Chapter 208 - <15>
He wandered through the forest, lost in thought.
According to Kuchiba's report, Anna was already at the Great Temple, and the remaining three were on the run within Zeum. Though he knew where the three were, having guided them there himself, regret was his constant companion.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
All he wanted was to see a happy fairy-tale ending, but to think that fate would flow in such a bizarre way, he could only sigh.
The very first miscalculation was taking on a disciple. He had never imagined he would. He had only wanted to live near the two children of fate for a while.
But in a life that was close to eternal, a life where even living sometimes felt empty, meeting Franz and spending time teaching him had been purely enjoyable. He had thought he would never get involved with humans again, but it had been a happy miscalculation.
That alone was a miscalculation, but then that disciple met the children of fate and brought the two of them before him. He could not know how surprised he had been when the two he had been watching from the shadows appeared before his eyes.
It was out of a fatherly heart that he had sent them off on a journey with these two to see the wide world and discover themselves. He had never thought they would want to visit him, and he had no plans to leave Saradio until the three of them finished their journey.
But if the two children of fate continued to wish to know the truth, he would have to create some path for them to reach it. That's how leisurely he had been thinking.
Yes… until the three of them met Edward Baldia and, through the clan's assassin, Raven, came to Kuchiba's attention.
Kuchiba, upon learning of the three's existence, was shaken by the presence of one of them. He was the son of the beloved sister he had both loved and hated.
From that moment on, the option of helping them by evading Kuchiba's eyes was gone. He could not betray Kuchiba, whom he had used as his own hands and feet.
As a small hint, he had left a letter in the Royal Capital of the Yuresla Kingdom, but his own poignant wish had bled through. After reading that letter, it would be impossible for them not to come here.
Because he himself had come to wish to see them again.
So he had hoped the three would give up before he had to order Kuchiba to eliminate them, but with the help of Edward, their journey had begun to proceed smoothly.
For Kuchiba's eyes to turn to them meant that he, too, had no means of protecting the three. Before Kuchiba, whom he had used like his own limbs to do even his dirty work, he had no words to defend them, whom he had given special treatment for the sake of his own dream.
Artie, she has arrived.
The familiar voice announced. It was the artificial intelligence that managed the residential area.
Artie… Artis Ozmand. His… Orphe's real name.
"…I see. Thank you."
The time had finally come. The time to face the life he himself had created. He let out a long, deep sigh before slowly raising his head. The dim forest felt even dimmer than usual. Was it because of the weight of the sin he was about to be confronted with?
He turned his back on the gentle space, filled with the scent of green, where he usually walked without a care, and slowly made his way through the forest, treading on the undergrowth.
His eyes, accustomed to the dappled sunlight, narrowed at the dazzling light that pierced them. A small girl stood before him.
The great twin wings he had admired since childhood.
Though their hair and eye colors were different, the girl's appearance was a perfect match for one half of the pair. But unlike the great one who never showed her emotions, the eyes of this girl, who had been raised honestly, were wavering with anxiety.
That anxiety was the very sin Orphe had committed.
"It's been a while, Anna-chan. Have you been well?"
He suppressed the emotion that made him want to confess his sin on the spot and beg for forgiveness, and deliberately spoke cheerfully, just as he had when they met in the city of Saradio. Anna slowly raised her head.
"Orphe-san…"
Beautiful green eyes, in which the sunlight danced and glittered, captured him directly.
"Where is God? There's something I want to ask him."
Though her eyes looked as if they might burst into tears at any moment, she bit her lip firmly, her gaze fixed on him. They were the clear eyes of one seeking the truth.
"There is no God. I am the only one here."
He shrugged slightly, meeting her gaze. Anna's large eyes widened.
"Then, is Kuchiba's God you, Orphe-san?"
"Yes. I've been playing God here like this for over two thousand years."
Anna, momentarily speechless, her expression dazed, asked with a trembling voice.
"In that case… my real father is…"
After murmuring that, her eyes turned directly to him. He met her gaze without looking away. After a moment of staring at each other, Anna asked softly.
"Is my father… you?"
"Yes and no."
He didn't know how to answer her, who had lived in this world, and gave an ambiguous reply. Anna looked up at Orphe with straightforward eyes. Their seriousness and the seeping sadness struck him to the core. In them resided the same sadness as the precious person he had once lost, the one created from Eneonea, one half of the great twin wings.
The repeating chain of sorrow.
He couldn't help but embrace Anna.
"But when you were born into this world, I was the one who held you. So there is no doubt that I am your father."
He stroked her hair and spoke gently. Anna let out a sob. If he could keep her parentage a secret, would she be happy? But she had come this far because she desired the truth. He could no longer deceive her.
Besides, the idea that she would be happier not knowing was just Orphe's own selfish assumption. He just wanted to make things easier for himself, to hide it all away.
"I'm sorry, Anna. I've made you suffer, haven't I?"
Anna, in his arms, gave a small shake of her head. She was strong. She would still seek her own truth.
"Everything you want to know is within me. But as I wrote in Franz's letter, knowing the truth isn't always happiness. You might end up suffering even more. Still…"
He hesitated to continue. But Anna, her eyes brimming with tears, looked up.
"Even so, I want to know."
Every time Kuchiba had asked if she wasn't afraid to learn what she was, she had declared with dignity that she still wanted to know the truth. For someone as straightforward as her, deception was no longer an option.
Yet, as Orphe remained silent, unable to answer, she spoke to him with a sincere gaze.
"What… am I?"
"…Anna."
"Please tell me. That's why I came here."
Those eyes of an explorer seeking the truth. Without a doubt, the expression of the Eneonea that Orphe knew was there. She was Anna. But at the same time, she was the Eneonea that Orphe had admired and respected his entire life. There was no way the likes of Orphe could stand against such a person.
"It's a long story."
"Yes."
"Can you accept any fact?"
"…Yes."
She must have considered every possible scenario she could think of.
But the truth might be harsher than she, living in this era, could possibly imagine. The thought filled him with an unbearable sadness, and he held the small body in his arms tighter.
"Welcome home, my beloved child."
Will I make you suffer again?
All I ever wanted was for you to be happy.
I've lived for thousands of years, wishing for that.
In the end, I am Orphe.
Like Orpheus, who believed he could get her back, but couldn't trust himself at the very end, looked back, and lost the one he loved.
I wove the threads of fate, wanting you and that boy to be happy, wanting you never to be unhappy again.
All I want to see is a fairy tale that ends with happily ever after.
And yet… will I end up hurting you both after all?
Oh, children of fate, born across thousands of years with both light and darkness.
Please.
Break this chain of regret and sorrow.