Chapter 125: The Fireseed of the Shoreguards
As the two Legends withdrew their auras, the blazing sun that lit up the night, dispelled the storm, and the domain of abundance also vanished without a trace.
The illusory vortex swallowed the radiance, and Rast's figure disappeared behind that twisted door, leaving only the howling wind crying on the cliff's peak.
It was as if everything that had just happened here—the fairytale-like confession, the battle between admirer and the admired—had never occurred at all.
The torrential rain poured down once more, and the eternal night without stars or moonlight descended again.
Grey subconsciously reached toward the edge of the cliff, toward the direction where the boy had once stood… as if trying to grasp something about to fade away.
But in the end, her hand found nothing but the cascading curtain of rain, moistening this starless long night.
Rain blanketed the world, and everything fell into lonely silence. Grey knelt on the muddy rocks, the light in her emerald eyes dimmer than ever before.
After half a year of dreamlike, fairytale-like bliss, she had once again lost everything.
It was as if everything had returned to that day ten years ago in Frostwater Town, where the dreamlike bubble shattered beside her, and the girl knelt amid the ashen ruins, as if abandoned by the world.
...
"Are you feeling unwilling, little one?"
"About your weakness—how you could only watch as something precious slipped through your fingers, powerless to stop it."
Who knew how much time had passed before a calm voice came from behind Grey.
Though mingled with the howling wind and rain, every word was clear, etched into her mind.
"If you feel unwilling, then do not forget this regret."
"Because it's proof that you have not yet given up, that you have not abandoned yourself."
"Sisel… Chief."
Grey slowly raised her head and saw the old man standing before her, like an aging lion.
"I…"
Facing the leader of the Shoreguards, she opened her mouth, unsure of what to say.
Sisel had warned her long ago that Big Brother Rast had already betrayed them.
All the signs and information had been clear.
But she still had refused to heed Chief Sisel’s advice. She couldn’t believe the truth laid out so clearly and insisted on climbing the mountain to confront Big Brother Rast.
And that led her into this dire situation, nearly being captured by Rast and handed over to the Gravekeepers as a gift.
Though immature, though inexperienced…
Even just from that conversation earlier, Grey could now understand that her sequence rank was clearly not as simple as she had once thought.
Whether it was Big Brother Rast, Chief Sisel, or even that Gravekeeper Legend—they had long since noticed the unique potential and value of her ability to control 「Fate」…
She didn’t know exactly what would have happened if the Gravekeepers had taken her, but it would surely involve an enormous secret, enough to influence the rise and fall of the entire Shoreguard organization.
If Chief Sisel hadn’t arrived in time, she might have been taken away, plunging everything into an irrecoverable abyss.
But—
Even so.
Even knowing that Big Brother Rast had already betrayed them.
When she saw the radiant sunlight from Chief Sisel’s power engulf half of Rast’s body, Grey still instinctively cried out, trying to stop it from happening.
It was an unconscious reaction, but also undoubtedly irresponsible to the organization—and a betrayal to the fallen Shadow Servant Sister…
Such a tangled mess of emotions twisted together in Grey’s mind, leaving her thoughts in chaos and hard to unravel.
But as he looked at the girl kneeling on the cliff, her head bowed and voice faltering, the aged man's face showed no trace of blame.
"You don’t need to explain anything to me."
"Though the Shoreguards seem like a machine, endlessly pushing toward a common goal regardless of cost, means, or sacrifice…"
"This cold machine is still made of living, breathing individuals."
"Both you and I are just ordinary members within it."
"When you joined the Shoreguards, I read your file and learned of the bond you and Rast formed during the Evil God ‘Scarlet Moon’ pollution incident in Frostwater Town."
"Even as the leader, who must often abandon personal feelings for the sake of the organization, even the fate of this epoch’s civilization—I can still understand your feelings."
"But—"
The old man crouched slightly, bringing his eyes level with the fallen Grey.
"Don’t you want revenge?"
"Or rather, not revenge… but to find Rast, and punch him until he wakes up."
"To tell him directly that chasing power at all costs, sacrificing humanity for eternal immortality… such beliefs were wrong from the start."
"To awaken his humanity, to bring back the one you once admired and dreamed of."
"Then, bring him back to the Shoreguards."
The old man’s tone was calm and slow, but in Grey’s ears, it made her raise her lowered face slightly.
Her gray hair, wet and clinging to her cheeks in the rain, parted just enough to reveal her emerald eyes widening—her once dull gaze recovering a trace of light.
This was indeed what Grey had yearned for, and perhaps now her only wish.
But soon, that gleam of brightness in her eyes dimmed once more.
"But… with who I am right now, I can’t do that."
"Right now, I’m too far behind Big Brother Rast in every possible way."
This wasn’t self-deprecation, but a judgment rooted in reality—clear and undeniable truth.
After roaming the continent and suffering the shattering of her dreams, Grey had learned not to cling to illusions, but to move forward step by step with steady resolve.
Even just in terms of resolve, she currently had no chance of defeating Big Brother Rast.
