Chapter 152: If You Had Come Yesterday

<Brainstorming> had not been able to analyze the specific races living in the Heavenly Realm.

The Heavenly being currently flying toward them had colorful wing feathers—yellows and reds—dark skin, and piercing, prominent eyes.

His feet were bare, but they resembled the talons of a bird of prey more than human feet. His build was slightly larger than Ion’s, and he didn’t look very old.

‘He fits the characteristics of an avian race in fantasy.’

“Hey, his clothes are unique. They look heavy.”

The Heavenly being—likely of the avian race—wore an outfit that was unfamiliar to Blan but recognizable to Ion. Golden full-body armor, a fluttering cape, and a helmet ornament shaped like the sun. It was the armor of a general seen in Oriental fantasy works.

‘Is this a historical drama?’

If Idea and the Demon Realm were Western-style fantasies, the Heavenly Realm was an Oriental-style fantasy—specifically, one where technology was advanced.

“@$!. @$%&^?”

The avian stopped in front of them and asked a question. His tone was far from friendly, and he did not forget to brandish a spear longer than his own height.

“Dammit, what is he saying? I never imagined the language wouldn’t communicate. That ‘dog house keeper’ bastard definitely didn’t tell us on purpose!”

“Calm down. I can understand him.”

“I understand him as well, Damion. He is asking if we came out of that cave.”

“You understand him too?”

“Yes. I am a capable and helpful bat who can translate. You may pet me.”

Ion could understand the Heavenly language thanks to Il-on’s . How did Baba know?

‘Does the Demon King’s bat inherit ancestral knowledge too?’

In any case, with two of them knowing the language, communication wasn’t difficult.

The group descended to the front of the cave to talk.

“I am Hwa-mong, Vice Commander of the Western Border. Who are you?”

“We come from Idea and Earth. I am Ion, this is Blan, and this is Baba.”

“I might know of Idea, but I was under the impression the connection to Earth had been severed.”

“Do the people of the Heavenly Realm know what has happened to the world outside?”

“…….”

Hwa-mong gestured with his chin for Ion to continue.

Looking down from above, the Heavenly Realm had looked peaceful—like the world where immortals live in folk tales. So why had they suddenly cut off exchange with Idea? He would have to finish his explanation before he could ask.

Ion explained the situation to Hwa-mong: the emergence of the System on Idea and Earth, the giant invasion, the wars, and the alliance with the demonic humans. Hwa-mong’s expression shifted through a kaleidoscope of emotions.

“Were you completely unaware of what was happening outside?”

“The Great Heavenly King… forbade exchange with the outside. He gave orders to summarily execute anyone found sneaking in or out. It means it is my duty to strike off your heads right now.”

“What is the reason? Before, you traded peacefully with the Pope of the Elida Church on Idea.”

“That is exactly why. We should never have associated with mere humans.”

Hwa-mong slammed his spear down, grinding his teeth in fury.

“Return to where you came from. We wish to have no further involvement with humans, whether it concerns the System or anything else.”

“Wait. You haven’t heard our purpose for coming here yet.”

“Are you not seeking help? To oppose the System?”

“I have Heavenly blood in me.”

“……!”

The avian’s face shifted from expressionless to utter shock. It was the most violent change in expression he had shown so far.

“I only found out recently. The teacher who taught me never told me… I want to find my family. I came here to find my roots.”

“You… I did think it was strange that your Won-gi (Vital Energy) was so active….”

The voice that had been aggressive and exclusive just moments ago softened immediately.

‘The Heavenly Tribe is small in number, so their bonds with their kin are very strong. Once you make contact, they won’t want to let go of a fellow tribesman like the Team Leader.’

As the Pope had said, the Heavenly Tribe seemed kind to their own. Furthermore…

‘He knows about Won-gi.’

As expected, was Vital Energy—the life force—a power derived from the characteristics of the Heavenly Tribe? Hwa-mong approached and scanned Ion from head to toe. During that time, the nobleman translated the conversation for Blan.

