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The reason the Kronos Union chose to oppose the Ark—even going so far as to make the worst possible decision of joining hands with the Church of Morte—was simple.
According to them, the Ark itself was corroding this world.
Something the Ark had created was bringing about the world's predestined apocalypse.
To some, it would sound absurd. But I already knew a fair amount about the secret the Ark held.
Project Noah.
'Project Noah.'
The Ark's original sin, and the darkness the White Line had never once allowed to surface.
I still didn't know what secrets lay hidden within Project Noah and Mount Noah.
However, there was one thing I had come to understand here and now.
'The massive ether wave at Mount Noah is gradually fading…'
Now I could finally understand what the Great Will had vaguely hinted at all along—what the true end actually meant.
The massive ether wave at Mount Noah.
In other words, the Great Will was gradually disappearing.
And not simply vanishing—it was absorbing all the ether in this world like a black hole as time passed.
'If that really is ending the cycle of life… then was this world always headed for destruction from the start?'
A predestined ruin.
In fact, in the world of The Defense, the idea of destruction never felt particularly distant.
This damned world always came bearing that "gift" the moment one let their guard down.
'Is the end… approaching?'
What answer was I supposed to come up with in the middle of all this?
Not long ago, the answer had been clear.
But now, that clarity was gone.
Protecting the Ark alone was no longer the obvious answer.
With things having reached this point, it became almost irrelevant whether the Kronos Union's claims were true.
Because from Lania's standpoint, if they weren't true, there would have been no reason for her to go to such insane lengths.
No, Lania would never lie to me in the first place.
'Still…'
Even so, I had no intention of giving her an answer right away.
Because it wasn't only the Kronos Union and Lania that I needed to hear out.
"I can't give you an answer just yet."
"That's fine. That's enough. I believe in you, brother."
It would've been easier if she had acted stubborn, throwing around the family duty and trying to force my hand.
But instead, Lania only nodded and spoke softly.
"…I might come to a different answer. One that might not be what you're hoping for."
"That would still be your choice. Didn't you once tell me not to waste life tied down by things like duty or destiny? I want you to live like that too, brother."
I had no memory of saying that.
Which made sense.
That must've been something spoken by the old Carl Marcus, not me.
"Thanks… for understanding."
"No need to thank me."
Lania gave a gentle smile.
I stared at that smile for a moment, lost in thought.
"..."
To be honest, until recently, Lania had been nothing more than a useful card to me—a figure destined to be the Kronos Union's number two.
I never considered her family.
Lania Marcus was Carl Marcus's family, not mine.
But in this wretched world, where no one could be trusted, her unprompted kindness and trust had slowly softened me.
Because it felt so comfortable. So right.
Because it reminded me I wasn't alone in the crushing loneliness of this world.
So now, I've chosen to no longer turn away.
Until now, Lania Marcus had simply been Carl Marcus's family—and nothing more.
But not anymore.
Lania is my family.
And I finally accepted that.
"I've got a question."
"What is it?"
"You said liberation was our destiny. Then why were we given such a destiny in the first place?"
Lania's eyes trembled.
I didn't know where she was looking, but I knew I had to meet her gaze now.
"…Because it's our sin."
"Sin?"
"The Marcus family's original sin. We have to atone for it."
The Ark, too, was said to bear an original sin.
But ironically, it wasn't the only one.
"What do you mean?"
"…So, you really have forgotten everything. I suppose that makes sense… You've always tried to forget that duty, haven't you, brother? But we can't look away anymore."
I didn't forget.
I just never knew.
'Still…'
Even so, I said nothing.
Trying to make some pitiful excuse would've been no different than denying the very decision I made—to accept Lania as family.
"Our ancestor committed a sin. An unforgivable sin against all existence."
"…Our ancestor?"
There was only one name that came to mind when thinking of the Marcus family's ancestor.
"You don't mean… the Great Spirit?"
The Descendants of the Great Spirit.
It was a phrase that had always followed both Carl and Lania Marcus.
So of course, if Lania was speaking of their ancestor, she had to mean the Great Spirit.
"That's right. The Great Spirit. That brilliant name revered by all—it brought both glory and sin to the Marcus bloodline."
So, the suspicion I had… was true.
The Great Spirit.
A name eerily similar to the Great Will—it had always suggested a connection.
