WKTH Chapter 7

The temple was located in the underground of the royal castle. It is said that the castle was built on the site of the temple, rather than building the temple in the underground of the castle, almost as if to protect or hide its existence. Descending the stairs that lead to the temple, the white marble floor and walls shimmered in the flickering light of the torches. It felt almost too orderly and inorganic, as if rejecting the presence of people. When I began to feel like I was falling into a bottomless pit, I finally saw the door leading to the temple. In front of the door, there were two priests dressed in pure white robes, with their faces covered by veils. Since only women are allowed to enter the temple, both of them were female priests, but they had swords at their waists. They looked eerie, like uncertain ghosts. They also came from a family that served as priests for generations and had pledged absolute loyalty to the royal family, not just the princess’s family. They received strict training, and their swordsmanship was said to surpass even that of knights. “Please inform my mother… and serve as an intermediary for the priestess. Tell her that Alexia has come.” I said to the priests, who didn’t even budge when I arrived. Then, the priests moved to the sides as if to widen the way, and the door slowly began to open on its own. “We have heard from the priestess. Please enter inside.” I didn’t know which one of them spoke, or maybe both of them did at the same time. Contrary to my expectations, it seemed that they had no intention of stopping me. Apparently, they knew in advance that I would come here. Beyond the door was a long corridor, and after passing through it and opening another door, a vast space that utilized a cave spread out before me, enveloped in light that didn’t seem like it was underground. The first thing that caught my eye was a huge goddess statue, so intricately crafted that it looked alive. In front of the goddess statue’s altar, there was a person dressed in white clothing, standing like a lifeless statue.

“Mother…” A gasping voice escaped her lips. Although her appearance overlapped with her memories, the glamorous expression that was loved by everyone had disappeared, replaced by a deep sense of emptiness. “Alexia, I know the reason why you came here. And that you were incited by Solon.” Her eyes were cold, and her words lacked warmth. “Do you know about Solon?” How would she know that Alexia had been in contact with Solon, while she was in a place that seemed so isolated from the outside world? “I know him well. He’s a little too clever, which makes him difficult to handle.” “Him? Mother, were you close with Solon?” Solon has been renowned as a child prodigy from a young age, but he shouldn’t have had much to do with the royal family. “What did Solon tell you that made you come here?” Her mother didn’t answer and instead returned the question. “Mother, are you saying that you’re a prophet?” “That is a fact. I am a prophet, and my family is the closest to God. And you are one of us as well.” She felt like she was about to faint. Although she was mentally prepared for it, hearing it said again was a shock. “Why?” That was all she could manage to say.

“This is the fate of our clan, an inescapable destiny, which one could call a curse from the gods.” Mother glanced gently at the goddess statue behind her. “How did Solon say the Prophet should guide the Hero?” “I don’t know the exact method…” “That’s right. Even at that time, Solon didn’t know the full extent of it…Very well, I will teach you the secret of our clan as your successor.” She gave a faint sardonic smile, even mocking herself. “I cannot die.” “What?” I couldn’t understand what she meant at first. “When I die, the world ends, and time rewinds until the cause of my death is removed.” “What does that mean…?” “You asked if I was close to Solon. He was one of the heroes I guided, just like you. His wisdom and magical power were unrivaled, and he was the closest to defeating the Demon King except for Zack. He was also the one who uncovered the true identity of the Prophet. Although he has no memory of it now, or rather, it never happened.” Mother closed her eyes and looked back on that time. Was it just my imagination that I sensed sorrow in her expression? “It wasn’t just Solon. I guided Leon and Maria as well, but they fell in the middle of their journey. While they were all talented, they had a tendency to rely on themselves and underestimate others, which ultimately made them unworthy of being heroes. There were many other candidates for the hero, but none of them succeeded. As for me…as the Prophet, I don’t know who the hero is. I will continue to repeat time forever until someone capable of defeating the Demon King is found.” I was speechless. Even though I understood, my mind rejected it. Then how many times did Mother repeat time? “It takes almost 10 years for one hero to reach the end. I have repeated this cycle over 100 times.” “So, that means over 1,000 years…?”

