The universe was a place I had never seen before.It felt unfamiliar, yet at the same time, it was mysterious and full of wonder.
There was no ground to step on.Everything that existed in the universe was floating in emptiness.
And she and I were walking above that endless void.
The universe was filled with darkness.Yet, strangely, that darkness shone with its own light.
The reason was clear —a great mass of fire burning alone,and beside it, a white stone glowing brightly by itself,were illuminating the boundless darkness that stretched on forever.
Those were the very same things I had always seenin the skies above the continent of Karbanis where I lived.But they had always filled me with questions.
How could such enormous things float alone, so high above?My curiosity had always been drawn toward those two lights —the blazing fire and the shining stone.
"What are those?"
I asked, holding a faint hopethat maybe, this time, she would tell me.
She smiled quietly,then lifted one hand and pointed toward the burning fire.
"That is the sun."
After pointing her finger at the fireball,she turned her body and gazed toward the white stone glowing in solitude.Her finger slowly followed the light.
"And that is the moon."
It was truly awe-inspiring.
I gazed blankly at the sun and the moonas they took turns lighting the endless darkness.
"It's amazing," I said,watching the beings that illuminated this mysterious universe.
"They look so huge and heavy,and yet they float so effortlessly. I can hardly believe it."
She said nothing.With a heart as excited as when I first entered the Academy of Baldoras,I looked around this strange place — the universe —and found myself overwhelmed with curiosity.
I glanced at her,wondering if perhaps she might answer my question again.
"So… what kind of place is this universe?"
"This is where all worlds are connected."
I tilted my head slightly, puzzled.
"But there's nothing here except darkness."
"Follow me."
She began to walk in silence.
"Through this place, the worlds are connected to one another."
Then she stopped walking,and where she pointed, I saw it —a darkness that held within itself another, deeper darkness,black as the heart of night.Just looking at it made my soul freeze.
"Wow… that's terrifying…"
I couldn't hide my fear and shivered involuntarily.
"What do you call that?"
"Black Hole."
She smiled faintly as she spoke.
"Through that, the worlds are connected."
Afraid that the sight might remain in my memoryand reappear in my dreams,I turned my gaze away.
"I hope… I never see it again. Not even in a dream."
"Coward."
She mocked me with a smile.I felt a flicker of irritation,but since my fear of the black hole was real,her words strangely didn't offend me.
"But without our permission,no one can enter or leave this place."
Her voice was low and calm.
"More than anything else,this universe is not a place where a human can walk alone."
I raised my head and looked at her.A sudden question crossed my mind.
"Then… why did you bring me here?"
She didn't answer.Without giving me a single glance,she turned her back to the black hole and began to walk quietly away.
I followed her.Soon, she stopped atop another massive stone,and without realizing it, I too came to a stop.
She raised her hand and pointed toward the great stone beneath our feet.
"Thea."
Her voice echoed softly through the silence of space.
"The planet where your continent, Karbanis, lies."
"Wow… so this is what it looks like."
Across the round surface of the stone, I could see the seas,and above them, the lands of Karbanis spread wide before my eyes.
I held my breath.For the first time, I was looking at the world I had lived in with my own eyes.
The planet Thea, which held the continent of Karbanis,floated alone, spinning endlessly in the void.
I couldn't take my eyes off it.
It was a beautiful world,but one where tragedy and disaster never ceased —a land filled with sorrow.
Perhaps because of that, Thea looked cold and lonely.
"Sinbearer."
That was the name she called me.
"When a planet reaches the moment of its destruction,we create the Sinbearer."
I decided to remain silent and simply listen to her.
"You remember what I said before — about worlds being connected?"
She turned her back on Thea,the planet that held the continent of Karbanis,and I followed her movements.
In our sight were the blazing sun, burning fiercely alone,and the moon, glowing quietly by itself.
Between them stretched a wide, empty space.She reached out her hand toward that emptiness.
Then, within the vast space between the sun and the moon,countless screens began to appear.
Hundreds? Thousands?Perhaps even more than that —I could not count them all.
Each screen revealed a different world,scenes of other realities she had spoken of before.
I could see them all with my own eyes —so many worlds that I could neither count themnor store them within my memory.
Once again,I stood face to face with something truly wondrous.
While I stood there, captivated by the countless worlds before me,she began to erase them — one by one —until only three remained.
Out of the countless scenes that had filled the void,only three were left floating in the air.
Then she turned her body and looked at me.Her eyes met mine,and she smiled brightly.
"I will show you," she said softly."The weight of destiny you carry — as the Sinbearer."
It felt as though I was about to hear something terrifying.
The story she was about to tell me—
I knew it would be one I could never forget,
no matter how much I might wish to erase it from my memory,
even until the day I die.
I didn't want to hear it,
yet I had no choice but to listen.
Above all, I had no say in the matter.