The palace was filled with slow, gentle winds. The shining golden floor was slowly being covered by a thin layer of white fog, but the man, overwhelmed by his thoughts, failed to notice the change.
The Guardian's deep voice echoed inside his mind.
"Everything has a price. Valuable answers demand one too."
The man slowly lifted his head and stood up.
"What do you mean…? Is that it?"
The Guardian replied, his voice humming through the empty palace.
"I answered your questions for the price you paid. Watering a dead plant will never make it bloom again. In the same way, an endless amount of answers will never give you the life you imagine."
The man stood there silently, sweat rolling down his face, his eyes searching for something that did not exist.
The Guardian continued,
"You still have a chance to live. For that reason, I will send you back to Earth, where you may discover your answers yourself and experience the life you truly desire."
The man asked in a trembling voice,
"D-does that mean… I'm going back to where I came from? That dead world?"
The Guardian answered calmly.
"Hmm… I shall answer your final question as well. The world is neither dead nor alive. It is your own eyes that choose whether to see the lotus or the swamp it blooms from. To truly be free, you must free yourself from the fear of a terrible future. Only then will you see the world for what it truly is."
The slow winds began to flow faster. The once peaceful palace now felt alive with a strange energy, as though it had been waiting for this moment all along.
The man, finally understanding the Guardian's words, replied with determination in his voice.
"I will… I will remember your words. I'll do my best."
The Guardian spoke once more.
"Never forget this, a mirror cannot see the world itself; it can only reflect the world back to others. Some wise men are cursed by the knowledge they carry… Farewell, explorer."
As the Guardian spoke, the man slowly dissolved into thin air, his body turning into white particles that mixed with the fog covering the ground.
It was warm… comfortable.
Just warm enough for a perfect sleep beneath a blanket.
In his dream, the man believed he was lying in his own bed, his head resting softly against a pillow. But suddenly, a sharp gust of freezing wind struck his body, making him tremble as his eyes snapped open.
At first, it felt like a dream.
But as his memories returned, he realized the truth.
The God of Wisdom had finally sent him back to Earth.
The place where he awoke was a mountain cliff covered entirely in green grass, with trees spreading across parts of the land. Thick clouds blocked the sunlight, covering the area in gloomy weather, while the cold wind carried away any remaining warmth.
As the man walked toward the forest in search of shelter, he noticed a rabbit hopping through the bushes. The rabbit suddenly stopped and stared at him cautiously.
Then, without warning, a fox leapt from the bushes and bit into the rabbit's throat.
The rabbit struggled desperately, shaking its body in an attempt to escape, but the fox's teeth had already done their work. Within moments, the rabbit went still.
Without wasting any time, the fox disappeared into the forest with the rabbit hanging from its mouth.
The man watched the scene in silence before continuing his walk.
After wandering for some time, he spotted a small cottage in the distance. Even from afar, he could tell someone lived there. He quickly made his way toward it.
A few minutes later, he stood before the wooden door.
Knock.
"Hello?"
No response.
He knocked again.
"Is someone inside? I need help."
Just before he could knock a third time, the loud crack of a gunshot echoed nearby.
The sound startled him instantly. His instincts took over, and he quickly hid behind a nearby tree.
Moments later, an old man wearing a long coat and hat emerged from the forest. A bag hung over one shoulder while an old rifle rested against the other.
The man assumed he was a hunter but was too frightened to approach him.
The old man opened the cottage door and was about to step inside when his eyes suddenly shifted toward the ground.
Immediately, he raised his rifle and shouted in a rough voice,
"Who's there?! Come out, or I'll shoot! The gun's loaded, so show yourself before I pull the trigger!"
Fear rushed through the man's body. He couldn't understand how the old man had noticed him.
Before the hunter could fire, he spoke nervously from behind the tree.
"Please don't shoot! I'm not a thief… I'm just lost!"
The old man replied,
"What? Then come out slowly, and keep your hands where I can see them."
The man stepped out carefully.
"I really don't mean any harm. I got lost and stumbled upon your cottage while looking for shelter."
The old man looked at his simple clothes for a moment before lowering his rifle.
"You shouldn't hide like that. Some people shoot before asking questions. You're lucky I didn't."
The man sighed in relief.
"I'm unfamiliar with this place… but how did you know I was there? Did you see me?"
The old man shook his head.
"No. The wind covered the ground with fresh soil, but your footsteps were still visible. Being a hunter teaches you many things."
The man nodded.
"That's impressive… I guess it helps a lot while hunting. So that gunshot I heard earlier… was it yours?"
"Yeah," the old man answered.
"I was out hunting. You really don't know this place at all, do you?"
As he opened the cottage door, he added,
"Come inside. It's been cold lately."
The man hesitated.
"Are you sure?"
The old man gave a faint smile.
"Of course. I can tell just by looking at you, you're no danger."
As they stepped inside, the man noticed the cottage was small but complete in every way. It had a bed, shelves, a table, even a small shower. A furnace in the corner kept the entire room warm.
The man looked around quietly.
"Your home feels nice… peaceful. You must care for it a lot."
The old man removed his hat and replied,
"I came here many years ago. Built this place slowly, day by day. There used to be two more rooms, but a storm destroyed them. I only repaired this one."
The man lowered his eyes slightly.
"People care more about things once they lose them… especially warm homes."
The old man placed his hunting bag on the table and emptied it.
