Episode 116. Back in Place, for Her
The Supreme Being was consumed by rage.
"Lacrahan!"
His entire body felt as if engulfed in flames, blazing with rage. It was inevitable.
Lacrahan had killed Dipper before his eyes.
And deliberately.
He had shown him that, as a human, he could easily kill a god.
The Supreme Being had long feared death.
Born as a god with eternal life, that life had been a given for him.
But one day, he discovered that he could die.
Therefore, it was only natural that all dangers should be eliminated and his original state restored.
The decision to kill Bercheria had been perfectly natural to Graham.
She felt no discomfort when he decided to call himself the Supreme Being.
Graham, a being greater than anything else on Earth.
Everything had to breathe, move, and live for her, the Supreme Being.
Therefore, he felt no remorse even if he had to sacrifice all life on this earth for himself.
Because he was Graham, the Supreme Being.
“You dare challenge my existence?”
He walked toward Lacrahan.
Every step filled with rage, sending tremors through the earth.
Originally, humans could never kill a god, no matter what they did.
It was designed that way from the beginning.
A created being, a human, could never dare touch a single hair on a god.
But Lacrahan had encroached upon that divine realm by bringing in a human woman.
Not only had he invaded, but he had used the human to endanger the Supreme Being’s life.
In fact, what enraged Graham most was the fact that, unknown to even him, the god had emerged through a human connection.
Adkins, the only being Graham recognized, had betrayed him.
It was a shocking, even infuriating, event.
Yet, he accepted even that.
At first, he considered killing him on the spot, but he decided to wait patiently so that Adkins would give up on his own.
He knew that if he forcibly took him away, he would never have him again.
He thought it would be easy to defeat a finite, imperfect human woman.
“Not only did you stall for time, but what on earth do you plan to do? Killing a great god in front of humans, what on earth do you plan to do?”
Tiny lightning bolts erupted from the Supreme Being's body, unable to contain his anger.
With every step the Supreme Being took, the humans beside him continued to collapse, blood pouring from their noses and mouths.
“Humans.”
No matter how many deaths he endured, he would not be interested.
“Adkins!”
The Supreme Being's voice shook the earth.
As he approached, Lacrahan once again picked up one of the swords at his side.
“Ha!”
The Supreme Being scoffed in amazement.
His foolishness in believing he could kill him with such a small sword was pitiful.
Dipper, born a foolish and evil god, let his guard down. He probably never imagined Lacrahan would attack him in the first place.
So he had no choice but to suffer like this with his eyes wide open.
“Do you think you can kill me the same way you killed that foolish Dipper?”
As the Supreme Being raised his hand, all beings in the world came to a halt.
The air stilled, and only she and Lacrahan could breathe.
The Supreme Being walked toward Lacrahan, his sword raised, without a moment’s hesitation,
knowing that even the slightest mistake could sever his own flesh with the blade he held.
“Kill me, Adkins. Kill me now!”
A massive energy emanated from his body.
The flames crackled and spread out, gleaming like the sun drawn out like a thread.
Lacrahan stared at the Supreme Being, his eyes crinkled in confusion.
The swords he held in both hands were sharpened, ready to strike at the slightest opening.
“My poor Adkins.”
The Supreme Being's voice seemed to be felt not in the air but on his skin.
“You foolishly trust yourself as a human.”
Blue tendons protruded from the back of Lacrahan's hand as he held the handle of the sword.
"Just once..."
Lacrahan muttered, glaring at the Supreme Being with every move.
Just once.
He believed he could defeat the Supreme Being with just one opening.
Even gods are bound to show a weakness.
Lacrahan waited for that moment of letdown.
His human body was too weak to confront the Supreme Being head-on, but as a human, Lacrahan had ascended to an absolute realm untouchable by anyone.
So, just one opening was enough.
"No."
The Supreme Being suddenly loomed before him.
They were so close that their eyebrows met, their breaths intertwined.
Lacrahan's entire body froze.
"No matter what you do, you can't touch a single finger of mine, Adkins."
In an instant, a pure white halo descended upon Lacrahan's head.
An immense power overwhelmed him, preventing him from even opening his eyes.
"Huk!"
The sword Lacrahan held fell to the floor, letting out a shrill scream.
