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My eyes lit up when I heard there was a way to awaken Speranza.
"Speranza isn't just in a normal sleep right now. The Guardian Deity probably has Speranza's consciousness trapped deep in her subconscious."
"Deep in her subconscious Then how do we awaken Speranza's consciousness from there?"
"We have to go directly into Speranza's conscious world. That's the only way right now."
"If we wake Speranza up, we can stop the Guardian Deity, right?"
At my question, Mirna nodded her head, but she added an explanation with a serious face.
"But it won't be easy. The Guardian Deity will try to interfere with you in any way possible. And if you get trapped in the conscious world by mistake, you might never be able to escape."
She tried to warn of the danger, but I didn't care. I was confident that I could take on that much risk.
"I don't care how dangerous it is. I'll do anything to get Speranza back."
"Alright. We don't have much ti, so I'll explain quickly."
We took our positions at the head of Speranza, who was lying on the altar.
"I will use the power of the Divine Priestess to send you into the conscious world. Please help Speranza awaken there."
"Is that all?"
"There might be interference from the Guardian Deity. I wish I could help more, but in the conscious world, you'll have to overco it alone."
"Understood. Let's start right away."
"Then, place your hand here"
Mirna and I placed our hands on Speranza's forehead.
"Clear your mind and focus. Don't let your guard down until you're completely in the conscious world."
I nodded slightly and closed my eyes.
After a mont, I felt a warm energy from where Mirna and I placed our hands. The energy passed through my hand and headed toward Speranza's forehead.
-Cough, cough!!
A harsh cough and a pungent sll of blood tickled my nose. Just as I realized sothing was wrong with Mirna and tried to open my eyes
"Focus!!"
". . . . . !"
"We don't have much ti. You must concentrate on saving Speranza now."
I could feel strong determination in her trembling voice. I closed my half-open eyes again. The wavering energy regained its stability.
FocusFocus
I repeated in my mind that I must save Speranza, and concentrated on the warm energy.
"Please"
With Mirna's barely audible whisper as the last thing I heard, I felt myself being pulled sowhere and lost consciousness.
"Uhm"
As the surroundings brightened, I opened my eyes.
No Maybe saying "opened my eyes" is a bit of an awkward description. It felt like I was just a floating consciousness without a body, so "becoming aware of my surroundings" might be more accurate.
"Ah, Speranza! I need to find Speranza!"
I realized belatedly why I had co here and eagerly looked around.
An endless expanse of white space.
I felt like I was floating on an ocean, searching for Speranza here and there.
Just as I started to feel anxious that it might be too late, I saw a child crouching in the distance.
"Speranza? Speranza!"
-Twitch!
Responding even before lifting her head were her fox-like ears. Certain that the crouching child was Speranza, I hurriedly headed towards her.
"Speranza, Papa is here"
-Kwaang!!
"Ugh!"
Suddenly, there was an enormous crashing sound, and it felt as if walls were blocking in every direction.
I couldn't go any further towards Speranza because of the unknown walls.
"Damn! I didn't expect you to follow this far."
"You are?"
One person revealed themselves, sliding smoothly into view.
It was a Erul Tribe mber with a fox-like face and an androgynous aura.
"You ca here using Divine Priestess Mirna's power, right? You could have lived a bit longer if you had just stayed still. You're wasting what little life you have left."
"Fox deity?"
"That's right. Your na is Sihyeonn', isn't it? Quite fearless for an ordinary human to follow all the way here."
"How can you call yourself a guardian deity? Release Speranza right now!"
As if amused by my anger, the fox deity smirked.
"Isn't it a fair trade to protect the entire Erul Tribe for ages in exchange for just that one child?"
"You crazy"
While the fox deity and I were talking, Speranza, who had been crouching, slowly lifted her head.
She kept looking around as if searching for sothing. There was no doubt she had heard my shout earlier.
"Speranza! I'm here, over here!"
"Stop shouting. It's pointless now, anyway."
The fox deity frowned as Speranza continued to search for sothing.
"It's a good thing in a way I can put an end to this cleanly here and now."
"What are you trying to do?"
"Just stand there and watch."
The fox deity's figure vanished like a mirage.
And shortly after
Two human figures appeared in front of Speranza. One woman had silver fur, and one man had red fur. Both were Erul Tribe mbers.
"Speranza, have you been well?"
"Did you miss us a lot?"
"Ah"
Those people are?!