She could still recall that moment clearly—when the boy bathed in sunrise-like flames, his flesh and skin burnt to reveal pale bones, yet he showed no hint of pain and still completed his final move with perfect precision, killing the polluter before his muscles and nerves were entirely destroyed.
Grey asked herself if she could do the same—and the answer was no.
Of course, resolve could be tempered, and perhaps she could reach that level one day.
And while her ability to manipulate fate had already been recognized by both allies and enemies as rare in talent, potential, and value… Rast had also possessed the Death God’s Holy Grail.
Moreover, Grey had a hunch—a ripple in her soul stirred by fate…
Even without the 「Death God’s Holy Grail」, the secrets buried within Big Brother Rast… would not be inferior to her own.
"Being able to face your weaknesses and move forward step by step—that is a good thing."
"Rast was truly extraordinary… If he hadn’t betrayed us, I had once considered grooming him to be my successor."
"But—"
"The gap between you two may not be impossible to bridge."
In Sisel’s aged eyes, a flicker of memory flashed silently.
Looking at the girl whose gaze had lit with hope before fading into disappointment…
For some reason, she reminded Sisel of the woman who had recently passed away in his arms at sunset.
When he had succeeded the previous leader and officially become head of the Shoreguards—
The way Shadow Servant—no, Sharon—looked at him back then was exactly like Grey now.
Staring at a once-familiar figure now growing distant, wanting to chase after it but fearing she would never catch up.
Back then, he had been intoxicated by the glory and heavy burden of leading the Shoreguards, failing to notice.
Only when that final shadow dissolved in the sunlight did he truly understand Sharon’s feelings.
But by then, it was too late—leaving only regret behind.
Such memories flickered in Sisel’s heart, unnoticed by Grey.
"I can give you a chance—a chance to catch up with Rast."
His voice returned to the same calm tone as before, yet beneath it was a solemn gravity.
"That is… if you are willing to bear the price that comes with it."
...
"A chance to catch up with Big Brother Rast…"
"And the price that comes with it?"
Grey slightly lifted her bowed head, a trace of confusion in her green eyes.
"Yes."
Sisel nodded in silence, then slowly extended his hand.
The next moment.
A faint light gathered in his palm.
And then, it turned into a wisp of illusory flame.
Compared to the blazing sun that had earlier torn through the darkness and turned the sky to day, this tiny flame was dim, as if even a gust of wind could extinguish it.
But staring at this faint fire, Sisel’s gaze grew more solemn than ever.
"This is something only the leader of the Shoreguards—and their successor—may know. A legacy passed down through every generation."
"It started as just a tiny spark."
"But with each generation of Shoreguards pouring their lifetime of knowledge into it, the fire has been passed down, unbroken…"
"One day, that barren seed will grow into a towering tree."
"And become the starlight that lights up darkness deeper than night, igniting the entire world."
Sisel’s demeanor changed.
The elder who had looked melancholic at sunset now seemed younger.
His calm lines had vanished, replaced with the sharpness of a lion awakened. His every movement radiated thunderous power—the pride and dignity of the Shoreguards—like the day he had first become their leader.
"Faced with the one you once admired, with an invitation that once meant everything to you…"
"This time, you chose to reject it without hesitation."
"From that moment on, you were worthy to carry this fireseed."
As the flame danced unshaken in the storm, Grey instinctively reached out, wanting to touch it.
But in the next instant—
"The ‘fireseed’ of the Shoreguards does not represent the glory you imagine."
"It is more like shackles, a chain, even… a curse."
"A curse that will bind you for life, never to be shaken off, clinging to your soul like a festering wound until your dying breath."
"You will bear the weight of humanity’s fate… forever drifting through the cracks of time and era, wandering in the deepest parts of the stars."
Sisel’s aged voice echoed in Grey’s ears.
Oddly, it reminded her of something Big Brother Rast had once said back in Frostwater Town.
"So before you truly decide—"
"You should think it over carefully."
A flash of silver light flickered in Sisel’s eyes and vanished.
In the next moment, the gray-haired girl’s expression subtly twisted.
She saw fragmented visions—glimpses of her future… what awaited her if she accepted the fireseed from Chief Sisel.
And in those fragments… the lonely, tragic end that would inevitably come to the version of herself who chose this path.
It wasn’t her own sequence power at work—but came from Chief Sisel… she had seen a corner of her own future.
Why could Chief Sisel, a Sun Sequence holder, predict the future of someone from the 「Fate」 sequence?
That question flashed through Grey’s mind but left no ripple.
She raised her head and looked through the rain toward the cliff’s edge—where Rast had once stood.
Now it was empty.
Only shattered stones and charred marks from the sunfire remained, proof that the boy had once been there.
Grey reached up and touched the top of her head.
Though her hair was blown by the storm, it had not scattered completely… because of the crystal hairband.
It had been a birthday gift from Rast.
She had always cherished it, and now, whether illusion or not, it still seemed to carry a faint warmth.
Feeling the warmth beneath her fingertips… Grey slowly closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her gaze was clear—without the slightest confusion.
She looked once more at the old man’s palm.
Amid the torrential rain, that illusory flame still burned bright and pure, untouched by the wind or rain.
"Looks like you’ve chosen a hard road."
"The newborn… Shoreguard."