Chapter 142 - 2-24
"Is this light beautiful?"
"Yes, very. It's a strange place, almost as if we're floating in the sky."
"Yeah, but it only looks that way. You don't have to worry about falling."
I couldn't hide my confusion in this bizarre space where even the ground was shrouded in darkness, making it feel like we were drifting through the air. Yet, for some reason, I felt no fear. The countless stars shimmering in the dark seemed to smile down at me with kindness. I reached out toward a nearby light, but it fluttered away like a bird, slipping through my fingers. Nel-sama, who was walking a bit ahead, looked back with an amused smile.
"Don't just stand there. Come here. The path goes on much further."
I nodded and followed him. Near the entrance, the stars were small and faint, but as we moved deeper, the lights grew larger.
"Is this a world of night? Is that why the stars are so bright?"
"This space has neither day nor night. It's a place unaffected by time."
A place unaffected by time? What could that mean?
"Haha, is it too difficult? It's normal for me. Look, this is what I wanted to show you most."
Nel-sama shrugged and laughed, then gently stroked a sphere of light that shone with particular brilliance. It was a massive orb, nearly half my size, floating in the center as if protected by numerous palm-sized lights. The light Nel-sama touched responded to him, its white glow gradually shifting into a reddish hue.
"Does... does this large light have a will of its own?"
"A will? Haha, what a strange question! No, nothing like that. Hmm... but I suppose this space and these lights are special to me. It's the place where I feel most comfortable and at peace."
I widened my eyes at the soft smile on Nel-sama's face—an expression I had never seen from the usually childish and elusive Spirit King. I've never seen Nel-sama look so serene. There was no doubt that this was truly a special place to him.
"What do you think of this place?"
"It's so mysterious that I can't tell if it's a dream or reality. But it's gentle, calm, and very beautiful."
"I knew you'd say that! Since you're loved by the darkness, I felt our sensibilities might be similar."
Nel-sama's face lit up with joy at my answer. "If you like it here, you're free to come and go as you please! No other spirits are allowed in this special place, but I'll make an exception for you."
"Oh... thank you very much."
"Yeah, but don't touch them too hard or throw them around. If you mess with the lights carelessly, you might end up destroying a world."
Destroying a world? What is he talking about?
Nel-sama tilted his head, noticing my confusion, but then murmured as if realizing something. "Ah, that's right. I haven't explained it yet. This is where I was created, the reason for my existence, and the source of my power."
"The place where you were born?"
"Exactly. Even a Spirit King isn't immortal. Though a human life is but an instant to me, a King of Spirits is granted a very long life to maintain the balance of time. When all that power is spent, a new generation is born."
"Does using that power shorten your life? If so..."
"Oh, are you talking about bringing you back to life? That didn't take much power at all. The power of a Spirit King is far greater than you imagine. Swapping worlds around a bit is nothing."
My heart skipped a beat, and I clenched my fists against my chest. I had worried that rewinding time to save me might have cost him his life. Nel-sama seemed to read my thoughts; he looked puzzled for a moment before shaking his head. I let out a sigh of relief. Being able to live again after dying once was nothing short of a miracle. However, I couldn't truly be happy if it came at the cost of someone else's sacrifice.
"To think you'd feel guilty about me doing whatever I want. You really are a strange one. Humans are interesting precisely because they don't act the way I expect."
"Are you interested in humans?"
"Yeah. They're great for killing time. A chess piece that moves exactly as intended is boring, right? In that regard, having someone like you around to entertain me is fun."
Nel-sama rested his chin on his hand and peered into my face. Being stared at by those transparent purple eyes made me feel as though he were seeing right through me. Uncomfortable, I shrank back and took a step away. I bumped into something and looked down. Floating between Nel-sama and me was a distinct, bluish light—larger than the others.
"Haha, how interesting. Is this mindless world acting as if it's trying to protect you?"
"What? What do you mean? What is this light? It's different from the others... this is the only one that's blue."
Nel-sama's lips curled into a smirk at my bewildered question.
"Every one of these lights is a past world."