Han Sooyoung sighed, frowning deeper. "Do you seriously think I'm just talking about you?"
Kim Dokja blinked in surprise for a moment, trying to think about what she meant. Normally in those clichés, the speaker was the one to die, but…
"When the 'main character'—don't even think about fighting me on this because we are literally watching this through your perspective—starts getting sentimental about how much they care for their friends, nine times out of ten that usually means that someone is going to die." She crossed her arms with a huff, taking a cursory glance over everyone else. "And whether or not I'm actually included in that list of people you care about, I'm not going to be on board with taking that kind of chance with my own life."
[constellations who like literature are pondering the cliché mentioned by the incarnation 'han sooyoung'.]
Fuck, she was right. Even though he was the one with a prophecy claiming he'd die in the next scenario haunting his every step, that didn't mean that everyone else would automatically survive. No matter how much someone prepared, something unexpected could still go wrong—TWSA had proved that over and over again, after all.
Speaking up, Dokja mentions that his team also has their own
Truthfully, we didn't talk much this time either.
Because of her being eaten by the wall, Sookyung hadn't been in any condition to participate in a scenario right now. Additionally, Dokja had to enter the conversation with the knowledge of not only what happened in the past that she had kept hidden, but also what she had experienced while participating in the scenarios. Dokja had realized that she had struggled way more than he did—paying unreasonable prices to constellations, getting captured on purpose to steal Nirvana's memories, and contracting with the nebulae in an attempt to keep him safe.
Despite all of that, Dokja still couldn't find anything to say to her when he had gone to see her. To illustrate that, Sookyung's tired appearance comes into view as she sits on a bed set up in a tent, her eyes a little sad as she states that she trusts Dokja's decision before looking away.
Kim Dokja was completely unsurprised that he had a second
"I wonder who Dokja-ssi is going to bring as his extra person," Lee Hyunsung mused, though he was clearly uncertain of who would even make the list of options right now. Honestly, Kim Dokja was equally unsure. Even though some of the Wanderers had useful skills and stigmas, he had no way of knowing whether they were in any state to challenge the next scenario either.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is wondering who the incarnation 'kim dokja' will choose.]
The moment it was revealed that he had recruited Cho Youngran, Kim Dokja sighed. She was a good choice, even if he wasn't particularly thrilled about having to borrow his mother's right-hand woman. To make matters worse, he really didn't know how to feel about the reveal that his mother had wanted to accompany them.
"Sookyung-ssi, even though I don't know anything about your current condition in the future, it would be better to stay and recover after what you went through," Lee Seolhwa said sternly. It was almost comical watching a woman in her 20s all but scold his mother, if Kim Dokja had to be honest.
Still, it was strange to hear that they had talked, even if not much was said.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is curious to know what the conversation was about.]
Did it really matter? Any encounter this soon after all that he had learned would be awkward regardless of what was being said. All that knowledge pressed down on his shoulders like the weight of the world, and Kim Dokja didn't know what could be said to make it go away.
"Dokja-ssi, you don't have to suddenly be okay with everything just because you know all of this now," Jung Heewon reminded him pointedly, and Kim Dokja had to admit that she was right.
Yes, he had struggled less in the ways that his mother had, but that didn't mean that he hadn't struggled at all. He had died—multiple times, even. Having secrets and struggling didn't make someone special at the end of the world, it just meant that they were just like everyone else in that regard.
Just like his future self, he had no idea what he could even say.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is raising a brow at the words of the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is hoping that the bond between the incarnations 'kim dokja' and 'lee sookyung' will begin to recover with time.]
Kim Dokja's eyes went wide as he processed what his mother had just said. For a moment, he almost hoped that it would be repeated because he couldn't believe his ears. He felt strange, almost relieved, yet tumultuous at the same time.
"Hyung?" Lee Gilyoung asked, tugging on the robe to get Kim Dokja's attention. "Why are you crying?"
Huh? He wasn't crying.
"I…" Kim Dokja's voice trailed off. He wasn't even sure what to say, but knew he had to answer for the kid's sake. When he finally found some words, his voice was quiet. "I've never heard that from her before."
When he breathed in, it was shaky, and he blinked a few times to get the blurriness out of his eyes. How pathetic was it to realize at 28 years old that his mother had never said that she trusted his decisions before? He had known that their situations were so far removed from those of regular people, but only now was he truly realizing some of the repercussions of that fact. It put those circumstances into perspective using something mundane, reminding him that even when he was a child and things were… simply okay—because they had never been good—he had never been all that close with his mother.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is wishing to dry the eyes of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
After staring at me for so long, that's all my mother said to me. Perhaps because it wasn't the right time for us yet.
