CHAPTER 56………………………………………

When I laughed quietly and reached into the fifth basket,

Flash!

A cool sensation pierced my skin.

I pulled my hand out and opened it, revealing an aquamarine that gleamed with pure, clear water tones.

The gem sparkled brilliantly.

This is it.

The priest’s power was infused in this gemstone. The refreshing, invigorating aura was proof. I had expected as much.

But… why can’t I hear a voice?

Could it be something else entirely?

I held the aquamarine to my ear and shook it. Silence.

Let’s go back and check properly.

As I stood up, a landscape suddenly unfolded before my eyes, as if by magic.

A vast expanse of green, lush with life.

Clusters of low-roofed houses dotted the land here and there.

The slightly bitter yet refreshing scent of grass tickled my nose, and a gentle breeze brushed my face.

I couldn’t help but stare. My chest ached with an indescribable longing, and tears threatened to fall.

It was a scene of perfect peace.

Until a sudden scream shattered the calm.

“Waaaahhh!”

Goosebumps erupted over my entire body.

A hair-raising scream echoed again.

I looked around, but saw nothing.

Before I realized it, I was running. Wherever I stepped, the vast green land spread out beneath me.

This was a place where the vitality of the land itself testified to being loved by the gods.

And in the middle of it, a horrifying scene was taking place.

Crunch, crunch.

A man buried his face into a woman’s soft stomach, gnawing at her flesh.

My pupils dilated. The blood-soaked corners of her mouth imprinted themselves on my eyes.

I had never witnessed such a thing before, yet I understood instantly.

I had seen this scene before.

Through an unreleased mural.

“Waaaahhh!”

It was a boy’s voice. His eyes, bloodshot with fury, screamed as he watched the devouring.

“You ingrates! You were given land to lie on and water to drink, and you repay grace with enmity! Ungrateful wretches! I curse you! Curse you! Even in death, I will despise you!”

The voice trembled with sorrow, a scream full of raw vengeance. It was familiar.

That was…

“Ihaaaaan! I hate youuuu!”

The same voice that had tormented me yesterday.

Yes. That voice. The one that had wailed when I absorbed power from Aris.

Soon, people swarmed the boy like ants over a fallen piece of pastry.

Tears of blood streamed from the boy’s eyes.

Chills ran down my spine.

People tore into him like madmen.

The stench of blood hit my nose, and my whole body trembled.

The boy’s face, twisted like a demon as he emptied, somehow looked sorrowful—and tears rolled down my cheeks.

Urgent footsteps echoed.

Tat-tat-tat!

I turned my head blankly.

Black-haired people appeared from the opposite side, their faces contorting in horror at the gruesome sight.

“You, who claim to be pure… how dare you…!”

And then the vision ended.

The blue sky and green earth receded, shrinking to a tiny dot.

A white temple filled my vision.

“…Huh!”

I felt a savage sense of loss and emptiness, as if banished from one world into another.

Clutching my chest, I gasped for breath. My mind was in turmoil. What had I just witnessed?

“A human… ate a human?”

“They are not human.”

Chills ran through me again.

I looked up sharply and saw a blue form.

A snake?

It was definitely a snake, flicking its tongue. The semi-transparent blue figure reflected the image of the temple behind it.

A translucent blue form. It looked similar to Leo—but it was not him.

“You humans call us gods in your time. We are spirits like me.”

I had no time to rejoice in my guess being correct. My attention was completely captured by the blue form before me.

“Your expression is utterly foolish.”

A sharp tone. The snake showed no sign of favor toward me.

Come to think of it, Leo had been the same at first.

“Who are you? Did you call me?”

“Yes. I called all through the night…”

The snake stared straight at me.

“Human, Egrain.”

“How do you know my name?”

It looked at me with small, glossy eyes and flicked its long tongue.

“Now I see… you’re looking for Leo.”

I snapped awake.

“You know Leo?”

“Yes. You were connected to him, weren’t you?”

I couldn’t understand what it meant.

“Where is Leo?”

The snake opened its mouth. Even in its beast form, I could tell it was smirking. What part of my question was amusing?

“Looking for Leo?”

I hesitated, then nodded vigorously.

“Yes. I’ve been searching for him. If you know…”

“He is no longer.”

It spoke coldly.

“He has lost his existence.”

“….”

“For your sake.”

