[196] 1. God's Mercy (1)
Ilhwa's Art.
A ritual that melts humans and fuses them into giants.
The idea of combining many individuals into one left no room for the dignity of living beings.
Living creatures spread their offspring. But Heaven's forbidden craft ran counter to that natural order.
They adjusted citizens' lifespans via the Lifespan Register, and when individual numbers rose they merged them into giants to keep the population steady.
If that was Ra's will, then Ilhwa's Art could be said to be a core system that maintained Heaven.
Shirone and the others gathered around the table and began their meeting. Having learned Heaven's cruel logic, the tension had risen.
First on the agenda was how to handle Peope.
If the fairy who had slipped out during the memory transfer reported to her superiors, Kanya's home wouldn't be safe.
"We have to leave immediately. Peope will bring more troops."
Kanis argued they needed to move.
Peope's skill wasn't remarkable, but it was true she was only a year old.
Without knowing what other fairies might be capable of, avoiding battle was the prudent choice.
"Don't worry so much. Shirone's a Nephilim. Under the Law, Nephilim aren't affected. The fairies won't hurt Shirone."
Kanya, a subject, believed in the Law with all her heart. But nobody answered her.
What they'd learned here was that Nephilim were not omnipotent. They were certainly free from Heaven's Law, but for that very reason the backlash when the Law intervened could be severe.
"Shirone, you decide. We'll follow your lead."
Amy left the choice to Shirone. From Heaven's perspective, heresy was like a contaminant. If they were going to try anything, Shirone had to be their figurehead.
"I think it's better to stay here tonight. I don't think Peope will report us—she has no reason to. And there's a metagate. If the worst happens, we can run."
Shirone trusted Peope. Gruff as she was, she'd reduced Kanya and Rena's lifespan cuts to a single year.
She was intelligent enough to self-criticize; she wasn't the sort to let emotions blow things up.
What worried Shirone more was Kanya. Tomorrow, Kanya's mother would undergo Ilhwa's Art.
For a person who had spent her life devoted to Ra, becoming one with another human was a nightmare.
"I understand why you hesitated to talk about Ilhwa's Art. But Kanya, do you really think that way? The Ilhwa's Art I checked…"
"I know. It's irrational. I know that too."
Kanya admitted it without resistance.
It was a harsh statement for someone who a moment ago had called Ilhwa's Art a sacred rite.
Shirone didn't find it strange. Faith and feeling occupied different spheres.
"I'm not an idiot. It'd be a lie to say I never doubted. But what would change if I did? If you don't believe in the god, you die. If you believe in the god, you get eternal life. There's no choice."
Kanya said the word "death" aloud for the first time. She knew that death existed even in Heaven.
"If you're staying here, I'll make a place for you to rest. This way."
When Kanya pressed a button on the control panel, the side of the building opened and a new structure flew over and connected to Kanya's home.
As Shirone and the others stared in surprise, Kanya explained that most households had multiple chambers.
"Hoho, the Mecha like to invite guests."
Kanya's smile made something ache inside Shirone.
@
That night, Kanya and Rena lay in the same bed.
Their hearts raced as if they'd been running, and sleep would not come.
The sisters didn't cry. Each waited, silently hoping the other would be the first to break.
As they tossed and turned, Rena turned to her sister.
"Sis, tomorrow Mom will be gone, right?"
Kanya looked at her little sister, who would lose their mother at such a young age, with pity.
As she smoothed Rena's hair, Rena said something unexpected.
"If it's Shirone oppa… you can have him."
Kanya's brow narrowed slightly. In her astonishment there was also a trace of wounded pride.
"What are you talking about? Shirone's a Nephilim. How could I share my life with someone like that?"
"But you'd never date a heretic. And someone like Shirone… we probably won't meet him again. This is your chance. You have to take it."
Kanya fought back the tears. She felt every edge of her sister's longing.
Tomorrow her mother would no longer be home. Rena wanted to fill that emptiness with a new family.
"Hehe, but you like Shirone too. If Shirone became my brother-in-law you'd be unbearable—jealous of me every day."
"No! I mean it! For you, sis, I can give him up!"
Kanya laughed. Both of them knew Shirone would never become theirs.
It was just late-night girls' talk.
When Rena burrowed into her like a soaked kitten, Kanya hugged her and kissed her forehead.
"Don't worry, Rena. I only have you."
Rena's eyes slid closed.
And so the last night passed.
@
Shirone and the others rested in the room Kanya had provided.
It had been a day of too many events.
Each of them sank into their own thoughts; conversation dwindled.
Tess faked a sob and said, "Should we go back now? Too much happened today. Honestly, this place is exhausting."
Everyone felt the same. How many battles had they fought in twelve hours?
Every enemy they faced wielded a power unlike anything from their original world.
