<Amkena Gaiden Episode 17>
* * *
Amkena opened her eyes.
What he remembered before he passed out was until after he handed over the bag of the warhorse statues to Aaron.
After that, Black Thunder fell down and headed for an unknown place.
Along with that, she fainted too.
ok
The front is blurry so I can’t see well.
How long have you been fainting?
Whether it’s just a moment, or a few days or a few months.
I couldn’t tell the difference.
If there’s one thing that touches you, it’s the hard touch you feel underneath.
It feels like a concrete road that I’m not too familiar with.
Amkena rubbed her eyes with her right arm.
Only then did the sight return.
“… … This is it.”
Could it be because I fell down while lying down?
The sky was right there.
A reddish purple sky.
The blue and sunny energy of midday is nowhere to be found.
It was just ominous and unpleasant.
There, instead of clouds, there were floating things in the sky.
‘Are you on fire?’
The sky is on fire.
It was a sight that could only be described as such.
A pitch-black flame blazes and burns.
It gave me goosebumps.
Amkenna stood up.
Then the sight of the city caught my eye again.
“Ugh… … .”
To be precise, it was the scenery of the city that was once called Seoul.
The place where Amkena fell was a space where the asphalt road had broken and fragments were protruding.
Around it, only the skeletons of various buildings, stones, and wreckage of buildings filled the field of view.
‘… … .’
It was thanks to the building next door that she judged this place to be ‘Seoul’.
The World Tower that went up with Black Thunder.
It stands sadly, leaving only its bony frame.
The majestic appearance of skyscrapers competing for rankings around the world was no longer to be found.
‘what’s this.’
This is not the Seoul she knew.
No, it’s not the world she knew.
post-apocalyptic landscape.
Even just standing there, just looking at it, my body trembled like an aspen tree.
“Ah, really… … .」
in between,
Between the winds of destruction,
The voice of chaos rang softly.
“I mean, it’s fun.”
Niall’s voice.
I’ve heard Amkena a lot, so I’m used to it.
But the feeling itself is different from before.
In the voice of an innocent child, there is something terrifying and incomprehensible.
I feel bad just listening to it.
Chickens started sprouting all over the place.
“I thought you would come all the way here.”
Ha ha ha ha ha
Occasionally, the sound of sobbing laughter mingled with the blowing wind.
Amkena looked around frantically, but Niall was nowhere to be seen.
“Mrs. Amkena.”
What woke her up was the voice of a familiar colleague.
Amkena, terrified, unwittingly grabbed the man.
However, it was passed as it was, and I tripped.
“… … .”
what.
why did you get passed?
Like this, even though I’m right next to you.
Yurnet smiled bitterly.
“Hey, where the hell is this place?”
“well. Where should I call it? The concentration of chaos is too thick to call it a space-time rift.”
Yunet said.
“Besides, the place is denying our existence. For some reason, I can’t go there.”
“yes?”
can’t you come?
Amkena reached out to Yurnet.
Even if you’re right next to me
do not reach
Like a holographic image, even if you try to touch it, it passes through.
“Oh, it can’t be.”
“I’m sorry, Amkena-sama. The dimensional wave has split.”
“Then what will happen?”
“For a while, we won’t be able to see each other.”
Amkena’s eyes trembled.
So, are you saying I was left alone in this scary space?
“Why did that happen?”
“Probably, Amkena-sama’s car crashed at the World Tower, and in the process of accepting it… … .”
The original plan was to retrieve Black Thunder and Amkena, who had completed their mission, using Yunet’s spatial magic.
However, Amkena was swallowed up by the black hole that appeared before that.
“sorry.”
Yurnet put on a sad expression.
“Obviously, I cast space magic right away… … .”
Amkena was lost along the way.
Even Yunet couldn’t understand it.
The speed at which Amkena was taken was too fast.
But it’s as if I’ve been waiting.
As if it had been marked in advance, it was absorbed in an instant.
“I have no excuse… … .”
“Maybe it’s because of me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“For some reason, I feel the same way as back then.”
Right, the place where I first met the boy.
It was inside the subway.
How can I express this?
The scenery is completely different, but it smells the same as back then.