For a moment, the world spun before my eyes.

I collapsed as if shaken by an earthquake.

The snake circled slowly around me as I knelt, whispering in my ear.

“Human who was connected to Leo. He, the oldest spirit of this land, is a piece that maintains the world. By his strong will, you have gained life again.”

“…Ugh.”

“I saw you, taking advantage of the world’s tremors.”

“….”

“Spirits like humans. I can understand that, even after what he suffered, he cared for you. But why he allowed such a sacrifice… I cannot understand at all.”

The voice penetrated deeper, burrowing into me.

“There is only one thing I want to tell you, human Egrain.”

“….”

“Destroy all humans of this land. Withdraw from the soil we gave you.”

I lifted my wet eyes. Blue eyes gleaming with hatred stared at me.

“Leo sacrificed himself for you, so you have an obligation to heed our origin.”

“….”

“We all abandoned human form. We had no choice. We pitied you, starving and unable to eat, so we sent rain. We risked danger to craft human bodies for you who feared beasts. And you ‘consumed’ us.”

The spirit’s eyes flashed coldly. Heavy, sharp, concentrated fury burned within.

Not just toward me—but all humans.

My body froze stiff in cold terror, when suddenly the snake vanished.

I looked up to find a large hand on my shoulder. Slowly, I turned my head.

Giovanni looked down at me, puzzled.

Seeing him, my vision, which had narrowed to darkness, returned to normal.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

He asked, eyes wide.

“Your hair… it’s changed color again.”

Had it been reality? Or a vision?

In my confusion, I asked blankly,

“…Color?”

He lifted my hair in front of my eyes. The tips had indeed turned blue.

Ah, hair changes color when absorbing power.

“Let’s go.”

“Where?”

“To a doctor.”

Giovanni said seriously,

“I’ve never heard of hair suddenly changing color.”

I quickly waved him off, sensing he was about to pick me up. My fingertips twitched slightly. I clenched my fist to hide it and spoke calmly.

“My body is fine. How about the priests? Are there signs of them emerging?”

Changing the topic, Giovanni answered reluctantly.

“Yes. We must leave now.”

His gaze fell on my hand.

“Is that the sacred item you mentioned?”

I lowered my eyes. Seeing the sparkling aquamarine, reality hit me all at once.

What just happened was neither a vision nor a dream.

I took a deep breath. My chest expanded.

“I… I think I just met a god.”

We moved to a secluded location.

“Did the ancient humans commit the sin of sacrificing themselves?”

Giovanni’s jaw twitched at my words.

“This explains why the kingdoms call the desert cursed land.”

“For now, I just told what I saw.”

“Yes. I believe you.”

Hearing him say he simply believed me left me slightly embarrassed.

He said nothing more. I remained silent to avoid disturbing him while he thought.

“If there were humans committing sins and humans trying to prevent it, the former must have been the ancestors of the desert.”

“….”

“Is this really karma? That the people of the empire now are starving?”

His voice was slightly bitter, but his gaze remained calm. Even so, he didn’t look entirely resolute.

Thanks to him, my head feels clear.

Though I didn’t show it, I was deeply shaken.

Here in Riorza, the water god Marta was absolute. One could confidently say that virtually everyone, except newborns, believed in the gods.

In the kingdom, religion was life, culture, and everyday reality.

For people who always believed the god watched over them, the revelation that gods were actually spirits and now hated humans would shock anyone.

“But I don’t understand. Why did they do such a thing?”

“….”

“They are gods. Surely they knew they would be cursed.”

“Maybe they didn’t know.”

Giovanni’s gaze shifted to me. Looking into his questioning eyes, I said,

“What if being cursed isn’t the punishment for killing a god?”

“….”

“Perhaps the sin was not the empire’s, but the kingdom’s people’s.”

His eyes sharpened.

The ungrateful people who devoured the gods are not in the desert—they are in the kingdom.

‘The people of water.’

The phrase the kingdomers boasted about made my head spin.

Riorza.

The blessed citizens of the kingdom.

Subjects loved by the water god Marta.

That was the kingdom’s pride.

Yet…

“Take revenge. Against the humans, the humans of this land who devoured us!”

Zzzing.

A loud ringing filled my head.

The kingdomers are not the blessed people of water.

‘On the contrary…’

My heart dropped.

‘Unless it’s a curse…’