“And to think I almost missed it.”

It was a beautiful voice. But to me, it was no different than the grim reaper reading my death sentence.

“It’s faint, but I can feel the magic power emanating from your arms. To think this was enough to escape my senses…”

Hearing her voice, lilting and enchanting, I couldn’t catch my breath as my heart pounded away in my chest.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

My hands shook, and my legs trembled to the sound of my racing heart.

“Your reaction is also unusual. Your heart is racing, and your breathing is heavy.”

I froze, not even daring to turn my head to the sound of the voice. I waited, willing my heart to calm down. Enough so she wouldn’t be able to hear it anymore. Enough so that I wouldn’t have to face whatever happened next.

"Turn around," she commanded in an authoritative tone, and I had no choice but to turn around. There were about five of them, and the street lamps illuminated them. They wore white, were adorned with hats that had fluttering white threads dangling from them, and had the symbol of Eden on their chests.

"Look at me and answer.”

The girl standing in the center looked different from the rest—the threads in her hat were laced with gold. She was the leader, and it was obvious that she was the official from Eden that hyung had spoken of. She said softly, as if in a whisper, "What is that in your arms?"

"…"

I desperately resisted her orders and kept my mouth shut. So much so that my veins strained against my body.

“Oh, ho. Are you rejecting the commands of a god?

She stood there amused, seemingly as if my attempts to defy her just raised her curiosity.

“I’m only going to repeat it once. Take out whatever that is in your arms and state what it is.”

My hands, trembling with effort, slowly moved. No matter how hard I strained against her orders, all I could do was succumb. My lips bled from the strain, and my hand eventually reached for the book in my arms.

‘I can’t take it out. She’s not an average official.’

Somehow, she had noticed the book that no one had ever cast a second glance at and forced me to act with a single command. I was convinced that she would uncover the book’s secrets, even though I knew I had to hide it.

“It’s a book, ma’am,” I answered her question and offered the book against my will.

“A book, you say…”

Her eyes twinkled in the light of a street lamp, and she beckoned to me as she smiled as if she had discovered something.

“Come,” she commanded.

I tried to refuse, all while knowing it was impossible to. I walked forward jerkily as I was no longer in control. I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to die’ as I felt death looming over me. If this book fell into her hands, I was doomed. And also everyone I knew. Even the entire village might be burned down.

This was the power of Eden and the Hunters, the way of Eden.

And they would never let the story of the Demon King spread in the world again.

To them, ordinary humans were livestock, mere chattel that was destined for labor.

We were livestock, with our life and death in their hands, killed for whatever needs, wants, or whims they had. That was the difference between them and normal human beings.

I took one step, another step closer to her. And in just a few more, I would be standing right before her. But, ironically, now that I was about to die, my heart started racing at her beauty. She was beautiful, with her face shining gently through the white threads.

“Hand it over.”

Suddenly, I was standing before her, blindly following her orders.

Just as I was about to hand the book over to her—

“I thought I told you to go home.”

Out of nowhere, someone stood between us. He was a handsome man, worthy of being called good-looking.

Sparkle.

His bald head shone under the streetlight.

“Boss?”

It was my boss. The man who had taken care of me since childhood and was one of the few people who were precious to me in this world. He stood in front of me and blocked the officials of Eden. I couldn’t believe it.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

He simply replied, “Because I knew this would happen.”

Looking at her, he stated, “Long time no see, Athena.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the ground began to rise around us.

***

My boss and I stood in a round dome made of earth, stone, and asphalt. As the entire place continued to shake with a great ringing sound, the dust fell around us in waves. Completely dumbfounded, I was still shocked from hearing the name my boss had just said.

‘Athena.’

The boss had definitely called the official from Eden, the one wearing the white threads laced with gold, Athena.

Athena.

It was impossible not to recognize that name. Athena was the name of one of the Twelve Gods, the founders and rulers of Eden. Even more importantly…

“Boss…?”

I couldn’t wrap my head around the current situation. In my mind, my boss had been an ordinary human all this time; however, he not only knew Athena, but could also create this kind of structure. Obviously, there was only one thing that could make this dome.

“Are you a Hunter?”

It was definitely the powers of a Hunter.

I was seeing my boss in an entirely different light. He simply responded, “Is that what you’re worried about in this situation?”

“I don’t seem to have a grasp of reality, sir… It feels like it’s all a dream.”

Those were my honest feelings. Everything going on was unbelievable. I had just seen the rulers of Eden—No, it wasn’t enough that I had actually just seen one of the Twelve Gods, but the boss I had known for so long was also a Hunter.

“I can’t hold her back for long. That bitch will break this dome soon.”

I really couldn’t believe it: The fact that he knew Athena, down to even his ability to block her power, if but for a moment. Everything felt surreal.

Thud! Thud!

As the dust fell and the dome shuddered once more, I started to gather my thoughts little by little.

“We don’t have much time,” my boss urged.

“Who the h…. Who are you, sir?” I couldn’t help but ask. I knew we didn’t have time, but I couldn’t stop myself. Athena was waiting outside the dome, and with Athena, came the sure promise of death.

“...We don’t have time.”

He didn’t answer my question, and I couldn’t ask any further. I was completely focused on what he was pointing to.

“Everything will end if that book falls in their hands.”

“Boss, did… you know about this book from the very beginning?”

