âOh, Young Master. Youâve returnedâ¦â
Upon returning to the dwelling, I was greeted by Tang So-yeol, who froze mid-sentence upon seeing me.
âYoung Masterâ¦â
âHmm? Whatâs wrong?â
âDid something happen?â
Her eyes were filled with concern, and I couldnât help but smile faintly at the sight.
âWhat could possibly have happened? Nothingâs wrong.â
âButâ¦â
âHave you eaten?â
ââ¦Yesâ¦â
I deliberately changed the subject, and she reluctantly went along, understanding that I didnât want to talk about it.
That made me feel a little guilty.
âWhat about you, Young Master? Have you eaten?â
âAh, yes. I ate.â
I replied with a smile, but of course, it was a lie. I hadnât eaten.
How could I?
âAs if I could stomach anything.â
Running a hand through my hair, I tried to calm my mind.
Though I had spent some time cooling off on the way back, it wasnât enough.
Far from itâI still felt my emotions burning hotter than ever.
Cheonma.
Was it just a dream?
The thought crossed my mind, though I knew better. It was more of a desperate wish than a genuine question.
But I was all too aware that it wasnât a dream.
The jet-black hair.
The violet eyes that stared directly at me.
The suffocating aura that radiated from herâit was all real.
While I had made countless changes, large and small, to this world with my actions,
this was, without a doubt, the greatest butterfly effect yet.
âWhere did it all go wrong?â
Cheonma had appeared in Hanam, looking vastly different from what I remembered.
How was it supposed to be?
ââ¦Not like this. Not this soon.â
If my memory was correct, it should have been at least another year or two before her appearance.
She was meant to open the Magyeong Gate during the grand festival hosted by the Martial Alliance.
That memory was still vivid.
The sight of her tearing through the sky and stepping into the world.
The way she looked down at the vast crowd of orthodox martial artists gathered below.
["I am Cheonma."]
Her voice had silenced them all, her overwhelming strength forcing even the great masters of the Alliance to kneel.
That moment was seared into my mind.