Left alone with the weight of that dark void, Lui was signaled by the guards to stand up.But his legs were so firmly rooted to the ground that he couldn't imagine belonging anywhere else.
As he pressed his hands against the ground, snow began to fall—just like that day.
Soon, everything would be covered in white. Crystals, each different from the next, would fall from the sky and paint the marble and the cables.
He didn't want to ruin this night.Without rising to his feet, he turned his head back—and saw Lady Joo's wary eyes watching him.Her eyebrows flared as if he owed her a betrayal.
His heart overdid its job of pumping blood through his body. His breath hung in his chest like a dagger.
He straightened up and began walking toward the clergy.
The people had turned their attention back to him, following his every step almost breathlessly.
With each step in the snow, he remembered the day he had found that baby.
From the apocalyptic sky, a young man—Kaji Caesar—had appeared, only to vanish like dust moments later.
When everyone else fell to the ground in fear, Lui was the only one who hadn't made a sound.
The young man had once patted Lui on the head and said,"I will return one day. So don't you dare grow arrogant. I could be any one of those who come."
"What if it's not my father at the door... but Kaji Caesar?" Lui couldn't stop himself from thinking.
His boots slowed on the concrete tiles, and he bowed slowly before the ceremonial mat.The clergymen, disturbed by the interrupted ceremony and the surrounding noise, looked at the young prince in silence.
Lady Joo, from the balcony, cast a sharp glance at the people and silenced the crowd.Bothered by what had just happened, she watched as the clergymen placed the crown—taken from a golden-embroidered box—on Lui's head.
The crown settled into Lui's honey-colored hair, and the gleam in his eyes returned.
[Mission initiated!]
[Completed task: Crowned.]
[Time elapsed to process mission initiation: 9 minutes]
Lui recalled the voice that had echoed in his ears so many years ago.
Lady Joo watched as the clergymen circled around him in prayer.
A table was set in the center, and red candles were lit upon it.The scent of ginger spread into the air, giving off a warmth that awakened the freezing cold.
Lui stood at the head of the table, his eyes half-weary, looking toward the door."My child, gaze directly into the flames," said the elderly priest.
He adjusted the ceremonial hat on his head so that its pointed tip faced forward."There, you will see your future."
Lui stood tall under the falling snow, his shoulders erect, and stared into the flames dancing within the bright fire.
After chanting a few words, the priest lifted one of the candles and hovered it over the young man's head.
The ceremonial music had transformed—now sounding like a sorrowful Christian hymn.
"Almighty God! Have mercy on the great son! Protect him from the evil above and below his crown! O Creator of creatures! Grant us victory over the Lightning Council! For two hundred years they have turned the world upside down, trying to disrupt the order You created. Grant us grace, and send Kaji Caesar back to us once again! Send him in a form we can recognize, and in a shape capable of reaching out to us!"
While the priest muttered his prayer with closed eyes, black snow began to scatter through the falling flakes.
The first to notice it was a man wearing a black hat. He couldn't make sense of it, frozen in confusion. He quickly pointed it out to those beside him.
The candles began to go out, one by one.
"What's happening?" said one of the men, spinning his head 360 degrees to scan the crowd.
"It's snowing black snow!" shouted two soldiers standing at the back of the line. Their eyes locked onto the fluttering snow.
"H-how is this possible?"When the clergymen looked up in response to the noise from the crowd, they saw that what had been said was true.
"But how... how can this be?" stammered one of them, whispering something under his breath as he stared at the fully extinguished candles.
They all believed they were being punished by God for breaking the ceremony.
As the sky suddenly darkened and clouds swept across the heavens, the clergymen returned to their prayers—this time to ward off disaster.
Lui's heart was pounding beneath the dark clouds.Suddenly, the light of one of the candles on the table flashed brightly.The candle reigniting on its own stunned the clergymen.
Before the people could understand what was happening, they began to scream.It was as if their need for the clergy had ended in that moment—they were reciting their own prayers now.
