Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 904

Chapter 904

The delicate petals of plum blossoms drifted down around us in a continuous, gentle shower.
Craning my neck, I found the sky completely hidden behind a dense tapestry of branches and leaves.

Thin rays of sun found their way through tiny openings in the canopy, spilling over the richly green earth below like a warm, gentle blanket.

It was stunning. Even for a person like me, who rarely stopped to appreciate such views, the sight was truly arresting.

Guided by the sweet fragrance of the blossoms and a cool, refreshing wind, I trailed behind Noya as we pressed forward.

Our journey was a short one. Moving at a fairly quick pace, we reached our goal almost before I knew it.

‘It’s colossal.’

It had appeared large from afar, but standing at its base, its scale was staggering. I had never encountered a tree of such immense girth and height in all my life.

And its stature—it was breathtaking. The land sloped down around its base, yet the tree’s crown appeared to brush the clouds themselves.

“What is this?”

What variety of plum tree could possibly achieve such a size?
The question left my lips, heavy with disbelief, and Noya shot me a look before he answered.

“Who can say? I’m not entirely sure, but I’ve heard it named the Shinmok.”

“The Sacred Tree?”

A tree belonging to the gods? It sounded absurd, yet given its overwhelming presence, the title felt strangely appropriate.

“You shouldn’t be so surprised. You’ve already laid eyes on one like it.”

“I have?”

“Yes.”

“When could I have… Ah.”

I stopped short as understanding washed over me. Was he talking about that?

‘Mua.’

The World Tree I had nearly forgotten. The former master of Zhongyuan.
The entity that had turned back time in Yeon Ilcheon’s life.

And the very being…

‘…that named me its Apostle.’

That tree had been enormous as well.
Though it was ancient and withered, looking as if it might disintegrate at a touch, its size was indeed comparable.

But—

‘The feeling it gives off is completely unlike this.’

The aura it radiated was on another level entirely.

Was this plum tree more powerful? No, that wasn’t the right word.

‘Mua was far more overwhelming.’

The gap in their fundamental nature was immense.

The tree before me could still be perceived as a tree.
Mua, however, could not.

It felt more like…

‘Mother, or Kurung.’

That sensation of standing before something utterly incomprehensible.
Mua possessed that quality, but this tree did not.

It was simply a tree. A vast and magnificent one, certainly, but a tree nonetheless.
Its grand scale made it impressive, but it did not feel transcendent.

I moved closer to the so-called Sacred Tree, observing everything around me.
Blossoms flourished wherever the sunlight touched the ground, adding to the scene’s beauty.

As I took it all in, I looked for what truly mattered.

‘Where is it?’

According to Noya, Kurung was supposed to be here somewhere, but I saw nothing.

There was no way something so huge could be concealed. So where could it be?
I should have spotted it immediately, yet no matter how hard I searched, it was absent.

Meanwhile, Noya continued to approach the base of the Sacred Tree.
He came to a halt before a fissure in its enormous trunk.

I opened my mouth to question him—

“Noya, where exactly is that…?”

“Hey, are you decent in there?”

Noya called out, leaning toward the opening in the tree.

‘Hm…?’

I frowned at the sight.

The crevice, sizable enough to be considered a small cave due to the tree’s magnitude, was not overwhelmingly large.

But if Noya was speaking into it… could it be?

[Grrr.]

“…!”

A low, resonant growl emanated from the darkness within.
The sound alone was enough to send an instinctive chill racing down my spine.

My body tensed on its own, shifting into a defensive posture. My heart hammered against my ribs, and my feet felt rooted to the spot.

It felt perilous.
Far more so than the enormous shadow I’d glimpsed from a distance the night before.

Yes, this was…

‘…A difference in class.’

An existence so far beyond my own that I could scarcely face it.
A being of a completely different order, capable of making one tremble with its mere aura.

I forced my breathing to steady, trying to calm my frantic heart.

Then—

“If you’re awake, quit lazing about and come out. Who takes a nap in the middle of the day?”

Noya spoke with a light chuckle. As he did, a shower of dust spilled from the crevice.
A palpable pressure surged outward, washing over me.