But I never expected them to be this directly linked…
"What even is the Great Spirit? And why is it called that?"
Now I had to ask.
What was the Great Spirit, really?
What kind of being was it, to bind the Marcus family this tightly?
"The Great Spirit was our ancestor. And historically, the most powerful ether adept of all time. The name 'Great Spirit'… it was born from both praise for their achievements and curses for their sins."
"Achievements and sins…"
Two words that didn't fit together in the slightest.
Praise and curses, no less…
I didn't know what the Great Spirit had done—but I had a feeling it was related to Project Noah.
"What happened?"
"…A very long time ago. Ages ago."
Lania began to recount a story passed down through the Marcus family.
"In a time when everything was crude and savage. When ominous black smoke filled the sky and flashes of cursed lightning flickered within it. The ground trembled with deafening booms, and the earth screamed in agony. From the mouth of a massive volcano, living lava poured and roared, spewing red smoke and flames."
"Dark clouds thickened above, falling as heavy rain, and the world before our eyes no longer resembled the peaceful land it once was. Beyond the horizon, savage howls rang out, and the earth began to split with unease."
"Amidst it all, a dragon awoke from its slumber and roared toward the heavens. Its eyes glowed red, piercing the darkness across vast distances. As it took flight, a storm rose, lightning shattered the sky, thunder boomed, and massive flames were born. Those flames seemed alive, trying to consume everything—and together with the burning land, they formed a howling vortex."
"Cries of agony rang from everywhere, and the survivors fled in desperate despair. But all that awaited them was a dying world, where hope itself turned to ash in the spreading flames."
Volcanoes erupting. The rise of a dragon.
Especially the appearance of a dragon—that I couldn't ignore.
"A dragon, you said?"
I knew of the few dragons that existed in The Defense.
Grade-Ex Dragon-class: Ankelenth.
The nightmare that heralds the promised destruction.
And the fact that Ankelenth now sleeps in Mount Noah was no coincidence.
"What was the name of that dragon?"
"I don't know. I only saw it, that's all."
That statement unnerved me.
No—everything Lania had said did.
"…You talk like you saw it with your own eyes."
"Hm? Ah… I see. So, you've forgotten that too."
"What do you mean?"
"You'll find out soon, brother—what it is that I saw."
Saw, huh…
The way Lania spoke, it was clear she had truly witnessed that scene.
"Anyway…"
Lania continued, her tone bitter.
"The world was dying."
She didn't explain why the world was dying.
I had a feeling it was somehow related to the Ark—but I didn't say it out loud.
"Why was the world ending? What happened?"
"I don't know why it was ending. All I know is that the Great Spirit stood at the center of that history."
Lania claimed she didn't know the reason.
But for some reason, I felt like I did.
Among the greatest historical events in this world, Project Noah had to be one of them.
I still didn't know what Project Noah truly was—but the end that approached back then must've been tied to it.
"The Great Spirit couldn't simply stand by and watch the world end. As I said, they were an immensely powerful ether adept—one who could rewrite the very laws of the world."
"…Rewrite the laws?"
"Yeah."
Lania nodded.
"In the end, the apocalypse was postponed. The dragon that sought to burn the world fell into slumber. The runaway ether that seemed poised to consume everything… came to a halt."
"But the Great Spirit paid for that. With everything. Their life—and even their soul."
"For that noble sacrifice, the Marcus family was promised eternal glory. But at the same time, they inherited the curse for what the Great Spirit had done to postpone the apocalypse."
Glory and curse.
That's what Lania spoke of.
"…What was that?"
"To halt the world's end, the Great Spirit did something no being ever should have done. They forcibly gathered the rampaging ether into one place."
"No way…"
Lania nodded.
And calmly spoke one of the greatest hidden truths of this world.
"That's right. The Great Spirit sealed the rampaging ether in one place. It was the only way to prevent it from destroying the world. Because of that, a once-ordinary dormant volcano came to be known as Mount Noah. And the forcibly merged mass of ether… gained a will."
Every word.
"It gained a will and power strong enough to interfere with the laws of the world. But in essence, it was just a prisoner—trapped, desperate for liberation. A sorrowful collection of beings seeking only release."
From Lania's mouth flowed the story of the saddest being in this world.
"The Great Will."
Spoken like a confession.
Plain and unadorned.
"That is the unforgivable original sin committed by the Great Spirit."
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