Evan had noticed this a long time ago.
Even though Zain rarely expressed himself, for some reason, he could sometimes see the clear emotion in his eyes.
But sometimes, Evan wished he couldn't see it.
Those eyes.
Those soothing jade-green eyes. That had seen countless lives and deaths. Those sorrowful eyes.
They were truly heartbreaking.
"If only I could ask him..." Evan muttered to himself.
Even the frank and blunt Evan still understood his position.
"By the way, Zain, this isn't the World Tree, is it?" Evan pointed to the large, shady tree behind them.
The tree was so tall, with its lush leaves and massive trunk, it was hard to imagine what it looked like when it was a seedling.
Zain looked at Evan.
"No." Zain replied in his usual tone.
"I see." Evan averted his gaze, as if he hadn't asked.
Actually, Evan had only intended to change the subject, as he felt a momentary awkwardness.
But after he pointed to the tree and examined it again, he somehow felt a strange energy emanating from it.
"Maybe it's just my intuition..." Evan decided to ignore it.
"Ah, by the way, all races have different lifespans. What if a hero from one race dies first?"
"Then there will be a replacement."
"Then what about the alliance they formed?"
"Initially, they were going to visit the new hero and inform him. That's why they wanted memory magic. So the new hero could immediately know what happened before."
"I see... but before that happened, didn't they all die together?" Evan asked.
Zain nodded.
"Then what about the heroes before them?"
"There's never been an alliance before, so there's no need for one."
"Ah, yes, you're right."
"But wouldn't having Haechi be more helpful to the new heroes?"
"It should be. But what if Haechi destroys the world again?"
"But why would Haechi do that? Was it because he was tired?"
"Yes. You're right. How did you know?" Zain asked.
"Actually, I was just guessing. If I tried to see it from Haechi's perspective, always weighing the pros and cons of someone, no, everyone, it would be very tiring."
"Even from my perspective. Seeing people who change their minds so easily, especially when their situation is unfavorable, and those who aren't even satisfied with what they have in their lives, is annoying." Evan sneered.
"Are you satisfied with what you have in your life now?" Zain asked in a slightly mocking tone.
"More or less."
"So, you also think you're annoying?"
"No. Because at least I'm a self-aware person." Evan replied in a confident tone with a hint of mockery.
They both chuckled.
"Humans are selfish creatures, Zain."
"Yes. And they have to be."
"Because, that's just how humans are." Zain and Evan spoke almost simultaneously.
"You still remember that."
"Of course. It was thanks to that sentence that I got this position." Evan said with a confident smile.
"Haechi is tired and disappointed. He's angry and sad. He even blames himself for not being able to carry out the task given to him."
"It's not his fault." Evan said.
"He also said that even if there were a hundred of him or even beings greater than him, people would never change."
"Yes, that's true." Evan nodded in agreement.
"People, in any world, are truly troublesome." Evan sighed.
"Even the scales of justice with divine power can't change people."
"You know, I feel like strong, brave, and powerful people have a worse fate than the cowardly and weak."
"They may not be oppressed, but they go through something even more heartbreaking than oppression. Even though they have power, they're still powerless. Like those heroes."
"And sometimes those cowardly and weak people can be more terrifying than the monsters." Evan said.
"That's how it is. Strong people have a way of protecting themselves. And when they keep moving forward and then look back at the people who seek refuge in them, they become uncertain."
"They will begin to wonder whether their power exists to protect themselves or to protect others." Zain said casually.
"But that only applies to good people, not villains." Zain continued.
"A greedy, power-hungry person would never think of such a thing." Evan continued.
"And unfortunately, most people are like that." Evan sighed.
"Yes, that's true. A terrible fate."
Evan looked at Zain.
"Then, what about you?"
"Are you suffering?" Evan asked, his blue eyes looking sad.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean."
Zain looked at Evan. He was silent for a moment.
"I don't know... Even now, I still don't know." Zain said calmly.
