As a result of closely observing Artemis’s actions a hundred years ago.
I’ve learned and witnessed many things.
Among them, there were a few particularly astonishing truths:
First, the exact meanings behind the two confessions that Artemis had made became entirely clear.
1. “From the moment you accepted your father’s task, I never once thought you’d fail.”
This confession was corroborated by the words of Clotho, the eldest of the Moirai sisters.
She had clearly said,
“I declare, Artemis, that a great hero, destined to surpass even Heracles, will soon appear by your side!”
The fate of a great hero destined to surpass even Heracles.
Of course, the protagonist of the Twelve Labors of Olympus is none other than Heracles. A hero greater than him succeeding in said labors? Thus, the prediction that I would succeed in the Twelve Labors isn’t too hard to foresee, is it?
2. “I’ve committed an unforgivable wrong against you.”
The second confession ties into why, after passing my college exams and enjoying a brief holiday, I suddenly fell into this alternate world.
Apparently, the solar eclipse served as a ‘door’ to another dimension.
This revelation provided a clue as to why, having given up on understanding my sudden transportation to this world, I found solace in uncovering this scene from the past.
Oddly, despite being caught amidst the disputes of the Olympian gods, I didn’t feel any overwhelming resentment or anger.
Perhaps it means I’ve adapted to life here?
Regardless of my lack of emotion, Artemis seemed acutely aware of her own wrongdoing.
“Ah, I understand why Artemis showed me her past through her dreams… But still, pretending not to know who I am gives me the creeps. Though… I guess I was hiding my identity too, so it’s fair, right?”
From the circumstances, it seems Artemis already knew that I am a being from another dimension.
Knowing this, Artemis had been feigning ignorance about my nature, making me feel a bit uneasy.
Artemis, who safeguarded her lunar divinity by rushing to attack the Moirai sisters,
Why would she leave me, heralded as ‘the other light’ by the oracle’s prediction, alone?
Or rather, perhaps it’s for the better that she leaves me alone?
Right now, isn’t she keeping me close by hiring me as a priest?
Is… is this some kind of surveillance?
And if so, it’s rather sloppy…
Could it be that she doesn’t realize I am ‘the other light’?
Nah, that’s impossible.
“What could the reason be? If I look deeper into the past, it might become clearer.”
Artemis, who had been played by the prophecy, sat on the floor with a look like the heavens themselves were collapsing.
Being a spirit of pure consciousness, I carefully observed the unfolding events.
But against my expectations, the world began to fragment and dissolve, as if being forcefully shredded by some unseen force.
It was trying to tell me this was the end.
“What? Seriously, is this it? There has to be something more…”
With her eyes turned heavenward, Artemis’s face marked the end of this dream.
It was like pressing the stage-change button behind the theater curtains, as the shattered world around me swirled and rearranged itself.
The stormy battlefield that had been so chaotic just moments ago was now replaced by the vast emptiness of the universe.
They say humans are creatures of adaptation.
Even this once frightening space became somewhat manageable after experiencing it a second time.
Whoosh.
As if on cue, the crystal that had sent me a hundred years into the past gently circled around me, floating in tune with my gaze.
“This concludes the events of a hundred years ago. Touching this crystal again will break the dream, and you’ll return to the present.”
The crystal, like a tape recorder, relayed its pre-recorded message, signaling the dream’s impending end.
“…”
But I hesitated to reach out to it, sensing some missing piece to the puzzle.
Though I now understood Artemis’s history from a hundred years ago, it all seemed rather mundane to me.
Could her remorse toward me serve as evidence that she doesn’t care for me?
I don’t think so.
Loving someone so much you have to let them go is nothing but tired 90s melodrama.
Moreover, the world breaking apart at the end feels forced, like an unnecessary edit.
“Still… what can you do when it’s over? I should return, and further investigate the goddess who hides her true feelings…”
“Can you hear me? Can you hear me… Savior?”
As I grumbled and reached for the crystal,
unexpectedly, a female voice emanated from within me.
“What? Who’s there?”
I looked down at my stomach, dumbfounded, as it and my chest began to rumble like there was a speaker embedded inside.
