Chapter 38
Sister
"Squawk! (A mount? Seriously?!!!)"
Pippi seemed quite shocked by Gwangyu's words.
"No, Pippi! Calm down! I never thought of you as a mount and brought you along!"
"Pii.... Pip! (But that snake bastard dared to treat me like a mount!)"
Pippi teared up and nestled in my arms with a whimper.
'Poor Pippi was so upset. I mean, being called a 'mount'? It's not like he's a bus!'
"Don't cry, Pippi. I'm telling you clearly, to me, you're not like a mount at all. I really think of you as my own sibling. You're family who joined me on my first adventure."
I gave Pippi a hug and whispered reassuringly.
"Cheep chirp? (Really?)"
Then, Pippi looked up at me, face still wet with tears.
"Of course! Pippi and I sleep together, build fires in the forest, watch the sky, and we have so many memories together, right?"
"Chirp, chirp. (That's right. You always treated me like your little brother.)"
"So just forget what Gwangyu said. It's not true! Come on, dry those tears!"
"Cheep cheep! Pip! (Stop! I won't cry anymore.)"
Perhaps my comfort worked, Pippi wiped away the tears with its wings and made a brave face.
'Seriously, it's like I'm taking care of a younger sibling, not a real bird.'
Strangely, being with Pippi felt similar to being with my dad.
'Kind of comfortable, like real family? Even though I haven't known Pippi for long, it feels like we've been together for ages.'
"How nice. Family! I want that too. A younger sibling!"
Gwangyu, who had been silently watching me comfort Pippi, looked at me enviously.
"You're a bit old to be a little brother, aren't you?"
I tried to ignore him, but Gwangyu's eyes were too intense.
"If that's the problem, how about something other than a younger sibling?"
Gwangyu's face lit up, like he suddenly saw a chance.
"Something else, like what?"
"Well… like a dad?"
Gwangyu, after hesitating, cautiously revealed his true feelings.
'A snake for a dad? And one that could slither off any second? I've got my hands full with the dad I already have.'
"I've got a dad. And even if I could have two, I don't think I want another one."
"I'd love to have two little daughters like you."
Even though he said it jokingly, Gwangyu's disappointed expression looked genuinely sincere.
'Good thing he doesn't know anything. If he knew Dad was the Cheonma, he wouldn't be so eager to volunteer as my father.'
"That's sweet of you, but I'll pass."
"Hehehe! I knew it! Serves you right! Seol Cheonseong, hop on! Your favorite sibling will get you to the Demonic Cult in a flash!)"
As soon as I finished speaking, Pippi, as if having waited for it, mocked Gwangyu.
'I need to separate these two quickly before they start fighting again.'
"Okay. Gwangyu, you can follow on your own, right?"
"I could give you a ride."
Gwangyu looked at me with lingering eyes, seemingly regretful.
"It's okay. I'm more comfortable riding Pippi… no, going with Pippi."
'I almost said riding Pippi.'
Fortunately, Pippi seemed too busy teasing Gwangyu to hear my words properly.
"Cheep chirp cheep! Cheep. Cheep! (Let's go then, Sis!)"
Pippi, emphasizing the title "sister" as if for Gwangyu to hear, carried me on its back and soared into the sky more cheerfully than ever.
* * *
'The Young Lord had some urgent business and asked me to keep an eye on him for a bit...'
Gwangyu gazed intently at Cheonseong flying in the sky on Pippi's back.
'He figured out pretty quick that I'm kind of a big deal in the Demonic Cult, and that I'm not someone to mess with. But he still speaks his mind... It's hard to believe he's just six years old.'
Gwangyu liked Cheonseong even more than when he first met him at the marketplace.
'So the Cheonma's blood is strong. But that cuteness? Definitely not from the Cheonma... He must take after his mother.'
Gwangyu acknowledged that there was some influence from Cheonma, but concluded that his appearance and cuteness must have come entirely from somewhere else.
"Anyway, 'Dad' is out of the question, so..."
Gwangyu, walking on air, followed Cheonseong, a serious look on his face.
"What's the next closest family member after Dad?"
Wishing he could have Cheonseong as his daughter.
* * *
"Today is exactly one week since that human left."