Her words had made Dokja feel strange, almost like she had just read something from him in the same way he had read her through the wall. Closing his eyes as he feels the breeze wash over him, Dokja thinks that they'll be able to have real conversations after the end of the scenarios. After waiting a moment longer, he opens his eyes and declares that it's time to move out.
In a quick transition, the screen follows his gaze to the nearly clear sky, which changes to clouds as an ancient temple comes into view. As they start to ascend the steps, Heewon looks around cautiously and she voices her discomfort over the nebulae's silence—nobody has gotten an indirect message from them for two days. Dokja isn't certain if this means that they're hiding something, or if they have simply used up too much probability. Seeing her unease, Dokja asks if Sangah has been able to contact 'Olympus', but receives a negative answer as she tells him that she hasn't heard from the nebula in three days.
Shin Yoosung plastered herself to Kim Dokja's other side. "It's okay, ahjussi. We all trust you, except for ahjumma sometimes."
Well, that was true. Despite that, Kim Dokja couldn't bring himself to look back at his mother and see what kind of expression was on her face. He hadn't been vulnerable around her in this way in… he didn't even know, actually. Over a decade for sure, if ever.
[the constellation 'founder's mother' is hoping that those conversations will go well.]
After the scenarios, huh? Maybe Kim Dokja would be ready for something like that then, but definitely not during the apocalypse. The real world needed to be saved and rebuilt before he could think of repairing his own.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is pleased to be back to the exciting content.]
Honestly, Kim Dokja had to agree. He would rather see how the next scenario went rather than continue delving into his complicated and painful relationship with his mother.
Yoo Mia gasped in awe as the group approached a building that looked like a temple. "It's so pretty, but are you really going to fight a Demon King in there? Won't it get ruined?"
"No. The temple merely contains the only way to reach the next floor," Yoo Joonghyuk told her, to her relief. To be fair, it would be a shame to ruin such a nice-looking place with a fight, but sometimes it would be inevitable. At the very least, this wasn't one of those times.
[constellations who like good architecture are praising the tastes of the incarnation 'yoo mia'.]
The second that Jung Heewon mentioned that the nebulae had been suspiciously silent, however, Kim Dokja exchanged a nervous glance with the protagonist. Or, well, Kim Dokja looked nervous. Yoo Joonghyuk just looked somewhat more concerned than usual, but somehow that only made him more good-looking.
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that," Yoo Sangah admitted, fiddling with her hands in her lap. She knew better than almost everyone else here how Olympus acted, and clearly that kind of silence was uncharacteristic of them, even in private.
Lee Jihye hummed thougtfully for a moment, crossing her arms and staring at the floor. "Um, did they maybe use too much probability to interfere with the Outer God thing? Ahjussi said something about other people using the probability, I think…"
Kim Dokja had said something like that, but that shouldn't have been enough to make them unable to send anything for days, even if they were already running a bit low on probability after using it to impose that Fate on him. On the other hand, they could just be plotting something in secret, and didn't want Yoo Sangah to accidentally or purposefully leak it to him. If that was the case, then they were probably right to be concerned.
[the constellation 'goryeo's first sword' is frowning deeply.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is extremely suspicious of the intentions of the nebula 'olympus'.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is urging the incarnations to hurry up.]
As Dokja thinks about the divide in 'Olympus' and that there must be some infighting, the images of Persephone and a shadowed Dionysus appear. Seeing his uneasy expression, Sangah asks if he's doing okay. When he replies that he is, she responds that she's trying to be okay. Dokja looks at her and thinks that he'll feel sorry if he keeps watching her; after all, she learned about his Fate first and ran around trying to help him. Despite that, he knows that's just the kind of person she is. If something is wrong, Sangah will be the first person to step forward to help, and Dokja is confident that she would act exactly the same if someone else was in his position.
As Sangah expresses some nervousness about being able to win, Dokja tries to reassure her that everything will be fine and that he won't die. Still, he believes that she must know that his Fate hasn't disappeared yet. Before he can try to reassure her further, however, Joonghyuk announces their arrival as they reach an altar atop a pentagram.