He had known about the peculiarities of the book before, but it was only limited to what I had told him. I had naturally confided the book’s secrets to him after having been friends for a long time, but the boss had urged me to not speak about such secrets anymore.

Yet, his answer completely broke his previous facade.

“Did you think I wouldn’t know? I had been searching for that book. And that’s how I met you.”

His replies were short and to the point, unlike the close brother or the store owner I had known. He was like a completely different person.

Thud! Thud!

“There’s not enough time. If I take the book now, I should be able to run away with it safely. You on the other hand… You’ll probably die.”

There was a slight quiver in his eyes.

“Boss…?”

“It’s your burden.”

My boss had prepared something. Even a clueless, ordinary person like me had noticed the change. Something hazy was emitting from him and was slowly enveloping him.

“There… must have been a reason that you had the book. Perhaps, you’ll be the one to…”

It seemed as though he had come to some decision.

“I’ve observed you for a long time.”

What was he talking about??

“Make your choice.”

I couldn't understand what he was speaking about.

“But I won’t leave you here. I’ve grown too fond of you. Damn it…”

As the boss slammed the floor once more, the shaky and unstable dome hardened again.

“I’ll bet everything on you,” my boss said.

I had no idea what he was talking about.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The dome rattled violently. This time, it was much different from before. The boss had transformed all of a sudden. He had originally been dressed in everyday clothing, but now his body was covered in ornate golden armor. A helmet adorned with golden horns was on his head.

“Is the current state of the world to your taste?” he asked.

“Huh?”

That was the only reply I could give. It was such an absurd question to throw at me in such a dreamlike reality.

"Hunters rule everything, and those who used to be humans now claim to be gods. You all are… No, men are all like livestock holding their breath, waiting for their end.”

His voice changed, earnest and solemn. There was nothing left of the older brother or the boss that I had known. Wrapped in golden armor, his figure commanded a presence akin to a god’s.

“You could say that you are the most ordinary person in this world. You may not have been persecuted much, but you also didn’t receive any benefits as a Hunter. You really could claim that you were the most ordinary people of our time.”

Thud. Thud. Thud!

The sounds rang out again outside the dome as my boss continued “How do you feel about the world? Is it to your liking? If not…”

Crack!

It was the first time I heard that particular sound. The dome had been breached.

“Would you change the world if given the chance?”

The same sound occurred again as he asked the question. I could see it clearly now.

Crack.

A transparent blue spear had pierced through the dome and had begun to expand.

“Make your decision. We’re out of time. If you could change the world, would you? Or would you rather let the opportunity slide by…”

Boss moved for the first time. A sword made of gold and jewels appeared in his hand, shining brilliantly. Without hesitation, he swung it with his right arm and struck the spear penetrating the dome. He turned to look at me and asked another question, "And just roll over and die?"

He had asked his question. Yet, I didn’t have an answer. My grudges with the world? Of course, I had them. Everyone had grudges with this world. This world was ruled by Hunters. Everything was restricted for ordinary humans; humans were similar to the livestock he had spoken about, waiting to be tossed aside.

My parents too.

‘I heard his parents were killed by Hunters.’

Hunters had taken everything from me. So yeah, I had a lot of complaints.

When I was younger, I had a dream. I had wanted to be a civil servant and help the orphanage where I grew up. But as an ordinary human, it was a pipe dream that could never happen.A civil servant job was not only out of the question, but also any other jobs too.

Non-Hunters could not occupy any important positions. No matter how talented they might be, no matter how hard they tried, it was an impossible mountain to climb.

There was nothing that could be done. It was a matter of identity. A matter of fate. Even if we all banded together, it would still be impossible to defeat the Hunters. What farmer would give in when the cattle complained? It was our reality, our future.

‘If you could change the world, would you?’

Would I have the drive to fulfill it? I couldn’t even process the current situation I had suddenly been thrown into. Could I even make such a decision?

"Heimdall!"

Athena’s voice came through the pierced dome.

“Boss, is your name Heimdall?”

Heimdall.

I knew this name too.

“Yeah, but that stuff doesn’t matter anymore. You have five seconds at most. Make your choice. I can’t guarantee anything after that.”

I nodded to him. Honestly, I had no grand ambition of changing the world. Furthermore, nobody would have been able to answer a question like this when asked so suddenly.

“I don’t want to die, sir.”

But, I didn’t want to die.

“Great,” Heimdall said. It seemed that my statement had answered his question. His sword, which had been blocking the spear, began to radiate a vibrant rainbow light.

“If you ever end up meeting me there…”

Heimdall suddenly pointed the shiny golden sword toward me. Even at that moment, I thought that the weapon was beautiful. Was I a person without conviction?

“...Treat me well.” Just then—

Puuk.

A pain I had never felt before flooded my brain. I looked down and saw a brilliant golden sword that had pierced through the book in my arms into my chest. Something was wriggling out of the book.

Shhhhhhhh.

I heard a voice in my mind. It was a dark and gloomy voice that could not be denied.

[Execute the Contract.]

[According to the contract, I, <The Sky of the Apocalypse>, will…]

[Sponsor you.]

After the voice spoke his last, Boss also said his goodbyes.

“Have fun. Looks like I didn't make a mistake.”

Crack!

I lost consciousness and could only watch as the spear pierced through Hemidall’s chest as he turned.