Chapter 949 – Light and Shadow
If you can understand someone else’s thought circuit, it is not difficult to persuade them.
Thoughts are the interaction between stimuli and the brain.
Although there are individual differences in the calculations that go through to arrive at a certain idea or choice, theoretically it falls within a sufficiently predictable range.
【Do you want a dad?】
Omniscience means omnipotence. The one who dominates the other person’s thinking wins.
Sephiroth and Qliphoth are trees that use the same concept of power, and their fighting methods are also the same. Since we wanted to look at the end from the origin, the two were light and shadow, and they were inevitably going to face each other.
But.
That story was confirmed only when Wiki did not have a ‘desire’ that took precedence over the origin.
【It is possible.】
“…”
【Sephy, there is no reason to fight with you.】
A dream that Wiki, who was born with a destiny, had. Sephiroth, who had revealed the unspeakable truth to her father, asked with his bright eyes shining.
【We have the same roots. I feel it all. What is your name?】
Wiki quietly lowered his eyebrows and answered Sephiroth’s question.
“Wiki Qliphoth.”
Mom and Dad’s dream, born to kill you.
A four-year-old child who strives to walk towards a predetermined destiny.
Sephiroth’s alter ego, who took off his black veil, spoke with a bright smile.
【Wiki. Wiki! Hehe.】
The World Tree of Knowledge with a childlike smile shook its branches in the opposite direction from the wiki.
A cute little boy’s gesture.
Nevertheless, Wiki couldn’t just smile.
[The wiki is what the Tree King wants, right? The goal is to make it your own and live with it for the rest of your life.】
“Don’t read other people’s minds.”
【Why?】
Wiki frowned and expressed his displeasure, but Sephiroth simply recited.
‘A year of self-taught home education.’
The sage Horse Chestnut must be in charge of Sephiroth’s education. You don’t even understand these simple ethics.
【… Huh? Sepi, did you make a mistake?】
Wiki’s conversation partner was Sephiroth’s alter ego, not his original body.
Since he is a being given only knowledge on a blank page, there is nothing strange even if he ate cheap things.
Wiki sighed heavily and glared at Sephiroth with a hostile gaze.
“I won’t pass. I won’t be on your side. I won’t betray my dad. Furthermore, I have to get to the root and end things with you.”
Do not negotiate with the enemy. Sephiroth tilted his head in confusion at Wiki’s declaration.
【Why is that a betrayal?】
“…”
Wiki was momentarily dumbfounded by Sephiroth’s lack of common sense and kept his mouth shut.
Here’s a thought that suddenly occurred to me.
Although I am weak in desire, isn’t Sephiroth the best at actually acting according to desire?
They are one-dimensional beings swayed by the most personal and primal desire called ‘curiosity.’ Until now, the wise man could have controlled the Sephiroth.
‘What.’
That’s not what’s important right now.
Even if Sephiroth got the context wrong, he was wrong for a long time. Wiki believed that the most important thing at the moment was his father’s life itself.
【Lie.】
In response to Sephiroth’s rebuttal, Wiki shrugged his shoulders and made a vaguely strong expression.
In my heart, I wanted to see the end here. It was impossible to fight because it was just a temporary movement of consciousness.
All that can be done here is exchanging words.
Sephiroth just smiled and stared at Wiki’s face, as if he still had something to figure out.
【Wiki, you are lying.】
“It’s not a lie.”
I have never denied that I like my dad.
Being born as that person’s child and becoming part of his family was the greatest blessing of his life. It was also true that it was a relationship more precious than anyone else.
Let’s admit what needs to be acknowledged and move on.
It’s been a long time since I became aware of a liking that goes beyond the feelings a child might have.
As long as he could narrow the psychological distance that his father had, he would take advantage of any opportunity.
After realizing that the troubles her obsession had caused so far were quite problematic, she swore to remain a quiet and good daughter until the matter was over.
【For the Tree King?】
Wiki shook his head in response to Sephiroth’s question that he did not understand.
Consider his father’s life more important than his own.
【Why?】
Because that person first gave me love without reason.
“Even if you tell me. “You don’t know?”
【There’s nothing Sephy doesn’t know. Because Wiki is the same tree as Sephi. What Sephy can know, Wiki can also know.】
There was no way Wiki didn’t know the meaning of Sephiroth’s meaningful words.
Wiki, the life conceived in Lee Si-heon’s belly through her part-time relationship. Because of the shadow of Sephiroth that was cut during the cultivation process, Wiki shared some of Sephiroth’s characteristics.
Asexual reproduction.
Inducing genetic characteristics to resemble those of a plant by cutting it from a plant’s tissue or vegetative organ rather than from a seed.
‘…’
The reason why Alba was controlled so as not to reveal Wiki’s identity was because Sephiroth quickly realized the truth and there was no benefit.
Qliphoth is a symbol of evil that appears when the Sephiroth tree is turned over.
Wiki, an entity that will shatter the order of the World Tree of Knowledge into chaos, paradoxically could not have been created without Sephiroth.
The reason why Wiki and the power of Sephiroth have the same concept.
And this power was the power of the ‘fig tree’, Qliphoth’s character, that Alva carried within her body to directly manipulate and reorganize the world.
─Wiki.
─That power is nothing short of a symbol of Sephiroth, who has infinitely changed his body.
Where there is light, there is a shadow.
