong-yong, someone walked out and bumped into me.

"Ahh!"

"Are you okay?"

As I fell, my hat flew off. I picked it up and turned around.

"Ouch, my hip hurts…"

"Leah?"

Leah looked at me, puzzled.

"Um… could I have my hat back, please?"

"Oh, here."

As I handed her the hat, I impulsively grabbed her hands. She looked at me in surprise.

"Have we… met before?"

"Huh? Oh, no. Sorry, I must have mistaken you for someone else."

I quickly released her hands and apologized.

It seemed that this world’s Leah didn’t recognize me.

She took her hat, gave a slight bow, and hurriedly left the library.

I stood at the entrance, watching her walk away.

It was a strange feeling—familiar yet foreign.

"Yong-yong, what should we do from here?"

"Kyuung?"

He suggested I focus on studying instead of overthinking.

With

 Yong-yong by my side, I stepped confidently into the library.

As I sat down and opened a book, I vowed to make the most of this new life, determined not to let this opportunity slip by.

Just as the Creator had said, everything had changed for the better.

Although there were still things I hadn’t adapted to, I believed that, in time, everything would feel familiar.

This strange world that had once felt like a fantasy now seemed natural.

Looking out the window, sunlight streamed through the rustling leaves, as refreshing as a spring breeze heralding a new beginning.