Tie’s green eyes trembled.

"Then the skeleton friends, the subordinates, Lucarion, and Pupu too..."

The child looked at the World Tree in disbelief.

"They were all your friends from the beginning? They weren’t staying beside Tie because they liked Tie?"

The World Tree smiled.

"Child, they followed you because they saw something special within you. But in the end, that ‘something special’ was granted by me. Isn’t the answer already obvious?"

"......"

"After surviving the frenzy, they lost their memories. They no longer remembered whom they had served, nor why they existed." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"......"

"And then they met you. And within you, they sensed the power that created them. The aura that once commanded them."

The World Tree raised a hand.

"Me."

The light around Tie’s heart grew even brighter.

Looking down at the child, the World Tree continued speaking.

"But even that ends today. By now, those children should already have regained their memories."

Tie silently closed her mouth.

Suddenly, she remembered the moment she first met Lucarion in Jongno.

Lucarion had been kind to her from the very beginning.

For lonely Tie, who had been crying all alone, he had activated complicated magic and sent her to Tallocium.

'And even after that...'

Whenever Tie felt lonely or sad, Lucarion had always remained by her side.

She had met Pupu and Marbas through Lucarion too.

And she had met the squad members and all her new friends because of him as well.

That was why she had always wondered.

'Why does Lucarion always love Tie so much?'

Even though Tie had never done anything for him.

'They followed you because they saw something special within you.'

The World Tree’s words echoed inside her ears.

Eventually, something heavy filled Tie’s eyes.

It was a deep and unbearable sense of loss.

'It wasn’t Tie...'

It was not because Tie herself was worthy.

Not because Tie had done well.

In truth, it had been the World Tree hiding its power all along. It had been the World Tree that truly helped Agavert survive those terrible adventures.

Drip.

Drip.

Bitter tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Uu..."

She had loved the power she suddenly obtained one day.

Of course, because she had to hide it, she ended up pretending to be the King of the Dead, and the cult had hunted her because of it.

'But even so... it still felt so good.'

She remembered the moments she protected the squad members with her own hands.

The moment she calmed Papa’s frenzy.

The moment she saved Ribia.

Sobs kept slipping through her lips.

Suddenly, everything became frightening.

This black space.

The World Tree watching Tie from its center.

And...

'Today, even that ends. By now, those children should already have regained their memories.'

Lucarion and Pupu, who had already recovered their memories.

"Poor child."

The World Tree spoke in a light, almost weightless voice.

"Do not grieve. Once we become one, even the fear tormenting you will melt away like snow."

The World Tree approached Tie and extended a hand.

"Do not be afraid. It will end very quickly."

The World Tree’s hand touched Tie’s frozen cheek.

The light pouring from her heart intensified further.

"You will not feel pain. It will not be agonizing either."

Tie felt something inside her body begin to move.

An enormous power, as though pulled by a magnet, flowed toward the World Tree.

"You will be remembered. Poems will be written about you. Statues will be raised in your honor."

The force trying to remain inside Tie and the force trying to break free clashed violently against each other.

"Even new flowers will bear your name."

Tie drew in a short breath.

It felt as though the final wall inside her body was collapsing.

"You can become the dawn of this world—"

But at that very moment—

"I don’t want to!"

A tremendous wave burst from Tie’s body and swept through the entire subspace.

The World Tree was hurled far away, and the black space turned white in an instant.

"...You."

Floating in the air, the World Tree looked down at Tie.

The child met its gaze with reddened eyes.

"Tie didn’t come here to become the dawn of the world!"

Her tiny shoulders rose and fell violently.

"Tie came to find Papa! Tie came to live happily with Papa in her homeland!"

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but Tie did not stop.

"And now Tie found Mama too... now Tie has a mama too..."

Wiping away her tears, the child shouted:

"I won’t give them to you! I won’t give you Tie or the seed!"

The World Tree’s expression froze.

But Tie was no longer afraid.

"So take it if you want it! You can’t take it yourself, so that’s why you kept asking Tie to hand it over, right?! You told Tie to stay still and said it would end quickly, right?!"

Backing away, the child clenched her fists tightly.

"Dummy! Everyone who brags about being the strongest in the world is a coward!"

"...What?"

"That’s how it always is in cartoons and fairy tales and Tiny Ping and Puppetmon too?!"

Truly strong people usually did not show off their strength.

And whenever someone bragged about being the strongest, they turned out to be the villain almost every single time.

But at that moment, light flared.

The World Tree appeared directly in front of Tie once again.

"Foolish child."

Tie instinctively swallowed.

The World Tree had already returned to its true form.

It looked as though green leaves and the sound of the forest itself had been molded into human shape.

"Luciano’s plan is to obtain immortality."

Luciano.

Now even Tie knew that name.

"He forced into his body what should never have been contained there. My power. Endless life force. A fate capable of holding the entire world in its grasp."

The World Tree’s expression turned cold.

"As long as my seed continues breathing inside you, things still endure. But what do you think will happen once I disappear completely?"

With a single motion of the World Tree’s hand, the scenery changed.

The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Brioud Forest they had crossed together with Basto was burning in flames.

But not only that.

The first outpost where they formed the mercenary squad.

The weapon district. Pearlcity. Caldenbein Ridge. The Northern Continent Selina had abandoned. The Rosuobelg base. The imperial palace and the Luminel estate...

"Everyone will die."

The horrifying and merciless sight made Tie stagger.

"Luciano is a cunning creature. Even now, he strengthens his body by devouring innocent souls. Otherwise, he would never have been able to withstand the power he stole from me!"

Devouring souls.

The moment she heard those words, Tie suddenly remembered everything.

'He said he was using it to cleanse the World Tree in Roxe Forest! He definitely said that!'

The attack on the carriage.

Jiheyra’s living testimony.

"Cleanse me? What absurd nonsense!"

The instant the World Tree became enraged, an enormous wave of power burst outward.

"That arrogant mortal is mocking the world itself! The moment he fully devours me, your family will not remain safe either!"

The World Tree abruptly drew closer.

Its golden eyes flared directly in front of Tie’s face.

"I admit it, child. I have already grown too weak. Without your permission, I can no longer reclaim the power sleeping inside you."

"......"

"But the same is true for you. Without my help, you can do nothing. Which means you will never be able to protect your family."

Images of Tesetan and Ardiana created by the World Tree flashed before Tie’s eyes.

"And besides. Is your body not already bound by the price of temporal magic?"

Tie’s heart dropped heavily.

She lifted her head.

The World Tree’s golden eyes still pierced straight through her.

"One day, you will inevitably disappear. The moment you yourself are born into this world. Therefore, I shall give you time."

The World Tree stepped away from Tie.

"Think carefully. What is the best choice for someone whose body is destined to vanish anyway?"

The World Tree’s hair gradually began losing its color.

Soon, only its voice remained throughout the space.

"And think carefully about the only way you can remain in this world as yourself."

Tie collapsed weakly onto the floor.

Far away—

the edge of the subspace was slowly brightening, as though dawn were beginning to rise there.