Finally, Hwa-mong’s eyes wavered as if he had confirmed something in Ion. His lips trembled as he asked with difficulty.

“You… how are you ali—how old are you now?”

“I’m twenty.”

“Twenty…?”

When Hwa-mong’s face turned into one that said ‘That’s impossible,’ the nobleman quickly interjected.

“He might not be twenty. Damion is an orphan and does not know his exact age.”

“Ah…….”

Hwa-mong staggered. Ion reached out to support him in surprise, but became even more startled upon seeing his face.

“Um… Commander? Why…?”

Are you crying? Are you crying right now?

Unbelievably, he was sobbing. He looked miserable, as if he were facing a reality he didn’t want to believe. Having only seen people at least a head taller than him for a long time, Ion had finally met someone of a similar stature and age, only for that peer to suddenly burst into tears.

Ion was extremely flustered.

“What? Why is the bird-rat suddenly crying? He looked like a kid, but is he actually a baby?”

“Damion is poor at comforting others, so I shall do it.”

The descendant of the Demon King’s bat patted and soothed the Heavenly being who had started crying without explaining why. After crying his heart out, Hwa-mong spoke while sniffing.

“If you truly are that child… I truly resent Elida. Why today, of all days… no, no. First, we must go to see the Great Sage.”

“The Great Sage?”

“I cannot be certain if you are the child our ancestors lost. If you have dared to impersonate that child, I will not forgive you. I will punish you personally.”

Hwa-mong, who had been shedding tears just a moment ago, glared with golden eyes as if he had never cried. Ion focused on the other words rather than the chilling warning.

‘The child the ancestors lost?’

The incident where a child went missing in the Heavenly Realm happened 18 years and 6 months ago. But “ancestors”? Isn’t that too recent a time to use such a word?

Whoosh—

Hwa-mong spread both wings. Feathers similar to those of a hawk fluttered.

“I saw earlier that you all have wings. You can fly for about three hours, can’t you?”

“Yes, we can. Are we going to meet the Great Sage?”

“No, before that, you must dress properly. Because right now, we are… in a period of national mourning.”

The place they reached after flying for three hours was a border guard post. Vice Commander Hwa-mong seemed to hold a fairly high position; after a brief explanation to his curious subordinates, he ordered them to prepare garments. He gave black mourning clothes to Blan and the nobleman and dressed Ion in white mourning clothes.

“…….”

Upon seeing Ion emerge in the white robes, Vice Commander Hwa-mong was momentarily speechless. He looked deeply moved.

“As I thought… you look alike.”

“To whom?”

“To your younger sibling.”

A younger sibling? What had he been talking about this whole time? He had been suspicious about “confirmation” earlier, but now that Ion was dressed, he seemed certain. Ion felt a slight pang of guilt.

The group flew for another three hours. As the sun was setting, they arrived at a secluded palace surrounded by ancient, towering trees. The Heavenly being left them in a house that looked like it belonged in an Oriental fantasy, telling them to wait.

Servants in black mourning clothes busily brought tea and refreshments. They were kind, but their faces were somber and sad. Once the servants withdrew and the three were alone, Blan spoke.

“Does the Heavenly Tribe not age? Something is weird. Dam Ion, you noticed too, right?”

“Yes.”

Everyone they had met in the Heavenly Realm so far—Vice Commander Hwa-mong, the soldiers at the post, the servants here—all looked to be between their teens and early twenties.

Elves, dragons, and demons do not age either; once their power matures, they can fix their appearance. They usually choose various looks, from middle-aged to elderly. But for some reason, all the Heavenly Tribe members had young appearances, as if it weren’t a matter of preference.

“Hey, someone’s coming.”

“Yes. Please don’t pick a fight.”

“I won’t. Jeez, I’ve been quiet this whole time.”