His knees buckled, and an unbearable, excruciating pain struck him.
“I can no longer wait for your childish games. It’s so childish and pathetic that I can’t stand it. So, Adkins.”
Perhaps the Supreme Being should have done this from the beginning.
Forcibly put Adkins back in his place, killed Bercheria, and did not wait for Adkins to change his mind and go back and forth for so long.
It should have been this way from the beginning.
“Now, return to being a god, Adkins.”
The Supreme Being raised both hands into the air.
Light violently engulfed Lacrahan’s body, squeezing him like laundry.
Looking down, the Supreme Being spread his palms and shouted,
“And Bercheria, who was once human. Now, the time has come, and I reclaim the power of god that I temporarily entrusted to you.”
Back to their original places, back to what was theirs.
“May you all return.”
The light that stretched out from the Supreme Being burst into the sky, only to plummet back down and be absorbed into the ground.
And then all light vanished from the earth.
“Huh!”
Bercheria’s eyes, which had been unconscious, opened wide.
“Haa, haa.”
She looked around with a startled expression. Her last memory was of being surrounded by branches and fainting just moments ago, but now she lay in the same spot where she had separated from Lacrahan as if nothing had happened.
The only thing that had changed was.
“It's awake.”
“It's awake.”
“It’s gold. It’s all gold.”
The Supreme Being was consumed by rage.
"Lacrahan!"
His entire body felt as if engulfed in flames, blazing with rage. It was inevitable.
Lacrahan had killed Dipper before his eyes.
And deliberately.
He had shown him that, as a human, he could easily kill a god.
The Supreme Being had long feared death.
Born as a god with eternal life, that life had been a given for him.
But one day, he discovered that he could die.
Therefore, it was only natural that all dangers should be eliminated and his original state restored.
The decision to kill Bercheria had been perfectly natural to Graham.
She felt no discomfort when he decided to call himself the Supreme Being.
Graham, a being greater than anything else on Earth.
Everything had to breathe, move, and live for her, the Supreme Being.
Therefore, he felt no remorse even if he had to sacrifice all life on this earth for himself.
Because he was Graham, the Supreme Being.
“You dare challenge my existence?”
He walked toward Lacrahan.
Every step filled with rage, sending tremors through the earth.
Originally, humans could never kill a god, no matter what they did.
It was designed that way from the beginning.
A created being, a human, could never dare touch a single hair on a god.
But Lacrahan had encroached upon that divine realm by bringing in a human woman.
Not only had he invaded, but he had used the human to endanger the Supreme Being’s life.
In fact, what enraged Graham most was the fact that, unknown to even him, the god had emerged through a human connection.
Adkins, the only being Graham recognized, had betrayed him.
It was a shocking, even infuriating, event.
Yet, he accepted even that.
At first, he considered killing him on the spot, but he decided to wait patiently so that Adkins would give up on his own.
He knew that if he forcibly took him away, he would never have him again.
He thought it would be easy to defeat a finite, imperfect human woman.
“Not only did you stall for time, but what on earth do you plan to do? Killing a great god in front of humans, what on earth do you plan to do?”
Tiny lightning bolts erupted from the Supreme Being's body, unable to contain his anger.
With every step the Supreme Being took, the humans beside him continued to collapse, blood pouring from their noses and mouths.
“Humans.”
No matter how many deaths he endured, he would not be interested.
“Adkins!”
The Supreme Being's voice shook the earth.
As he approached, Lacrahan once again picked up one of the swords at his side.
“Ha!”
The Supreme Being scoffed in amazement.
His foolishness in believing he could kill him with such a small sword was pitiful.
Dipper, born a foolish and evil god, let his guard down. He probably never imagined Lacrahan would attack him in the first place.
So he had no choice but to suffer like this with his eyes wide open.
“Do you think you can kill me the same way you killed that foolish Dipper?”
As the Supreme Being raised his hand, all beings in the world came to a halt.
The air stilled, and only she and Lacrahan could breathe.
The Supreme Being walked toward Lacrahan, his sword raised, without a moment’s hesitation,
knowing that even the slightest mistake could sever his own flesh with the blade he held.
“Kill me, Adkins. Kill me now!”