“Glorious Savior! Ah- Ah- Finally… you’ve reached the seventh task!”
The voice, filled with awe and emotion, felt eerily familiar despite the unsettling circumstances.
“Could the person inside me be… Moirai Clotho?”
“Yes! Indeed, Savior. You’ve recognized me!”
“Haha! Of course! This is nothing to me.”
I chuckled, masking my confusion as I tried to grasp the situation.
Soon, one plausible theory emerged.
“Is this because the first thread of the cut fate entered my body?”
“Yes! I am the Clotho from a hundred years ago that you witnessed.”
It was undoubtedly true. The first thread of fate, cut by Artemis, had entered my body and manifested its power.
Moreover, Clotho was the goddess who drew the first thread to create destinies. Even so, associating her abilities with this reality was difficult to fully comprehend.
“How is this possible?”
“Hmph… I foresaw it the moment I lost my eyes. A hundred years later, Savior, you’d become a spirit and personally witness the tragedy of the Storm Island in your dream.”
The shock hit me hard.
Clotho, detecting my presence as a spiritual entity, had embedded the first thread within me, allowing her to interfere in my dream world, transcending time and space.
The Moirai sisters of fate truly possessed terrifying abilities.
If she had known all along that I would encounter her through the seventh task…
Perhaps this is the genuine power of fate?
“Excuse me, Clotho, but might I ask… you’re not planning on staying inside me forever, are you?”
“Puh- Hehehe. Still so humorous, Savior.”
“…”
I wasn’t consciously trying to be funny, but is this what they call the legendary green light—believing that any comment will garner a smile from someone you like?
“I wish to always be by your side, Savior, but I am the Clotho from a hundred years ago. I can only communicate with you briefly through the medium of the first thread.”
“Ah, that’s really too bad.”
“Yes, it saddens me as well.”
“…”
My joke was met with earnestness.
What is this… such a yandere vibe?
It’s slightly unsettling that someone I’ve never even seen could display so much affection toward me.
“So… um, is there anything you’d like to tell me before we part?”
“Yes, Savior. In fact, this is not the end.”
Clotho referred to the fractured world of a hundred years ago.
My intuition, that this wasn’t truly the end, had proven correct.
“So… there’s a sequel?”
“Yes. My role was to show you what Artemis unconsciously wanted to hide from you.”
With unwavering determination, she revealed why she had planted the thread of fate within me.
“But— uh?”
Koong! Koong!
The universe, devoid of ground, began to violently shake as if struck by an earthquake.
Clucking her tongue, Clotho spoke.
The first thread cut from my body emerged, glowing with a golden light, illuminating the void once more.
“Artemis is trying to interfere in this world. Quickly, Savior, witness the aftermath of this event and return to the real world.”
“Thank you, Clotho.”
“Oh, you’re too kind. I wished to converse more, but it seems it’s not permitted for me, being from a hundred years ago.”
“Don’t be sad. Once this task concludes, I’ll visit the Storm Island and seek you out so we can have more conversation.”
“May the kind Savior’s future be filled with only happiness…”
The first thread of fate curled up into a circle and drew near, adhering to my cheek like wet paper.
From that spot, light radiated outward, obliterating the empty universe and ushering me to a new stage.
Shielding my eyes from the brilliance, I cautiously opened them to find…
an exceedingly familiar place.
It was none other than Luna’s central plaza, my original starting point.
Perched atop the roof of a tall building, I overlooked the central plaza.
The dirty streets confirmed this as Luna from before my time here.
“Could Clotho have brought me here to… wait, isn’t that… me?”
In an alley of the central plaza stood a younger version of myself, clad in conspicuously modern attire. Anxious and jumpy, he continually surveyed his surroundings.
If this is true… could it be!?
“Hey, you country bumpkin!”
A woman in her mid-20s, wearing a gothic dress, approached the version of me from two years ago.
Mistaking me for a newcomer from the countryside, her eyes radiated curiosity and interest.
“My name is Katina! Nice to meet you.”
Katina, the woman who once tried to kill me on false charges!
I never imagined seeing her face again.
Clotho, what exactly do you mean to show me from this place two years ago?