Looking at the others, Dokja confirms their strategy before he and Joonghyuk walk up to the altar. Atop it, there are two glowing handprints to indicate where they need to put their hands. As Joonghyuk and Dokja simultaneously place their palms on the altar, a scenario window appears to confirm that they'll challenge the scenario. With a nod of their heads, the entire group slowly disappears as the pentagram glows a bright red.
"They're a mess," Yoo Mia muttered, and Kim Dokja had to resist the urge to snicker. Olympus was a hot mess on the best of days, but they were even worse when in the midst of a civil war.
Though he was only really acquainted with Dionysus and Persephone, Kim Dokja could at least be reassured that the two of them usually ended up on the same side in that conflict—in the turns where the Underworld bothered to get involved at all, that was. She and Hades didn't always get wrapped up in Olympus' issues since they were technically part of the Underworld nebula rather than Olympus itself. However, due to their close ties, they couldn't always stay out of the drama.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is praising the incarnation 'yoo sangah' for her good intentions.]
"Dokja-ssi, you don't need to feel awkward about that," Yoo Sangah told him gently. "I informed Joonghyuk-ssi and the others because I genuinely care for you as a friend."
Kim Dokja nodded. His future self's assessment was absolutely correct—Yoo Sangah was a truly nice person whose moral compass was just as strong as Jung Heewon's. If anyone else had been in the same situation—even Han Sooyoung—then the Yoo Sangah he knew would have stepped up to help.
Upon hearing that, Shin Yoosung grinned widely. "It's because unnie is a great person!"
Naturally, Yoo Sangah's cheeks pinkened at the compliment. "Oh, thank you, Yoosung-ah."
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is smiling at the current events.]
"I think Dokja-ssi has done his best to reassure us as much as possible," Lee Seolhwa admitted after the future Yoo Sangah expressed her concerns, though she didn't sound entirely confident either. It was true that his Fate was still looming over him, but there wasn't anything he could do but keep essentially kicking the can down the road until it couldn't be delayed any longer.
If his Fate came for him here, then so be it.
As they arrived in front of an altar, Kim Dokja took a deep breath to calm himself. They'd be proceeding to the next scenario shortly, and he couldn't afford any unnecessary distractions if he wanted to be able to analyze everything that was about to happen. If there were any flaws in his plan, then he needed to be able to figure out where they could be fixed. At the very least, they were as prepared as they could be, and that was all that Kim Dokja could ask for.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is appreciating the aesthetics of the pentagram.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
"Ugh, why does the sooty bastard get to do that with hyung?" Lee Gilyoung grumbled as the two men reached towards the altar to place their hands upon it. It was because they were the top two rankers, obviously.
Although he couldn't quite understand why the kid was so disgruntled, Kim Dokja did have to admit that it was kind of annoying to see their hands placed side-by-side like that. Why the hell were Yoo Joonghyuk's fingers so long, dammit? It looked almost as though Yoo Joonghyuk would be able to curl the ends of his fingers over Kim Dokja's fingertips if they pressed their palms together. Kim Dokja's hands weren't tiny or anything, but it was completely unfair that they would seem smaller in comparison to the protagonist.
"Kim Dokja," Yoo Joonghyuk said suddenly, cutting off Kim Dokja's train of thought, "you will survive this scenario."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is quietly squealing in excitement.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is telling the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' that that should be the bare minimum of his efforts.]
Regardless of whatever those constellations were spouting, Kim Dokja knew that the protagonist was trying to speak it into existence. He wasn't the kind of man who would just let his companions die in this life, and this was his way of trying to reassure Kim Dokja that he would be alright.
"I know," Kim Dokja replied, his voice a bit softer than he expected. So long as everything went according to plan, Kim Dokja had no doubts that everything would be fine.
Appearing at another identical altar, this time below a winding staircase, the Star Stream announces their arrival at the next main scenario. Immediately, they all prepare to be attacked at any moment, operating with caution and checking each doorway along the cramped passageway before passing by or entering them.
As nothing continues to happen, Dokja frowns at how smoothly everything has gone, wondering why it's so quiet and why they have yet to feel the Demon King's presence. His eyes widen in shock when an error message appears before him, and as Gilyoung begins to exclaim in surprise, Dokja shushes him quickly with a finger against his lips. His unease only grows when Hyunsung locates a group of dead incarnations just ahead.