An undeniable aura was approaching. The person who appeared wore a white jangsam (long robe) reminiscent of an immortal or a Taoist priest. He seemed to be of a different race than Hwa-mong, as he lacked the talons or beak of a bird of prey.

He also had a young face without a single white hair or wrinkle, but he looked to be in his late twenties—the oldest person they had met so far. The Great Sage fixed his gaze on Ion.

“It is as Hwa-mong said. I cannot be certain, but… the resemblance is too strong.”

The Great Sage murmured bitterly.

“You said you came because you wanted to find your roots? Come in. I will explain everything.”

According to the Great Sage’s explanation, five races lived together in the Heavenly Realm: Angels, Avians, Celestials, Hwan-in, and Hwan-sa. Collectively, they were called the Heavenly People or the Heavenly Tribe.

“Our total population across all five races is only ten million. Among them, five million are Angels, and the other four races make up the rest. The reason lies in the short lifespans of the Heavenly Tribe, excluding the Angels.”

Ion wondered just how short they were, but the following explanation exceeded his imagination.

“Vice Commander Hwa-mong, who guided you here, is an Avian. The average lifespan of an Avian is… 8 years in Idea time.”

“……What?”

“You didn’t mishear. Excluding the Angels, we are races that live for 8 years and then die.”

8 years. It felt like a physical blow to the head.

‘Because I, with Heavenly blood, am already twenty, couldn’t analyze such a short lifespan.’

It was too short. If they were races that died after only 8 years, it explained why they were so attached to their kin.

“As you came, you must have seen the golden pillar in the center of the Heavenly Realm. That is the ‘River of Light,’ where Won-gi—the power that sustains the Heavenly Realm—flows. All races of the Heavenly Realm share the Won-gi of the River of Light. Among them, the Angel race takes the most.”

“Are the Angels monopolizing the Won-gi?”

“Originally, everyone shared it equally. But after the invasion of the Demon Realm, the ancestors, feeling a sense of crisis, changed the agreement so that the Angel race—who can fight most valiantly in battle—would take the most.”

The Heavenly Tribe allowed the race with the proper power to protect the realm to live the longest. Even now, ten thousand years later, they still upheld that agreement.

“Even the Angels, who live the longest lives, die before reaching fifty. Consequently, many Heavenly Tribe members bore children with people of Idea. This is because hybrids live according to the average lifespan of humans, not the lifespan of the Heavenly Tribe.”

“Then there must have been many hybrids.”

“Indeed. That was the case until exchange with Idea was severed.”

“What was the reason for cutting off exchange?”

“18 years and 6 months ago in Idea time… the infant of a Celestial couple went missing.”

If 1 year for the Heavenly Tribe was roughly calculated as 10 years for humans, that meant 185 years ago in their time.

“At the time, traces were found that a person from Idea staying in the Heavenly Realm had snuck into the couple’s home. The Pope of Idea was questioned, but they claimed to know nothing. Though there was no physical evidence, the circumstances were clear, so the Great Heavenly King at the time concluded it was the work of an Idea person and severed ties.”

The Great Sage looked intently at Ion.

“The Celestial couple missed their child for the rest of their lives.”

“…….”

“They spent their whole lives searching for the child they were only able to hold a few times. They closed their eyes while still longing for the baby they hadn’t even been able to name….”

Ion had nothing to say. He likely wasn’t that lost child.

“And it was the same for the younger sibling.”

“The younger sibling?”

“The kidnapped infant was not born alone. There was a twin. That sibling grew up to take the position of the Great Heavenly King. Upon becoming the Great Heavenly King, one gains the scepter and crown made from the River of Light, and their lifespan increases accordingly. But even so, as a Celestial, they could not exceed twenty years….”

Ion felt an ominous premonition.

“That Great Heavenly King passed away just this morning.”

That Great Heavenly King. The twin sibling of the Heavenly stray had died this morning.

“Then… if I had come yesterday….”

“If you had come yesterday, you could have met your kin.”