A dead fox fell onto the wooden surface.
The man's eyes widened immediately.
It was the same fox he had seen earlier.
"I-is that the fox you hunted?"
The old man glanced at him from the side.
"Yeah. Fox meat's good during winter. Though I understand city people aren't used to things like this."
The man spoke quietly.
"Before finding your cottage… I saw that fox kill a rabbit and run into the forest."
The old man nodded.
"Then it must've been the same one. It still had the rabbit in its mouth when I shot it."
He sat down near the table.
"That's just how things work here. The food chain."
The man stared silently at the dead fox before speaking again.
"There probably isn't a better example for why I'm here. I have questions… questions I thought could finally be answered."
The old man laughed softly.
"A lot of people come here searching for answers. Most leave disappointed because answers aren't always what they truly need."
"But I know what I need," the man replied quickly. "There's nothing else I can imagine wanting."
The old man placed the fox inside a barrel of ice.
"Well, I'm no god… but ask your question anyway. Maybe I can help."
The man sat across from him.
"Why do you think the rabbit existed… only to be killed? And the fox too. Or us… why do we exist?"
The old man listened carefully before answering.
"You know, I came to this place searching for answers too. But I stayed because of its beauty… and eventually found what I had spent my whole life searching for."
He paused for a moment.
"Tell me… a flower blooms beautifully, and a bee drinks nectar from it. Why does the flower exist? For its beauty? For the bee? And why does the bee exist? To gather nectar? To build honeycombs?"
He shook his head gently.
"No. Neither exists for a single purpose. They simply coexist. Together, they create meaning for one another."
The man frowned slightly.
"I don't understand. How does that explain existence?"
The old man replied calmly,
"There is no grand reason for the flower or the bee to exist in the first place… yet they do. And through living together, they create meaning on their own."
He looked toward the frozen fox.
"The rabbit became food for the fox. The fox became food for me. None of us were created for one fixed purpose, yet our lives still connected."
The fire inside the furnace crackled softly, its orange light dancing across the room.
The old man continued,
"The universe has no obligation to explain why things exist."
The fire inside the furnace crackled softly, its orange light dancing across the room.
The old man continued,
"The universe has no obligation to explain why things exist."
The man lowered his head slightly before speaking again.
"Yes… yes, you're right. Maybe that's why we exist… I just need to find the meaning behind why I exist."
His expression slowly darkened.
"But… doesn't that mean our creator is evil? An evil god created us."
The old man stayed silent as the man continued.
"We're trapped in an endless cycle that always ends with death. Whoever created us knew suffering existed… yet still chose to create us."
The old man stood up quietly and walked toward the furnace. He lifted a small iron pot resting near the flames, then took two cups from a shelf and placed them on the table.
As he slowly poured tea into them, steam rose into the cold air.
"An evil god…" he murmured. "That's an interesting thought."
He sat back down, holding the warm cup in his hands.
"I suppose it's possible. Darkness existed before light. Fear existed before hope. So the idea of an evil god is not impossible."
The man looked at him carefully.
"Then why create humans? Why make us the only beings aware enough to suffer like this?"
The old man studied the man's face before replying.
"Well… if that's your belief, I won't completely deny it. Humans can be evil. Very evil, in fact, when they're free to be."
The man nodded slowly.
"Exactly… so why did God create mankind?"
The old man took a sip of tea before answering.
"You cannot see through another person's eyes. That's why my answer may never satisfy you."
He looked toward the fireplace.
"But personally… I believe creation is something beautiful. People often mistake existence for a curse simply because pain exists beside it."
The room fell quiet again.
Only the sound of burning wood remained.
The old man spoke once more.
"And there's no reason to fear death so deeply. One day, whether soon or far away, both you and I will become ashes. In the end, power, knowledge, and even the answers you seek will lose their meaning after death."
The man sat silently for a moment before lifting his cup.
"Even so… before I die, I want to find as many answers as possible."
He stared into the steaming tea.
"This will be my final question."
The old man quietly listened.
"If life exists before death… and we experience life because we are conscious… then what is consciousness? You and I are sitting here right now because we are aware."
The old man's expression tightened slightly, wrinkles forming across his forehead as he thought deeply.
Then, unexpectedly, he laughed softly.
"Your previous question already carried the answer to this one… and honestly, I can't answer it."
The man looked disappointed, but the old man continued.
"Though… there may be someone who can answer your endless questions."
The man immediately raised his eyes.
"Who?"
The old man leaned back in his chair.
"People around here call him the Forest God."
"Forest God?" the man repeated.
"That's just what people call him," the old man replied. "From what I've heard, he's simply another man like us. I've never met him myself, but they say he's unusually wise."
The fire flickered between them as he continued.
"He lives south of these mountain cliffs, beyond the forest."
The man's tired eyes slowly regained a faint spark.
"Then I'll go to him… if you truly believe he can help me."
The old man gave a small nod.
After finishing their tea, he looked outside through the frosted window.
Darkness had already begun swallowing the forest.
"You should stay here for the night," he said calmly. "It's too dangerous to travel now. You can continue your journey tomorrow morning."
The man lowered his head gratefully.
"That would help me a lot… thank you."
The old man prepared a place for him to sleep and shared one of his blankets.
Soon, the two of them rested quietly inside the small wooden cottage.
The man lay beside the warmth of the fireplace, silently watching the flames dance in the darkness…
Until his eyes finally closed...