Evan was still looking at Zain.
"Don't know... even though you yourself once said that no one can understand a person except that person themselves."
"Powerful yet powerless... you seem like that. Is your power so great that the world is stifling it, or is it your own decision... do you feel lonely and suffering... do you feel tired... I can't know because you never answered..." Evan said to himself.
Evan knew how powerful Zain was because he had seen him in the past.
Although Zain never told him, Evan knew that Zain held secrets that were perhaps impossible for him to comprehend.
The stories he told, his knowledge, and how he could understand Evan's thoughts without needing to pry into his personal information.
And Zain's appearance, which hadn't changed at all since decades ago, made it impossible for Evan not to think about things so far away.
"Even though I know what emotions your eyes radiate..."
"Still, at least... I want to hear them..."
Seeing Evan as if he wanted to say something, Zain asked.
"What?"
Evan opened and closed his lips.
"No... forget it." Evan replied with a faint smile.
"Ah, but how can the demon race not be inhabitants of the Abyss when they were created with Abyss energy? Even the black dragon became an Abyss dweller simply by drinking from the Abyss river."
"Because their god created them that way. Besides, the demon race wasn't created solely from Abyss energy. They were actually created as a filter to suppress the surge of Abyss there."
"Filter? Then why do they have emotions? Even the demon king has a kinder heart than the human king."
"The Abyss is death. If death and life existed in one place, which would one choose?"
"Of course, life."
"Well, the demon god created them from the energy of death with thoughts, hearts, and emotions, and they became life. Think of death as black paint, and life as a collection of colored paints. Could those colors shine on black paint?"
"No. Those colors would mix and become black too."
"Could they become white?"
"That's even more impossible."
"Well, that's where the gods come in. The power of mysterious beings called gods can defy any law at their will, which can be called a miracle."
"The Abyss energy that created the demon race will also disappear when the demon race dies."
"Because the energy of death transforms into the energy of life?"
"Right."
"I understand."
"Ah, speaking of which, I'm quite curious about the vampire race. Why do they need to create a ritual of eternal sleep? Isn't that like forcing death?"
"Ah, that has several reasons. But it actually has one purpose."
"To teach what death is."
"Huh? Why does death need to be taught?"
"Hmm... actually, I don't want to explain it."
"Why?"
"Because it's quite long."
"But you've been talking at length and there haven't been any problems?"
"That was it."
"Just keep it short."
"Hmm..." Zain thought for a moment.
"Of all the races out there, vampires have the most unique characteristics. They drink blood and eat raw flesh. Why? Because blood and flesh symbolize life."
"It might sound like they're immortal because they feed on the source of life."
"You could say that, but that's because they were created that way."
"Having a long life sounds wonderful, especially to humans who have short lifespans. But the reality isn't so wonderful."
"If you were just a rock, there wouldn't be a problem if you just stayed there forever. But unfortunately, they are living creatures."
"Elves and vampires, especially elves, have thoughts, feelings, and emotions like humans, but vampires are a bit different. Having a long life is a blessing in itself. Vampires, especially, don't have to fear death."
"They have long lives, but they lose something, the feeling of grieving."
"When you're rich, you don't understand poverty. When you're healthy, you don't understand sickness. When you're alive, you don't understand death."
"Well, death can happen for various reasons. For example, when humans die, they simply die. When they die of illness, they try to forget the pain and remember the happy things."
"Sometimes, those who are lucky will have the chance to feel, mourn, and remember their past, their lives, their loved ones, and say goodbye."
"All of that becomes precious because humans are short-lived creatures."
"So what about vampires? Creatures who don't need to fear death? Will their long lives also become precious in the face of death?"
"A place where knowledge, wisdom, wealth, power, and strength will no longer have any meaning."
"They must let it go. In a place called a grave."
*
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"Big brother."
"Yes?"
"Please read this story to me."
"Haven't you read it yourself?"
"Yes. But a story comes alive when someone tells it."