Crouching to check them, Joonghyuk identifies the traces of a probability storm as sparks jump out towards him from the bodies. As Dokja starts to wonder about who they are and why their sponsors would do something drastic enough for the sparks to be still present on their corpses, Joonghyuk reveals that they're incarnations of 'Papyrus' and 'Vedas' who he previously met in Dark Castle.
Confused by their presence, Dokja points out that incarnations of the nebulae should have had significant enough rankings to earn the right to participate in the scenario, but they shouldn't have been eligible to come here. Joonghyuk guesses that it was due to another
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is opening another bottle in preparation for the show.]
"Alright, let's do this," Jung Heewon said, getting a firm grasp on Lee Hyunsung's hand as she prepared herself for the inevitable fight.
As the party slowly proceeded, checking every single door and passage, Lee Hyunsung nodded in approval. "Caution is always the best choice!"
Precisely. In some regressions, there had been extra hidden pieces and surprise enemies in some of the rooms, but their group was powerful enough that they probably didn't need to worry about things like that. However, as they passed door after door, hall after hall, and found nothing… Kim Dokja had to admit that something felt off.
"This is weird," Han Sooyoung muttered as the group checked yet another empty room. "Why the hell is this place deserted?"
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is narrowing his eyes suspiciously.]
[the constellation 'master of steel' is urging caution.]
They hadn't even gotten a notification that the Demon King had noticed them yet, and that usually happened shortly after the group arrived. The fact that they hadn't received anything other than standard constellation indirect messages was definitely a cause for concern. Shit, had something changed?
"An error message?" Kim Dokja gasped, his eyes widening in surprise as it popped up in front of him. That wasn't good. That really wasn't good.
A tense silence descended over the group, and not even the constellations said anything, clearly watching with bated breath. Something was clearly wrong and Kim Dokja couldn't do anything to figure out what was happening, and everything only got worse as Lee Hyunsung found several bodies lying in their path.
"Ahjussi, how did they get in here?" Lee Jihye asked nervously, her gaze darting between the screen and Kim Dokja's worried expression.
He looked down, thinking frantically. "It shouldn't have been accessible before we activated the scenario, even with Six-mans."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is casting an accusing glare at the nebulae.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is wishing that the deaths were bloodier.]
"A probability storm," Yoo Joonghyuk hissed, his tone growing sharp. "And incarnations of the nebulae as well."
Fuck.
Yoo Sangah's breath caught in her throat. "Is this… is this why the nebulae were so silent?"
Most likely, and Kim Dokja hated that he still couldn't be certain of what they were planning with something like this. If they were planning on getting their incarnations in to kill the Demon King, then they should have been highly ranked enough to take part in the scenario normally. They had to have died within the past day or so, considering how Gong Pildu and Lee Jihye's ranks had suddenly risen, but despite that, Kim Dokja felt like he was missing a key piece.
"Were they planning on trying to off the Demon King early to snag the scenario rewards?" Jung Heewon wondered, looking very concerned. Kim Dokja had no answer for her, but he was getting a sinking feeling in his gut that was getting worse by the second.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning deeply.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is hoping that the incarnations will not let down their guard.]
But, even if the Demon King was defeated with only the Six-Mans, it wouldn't result in the scenario being completed. In other words, they were all sent here to die for nothing.
Looking down at the corpses with concern, Dokja wonders if the true reason for the nebulae's silence was due to using up their probability here. Suddenly, both Joonghyuk and Dokja look at each other as they have a jolt of realization.
Don't tell me…
The two leap into action, ignoring their defensive formation to begin sprinting down the hall, eventually arriving at a room with an open roof where a group of intermediate dokkaebi are floating in the center. Annoyed, one dokkaebi addresses the constellations, calling out their actions of using 'Deus Ex Machina' as not only troublesome, but also as them looking down on the Star Stream.
'Deus Ex Machina'. The authority that enables a constellation to directly intervene in the scenario by paying a great cost.
"Wait, so even if they did manage to kill a Demon King by themselves, it wouldn't end the scenario?" Lee Jihye asked, sounding confused. "So they can't just take the rewards like unnie thought?"
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is confirming that the scenario will not end so easily.]
So what was the nebulae's game here? What were they intending to do? Even though their decisions were questionable and clearly motivated by a grudge, they still weren't stupid. They would never just send their incarnations to die for nothing at this stage, not when they had invested enough into these people to make them useful tools.