Something was coming.
Something immense was moving within the fissure, preparing to emerge…

[Grroooar.]

“…Huh?”

Squinting to see better, I watched as a shape emerged from the opening.

It was surprisingly small relative to the size of the crevice.

It was…

“Adorable…?”

Its appearance was unexpectedly endearing.

Extremely, absurdly endearing.

***

Beneath the sacred tree, I took a seat next to Shin Noya. A chair and a desk had been placed there; from the ease with which Shin Noya settled in, it seemed they had been there for a long time.

Sitting together, we wordlessly observed the subject before us.

[Grrr.]

«…»

[Grrrr.]

Each time that low growl reverberated, I couldn’t suppress a flinch. The sensation was still dense and electric.

«Enough of that. How long do you plan on growling?»

[Grr.]

At Noya’s chiding, the creature seemed to sulk and shrunk in on itself. Watching it, I was filled with a confusing mix of feelings.

This was a world apart from the terrifying entity I had witnessed just moments before. There was a clear, immeasurable disparity…

‘What is this?’

Now, all I felt was pure bewilderment.

It was an unavoidable reaction.

[Grr.]

The being I was looking at was rather small.

I’d estimate it was about the size of a stray dog one might see wandering the streets?

It looked the part, too. Exactly like a dog.

Perhaps more wolf-like than canine, but that seemed an unimportant distinction… It even carried the innocent air of a puppy, not a mature dog.

It was cute. Its appearance made that thought inescapable.

‘…And this cute thing.’

[Grrr.]

‘Was the horrifying creature I saw last night?’

Kurung. The name we’d given it because it was always growling.

It had been a constant, noisy presence within me, alongside Noya, a source of trouble whenever it stirred. It would whine incessantly when it was hungry.

It was endlessly irritating, and I had often wished to be rid of it.

But.

‘That being was even feared by the Blood Demon.’

I recalled the Blood Demon calling it a bottomless pit and treating it with caution. Before I fell into this place, my fight with the Blood Demon had been completely one-sided.

Even using the same Dragon Speech, our mastery was worlds apart, and I was utterly powerless before it. So powerless that I needed protection from Cheonma, the very entity I was meant to destroy.

It was humiliating.

I had transcended previous realms and climbed into the upper ranks of the great masters. I had wondered if I could even defeat the Sword Emperor, whom I assumed to be the strongest.

And yet, I remained powerless against the Blood Demon? It was a shocking realization.

How much stronger must I become? How far must I go? A vague sense of despair began to creep in.

‘And Kurung, whom the Blood Demon guarded against so warily.’

[Grrr.]

«…»

Now it was lying on its belly, wagging its tail in front of me. It looked exactly like a real puppy. Not the least bit dangerous.

“Is this… truly that being?”

Noting my reaction, Noya let out a soft laugh.

“What, is it too underwhelming compared to what you imagined?”

“Yes. It’s profoundly underwhelming.”

I answered without a moment’s hesitation. There was no point in being polite. It was, honestly, just a puppy.

[Grrr.]

Even when it seemed to express dissatisfaction with my words, it still looked entirely trivial.

«…»

Could this genuinely be that vast entity? Doubt rose naturally in my mind.

“Don’t judge it too harshly. It didn’t choose to be this way. In a sense, it’s also your fault.”

“My fault?”

My doing?

And it wasn’t by choice? As I focused on that, Noya offered an explanation.

“It acted a little too forcefully to draw attention and expended too much power. That’s why it reverted to this state.”

“Draw attention?”

“Yes. If it hadn’t, the situation would have become far worse. You should be grateful.”

Draw attention. I turned the phrase over, considering who it was meant to distract.

“Perhaps…”

“Correct.”

Noya gave a single nod.

“From your mother.”

«…»

My guess had been right. That was precisely what had happened.

‘So, the reason it shielded me was also…’

Even while being struck by my mother, it endured. Was all of that for this reason?

Then.

“Why?”

Why did it specifically need to draw my mother’s attention?

“Haven’t I told you? Meeting your mother is dangerous. If it hadn’t distracted her then, you might have been injured on the spot.”

“I don’t understand. Why would my mother want to harm me?”