<Well, but I’ll tell you one thing to save face. My name is… … Niall. Well, greetings end here. don’t worry too much We will meet again soon.>
Amkena recalled the conversation she had with the boy before parting ways.
At the last moment, the boy had spoken.
that we will meet again
Perhaps, from then on, she became a ‘mark’.
Maybe that was the reason why the defense against kidnapping was poor.
still… … .
we will meet again
‘That’s what it meant.’
so lonely
To be left alone and have to reunite with the monster.
“… … .”
I want to go back.
Wouldn’t it be foolish to intervene in this?
First of all, she was a normal person.
On the other hand, they are heroes and transcendents.
From the beginning, from the beginning… … .
“Ugh!”
Amkena shook her head.
no no.
“Mrs. Amkena.”
“… … .”
“It’s not over yet.”
“What should I do? I can’t do anything… … .”
“No, that is your misunderstanding.”
next to urnet.
The vision of Siris came to mind.
“Anyway, whether we are by your side or not, the final process of calling the Master is only possible for you.”
“yes? Isn’t it over calling Mr. Han?”
Go to the end of the World Tower closest to the sky and blow the battery containing the statue of a warhorse out of the dimension.
If so, an Israt can use the battery as a lighthouse to know the location of this place.
Wasn’t that the end?
“One thing remains.”
Siris shook her head.
Then, the gaze turned to Amkena.
“He was his master, something only you can do.”
A master of the Taoni language and a pure earthling.
What only Amkena can do.
She blinked, not knowing what that meant.
Whoops!
Suddenly, a vibration rang in my pocket.
Amkena reached into her pants and pulled out the item.
An older smartphone that has been replaced for more than 5 years.
Suddenly, the power turned on, and a notification popped up.
[Pick Me Up!]
[The app is updating.]
it’s an update
to a game that is already over.
The reason Amkena didn’t erase Pick Me Up, and didn’t update her smartphone to the latest model, was to preserve memories.
Have been using it for over 8 years.
A worn-out battery dies in less than a few hours, and sometimes the screen freezes entirely.
But she was stubbornly using this smartphone.
Because if you change to the latest model, you cannot leave Pick Me Up.
Pick Me Up has already been removed from the App Store.
But it is.
The icon of that memory flickers, announcing an update.
“Do you understand, Amkena-sama?”
Yunet came out.
“What are you going to do next?”
“… … .”
“But I’m alone here… … .”
“You are not alone. Do not worry. Even though we are far apart, we are together. We will definitely protect Amkena. So Master Amkena, please have courage.”
Yurnet took a step forward.
Its eyes were transparent.
“Courage, Rani… … .”
I’m alone here.
there is that monster
“I can’t have something like that… … .”
“Courage is not the absence of fear. It’s a step beyond knowing your fears.”
“… … .”
“You know? what you are going to do next.”
Amkena looked at the screen of her smartphone.
There was a notification that the update was complete.
“The first time, just like after installing this game.”
Yunet said.
“Please summon me.”
“… … Summons.”
“It’s a simple draw.”
mobile draw.
Commonly known as gacha games.
Yunet’s explanation continued.
what she should do
The hero, Han Israt, is currently wandering in an unknown time-space.
Although it is said that he sent a battery of warhorse statues to inform him of his location, the decisive role in summoning him was impossible except for his master, Amkena.
“like that… … You do.”
Yurnet’s words ended.
Amkena swallowed.
“So far… … You have to.”
“Would you be able to?”
Do you have to do something like that?
It’s very embarrassing.
No, it’s a matter of life, let alone shame.
You have to face the monster head-on.
‘I’m the only one here.’
But Yunet said.
Even if you are far away, I will definitely protect you.
Can I trust her?
Is such a thing possible?
All kinds of thoughts echo in my head.
However, in the midst of that hesitation and fear, there is a certain scene that comes to mind.
Amkena looked at the screen again.
At one time, a certain game was playing in the screen.
Pick me up.
The image of the hero in the game came to mind.
‘To take a step forward despite knowing fear.’
If it was real, not a game.
If all the desperate fights had actually happened.
‘Han Israt.’
that man,
Didn’t back down.
in any hopeless situation.
I took one step at a time until the end.
Amkenna hardened her eyes.
“I will try.”
“thank you.”
“Before that, I have a request for you.”
“If we can.”