It was an unimaginably long period of time. Can humans endure such a time? “Yes, after a journey that lasted more than a thousand years, I found Zack. However, at first, I tried to guide Ares. I knew of a talented boy in a distant village and led Ares with a slight hope. Ares was a talented boy, and I had high expectations, but it ended without reaching the royal capital. He immediately committed suicide, and I thought about doing it over again, but I became interested in Zack, who was with Ares for some reason.” “…Suicide?” It was an unacceptable word to hear. “If I repeat more than a hundred lives, my own death is insignificant. My first death was caused by monsters. At that time, the Royal Castle was attacked by the Demon King’s army, and everyone in the castle was killed. If I were to repeat that tragedy, I wouldn’t hesitate to commit suicide.” Then, does that mean that she has taken her own life countless times over the past 1000 years? “Do you pity me, Alexia? But it’s over now. The boy who had no talent and no expectations, who had traveled this long journey, defeated the Demon King. His determination to defeat the Demon King was stronger than anyone else I have seen, and he had an indomitable spirit that could withstand any humiliation or difficulty. He was truly worthy of the name of the hero.” The hero was the human that the prophet had searched for over a long period of time. There was no fate or miracle there, and as a result, the human who defeated the Demon King was given that name. I was speechless for a while, but there was one thing that bothered me. It was a discussion of a possibility. “…Mother, that is, couldn’t Zack and Ares have defeated the Demon King together with Shera, Ares’s mother, still alive? I met Shera, Ares’s mother, in Tariz Village. She was deeply saddened by Ares’s death. She was also the one who raised Zack. I just felt sorry for her…” As far as I could tell, Ares was a talented person. If that was the case, wouldn’t it have been possible to defeat the Demon King with Ares still alive, together with Zack? “Zack’s strength came from the tragic determination of Shera, Ares, and Zack himself. Without that, it would have been impossible to defeat the Demon King. Zack’s feat in defeating the Demon King was a build-up of a slight possibility, like threading a needle. There is no guarantee that it can be replicated. And Alexia, are you asking me to die to test that possibility?” …It would come to that. It may be cruel to demand that much from her mother. “I have witnessed countless tragedies and disasters. Considering that, Shera’s grief is just one of the common tragedies.” “However, Mother, wasn’t it you who chose Ares? Neither Ares nor Zack wanted to become heroes. Shera didn’t want it either.” “Let’s admit that. I didn’t take any action, but it’s also a fact that I chose and abandoned Ares. Yes, I killed the hero Ares.” She acknowledged her mistake, but there was no sense of remorse in her expression. The mother I knew shouldn’t have been like this.

“But Alexia, I never wanted to become a prophet. Do you know what I thought during the repeated cycles of time?” “You didn’t want to be born as royalty?” It was something that I myself had occasionally thought. “Why is it my turn? Why did the demon king’s invasion have to happen in my era? I resented and cursed it over and over again. If only this were my mother’s era, or my child’s era. Why do I have to suffer so much? The demon king won’t be born for another hundred years. You will end your life without experiencing anything like this. Let me be clear. I envy you. Even though you were born into the lineage of priestesses, you will hardly use that power.” “That’s not…” I felt it was unreasonable, but I could understand my mother’s feelings to some extent. She must have had a difficult and treacherous journey over the past thousand years to become so cold and indifferent. Enough to want to impose it on other humans. “Do you understand? Even looking at your face is unpleasant for me. I know why you came here. You want to know where Zack is, don’t you? He’s in the village of Letin in the former Marica Kingdom, his father’s homeland. If you want to see him, go there.” Marica Kingdom was a country near the demon king’s territory and was the first country to be destroyed by the demon king’s invasion. It was also where Zack’s parents lost their lives. “The conversation is over. I forbid you from entering your temple as long as I am alive. Leave this place as soon as possible.” After finishing her words, my mother closed her eyes, as if there was nothing else to say. I didn’t think I was hated that much, and I bowed my head in sadness and headed towards the door. However, I reconsidered and turned back to face my mother. “Mother!” There was no response from my mother to my call. “Thank you very much! Thanks to you, the world has been saved! Even if I’m hated, I’m proud to be your daughter! I’m glad to have been born as the daughter of such a strong mother!”

Tears fell unknowingly. Through my blurred vision, I thought I saw a faint expression change on my mother’s face. Was that just my wishful thinking? “I love you, mother! I will surely love you until the day I die! Please remember that, won’t you?” I bowed deeply to my mother and then left, feeling as though I was being dragged away by my hair.