Karne was not always called the Mother of Omens.
Rather, she was once known as the Mother of All Things, nurturing humanity from above.
A fantastical being, far removed from humankind. Karne was an exalted entity wielding the power of life and a blessing to the mortal realm. Her gentle touch made the land fertile, and her warm breath gave birth to new life.
Humans revered the Mother of All Things, Karne. They built sanctuaries and prayed daily. She, in turn, cherished their reverence. As the mother of all, she believed it was only natural to receive the devoted love of her “children.” And conversely, she gave her love in return, making the world fertile and prosperous.
However, this love was not reciprocated equally.
While Karne loved all her children, they did not reciprocate that love.
“Why…?”
Betrayal came when a trusted priest turned his back on her. What she had nurtured herself turned her away.
“This wanton is no longer our mother! She is no longer our god! Idol worship shall end!”
The reason was clear. Karne was an outdated faith, and a new wind of belief was blowing through the world. In this process, she became nothing more than an old relic, a trivial existence no longer worthy of love. Her sanctuaries were torn down, the holy artifacts dedicated to her melted down into chalices for a new deity, and the priests who once served her gradually changed their allegiances. Karne began to be forgotten by the tides of time.
“So, this is how it is.”
Karne did not harbor resentment.
Were not her children seeking new paths? As a mother, should she not accept this?
She thought so.
Until the descendant of those children drove a sword into her heart.
The one who sought her in her seclusion tore at her wings, ripped her flesh, and stabbed her heart. At first, she did not resist, believing that they could resolve this through dialogue. After all, those before her were part of the life she had created.
“Root of evil, Demon King is dead! We are now free!”
With those triumphant words, Karne understood. Outside, she was called the Demon King.
“…Ha, ha.”
Once the Mother of All Things, Karne had now become the Demon King, the source of evil, disrupting the new world order. And yet, by the hands of her children, she met her death.
Karne, however, was a fantastical being, preceding death itself.
“The life I created, I have the right to reclaim.”
From that moment, Karne cursed the world and humanity. Her hatred manifested naturally as power. She unfurled her hidden black wings, reaped what she had sown, withered the land, dried up the blood, and corrupted the flesh. The world and life she once created began to lose their vitality, the world she once loved now rotting. The Mother of All Things no longer existed.
Instead, she gained a new title.
“…The omen! The omen has arisen!”
Where Karne, shrouded in darkness, passed, plagues emerged. Cities crumbled, the earth turned black and charred. Life disappeared wherever her touch reached. She scorched half the world.
All humanity came to realize, once again, the Demon King, Karne, the Mother of Omens.
“…Ha, ha.”
Decades passed, and the world withered cruelly. Still, Karne was called the cursed Mother of Omens. She was the source of ruin, the Mother of Omens, and the evil that extinguished life. But she could not stop. It would have been more accurate to say she could not stop.
She now had to dig up the graves of her dead children and ask them:
“Why did you abandon me?”
Her curse would not end until she received an answer to that question. But no answer would come. Therefore, she would remain the Mother of Omens forever.
She thought so.
[Entering the Rift.]
A flash.
[The Rift Master “Actor” bestows a 5☆ Life Origin upon 5★ Mother of Omens Karne.]
Until she met her new child within the Rift.
“So, according to you, Karne is in China, right?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Still nestled in my arms, Mirien continued her story. According to her, Karne seemed to have taken refuge in a rural area in China. During the storytelling, I was carefully observing Selene’s reactions.
Fortunately, though she had initially glared at Mirien as if she intended to kill her, Selene didn’t act on it. Perhaps she thought it would affect me, but it sent a chill down my spine nonetheless.
“Anyway, Karne being in China means… we have to go there.”
Why China, of all places?
I thought hard but no plausible answer came to mind. Though, in a way, it made sense. If you randomly point at a map, you’d likely hit China, Russia, or the United States, right?
“Hmm.”
I frowned. Regardless, confirming the 5-star Calamity source was good. However, even with Mirien’s tracking magic, we couldn’t ascertain what Karne was doing there.
“I wonder what Karne is scheming. The fact that there’s been no information so far means she hasn’t revealed herself.”
Selene had emerged directly from the Abyss during the first eruption and wandered everywhere. Mirien, upon arriving in this world, immediately built a massive tower.
So what was Karne doing?
We hadn’t heard of any 5-star Calamities appearing in China.
‘Karne, she was definitely a character specialized in covert operations.’
