Beyond the Boundary of Death

The exchange of thoughts with Harvest was faster than the speed of thought itself. A speed ten thousand times faster was beyond imagination.

"Exactly how fast are we talking about?"

"It's an amount of information capable of analyzing every event that occurs in a city within three seconds. To counter this, a special strategy is required. But remember, we are criminals. If we cause an incident here, it could put us at a disadvantage."

Karnis didn't want to back down.

It was precisely this stubbornness that earned him the position of Arcane's top disciple, but now was not the right time.

While Harvest was desperately trying to persuade him, Arin intervened.

"But doesn't that mean, in the end, you also believe that Shirone isn't dead?"

Iluki erased his Spirit Zone.

He had to be colder than anyone else. Letting emotions cloud judgment was something only fools in the infirmary did.

"Shirone is dead. If you don't accept reality, you'll never find a solution. I'm just thinking rationally."

"No. You believe Shirone is alive. Maybe even more than the two people in that room."

Iluki felt displeased.

A Servant calculated causality. There was no room for illogical emotions.

"What do you know about me to be saying such things?"

"I have the ability of Chogyeong—I perceive everything as if I were seeing it for the first time. That's why I can't remember the shape of objects. They always look different to me."

"And so?"

"I can see emotions as shapes. And they appear completely different from how others see them."

"I am unaffected. What's dead is dead. Emotions have no place here."

"Then why…?"

Arin spoke with sorrowful eyes.

"Why are you crying… with such a terrifying face?"

Iluki couldn't answer.

"..."

As Arin said, no words could override her Chogyeong.

That night.

The door to the infirmary quietly opened.

Amy, exhausted from crying, had collapsed onto a cot, while Neid was dozing lightly in a chair pushed into the corner.

Iluki approached Shirone.

The difference between sleep and death was obvious. Looking at Shirone's cold, lifeless face, his chest felt like it was caving in.

By morning, the teachers would come to check on Shirone.

Since he was involved in an incident, they would first perform preservation procedures. But once that happened, there would be no way to bring him back.

Iluki steadied his emotions and took out a scalpel.

'I will save you.'

He glanced at Amy and Neid, but after two days of extreme stress, they showed no signs of waking.

Only then did Iluki lower the blade. The moonlight reflected off the scalpel as it sliced into Shirone's skin.

Shirone felt dazed.

Even if this were the afterlife, he could believe it. But meeting a god was an entirely different matter.

"Are you saying you're a god?"

"Do you not believe me?"

"Well… I never really thought gods existed, but even if they did, I wouldn't have imagined them being this… human."

The woman smiled.

"All creations inevitably resemble their creators. No matter what humans craft, their thoughts and forms are embedded in it. Plants, animals, mountains, and oceans all resemble god. But the degree varies. The criterion is creativity. For example, a squirrel is more creative than a rock. In that sense, humans are quite similar to god. And Shirone, among all humans, you are one of the most similar to god."

She extended her hand.

"Shirone, would you like to create a world with me?"

"…What?"

Shirone was bewildered.

Everything was happening too suddenly, too strangely.

More than anything, the moment she said this wasn't the afterlife, a new hope sprouted within him.

"Is there no way to return?"

The woman's expression showed surprise.

"Shirone, there is no way back. Wasn't it your decision to leave life behind? That's why you are here. Do you regret it now?"

"No, that's not it. I was prepared for this. And if not for you, I wouldn't even have regained my consciousness like this… Ah, is it alright to speak to you so casually?"

"Of course. God is just a concept. I have no name."

"Then… can I ask just one more thing?"

"Heh, ask anything."

"Why are you lying?"

The woman's brow furrowed.

That alone made the temple tremble.

"God does not lie. No, god has no need to lie."

If she were truly omniscient and omnipotent, then any statement she made would become truth, rendering lies meaningless. But Shirone saw it in her eyes.

She was hiding something.

"When I asked if there was a way back, you said there wasn't. But that's not true."

"Whether a way exists or not, if I say there isn't, then there isn't. That's the reason."

"That means you are lying."

"You don't understand, Shirone. I said there is no way back. So there is no way back. Absolutely."

"Then let me ask again. Your will doesn't matter. I want to know if a method exists."

"There is none."

"Another lie."

The woman's eyebrow twitched.

Shirone didn't miss her reaction and pressed further.

"Are you really god?"

A long silence passed before she nodded as if she had finally understood something.

"Shirone, we have different concepts of god. That's where the misunderstanding lies. God is not as sacred as you think. I am merely a designer."

She conjured a glass sphere in her palm.

Inside, a tiny village was contained, with miniature people scattered about like figurines.

"As you see, I created a village. Of course, it's a model. But I can move people like this."

She reached a finger into the sphere, touched a farmer feeding his horse, and moved him to a nearby field.

"The farmer moved. Changing space means time has been granted. Can you find a difference between this and the world you lived in? There is none. This is what god is. Right now, I am the god of this village."

She held out the glass sphere.

"God is just a designer capable of creating a dimension lower than the one they inhabit. And yet, why is god perceived as an absolute being? That's the interesting part."