Long ago, when I had shared a connection with Speranza, I saw a loving couple in my faint mories.
There was no doubt that those two people were Speranza's biological parents.
"Was it tough?"
"We're really sorry, Speranza."
"Dad Mom"
The two people comforted Speranza with their tender voices.
Behind them, I could faintly see the malicious figure of the fox deity. Unfortunately, Speranza's attention was stolen by her parents, and she didn't notice the fox deity's presence at all.
"Speranza, no! Those people are fakes created by the fox deity!"
I scread as loud as I could, but my voice didn't reach Speranza.
Speranza looked confused in front of her parents.
"Why are you like this, Speranza?"
"Are you looking for sothing?"
"I heard Papa's voice earlier."
"Haha, but your dad is right here, isn't he?"
"That's right. I'm Speranza's dad."
The two people continued to reassure Speranza with their tender expressions and voices.
"You don't have to worry about anything now. You'll stay here together with Mom and Dad."
"We even brought lots of the snacks you like. Do you want to see?"
The female Erul Tribe mber pulled out snacks from her pocket. Her hands were full of the treats that Speranza usually loved.
"Your dad will make any toy or doll you want, Speranza."
"So, Speranza, we'll stay here forever with you. Co on! Hurry up and co here."
Speranza hesitantly took steps toward the two people. As Speranza got closer, the fox deity's sinister smile grew darker.
Just one step
Speranza stopped just one step away from the two people.
"Hurry up and co here."
"Speranza?"
In front of the gesturing couple, Speranza slowly opened her mouth.
"Mom, Dad, I'm living on a big farm right now. There's a huge Yakum there, and the baby Yakums are really cute. I think Akum is the cutest of all."
"?"
"?"
"Among the farm family, Sister Lia takes care of the best. When she's not busy, we go outside to play, or she lets take naps on her lap. Teacher Andras is really smart. He taught letters and numbers. Sotis he says a lot of difficult things, but if I just listen quietly, he becos really happy."
As Speranza introduced each farm family mber, her smile grew brighter.
"At first, Brother Elaine was busy training, so he didn't play with much, but now he does. Especially when he takes Grify and Finny for a walk, he always takes with him. Sister Lilia is very smart, and she makes amazing toys. And whenever I sing, she plays an instrunt along with ."
"?"
"?"
"Ashmir and Urki are Angels. At first, I thought they were scary people. But they work really hard on the farm. Boss Uncle told that all Angels are bad, but both of them seem nice. Oh! Boss Uncle is the strongest person on the farm. He rolls around in his room all day and complains, but everyone still nags him. But when I go to play, he gives delicious snacks and plays with often, which I like."
As Speranza's story went on, the fox deity's face beca more and more distorted.
"The last person is my favorite person on the farm. He brought to the farm, treated , and stayed with every day. He also gave a new family and introduced to fun friends and interesting things. I've been so, so happy."
As I listened to the story, tears unknowingly stread down my face.
"So Mom, Dad, you don't have to worry now. The place where I belong is with the farm family and Papa."
"Speranza"
"Speranza"
"Goodbye for now, Mom, Dad! I'll tell you more later."
The emotions gradually disappeared from the faces of the two Erul Tribe mbers. As Speranza turned away and moved farther, the two people froze like dolls.
"Papa! Papa!"
As Speranza moved away from the fox deity, she kept looking for Papa.' The fact that Speranza was looking for seed to give endless strength.
Crack!
Cracks began to form in the wall surrounding .
"Papa! Where are you?"
Just a little more Just a little more!
With the single determination to get to Speranza, I broke through the fox deity's walls. Eventually, the walls that were suppressing crumbled, and I regained my freedom.
"Speranza!"
"Papa!"
As I approached Speranza, my body, arms, and legs naturally ford. Without hesitation, I tightly hugged my lovely daughter in front of .
-Whoosh!
"I'm sorry, Speranza. You must have been waiting for a long ti."
"Hehe. It's okay. I knew Papa would co."
"Don't worry now. Let's go back together with Papa."
-Growl!!
"Who said you could?!"
The world of consciousness shook at the angry cry of the fox deity.
CH 378-387 (Speranza & Sihyeon) $2CH 388-397 (Happy Birthday my dear daughter) $2CH 398-407 (Subduing the Angels) $2CH 408-417 (Farm family, Assemble) $2CH 418-424 (The END) $2
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