A massive energy emanated from his body.
The flames crackled and spread out, gleaming like the sun drawn out like a thread.
Lacrahan stared at the Supreme Being, his eyes crinkled in confusion.
The swords he held in both hands were sharpened, ready to strike at the slightest opening.
“My poor Adkins.”
The Supreme Being's voice seemed to be felt not in the air but on his skin.
“You foolishly trust yourself as a human.”
Blue tendons protruded from the back of Lacrahan's hand as he held the handle of the sword.
"Just once..."
Lacrahan muttered, glaring at the Supreme Being with every move.
Just once.
He believed he could defeat the Supreme Being with just one opening.
Even gods are bound to show a weakness.
Lacrahan waited for that moment of letdown.
His human body was too weak to confront the Supreme Being head-on, but as a human, Lacrahan had ascended to an absolute realm untouchable by anyone.
So, just one opening was enough.
"No."
The Supreme Being suddenly loomed before him.
They were so close that their eyebrows met, their breaths intertwined.
Lacrahan's entire body froze.
"No matter what you do, you can't touch a single finger of mine, Adkins."
In an instant, a pure white halo descended upon Lacrahan's head.
An immense power overwhelmed him, preventing him from even opening his eyes.
"Huk!"
The sword Lacrahan held fell to the floor, letting out a shrill scream.
His knees buckled, and an unbearable, excruciating pain struck him.
“I can no longer wait for your childish games. It’s so childish and pathetic that I can’t stand it. So, Adkins.”
Perhaps the Supreme Being should have done this from the beginning.
Forcibly put Adkins back in his place, killed Bercheria, and did not wait for Adkins to change his mind and go back and forth for so long.
It should have been this way from the beginning.
“Now, return to being a god, Adkins.”
The Supreme Being raised both hands into the air.
Light violently engulfed Lacrahan’s body, squeezing him like laundry.
Looking down, the Supreme Being spread his palms and shouted,
“And Bercheria, who was once human. Now, the time has come, and I reclaim the power of god that I temporarily entrusted to you.”
Back to their original places, back to what was theirs.
“May you all return.”
The light that stretched out from the Supreme Being burst into the sky, only to plummet back down and be absorbed into the ground.
And then all light vanished from the earth.
***
“Huh!”
Bercheria’s eyes, which had been unconscious, opened wide.
“Haa, haa.”
She looked around with a startled expression. Her last memory was of being surrounded by branches and fainting just moments ago, but now she lay in the same spot where she had separated from Lacrahan as if nothing had happened.
The only thing that had changed was.
“It's awake.”
“It's awake.”
“It’s gold. It’s all gold.”
“Touch it. The skin is soft.”
“It’s not hard. Why isn’t it hard?”
She was surrounded by small pieces of wood that seemed to have limbs attached to them.
Bercheria blinked in surprise at the sight she had never seen before.
“It’s blinking.”
“It looks like a jewel.”
“It’s not a jewel. Is it a frog?”
“If it’s soft, it’s a frog.”
At first glance, it looked like children had made human figures out of branches, playing around.
Small branches were moving like limbs attached to a slightly thicker branch.
“Ah.”
Bercheria unconsciously reached out and tapped one of the branches, causing laughter to erupt.
The nearby branches, seeing this, gathered around Bercheria’s hand as if begging to be touched. After a moment of hesitation, she tapped what looked like a side, and childlike laughter erupted here and there.
“Me too, me too.”
“Me first.”
“It’s not hard. Why isn’t it hard?”
She was surrounded by small pieces of wood that seemed to have limbs attached to them.
Bercheria blinked in surprise at the sight she had never seen before.
“It’s blinking.”
“It looks like a jewel.”
“It’s not a jewel. Is it a frog?”
“If it’s soft, it’s a frog.”
At first glance, it looked like children had made human figures out of branches, playing around.
Small branches were moving like limbs attached to a slightly thicker branch.
“Ah.”
Bercheria unconsciously reached out and tapped one of the branches, causing laughter to erupt.
The nearby branches, seeing this, gathered around Bercheria’s hand as if begging to be touched. After a moment of hesitation, she tapped what looked like a side, and childlike laughter erupted here and there.
“Me too, me too.”
“Me first.”