Lui saw a silhouette like mist within the glowing red fire.He took a deep breath and looked toward the figure.Can everyone else see him too?
He focused once more, giving all his attention, and stared at the shadow—his head throbbing from the scent of smoke.
"Kaji Caesar!"
[Savior detected!][Version: This is not the guide's image from 10 years ago. Current form displayed.]
One of the clergymen looked at the guards and asked, as if seeking permission,"What do you say, my child?"
"All I can say is... Kaji Caesar has returned," Lui Ran replied.
[Mission Description: Failed][Task: Provide more details.]
The clergymen stared at one another in confusion.
"I saw him in the candle," said Lui."Didn't you, the clergymen appointed in the name of God, summon him yourselves?"
[Explanation: Reasonable level][Logic Level: High]
Everyone began speaking at once.
Lady Joo gave the guards an order."Take him inside and bring him straight to my chambers!"Her eyebrows raised high, fury spreading through every limb."Let him see what it means to disgrace the honor of our palace before the people!"
"Yes, my queen," said the guards, and one by one, they passed through the inner door.
Lady Joo, like everyone else, couldn't make sense of what was happening.
All she could think was that somehow, this must have been due to Lui's irresponsibility—kneeling not before the clergymen but before his old father with brazen defiance.
"What a shame, such a shame!" she said, her voice trembling, and looked down at the crowd below.
Something was bothering her.
Ever since her husband Fuzulin had died, she had not wanted the kingdom to fall into the hands of this young man.
This boy—far from fighting the Lightning Council—would trust even the enemy with his soft heart. What would happen if everyone started following the royal family without question?
The clergymen whispered among themselves.
"These are truly the signs of Kaji Caesar!"
"God sends that savior near the end of time," said a priest, pointing with his finger to a line in the book he held.
Another scholar added,"The signs match exactly. Has the apocalypse arrived then?"
The microphone had been accidentally left on, and the people heard all of these suspicious whispers.Everyone surged toward the palace's outer gates. Their knees had gone weak with fear.
"Damn it," Lady Joo muttered. "That boy can't do anything right."
Lui, as if he had heard his mother's words, turned his head toward the balcony.[Mission advantage: Moved away from the observed target.][Increased attributes: Compassion +20, Love +30][Decreased attribute: Stepmother's Wrath]
He saw the full depth of disappointment and rage in Lady Joo's eyes.
Why does this voice keep speaking?Whatever it says… it always makes sense.
Lady Joo had always looked at him that way. Ever since Fuzulin Ray adopted him and brought him into the palace.This little boy—newly arrived to the household—had been marked as a bringer of misfortune in Lady Joo's eyes from the moment he found the dead baby.That label remained with Lui for many years.
As the black snow continued to fall, the clouds in the sky suddenly parted and descended toward the mountains.
A violent, deafening sound erupted.
"Apocalypse!" cried one of the people.The others followed his lead and ran toward what they thought were safe places.Everywhere—every corner, every edge—was packed with frightened bodies.The priests bowed their heads and knelt low to the ground.
A shadow descended from the sky.
It was immense, like an umbrella covering everyone beneath it.
Then a voice echoed in every ear:
"I have come! I have descended from the heavens! I have been sent by God to fight the Lightning Council. O poor servants! Bow to God! Not to me—but to God!"
Everyone let out a breath of relief.
"If he had said 'Obey me,' the apocalypse would have truly come," they said.
"Yes, God sent him. And he tells us to obey God. There is no error here," said one of the elders, his voice shaky and hoarse.
The young people looked at the man floating in the air among the descending shadow.
"That's him!"
"Do you see?"
"Is he flying?" they asked, their mouths agape.
The moment Lui saw the figure in the sky, he recognized him.Those eyes from above were fixed directly on him.
[Quiz initiated. Task: As a formality, explain yourself to the people.]
Kaji Caesar.
[Mission: Early mission extension.][Message: Hello! Last time we met was 10 years ago! You've grown since then.]
The one who had spoken to him the day he found the dead baby—T-this message... who is it from?
