Episode 110
The death of a loved one is truly tiresome.
Theo could still vividly remember that day. The day Dylan, his closest friend from the Merryfield orphanage, passed away from lung disease. Amidst the voices arguing about the worth of his death, his lifeless body lay coldly, seemingly disconnected from any association with those voices.
Dylan had curly hair like Theo, but somehow, his locks were much softer. When the wind blew, his hair swayed like ripe wheat fields, and when he wore shorts, his long legs looked quite nice.
Although he never told anyone, Theo’s aversion to wearing shorts was all because of Dylan. Whenever he wore them, he never felt as cool as Dylan did.
Of course, there was also the typical stubbornness of a child.
— A guy shouldn’t be embarrassed wearing shorts. Only wimpy guys like you do.
Still, on days when wealthy guests visited the orphanage, everyone had to wear shorts. So, there were days when Theo had to wear them too. On those days, he would hide in a secluded spot until the guests left, quickly discarding the shorts.
But after Dylan’s death, there was no need for that anymore. Theo found himself living better without Dylan. Even after Dylan was buried in his tiny grave, Theo had many friends. Engaging in lively conversations made time pass quickly. There was no room for sadness or reminiscing about Dylan’s absence.
Turkey stew that appeared whenever someone was lost found its way into Theo’s heart, no matter what his feelings were. Tears were usually considered shameful for boys of his age, so whenever he felt like crying, he would put on a stoic face. As time passed, it seemed like Dylan’s presence was fading away.
Until one day, before the noble guest arrived at the Merryfield orphanage.
Theo could no longer wear shorts. The moment he reluctantly pulled out the shorts with a disgusted expression, the presence of Dylan, which he had forgotten or rather thought he had forgotten, flooded over him like a tidal wave. All the young boy could do was flounder in the flood.
At that time, Theo couldn’t possibly have known that longing comes when least expected, sorrow targets the most painful places, and loneliness makes people most vulnerable.
Perhaps it was from then that Theo began to consider the children of Merryfield orphanage as family.
Unbeknownst to anyone, he was extremely vulnerable to death. If it was the death of a loved one, even more so.
‘But what if Lilian dies?’
Just imagining it made Theo feel like he couldn’t breathe.
The problem was, he couldn’t envision Lilian’s future at all.
‘Lilian isn’t foolish.’
If she were her usual self, when Theo said he would return in five minutes, she would have replied firmly several times. Lilian was just as stubborn as Theo.
But instead of insisting on that, she said he could return anytime. As if she had no intention of leaving anytime soon.
‘Unless she’s assuming an inevitable situation.’
And it would become a situation where Lilian would expend all her vitality on the platinum Chalice and be forever trapped in the past. Either way, it was the worst-case scenario for Theo.
Fortunately, there was one platinum lining. Not only did Kaden conveniently appear, but he also willingly offered to help Theo. Without further questioning, Kaden urged Theo to follow him urgently.
So, the two of them were now inside the building where Lilian had entered.
“Theodore, did your friend mention that she was looking for the platinum Chalice?”
“Yes. The disposal of it―”
“Let’s discuss that later. Finding the passage to the platinum Chalice is difficult enough, and disturbing it could unleash extremely dangerous things. If your friend hasn’t passed through those, then…”
Kaden, who was leading the way, stopped talking. In the area illuminated by the light he produced, there was a pile of dust accumulated.
And in front of it, a passage leading underground was brightly open.
Kaden paused, murmuring to himself.
“Could it be that all of this was destroyed…”
“I’ll excuse myself for a moment, sir.”
But Theo had no time to hesitate.
He passed Kaden and rushed straight down into the underground. Though Kaden shouted for caution from behind, Theo couldn’t hear him.
As he descended underground, he began to sense the smell of blood.
‘Could this be a dangerous situation…’
Just as anxiety overwhelmed Theo, he spotted Lilian.
For some reason, she was collapsed in front of the platinum Chalice, her hands covered in blood, and her breath feeble as if it could fade away at any moment.
“Lilian, Lilian!”
As Theo shook her awake, Lilian’s eyelids fluttered weakly. But her pupils couldn’t focus and quickly hid behind her eyelids again. Clearly, her condition was critical.
Kaden, who arrived belatedly, approached Lilian and examined her condition.
“She mentioned she was looking for the platinum Chalice, so I was worried this might happen.”
“Is it very dangerous?”
“She’s had too much vitality drained by the Chalice. If she disconnects from it and rests, she’ll soon recover, but the problem is whether she has the will to do so.”
Although it’s known that the platinum Chalice is kept in the temple because of its limited usage, Kaden confessed it was actually due to these side effects.
“Seeing the past is a highly attractive endeavor. It’s a choice made by those who can’t overcome their longing, and most of them choose not to leave the past behind.”
Then they end up sacrificing all their vitality to the Chalice and choose to end their lives by revisiting the past.
Exactly the scenario Theo feared.
Was choosing to see the past to escape it the wrong choice from the start?
“Is there no way to escape from it?”
“It’s risky, but there is a way. The Chalice is an artifact that can be used by multiple people simultaneously.”
And for that moment, their consciousnesses are shared.
So, to awaken the person using the Chalice, someone else uses it to approach their consciousness.
But if that person also chooses to stay in the past, there’s no way back. Two people end up dying.
“Are you okay, Theodore?”
“I’m fine.”
Theo’s response came without hesitation. There was no room for doubt. The reason was simple.
“What I want is not in the past.”
* * *
Was it just a momentary mistake?
Lilian blinked as she sat next to Agnes. It seemed like someone with red hair had just called her, but somehow, it felt like a dream.
To be precise, she wasn’t even sure what she was doing right now.
Lilian was simply sitting next to Agnes, holding the called belly, feeling comfortable.
‘I can’t seem to think of anything.’
For some reason, she had felt terribly distressed earlier, but now she felt very good.
Perhaps it was because Agnes’s words were very affectionate. Maybe it was because every time she looked at Agnes’s face, she felt very nostalgic and happy. She didn’t know why, but Lilian really liked Agnes.
‘I wish I could stay here like this forever.’
A dream-like sense of floating and a vague feeling of drifting in and out of sleep.
As Lilian gradually loosened the tightness of her consciousness, hearing Agnes’s voice intermittently.
‘I wonder if I should sigh…’
In a moment of drowsiness, as Lilian leaned back on the sofa.
Bang!
Lilian was startled by a sudden sound and jumped up from her seat. The drowsiness that had been lingering vanished in an instant.
‘W-what’s that sound?’
Before she knew it, white powder-like substance was scattered on the floor.
And it was even forming a line, as if drawing a path.
Lilian instinctively reached out and picked up some of the powder from the floor.
‘…Flour?’
