Chapter 128 

‘There has to be a clue somewhere.’

Alexa was rummaging through the smartphone. At first glance, it was an ordinary smartphone, one you’d see anywhere back in Korea. But here in the Mage Tower, it was likely treated with reverence as a relic left behind by the one who formed the pact. It was much cleaner and better preserved than the one she used to have.

There was no internet connection. Which meant most of the smartphone’s functions were useless here. In a situation like this, there was only one way to leave a record.

The notepad.

If the person claiming to be a past version of Alexa really wanted to help her, they would have left something behind. Alexa opened the memo app. Just as she’d expected.

There was an overwhelming number of memos stored inside. Judging by the dates, it seemed they had been used like a diary. If the one who created the pact was from the Red Clan, it made sense. They likely had enough magical prowess to use a device like this. Alexa scrolled through the list and tapped on the most recent entry.

[If someone’s reading this, then it must be you. Isn’t that right, Alexa?]

It felt like her heart dropped.

Brillia and Jeremiah leaned in, trying to read the message together. However, there was a limit to the languages a Korean-made smartphone could display.

All of the entries were written in Hangul.

“What does this mean?”

“Alexa, do you understand it?”

“She might be able to. This is the script used by the ancient Red Clan.”

“Huh?”

Alexa looked up sharply.

Brillia began to speak, her words flowing freely with knowledge he already knew.

“When the Temperchi Empire was first founded, four played key roles: Lord Dephensores, Lady Lunailliah, the First Emperor, and the Red Clan. Among them, the Red Clan who created the Oath Seal was said to be part of the ‘Original Red Clan’.”

“The Original Red Clan….”

“Back then, the Red Clan possessed near-immortal lifespans. Of course, once they lost their powers, they became ordinary humans. This is just a theory, but some believe the Red Clan didn’t originate from this world.”

“What do you mean, ‘not from this world’…?”

Alexa’s breath caught in her throat.

“They’re said to be beings who crossed over from another timeline. The ancient Red Clan supposedly had the ability to move freely between timelines. And beyond those timelines, there are entirely different parallel worlds unlike our own.”

It felt like someone was stripping Alexa’s soul bare. The theory Brillia spoke of was frighteningly close to the truth.

Alexa bit down on her lip hard. Her hand, still clutching the smartphone, was turning pale.

“When they crossed over to this side, they would take on a new body, yet most shared similar features. Most notably, red hair.”

With trembling fingers, Alexa touched her hair.

‘So I wasn’t the only one who crossed over!’

Her breath trembled. Jeremiah gently patted her back.

“You okay?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“Alexa? You don’t look so well. Are you feeling sick?”

“No, Teacher. I think I just got a bit too absorbed in the story. So, what happened next?”

“Ah, right. Among them, the Original Red Clan members fulfilled their duties to the very end. Even after Lord Dephensores vanished due to the Red Clan’s betrayal, they worked to stabilize Thersion. It’s the reason why the other Red Clan members, despite losing their powers, were never hunted down and managed to survive.”

It felt like all the puzzle pieces were falling into place.

Thersion had every reason to hold a deep grudge against the Red Clan, but they didn’t act on it. It was likely out of respect for the Original Red Clan who had helped them. Thersion was a people who never forgot kindness.

“But Alexa, remember, this is all still just a theory. Was my story of any help to you?”

“Yes,” Alexa answered with a firm nod.

According to Brillia’s story, it was possible to go back. There was a way to return.

‘Do you want to go back?’

Absolutely not.

Alexa loved her life here. This world had become her reality, her everything.

‘Don’t be afraid, Alexa.’

No matter what truth she would soon face, she had people here who would always be on her side.

Drawing on renewed courage, Alexa turned back to the smartphone screen.

[I’ve done everything I needed to do here. I’ve repaid all the debts I held in my heart. Dephensores, being a beast who knows gratitude, freed me from the curse’s shackles. I gave everything I had to help Thersion stand on its own. It wasn’t easy, gathering the young wolves and building a new House from scratch.]