Lady Joo leaned on the balcony rail with one hand and clenched the iron with the other. A chill ran through her entire body.
She recognized him. The body in the sky was the dead soul born that day from the lifeless baby that cursed boy had found in the garden.
"He's returned," she whispered.
As she looked down at the people scattering like a herd of sheep, she realized her own heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
There was an indescribable softness in Kaji Caesar's eyes.And the mist that surrounded that softness—it had descended like divine punishment.
A punishment aimed directly at Lui Ran's chest.
The ground trembled. It felt as if the plates beneath the earth were shifting from side to side.
Lady Joo gripped the balcony tightly and bent down, clutching her dress. She was terrified of falling—or that the balcony might collapse beneath her.
The clergymen had huddled into a corner, knees drawn to their chests, waiting in silence.
Lui stood up and began running toward the crowd.
He took everything from me. But my people—he won't take them too.
"Do not fear, my people!" he shouted through the chaos."He is a savior sent to us by God!"
[Explanation level: Basic]
Huh?
[Logic level: Low]
I-it doesn't make sense!
Everyone, caught in a frenzy to survive, glanced up for just a moment.
Kaji Caesar's body, drifting like a feather in the air, gently placed his feet on the ground.He was a savior in a human body.Why had he come here?
"Now we will hold a vote, and one of you will be chosen as a representative!" he announced with a sharp voice.
[The Savior is speaking! Task: Prove yourself and activate Listen & React mode!]
Because Kaji Caesar's gaze had not lost its warmth, the people sighed in relief.
"Now, all of you hold in your hands..."
Their hands were empty.
"There is a button."
A button appeared in each of their palms.The moment Lui noticed the red button on his finger, he swallowed hard.
[Proof item is in your possession! Listen to the rules!]
Lady Joo raised her head on the balcony and began to listen to Kaji Caesar.The button was nearly slipping through her trembling fingers.
"When you press the button, the names of everyone here will appear!"
The moment everyone pressed it in disbelief, a screen opened.Photos of people from all frequency levels appeared.
"The chosen body will be taken to the lands of the Lightning Council and will defend the Radio Kingdom."
Lady Joo looked at the button.If this was true, she would send Lui without hesitation.Even in that terrifying moment, a dreadful smile spread across her face.
Lui stared at the button on his finger.
[Time remaining to complete the task: 30 seconds. If the task is not completed, Catastrophe Herald mode will be activated!]
Speechless, Lui shouted,"Choose me! It is my duty to protect you!"
[Task completed.][Achievement level: 4/5][Courage: 5/5][Persuasion level: 5/5]
Wow.
People embraced one another with tears in their eyes, gathering their families together.
Lui, deep down, knew he had no one.And that his father would soon die.
"I have no reason to stay," he said as a countdown began on the screen.
Two seconds.
Everyone had already cast their vote.
[10,000 votes cast.][10,000 / 10,000][Election Results: 7,777 / 10,000: Lui Ran.]
Lui stared at his name glowing on the imaginary screen.
That fast?So it really was just a formality!
Kaji Caesar's eyes were locked onto him.
From within that darkness—unexpectedly—a light emerged.And it poured over Lui's body from head to toe.
The light began to burn him.
Sounds buzzed in his ears—then faded into complete silence.
Everything within his consciousness spun like a carousel.
He felt Kaji Caesar's shadow looming over him again—And finally, he completely dissolved into dust.
[Begin using the screen: You are now Member 28 of the War Council Against the Lightning Council. Do you accept?]
Lui thought, "Yes," and within seconds, the mission was confirmed.
[Member 28 successfully registered! Read your missions carefully:]
Learn the history of the Lightning Council from a prisoner. (0/1)
Capture an enemy and deliver them to the Shadow Council.(The Shadow Council is the name given to those who fight the Lightning Council.) (0/1)
Choose at least one area of expertise.(Frequency Crafting / Radio Bank Heisting / Radio Repair) (1/3)Understood?
Still being bathed in darkness, Lui Ran thought, "Yes."
[Mission acknowledged. Wishing you success.]