“That’s because…”

Noya looked at me with a steady gaze and said,

“You are a dragon.”

“…What does that mean?”

“I explained earlier why this place is called the Banished Realm. Do you remember?”

“Yes.”

A world without an owner. A place where beings who should have vanished altogether instead persist, without becoming demons.

“The Banished Realm is a space that generally accepts all forms of life without discrimination. That is its purpose and reason for being. However, even this realm has one race it has exiled and forbidden.”

«…»

I frowned, sensing what was coming next.

“That race is the dragons.”

As I had anticipated. The answer seemed logical when I heard it.

The problem was.

“It doesn’t make sense.”

That response created more questions than it answered. Dragons were banished? Even if that were true, setting that aside for a moment,

“Didn’t you say the Banished Realm is a place for those who have lost their world’s owner?”

Those who lost their place because their world’s owner disappeared. A realm meant to offer mercy to such beings.

“Is there any reason for dragons to come here?”

It’s unclear how many dragons exist, but if they had their own world, shouldn’t it still stand?

After all.

‘Its owner would still be alive.’

The world where the dragons lived. Its owner. Clearly…

‘The Blood Demon.’

It must have been the Dragon Emperor. So how could they be banished from the Banished Realm?

Noticing my confusion, Shin Noya narrowed his eyes slightly.

“Young one. I understand your questions, but I don’t know much about this part either.”

“What?”

“The information is lacking… and if you think on it, isn’t it strange?”

Creak. Noya leaned back in his chair.

“If the Blood Demon… if he had a world of his own, he would have no reason to appear and try to claim the central plains.”

“…!”

My eyes widened.

…He was right.

‘…Of course.’

If the Blood Demon possessed his own world, there would be no cause for him to unleash a blood havoc to come here.

And yet, why does he remain in the central plains, dreaming of a paradise?

Something was deeply inconsistent.

‘Furthermore. Why the hostility just for being identified as a dragon?’

It seemed the Blood Demon must have done something to warrant this. If other dragons existed and were banished, where did they go?

Adding to that.

“…Noya.”

“Yes.”

“If the Banished Realm rejects dragons, then why did that creature save me?”

If this realm truly rejects me, specifically for being a dragon, and even seeks to eliminate me, what was Kurung’s intention in offering protection?

“You said it was connected to my mother. I also don’t understand why she attacked it.”

«…»

“And you warned me not to meet my mother. Her reaction, too. What is actually happening?”

Shin Noya watched me quietly. In his still expression, I detected a subtle undercurrent.

It was unmistakably regret. Why was he looking at me with such an expression? Just as I wondered,

“The reason this creature ended up in this state while saving you is also due to your mother’s request.”

“What?”

“Its spirit resided within your body for the same reason.”

“Such a…?”

My mother’s request? I frowned. The pieces weren’t fitting together.

“Then all the more…”

I started to say that this situation made no sense, but.

“In that case, how could your mother attack it and you?”

Noya spoke more quickly.

“Yes.”

If it was meant to protect me on my mother’s behalf, there was no reason for her to attack Kurung, or to try to kill me for being a dragon.

But.

“It’s a simple reason.”

At Noya’s words, I fell silent.

“The woman you know as your mother is not the same anymore.”

Hearing that, my eyes widened.

“Not the same?”

How could she not be? I could accept other mysteries, but not this. She was definitely my mother; I was certain of it.

“Didn’t I tell you? If you hold any hope for maternal affection from her, abandon it.”

Noya’s voice carried a clear sigh as he addressed me.

“The person she is now holds no mercy or affection for you.”

As I listened, my gaze faltered. My heart seemed to quiver along with my eyes.

Squeak. Shin Noya rose from the chair he’d been sitting in.

“If you fail in your duty, you receive punishment. That is a rule set by the world. Even your mother was not an exception.”

“…Punishment…?”

“That’s what this creature conveyed.”

Noya patted Kurung’s head. The gesture seemed almost a little rough.

“Your mother failed to complete the task assigned to her and received her punishment… and that punishment was.”

Plum blossoms continued to fall from the sky.

“An oblivion so complete she remembers nothing at all.”

Like those falling petals, my heart too seemed to plummet.