Dancing on the golden ashes

I couldn't shake the nagging feeling that I had just set something in motion that I might regret later. A cold unease settled in my chest as I thought about the black hole I had created. It felt like a ticking time bomb, one that would eventually come back to consume me. Was this my fate? Would it one day return, seeking to devour this world? Was I really destined to destroy everything I cared about?

No.

I wouldn't let that happen. If my own power came back to haunt me, I would destroy it, too. It was mine, after all. I wouldn't let it destroy the place I cherished. Not this world. Not when I still had a part of me that wanted to protect it.

A fire ignited in the hollow part of my heart—one I didn't even know was there. It burned brightly, pushing away the doubts that had clouded my mind. I didn't want to destroy this world. I wanted to protect it. After all, what was the purpose of my existence if there was nothing left for me to protect? If I destroyed this world, where would I even go? I was tied to it. I needed to breathe. I needed to feed on souls. I depended on this place for my very survival.

It pained me to admit it, but I loved this world. And I hated it at the same time. It had given me the greatest memories, yet it had also taken away everything I held dear. The pain of loss still lingered in my heart, even as I struggled to push it away.

"Well..." I murmured to myself, "since I'm here already, I might as well visit a few places."

I flapped my wings, the rush of wind lifting me into the air. My thoughts shifted toward my family. Were they still alive in this world? After all these years, the harsh passage of time had likely claimed them, consumed by its tragic fate—the most insidious poison this world could offer. The inevitability of time was something no one could escape, no matter how powerful they were.

I didn't care about them, not really. I just wanted to see their graves—if they even had one. After all, I couldn't help but feel the need to say goodbye, just one more time. The next time I would return... who knew when that would be? A hundred years? A thousand? Time was a strange thing for someone like me. With each advancement in my cultivation, my lifespan stretched longer, and I had already guessed that I would live for at least one hundred thousand years, maybe even more. And the thought of that future... it was a lonely one.

Within seconds, I reached Zeltra City. It had once been a small village, nothing more than a handful of huts and roads. Well, maybe it was a bit bigger than that back in the day, but it was still just a small village. Now, however, it had grown into a massive city, an empire in its own right.

I had heard that the current leader was a young man—Lee Jin-ho. The name struck a chord in me, and a strange feeling rose in my chest. He looked so much like my brother had when he was little. Could it be? Was he my nephew? Or perhaps my grandnephew? I wasn't sure, but the connection felt undeniable. Still, I would not reveal myself to him. It didn't matter who he was. As long as he did well, that was all that mattered.

"I should go see them now..." I muttered to myself, my eyes turning toward the massive graveyard in the distance, situated just outside the city. A solemn place, far removed from the noise of the bustling city.

Flapping my wings, I soared toward the graveyard, the wind rushing past me. I landed in the quiet, sacred space, the air heavy with the weight of time. Slowly, I moved from grave to grave, each one a small marker of a life once lived. And then, after what felt like an eternity, I found them—my family's final resting place.

There it stood, the massive grave and the towering gravestone standing as a testament to the lives that had once been. It was decorated with such intricate beauty, it had to hold great significance, a symbol of something more. Something special. Something I couldn't fully comprehend.

"Here lies the beloved family of the founder of everything and the Great Empress Lee Gaon, who reigned supreme in this world. This world mourns the family she had lost, and their names shall be etched into the history of the world."

The words carved into the stone struck me like a sudden wave, and I felt my heart ripple, though I couldn't explain why. The tears started to roll down my cheeks, warm and unexpected.

Why am I crying? I asked myself. I don't care about them, I never did. They abandoned me… So why?

I looked at the names, their epitaphs etched forever into the world's history, and it felt like something deep within me had been unlocked—something buried under years of pain and resentment.

{RIP: Lee Seok-jin, Before the world - 20 New World}

{RIP: Lee Hae-kyung, Before the world - 34 New World}

{RIP: Lee Nuri, Before the world - 67 New World}

"God bless the emperor Nuri and his family. We hope that this world will one day remember his extraordinary achievements and sacrifice to take on his sister's throne and her burdens."

I couldn't hold it anymore. My legs gave out beneath me, and I dropped to my knees, my hand reaching out to touch the cold gravestone. I wondered why I had come here. Why now? But as my fingers traced the engraving, my heart clenched in a way I couldn't ignore.

Why does it hurt so much?

Maybe I still loved them, a small part of me that I never allowed myself to acknowledge. Perhaps I should have never come here at all. Yet, strangely, I felt a sense of peace settle in my chest. They had lived well, they had their lives, and in the end, they were at rest.

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Perhaps, in some way, they had found the peace I had never allowed myself to claim.

"Goodbye... Mom... Dad... Little brother... Please rest in peace"