“I want to know the truth.”
This time it was Yurnet’s turn to tilt her head.
“I, I… … I want to know. Mr. Han, Mr. Yourenet, all of you gathered here, what are you fighting for? What are you fighting against?”
“… … .”
“I want to know everything. What was the game called Pick Me Up? what happened there. from one to ten.”
A few guesses can be made.
But that’s just speculation, not the truth.
Amkena just wanted to know.
Because without knowing the exact facts, she cannot be certain.
Until we know the whole truth, we have no choice but to treat them as heroes in the game.
“Mrs. Amkena. I can tell you if you want. what the game was Who we are and who our enemies are.”
Yurnet’s eyes deepened.
“But if you know that, you might be even more dangerous.”
“I’m already standing here, can I get any more dangerous?”
Yurnet laughed lightly.
“Oh yeah. okay.”
“Can you tell me?”
“If that’s the case, I don’t know if even this situation is possible.”
Yurnet looked to the side.
Another vision came to mind.
It was Aaron.
“It will be quite a long journey.”
said Aaron.
“I don’t mind, but things don’t seem to be that easy right now.”
“it’s okay. Because time does not pass in it.”
“Then it’s fine, but… … .”
“Really, are you okay? To actually face those memories is more painful than I thought.”
as if it had been experienced.
Aaron warned.
However, Amkena’s determination did not change.
“Please.”
Apparently, it doesn’t seem to be telling me in simple words.
“Please close your eyes.”
At Aaron’s words, Amkena closed her eyes.
That the dimensions of each other have changed.
Even if it’s far away, how does it become magic?
“You can open it now.”
hmm?
I don’t think it’s even been a second since I told you to close it.
Amkena opened her eyes at those words.
“oh!”
And I stopped the scream that was about to leak out.
I just closed and opened my eyes, but the place where she was located was completely different.
The landscape of destroyed Seoul can no longer be found.
What shines in front of you is the faint light created by the intersection of the chandelier on the high ceiling and the candlestick on the wall.
The place Amkena was standing was the library.
Countless bookshelves were spread out without knowing the end.
In the middle of such a library, I saw a small table.
“I never thought I would use this method again.”
across the table.
A silver-haired witch is laughing while wearing a white hood.
“Now, sit down. Mr. Amkena.”
“yes yes… … .”
can not understand.
No, I heard that the dimension somehow split.
“This is the world in your mind. Leave the petty questions aside.”
“Is that so?”
Amkena agreed.
Because I’ve encountered abnormalities many times.
She sat down on a chair at the table.
“We don’t have much time, so we’ll hurry up. You said you wanted to know the King’s story, right?”
King’s story.
It is clear who he is referring to.
Amkenna nodded in the affirmative.
“This is an unfinished biography, but it will be fine until the first part.”
At Yurnet’s beckoning, the books from the huge bookshelf were brought and piled on the table.
“You want to know everything, not just some. From the birth of a king to the first conquest.”
“I want to know. As far as I can tell.”
“Then let me tell you. Because you deserve it.”
Qualification.
In fact, am I qualified for that?
Amkenna consulted.
“Whoops. You are worrying unnecessarily again.”
“Is that so?”
“In The King’s Tale, the character ‘Amkena’ is one of the main characters that appears very rarely. We’ve never heard each other’s voices and never seen each other’s faces, but they were clearly fighting for the same goal, so even though they were far apart, they were connected in the end.”
Yurnet opened her mouth.
“So, the story can be explained like this. It is the story of the hero Han Israt and the master Amkena.”
Charleuk.
Finally, the book began to open.
* * *
therefore,
Amkena understood.
It’s not a game.
It wasn’t a game.
They were all alive.
* * *
therefore,
Amkena saw.
Not the in-game screen.
He saw the lives of heroes with his own eyes.
their lives,
their deaths,
I saw their struggles.
* * *
not a hero
It wasn’t like a hero.
including Han,
all of them,
just,
was only human
* * *
Able to know.
Only then did I find out.
Not as a hero versus master,
As human to human.
Who was Han Israt,
what are you fighting for
* * *
therefore,
before I open my eyes,
Amkena heard a voice.
<From now on, I will leave everything to you.>
It was Yurnet’s voice.
<Please, show your courage.>