[Lunailliah and the second son chose to live on as gods. Have you met them? If it’s Lunailliah, she’d wait for Dephensores even if it took an eternity. If you meet her, could you tell her something for me? That Han Yu-hee would miss her terribly.]

Her heart dropped once more.

Han Yu-hee. That was her name.

But no matter how hard she tried to remember, there were no such memories. No memories of being the Original Red Clan, founding a nation with Dephensores, or helping Thersion.

Alexa bit her lip again.

[Once I return, I’ll lose all memories of this place.]

So then… 

[But I truly had a wonderful time here. After losing my parents, I had no will to live, but this world taught me how to survive on my own. I might not remember anything, but somehow, I feel like I’ll still be okay when I go back.]

Alexa’s eyes trembled, as if caught in a storm.

[Time flows differently here and in Korea. I’ve spent over a hundred years in this world, but when I go back, only a day or two may have passed. And yet, I’m not afraid anymore. I had so much fun here.]

[Han Yu-hee… no, Alexa. My name here was Alexa, but I wonder what name you go by now. Not that it matters. I just hope you lived a joyful life here, too. Somehow, I think I’ll return to this place one day.]

[I believe coming here was fate. And I truly loved my life here. So if fate really exists, you’ll return again someday too. I’m going back now. There’s still something I have to do in that world. Just like I promised Mom and Dad, I’m going to live a bright, shining life. So you too, fighting!]

—From 22-year-old Han Yu-hee to the Han Yu-hee of someday.

That was the last entry.

Twenty-two years old… Alexa knew exactly when that was. After her parents died, she hadn’t been able to get out of bed for a whole week.

Tears welled up in Alexa’s blue eyes.

This wasn’t just some fictional world. This was the world that had held the entirety of Alexa’s, Han Yu-hee’s, long, long life. And if time flowed differently between here and Korea, then it meant other ‘Earthlings’ had lived different timelines too.

The story they had remembered and written down remained as a novel, but so much had been omitted.

It wasn’t that Alexa had come and changed this world. She was simply living through another timeline.

Her chest swelled with emotion. All the new realizations were quietly stacking up within her.

Even the books that existed within her Karakter, she could now guess what they were. They were records of the time Alexa had already lived. And the floating ones must have been fresh records of the time she was living now.

A drum echoed in her mind.

“Alexa? Why are you crying? What on earth did you read…?”

Jeremiah, flustered, nervously patted her back. Even Brillia knelt down beside her, worried after seeing Alexa bury her face in her hands.

“Alexa, it’s okay if you couldn’t find anything. Even if that weird device didn’t give you any answers, it’s all right. So don’t cry…”

“…It’s not that.”

“Huh?”

“That’s not why…”

Even Alexa couldn’t quite define the meaning of her tears.

Part of it was relief – relief that she wasn’t just an intruder who had messed up a story by barging into a fictional world. Relief that it was okay for her to settle down in Thersion. That it was okay to live among people who loved her.

“Alexa…”

Brillia looked heartbroken. The sight of her small body hunched over in tears tugged at her heart.

And just then… 

“Alexa.”

A deep voice called from the doorway. Alexa raised her tear-streaked face. Ysildus was approaching, his face frozen in cold sternness.

“What’s going on?”

Though he asked kindly, his eyes were sharp, like freshly honed blades. Brillia and Jeremiah, reading the room, quickly stepped back. A single wrong move could get them shredded by Isildus’s fangs.

Alexa shook her head.

“It’s nothing… It’s really nothing. Just…”

It felt like her long-confused sense of identity had finally found its place. Like someone had granted her permission to live here.

How could she even explain that?

Still holding the smartphone, Alexa wrapped her arms around Ysildus tightly.

“I’m just… really happy.”

“Hmmm.”

The ice in Ysildus’s expression melted like water. He never missed an opportunity.

He pulled Alexa gently into his arms and whispered softly, “When you’re like this, I can’t help but be happy too.”

And then, with a breath against her ear, he added, “Shall we go somewhere more private?”

The wolf had finally bared his true, dark intentions.

……

T/N: That must be real wild to know that you have lived this world more than once and maybe… loved the same person more than once