Beyond fatigue, Heaven's endless secrets were a problem. They'd been fed too much information at once and their heads were spinning.
Kanis said, "We can't do that. We came this far. Arin and I have to make it to the Seventh Heaven, Arabot."
If they'd only wanted to sightsee Shamain, they wouldn't have attempted this at all.
Once in Heaven, there was no way to retrieve a metagate. What they'd paid as a ticket was, in effect, an ancient relic.
Amy hugged her pillow and rolled over.
"But Arabot is where the gods live, right? It'll be the hardest place to enter in all of Heaven. How on earth will we get there?"
"You don't need to worry. I'll handle it. If you're afraid, stay here."
"Oh? You really're ignoring us? Just go on ahead and leave us behind?"
"That's even worse. If we activate the metagate here, the memories reset. Memories are one-time use. Even if some of us stayed, we'd lose the way to return."
Amy thumped her pillow against the floor and sat up.
"Really? So to get back we have to take you with us?"
"Yeah. Have you been living under a rock, you pumpkin?"
"What, pumpkin? Have you ever seen a pumpkin this pretty?"
"Sure. The one hanging around your neck looks a lot like that."
Amy ground her teeth. Whether it was a compliment or an insult, Kanis had shut her up.
Shirone hugged a pillow and sat up.
"I don't intend to go back yet either. But Kanis, the timing for using the metagate has to be reasonable. If something besides survival sticks in your head, you'll hesitate at the decisive moment."
"Hmph, I know that much. Leave it to Arin. If things get really dangerous we'll all get the hell out—Heaven be damned."
"But you know…"
Tess propped her head and rolled onto her side. The lines of her body from head to toe were striking.
'An adult… she's an adult.'
'Tess is an adult.'
The children's gazes all fixed on her, but Tess seemed used to it and didn't care.
"How do they control lifespans here? Is there really a god who can move a person's life as he pleases?"
The kids sank into thought.
"It feels like magic. It was the same when we fought Marsha. It's like there's nothing magic can't do."
Clay Marsha's ability had clearly defied imagination. But Amy was skeptical.
"Hmm, extraregulation magic. Shortening a lifespan might be possible depending on cost and conditions, but extending one? No magic can lengthen life. That would exceed human limits."
"Is that so? I feel like there might be a way. Hmm."
Arin said, "Why is everyone so critical? Maybe Ra really is a god. Even if he didn't create the world, perhaps he's at least god-like."
"That's weird too. If he were truly a god, why would he need names to control things?"
As Amy said, a name is a label humans give. It made no sense to think a being that depended on human language could legitimately be a deity.
Shirone said, "And don't you think Ilhwa's Art is evil? For whatever reason, it treats human life like an object. Ra might just be adjusting lifespans to manage Heaven. The idea that a god administers the world like that doesn't sit right."
The others realized Shirone viewed Heaven negatively. Good and evil are human concepts that shift with circumstance. Making moral judgments required utmost caution.
Tess said, "But there's nothing we can do. It's their chosen life, their culture. Religion holds an absolute position within a cultural sphere."
"No, it's not just religion. We already said Ra isn't a god."
"That doesn't matter. Even if he's a dictator, so what? Ra has the ability to govern lifespans. What's more important than that in a religion?"
Shirone seemed to have more to say, but he swallowed his words.
Watching him, Amy realized Shirone was still trying to find a way to save Kanya's mother.
She liked that about him, but now was the time for cool heads.
"What will you do, Shirone? Ilhwa's Art happens tomorrow. As Tess said, it's what the citizens chose. We can't simply step in because it seems unreasonable to us."
"But Miro said she denied the Law."
"Shirone, that's—"
"I know. I'm not trying to follow her thoughts blindly. It's just that my impressions are starting to line up with hers. I think I'm beginning to understand her a little."
Shirone recalled the stories about Miro he'd heard at Nor's shelter. Even though Miro had denied the Law, the old man's mother didn't hate her.
If the citizens were merely beings who obediently submitted to Ra, how should that be understood? What had Miro seen and felt in Heaven?
The one certain thing was that when tomorrow came, Shirone would have to make a choice too.
Perhaps Miro… might not have been wrong.
@
First Heaven, Shamain.
Citizen Management Department, Branch 73.
The fairy department where Peope worked was located on the outskirts of Shamain, bordering Purgatory. Hundreds of houses were built on the great tree called the World Tree, and small fairies flitted among them like larks.
Peope went deep into the World Tree.
The department head's dwelling was much smaller than a human's house, but it was quaint and ornate.
When she opened the door, Department Head Igirin sat with her wings folded in a chair. Her eye makeup was heavy, and golden vine patterns were etched on her cheeks.
Born into authority, she was an adult beyond Peope's reach by age alone. Her beauty, in particular, drew admiration from the other fairies.