What worried me most was the capabilities of Karne, the Mother of Omens. Unlike Selene, who specialized in direct confrontations, and Mirien, who was closer to a damage dealer, Karne was specialized in infiltration, surveillance, and assassination.
Given that calamities like her weren’t meant for direct combat, they were usually sent on expeditions requiring stealthy actions. If Karne decided to make trouble, it would be in a domain where even the same 5-star Selene and Mirien couldn’t handle.
Had she noticed my worries?
“Lord, there is one concern I dare to bring up… may I speak?”
Selene, who had been silently watching me, knelt on one knee and spoke. Sensing the abnormal atmosphere, Mirien also got off my lap.
“…Speak. What is it?”
“About Karne, that woman.”
Selene narrowed one eye and continued.
“In the past, I’ve had a few conversations with Karne, the Mother of Omens, inside the Rift. Though she dressed like a courtesan and blasphemed my Lord’s mother with foul language, her regard for Lord was certain.”
“…”
I decided not to point out the modifiers Selene had attached to Karne.
“…And?”
“However, all calamities at my Lord’s command were once abandoned by the world. Therefore, what feelings she may hold towards my Lord, who has been abandoned twice, remains uncertain.”
“…You mean, possibly, only the two of you still remain loyal to me?”
“Yes.”
Selene had petitioned to serve after being dismissed from the base.
Though Mirien’s methods were misguided, her actions reflected concern for my welfare.
But it’s hard to say if the other two calamities share the same sentiment.
Instead, they might harbore ill feelings about being expelled from the base.
“Furthermore… Karne differs from us two.”
“Different how?”
“She, having once been abandoned by her children, and again, by her Lord, whom she sees as her child…”
Selene hesitated, looking at me.
But I could easily guess what she wanted to say.
“Could she hate me?”
“…Yes.”
Something Selene’s words brought to mind came to me.
It was something I’d heard from Kang Se-na when I first became an S-Rank Awakened One.
I remember…
“Didn’t three 4-star calamities appear in China and wreak havoc on a major city?”
I pulled out my phone and searched for the related article.
Though it was a few months old, it wasn’t hard to find.
I sighed as soon as I opened the first result.
[Three 4-star Calamities, Grave Crows emerge in China. Estimated casualties numbering in the millions.]
“…Wow.”
The exclamation came from Mirien.
In the Rift, Karne encountered a new world.
There, she found salvation.
[Rift Master “Actor” bestows 5☆ Life Origins upon 5★ Mother of Omens Karne.]
Life Origin.
Once, this was the power Karne had exercised freely before she discarded her own wings. Actor not only returned this power, but he rid her corrupted body of the plague and stench she had carried.
Most importantly, like the old faithful, he offered tribute to her.
“How can an abomination like me… deserve any value…”
Karne was an omen.
A terrifying calamity who had corrupted the entire world with her own hands.
She should not feel happiness, nor could she.
[Rift Master “Actor” bestows a 5☆ Shadow Wing Sickle upon 5★ Mother of Omens Karne.]
[Rift Master “Actor” bestows a 5☆ Embrace of the Earth Amulet upon 5★ Mother of Omens Karne.]
But within Actor’s Rift, Karne was equal.
She was loved.
Eventually, she too found satisfaction in this new life.
“Is there anything you wish for from this mother? Anything will do.”
[Rift Master “Actor” dispatches 5★ Mother of Omens Karne on the 5☆ “Twilight Abyss” expedition.]
Karne was loved, and she was ready to reciprocate that love.
A natural maternal love blossomed.
This world was different from the last.
Her new child had given her love freely, and in return, had given much more than she asked.
Though unspoken, just as Karne cherished Actor, he too cherished her.
Karne liked this new world in the Rift. Though there was only one follower who looked at her, and a beloved child.
That was how she thought, for a fleeting moment.
[5★ Mother of Omens Karne has been dismissed.]
[Calamities are released. Their power is strong enough to destroy another world. This decision cannot be reversed!]
[Y]
“…Yes. So you’re abandoning this mother again.”
Karne was rejected again.
This time, she wasn’t surprised.
Having experienced it once before, she didn’t fall into despair.
Instead, she didn’t succumb to resignation either.
Like before, Karne intended to taint the new world she had entered with her own feathers.
“…Why.”
After she turned the world completely black, she would ask again.
“Why did you abandon me?”
Time lost its meaning.
[Mother of Omens Karne sings of ruin. Fear the night.]
The curse of the omens will last forever.