“Hurry up.”
Only after touching the branches like this for a long time did Bercheria finally come to her senses.
“Wait, wait.”
The branches that had been clamoring to be tickled froze for a moment, staring at Bercheria. Only when they stopped moving did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“I have something to ask you.”
She turned her head to scan the area, but Muha was still nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of Lacrahan.
"Do you know Lacrahan?"
At Bercheria's question, the branches looked at each other, then nodded simultaneously.
"We know. We know. He's our father."
"He created us."
Bercheria glanced around the branches and asked again,
“Do you know where that person is?”
“No. I don’t. You don’t know either?”
“I don’t. Do you know?”
Bercheria watched them chattering loudly and sighed deeply.
“You don’t know how to get out of here.”
At that, the noisy branches all fell silent.
Then they tilted their heads to look at each other.
“You don’t know? Not me.”
“You know? I know.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“I’ll tell you!”
Everyone turned to the small branch at the very back.
The branch with young shoots still wore its light green coat.
The young branch, which had caught everyone’s attention, shrugged and pointed upward.
“It’ll be weird up there.”
A thin branch sticking out to the side was pointing upward with all its might.
“We just have to keep growing taller. All of us together.”
The branches suddenly shouted, “Wow!” in unison.
“Let’s do that. Let’s do that.”
“Let’s send the human up there.”
“Send him out. Quickly.”
The branches busily scattered here and there and quickly disappeared into the large trees like water seeping into them.
“...”
Bercheria, who was rarely surprised by anything, was left speechless by the unreality of what she was seeing.
“...This came from inside Lacrahan?”
“Oh. That’s right.”
“That’s right. That’s what we’re doing.”
“Let’s go. Let’s go quickly.”
The branches chattered, spitting out incomprehensible sounds, and suddenly stretched out their branches towards Bercheria.
“Huh.”
Layers of branches gathered beneath her startled buttocks.
Then, they lifted her up.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Let’s go to the ground.”
Bercheria began to soar upwards at a speed faster than the wind.
“Ugh!”
The speed was so incredible that she couldn’t even open her eyes properly.
Feeling threatened to fly into the air if she didn't hold on properly, Bercheria reached out and clutched a nearby branch.
Between the hems of her clothes fluttering in the wind, Bercheria's wrists and forearms, where her tattoos should have been, were cleanly erased, leaving no trace.
Bercheria glanced around the branches and asked again,
“Do you know where that person is?”
“No. I don’t. You don’t know either?”
“I don’t. Do you know?”
Bercheria watched them chattering loudly and sighed deeply.
“You don’t know how to get out of here.”
At that, the noisy branches all fell silent.
Then they tilted their heads to look at each other.
“You don’t know? Not me.”
“You know? I know.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“I’ll tell you!”
Everyone turned to the small branch at the very back.
The branch with young shoots still wore its light green coat.
The young branch, which had caught everyone’s attention, shrugged and pointed upward.
“It’ll be weird up there.”
A thin branch sticking out to the side was pointing upward with all its might.
“We just have to keep growing taller. All of us together.”
The branches suddenly shouted, “Wow!” in unison.
“Let’s do that. Let’s do that.”
“Let’s send the human up there.”
“Send him out. Quickly.”
The branches busily scattered here and there and quickly disappeared into the large trees like water seeping into them.
“...”
Bercheria, who was rarely surprised by anything, was left speechless by the unreality of what she was seeing.
“...This came from inside Lacrahan?”
“Oh. That’s right.”
“That’s right. That’s what we’re doing.”
“Let’s go. Let’s go quickly.”
The branches chattered, spitting out incomprehensible sounds, and suddenly stretched out their branches towards Bercheria.
“Huh.”
Layers of branches gathered beneath her startled buttocks.
Then, they lifted her up.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
“Let’s go to the ground.”
Bercheria began to soar upwards at a speed faster than the wind.
“Ugh!”
The speed was so incredible that she couldn’t even open her eyes properly.
Feeling threatened to fly into the air if she didn't hold on properly, Bercheria reached out and clutched a nearby branch.
Between the hems of her clothes fluttering in the wind, Bercheria's wrists and forearms, where her tattoos should have been, were cleanly erased, leaving no trace.
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