A huge mass of ‘repulsive force’ that gathers in one place the remnants of the countless ‘changes’ made by Sephiroth.
A blast furnace extending from the same land. Wiki essentially had many similarities to Sephiroth.
“You and I are the same?”
Wicky looked at Sephiroth and sneered. What does it mean that there is no father?
“Flaw… I am my father’s daughter. My proud father’s second child. Although I accepted monstrous power. Still, it’s different from you.”
Although the composition of the soul and trees may resemble the Sephiroth. Everything genetically composing this body originated from Lee Si-heon.
So Wiki could speak with confidence. I am different from you.
“For the rest of your life, you will never understand me.”
Defeat Sephiroth and fulfill his father’s dream. Wiki, who has forgotten his fears, proudly declares this. Sephiroth, with a cold expression, quietly muttered.
【Wiki. Can you tell me about that future?】
That low voice contained a confidence that was unparalleled before.
I know it’s not a lie because I can read emotions. Sephiroth truly believed that he knew the future. That one word complicated Wiki’s nerves.
Sephiroth smiled quietly. It was a creepy smile that had stripped away all the cheerfulness of a child.
【Me. There’s nothing I don’t know.】
In this world without Gaia.
Perhaps the only being that can see into the far future.
Sephiroth whispered to Wiki. Across all dimensions, in a small voice that only that child can hear.
【─────】
The moment when a prophecy that transcended knowledge broke the unwritten rules.
Wiki’s eyes were pitch black, and a moment’s worth of future unfolded before his eyes.
-Crackling, crackling.
Quiet space. A girl who became an adult trapped in a space that cannot be interpreted.
The white-haired girl, whose jet-black hair was nowhere to be seen, had a mesmerized face.
‘…’
My beloved dad was nowhere to be seen. He is trapped in a lonely room, just staring at one place with a pathological gaze.
-Tuk.
Is it your future?
It was hard to believe the fate of Wiki delivered by Sephiroth, but there was no other way to explain the strange attraction felt by the scene I witnessed.
《… Dad.》
A small word that I repeat even there.
A voice filled with pain and no joy at all came out from my chapped lips.
“Dad. Me, me… Well done. Is this correct?》
It also seems like they are blaming something. Longing is also mixed in.
The pain entangled in words filled with emptiness felt so great that there was no way to express it. Wiki, overcome by emotion, broke into a cold sweat and waited for the next words.
《… I miss you.》
Dad dies?
No. You shouldn’t just accept what you see. Returning to reality, Wiki’s puzzled gaze turned to Sephiroth.
【Do you still want to go down that path?】
“… How much do you know?”
【Wiki, if you hold Sephy’s hand. I’ll tell you everything. How to avoid that future. How to save the Tree King’s lover.】
It’s a terrible method. Wicky let out a laugh and patted his arm. I tried to be as calm as possible, but I was in such a bad mood that it was difficult to hold back the bad words.
“No matter what, I don’t trust you.”
Sephiroth just smiles. The guy didn’t even show any regrets, and after shaking off his regrets for a moment and squinting his eyes, he left.
‘…’
Wiki, who was left behind, quietly grabbed his arm and took a deep breath.
‘Daddy’s dying?’
The possibility that the future he saw was in fact made up and not the future was not great.
Although I had long since realized that my father was preparing for death. Everyone would have been doing their best to resist that fate.
‘Ah.’
The sight of my own face from the future catches my eye.
What was that pure white space?
There was too little information to understand, but I knew that we were not carefree enough to carry out the plan as is.
* * * * * * *
“Wiki.”
“… Yes?”
I think my daughter had a bad dream. It seemed like he was very worried as he was rarely absent-minded and lost in thought.
“Are you okay? “It’s because my dad really doesn’t know.”
“It’s really okay, hehe.”
Wiki waved his hand and broke into a cold sweat.
I think I’m openly showing that I’m not good. As expected, something happened with Sephiroth in that short period of time.
At first, I thought this environment was too stimulating for a child, but I wonder if Wiki is just a kid. He is so precocious that he even creates objects for sexual torture.
“Is there something you can’t tell me about?”
“… I just felt like I needed to catch Sephiroth faster. “Faster than we originally planned.”
Catch Sephiroth. There’s nothing strange about it, though. Even though there is a bank next door, they seem to be in a rush considering they are talking about plans.
“If it’s hard, do you want to go back first?”
“No! “I don’t like that.”
Wiki was startled by my words and immediately grabbed my forearm and slapped his head with all his strength.
“I don’t want to be away from my dad…”
Well, eventually. Because I have to catch Sephiroth’s clone.
I patted Wicky’s head and glanced at Ginkgo following behind. The guy was looking at me and the wiki with puzzled eyes.
“Why?”
“… No. “I thought it was a rather strange sight.”
“An ordinary woman.”
“Sure. “I’ve never done that.”
She is a princess who has never spoiled or whined at others.
In many ways, it is normal to remember the direction of play. Now that I’m worried about the wiki, nothing comes to mind.
And what. When I think about it from the perspective of a father, I think that’s a sad thing.
‘Even at night.’
Because I don’t know that growing up properly without one parent is really difficult.
There were so many great things about Wiki, Bam, and Bank.
“I must have lived through a lot of hardships.”
The bank made no reply. He just kept following me calmly, as if the process of living like that was very natural to him.