Geumseon Yeonhwa woke up earlier than usual.
'To be precise, I tossed and turned all night.'
It was a very strange thing.
Until now, Geumseon Yeonhwa had been living leisurely and comfortably alone in the cave, but since the day Cheonseong left the Demonic Cult, time seemed to pass more slowly.
'Since then, being alone has started to feel incredibly boring.'
Geumseon Yeonhwa tried his best to overcome the boredom.
He went back to the cave and soaked himself in his favorite pond.
"Come to think of it, I first met a human here. Back then, I didn't know that human would become the owner of the flower seed."
He also enjoyed the scenery while riding on a lotus leaf.
"Come to think of it, humans also feel good when they see beautiful scenery…"
But no matter where he went or what he did, Cheonseong came to mind.
'Was I very lonely? Come to think of it, it's been almost 30 years since I've been alone in this cave.'
In fact, before being banished to the cave, Geumseon Yeonhwa had always been with his companions.
'If I hadn't broken the taboo and saved the human child back then, I would still be with my companions.'
However, Geumseon Yeonhwa broke the taboo twice, even after receiving forgiveness once.
'Repeating the same thing was entirely my choice. So, I can't say it's unfair or resent being banished to the human realm.'
Geumseon Yeonhwa was a divine creature, originally living in the Divine Realm.
He was a promising talent in the Divine Realm, but at the same time, he was also the target of jealousy from his companions.
"Why does only Geumseon Yeonhwa have the power to intervene in fate?"
"Exactly. Isn't that an ability that only gods can have, not divine creatures?"
"Honestly, if the gods mistakenly granted it, they should take that power back now. Who knows what kind of accident he'll cause?"
"Right, he's arrogant now because the gods keep praising him as a genius."
Not all companions hated Geumseon Yeonhwa.
"Geumseon Yeonhwa, don't pay attention to what they say and let's go train."
There were definitely companions who loved Geumseon Yeonhwa as well.
But the problem arose during time training.
Time training was a practice of floating through time in the human realm, observing human lives and destinies, and understanding emotions and truth.
At this time, divine creatures of the Divine Realm were absolutely forbidden from intervening in human destinies.
However, Geumseon Yeonhwa intervened in the fate of human children twice, and with the backlash from his colleagues and companions, he eventually had his power taken away and was banished from the Divine Realm forever.
'Are those human children doing well? Or did they fail to overcome their fate and die?'
Geumseon Yeonhwa spoke as if he didn't care, but he hoped they had survived.
'The reason I saved those human children was partly because I sincerely wanted them to be happy, but also because I wanted them to escape from fate and live their own lives, unlike me.'
'Come to think of it, the second baby I saved. That child's eyes were also the color of the blue sea, like Seol's…'
'Seol's coming back today. Better tidy up.'
With his neat nature, Geumseon Yeonhwa opened the window in the room to clean.
At that moment, he heard the sound of someone opening the door to Geumseon Yeonhwa's room.
"What's going on? Seol shouldn't be back yet."
Geumseon Yeonhwa asked calmly, as if knowing who it was without turning around.
"The one who has business is not Seol, but you."
It was Jeokun who came to find Geumseon Yeonhwa.
"I'm busy getting ready for Seol, so make it quick, Young Lord."
Geumseon Yeonhwa spoke while continuing to tidy up the bedding.
"Is it you who caused Seol's power to become unstable?"
"What if it is?"
"What is your true identity?"
"Human, I already said I'm Seol's relative."
At Geumseon Yeonhwa's insincere answer, Jeokun's blade was pointed at the tip of his sharp chin.
"I'm asking you now, what is your real identity?"
"Can you handle it if you know?"
"If it's an identity you can't be proud of, I'll kill you here."
"You can't kill me? It's not like I'm some weakling who dies easily. Human specifically asked me to keep it a secret, but I can't help it. If you're that curious about who I am, I'll specially tell you."
Geumseon Yeonhwa grabbed Jeokun's blade pointed at him with his bare hand.
"This body is…"
The blood flowing from Geumseon Yeonhwa's hand instantly bloomed into golden lotus flowers, and his red lips, placed at the tip of the blade, opened.
"Geumseon Yeonhwa.”