Yoo Sangah had clearly realized that too, and her hands trembled even as she did her best to keep her composure. Perhaps, to Olympus, she was just as disposable as they were if the scenario began to go south or if her usefulness in keeping an eye on the singularities ran dry.
Suddenly, almost exactly as his future self did, Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly went still. "Kim Dokja. The Demon King."
His voice sounded almost frantic in its urgency, and Kim Dokja had to freeze for a second. Right. If the scenario wouldn't be cleared even if the Demon King had been killed—because why else would the nebulae have thrown away useful tools if not for unprecedented sabotage—then there had to be a major shift in the scenario to correct the balance.
[several constellations are eager to find out what happened.]
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is nervously clutching his stick.]
Kim Dokja's heart began to race as both he and Yoo Joonghyuk began sprinting towards where the Demon King should have been located, throwing caution to the wind. Through the intense focus, he could vaguely hear Han Sooyoung cursing herself out for both jinxing something going wrong and for not hiding out better to avoid getting involved in this mess.
"Why are all the dokkaebi here?" Lee Gilyoung hissed, his small hands clenching into annoyed fists. Though he was angry, Kim Dokja just felt cold. They were too late.
Of all things, they had used a 'Deus Ex Machina'...
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is very annoyed with the actions of the nebulae.]
[some constellations are protesting the interference in the scenario.]
"They intervened directly?" Lee Seolhwa gasped. "The sudden silence wasn't just due to them getting their incarnations here?"
Clearly not, and Kim Dokja felt like his heart was about to beat out of his chest in his anxiety. What had they done?
As the dokkaebi continues to speak with the constellations about how their actions won't end the scenario, Dokja realizes that although the words are directed towards the constellations, they're all meant to hear this too. Bihyung—who is here as one of the intermediate dokkaebi—looks down at Dokja with a hint of worry and an awkward expression, making Dokja internally call him a jerk in disbelief.
[I know how much you care about your incarnations, but the scenario won't end just because you interfere. Some of you are close to perishing; why in the world have you done such a thing? Just look at the probability. All of the lesser constellations have collapsed…] the main dokkaebi says, sounding concerned but Dokja can tell that something is very wrong. The dokkaebi is smiling strangely, as though he knew that this would happen from the beginning.
Suddenly, Joonghyuk calls Dokja's name, and Dokja looks toward the center of the hall where the protagonist is pointing. On the broken throne that should have had the 73rd Demon King that they're supposed to fight, a demon sits unmoving. One of his horns is broken, and his eyes are glazed over as his tattered wings lay limply on the ground. Even more alarmingly, his chest is practically cleaved in half.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is stomping her foot in anger.]
"Ahjussi, what do you mean by that?" Shin Yoosung asked nervously, and it was all Kim Dokja could do to try and reassure her by patting her head.
"The dokkaebi are trying to provide some exposition," he said sharply, feeling his shoulders tense up. "Probably to make the scenario more 'thrilling'."
"Bastards," Han Sooyoung hissed, glaring intently at the screen, and that was a pretty apt description.
At the very least, Bihyung seemed to not be particularly thrilled by all of this, but that didn't mean that he was exempt from criticism here. He probably couldn't have given them any kind of warning, seeing as he still seemed to be under some form of watch, but this was just ridiculous.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is expressing his intense dislike for the dokkaebi.]
Shit, how much probability did they even use? If the dokkaebi were speaking the truth and several constellations were nearly completely exhausted, then this was bad.
"Oppa, what's going on?" Yoo Mia asked, once again clinging to Yoo Joonghyuk. "They're smiling and I really don't like that."
Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his jaw in anger before managing to say, "The dokkaebi knew the nebulae would interfere."
They had either been informed in advance or they had predicted it, and Kim Dokja didn't know which was worse. Either way, they had decided that this would be the way to create the most thrilling 'story' for this scenario, and had let it go ahead when they likely could have prevented it.
Then, Yoo Joonghyuk called his name and things went from bad to worse. In front of them, the 73rd Demon King lay dead upon his throne, and Kim Dokja felt his blood freeze in his veins.
"Oh god," Yoo Sangah gasped, trembling in earnest now.
[many constellations are astounded by the current events.]
[several constellations are disappointed to see that the fight is already over.]
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are grinning widely.]
How would the scenario continue from here? What would be done to fix it? These thoughts and many more flickered through Kim Dokja's head before he suddenly realized what the most probable solution was, and he didn't like any bit of it.
Under these circumstances, there was only one thing he could say.
"Fuck."