The witch wants to survive.
W. Flower_Hwaryeong
[BGM] Stay Alive - Jungkook (JK)
She felt her whole body sinking underwater. Has she ever experienced such peace for five hundred years? Carcia smiled bitterly. Powerful magic and eternal life. Despite possessing abilities every human longs for, she found it difficult to answer. A life without purpose was like a cave, forever barren of sunlight.
“Baby, are you open your eyes now?”
It was endless darkness. The clothes that should have been stained with blood were pure white slips, and the pain that had threatened to kill her was gone. Karcia instinctively felt it. Yes, this was the afterlife she'd only heard about. And she was dead. It only felt real after death. Karcia wondered if she might have some lingering attachment to life. Suddenly, a voice came from nowhere, and she lowered her clenched and unclenched hand and looked around. The voice calling her was a being called God.
“Your face has gotten haggard since I last saw you.”
“… …”
“How heartbreaking it must have been… to be betrayed by the person you loved.”
“What happens to me now?”
I knew there was a god, but I didn't know there truly was an afterlife. For a long time, Carcia had never even stood on the brink of death. So I wondered. Would I, who had killed countless people, end up in hell, as others had claimed?
As if God had overheard Karcia's thoughts, he suddenly burst into laughter with a "Pfft." Unable to pinpoint where the laughter had originated, Karcia furrowed her brows, feeling offended by the way it seemed as if she were mocking him. Then, God wiped away the tears dangling from his eyes, threatening to fall at any moment, and spoke.
“Hahahaha. You sound just like a human.”
“… …”
"They say humans repay their debts after reincarnation. But you're not human, are you?"
“… …”
"You're a special child. You're so cute, and we love you so much. You don't know it, but-"
“I don’t need the love I received from you. After all, you’re the ones who made me like this.”
Unable to die, unloved. The cold gaze of Heinz I had seen in my final moments, as I squeezed my eyes shut, flashed back to me. Regret filled me. And a deep resentment gripped me. If I could go back, I would never love you again. And I would never, ever, grant you the throne. The anger that had surged up only after my belated death was so hard to suppress, it was almost impossible to contain.
“My dear, I completely understand how you feel, but God has His will for us too.”
“Ha!, is this God’s will? Is it God’s will that I be used like a dog and then abandoned?”
Immediately, the god took his form, approached her from behind, and placed his hand around her neck, as if ready to strangle her at any moment. However, contrary to expectations, his touch was gentle and affectionate, as if soothing a wound. The touch was gentle, but it couldn't soothe even the most unpleasant emotions. Roughly shaking off the hand, he turned around, and a woman with snow-white hair stood before him.
“Honey, I love you, but there are many things wrong with what you say.”
“What the hell is wrong?!”
"First, it was solely your will that you loved that child. We didn't like it either. You loved that child. Besides, God had no way of interfering with human love. Unless you wanted to be stripped of your divine title. Second, there was someone who loved you alone. You just didn't know it."
With a snap of his fingers, V appeared, clutching her lifeless body in midair, weeping. When was the last time he'd seen that child cry? I couldn't quite remember, but I knew this wasn't the first time. Shin, who had been watching Carcia as V watched, placed a hand on his chest, making a heartbreaking gesture as he continued speaking.
"Look. How sad that child is. But what does it mean that he wasn't loved?"
“… …”
"I completely understand. Anyone would want to resent the death."
“… …”
"You said you wanted to go back. And you said you regretted it. What if I gave you another chance?"
“What is that…”
“Go back. Go back and find ‘God’s will.’ Then, put things back the way they were.”
The will of God. It held such vast implications. Carcia's face was filled with confusion. "Go back?" Even if he were a god, how could he bring back the body of a dead demigod? His eyes met the god's, distrustful. Slowly, the corners of his lips lifted, a meaningful smile forming. It seemed the god's search wasn't simply about seeking "the will of God."
“Honey, I told you I love you.”
“… …”
“And, wouldn’t it be better to stop that kid quickly before he does anything?”
Carcia's gaze turned back to V once more. What if he learns of his death and kills Heinz? Then, the boy will be killed for treason. He was worried. Shin could feel Carcia's expression. He knew she was truly worried about the boy.
As the god gestured, I felt a bright light envelop my entire body. My vision gradually blurred, and my heart, which had stopped beating, began to beat faster, as if it were taking responsibility for the god's words: "Go back." As my vision darkened, my only remaining sense of hearing picked up the god's voice.
"Listen carefully, baby. My name is Irene. When I go back, your body will be different than it was before. You'll only know that when you wake up."
“…We truly care about you. So, please, just this once….”
"Please, what is it?"... Carcia, unable to fully hear the end, completely lost consciousness. Seeing Carcia completely disappear from this place, the dark realm between humanity and the afterlife, Irene's heart ached, as did her mother's.
Please, just this once-
Please survive.
and,
Save that place.
* * *
“Huh!!…”
He sat up, feeling his breath suddenly return to his lungs. Oxygen rushing in through his mouth and nose, his heart pounding. Only then did reality sink in. God had truly brought him back to life. He clenched and unclenched his hands, feeling the sensation return to life. Unlike his previous life, his palms were free of a single ounce of fat. Carcia felt it intuitively. This body wasn't his.
Cheongrang, —
“Lord Karcia?…”
A sharp cracking sound made him stop clenching and unclenching his fists. The towel and basin of water, seemingly brought on a tray, had been rolling on the floor for a long time, and soon, with a sudden thud, he felt himself being embraced. Without even being able to pull away, he patted her on the back. There was only one person who would embrace him so suddenly, so suddenly.V Prometheus.His hands hugged my waist more tightly,
“…You’re alive, right? Right?”
Just from his voice, I could tell how terrified he was. Feeling both sorry and grateful, I leaned my head on his shoulder and spoke again in a low tone, just like when I used to sing him a lullaby.
“Okay, Taehyung.”
“…Lord Karcia!!…”
As soon as he heard the words, "Taehyung," V cried and cried like a child who had lost and then found his parents again. "Taehyung" was like a nickname she had given him when he was little, a nickname only he and Karcia knew. Only after hearing those words did V realize it was truly her, and a wave of relief washed over him.
“Never again, never again… I will never leave you alone, Carcia. Absolutely!!”