The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years Book 2: Chapter 560

Book 2: Chapter 560

Peeking into the memories of others is a rude act. Especially if those are secrets they wish to keep hidden.

Lukas was moving forward, his body immersed in the pitch-black river.

The river was sticky like mud and seemed to have an unpleasant will of its own. It clung to Lukas’s body like swarming insects, unpleasantly slimy as it licked every part of his skin before drifting away.

It was as if it was trying to a.n.a.lyze what kind of being Lukas was.

Within it, the sporadic touches of light lotuses intermittently revealed the memories of The Beginning Wizard.

…He had experienced something similar before.

It was similar to the time when he inadvertently peeked into the memories of Iris Phisfounder, who had sacrificed herself for him. Perhaps the feelings he was experiencing now were similar as well.

Lukas looked towards the source of the river.

Nothing was visible, and no sound could be heard, but it was clear that The Beginning Wizard was there at the end.

He forced his unyielding steps to move.

And Mark's memories crashed into Lucas like waves, reflecting memories like ripples.

* * *

─The memories of his lifetime had cut off at some point.

Mark sometimes tried to recall his last moments but to no avail. He later realized that this was one of the few things common among those who had drifted into this world.

“……”

When he became self-aware again,

Mark existed in the Void World as if it was the natural order of things.

Lying on a pure white snowy field, looking up at a sky the color of which he had never seen before in his life.

[You will become The Beginning Wizard.]

A voice suddenly heard.

…Was it a voice?

It was unclear. It felt as if the words themselves became concepts that embedded themselves in his mind.

Mark felt it was similar to a revelation.

A revelation, then could there be a G.o.d?

After all, considering everything he had experienced, the existence of such a f.u.c.ked-up being wouldn’t be strange at all.

[Acc.u.mulate knowledge, hone your power, and when a being similar to you arrives, pa.s.s on that position to them.]

Even if it was a statement from a G.o.d, it was not easily dismissible.

A being similar to me?

“There’s no such thing.”

A scornful retort came out involuntarily.

[See for yourself…… If you go to Magic Planet, you’ll find out……]

“What?”

And then the voice was no longer heard.

Frozen in place, Mark eventually got up.

Despite lying in the snow for a long while, he felt no cold.

And his mind was clearer than ever.

Somehow, he felt as if he knew where he had to go.

He headed towards Magic Planet without a guide.

Back then, entering Magic Planet was not as restricted as it is now, and it was enough to walk there with his own two legs.

And in Magic Planet, Mark learned truths he would have been better off not knowing.

The Void King and G.o.d.

The Four Knights and the Ruler.

The Three Thousand Worlds and the Void World.

…Destruction.

After formally succeeding the position of The Beginning Wizard, he was able to learn about such things.

Was this the truth of the world?

A hollow laugh escaped him, but the surprise was less than expected.

Was it because of the overwhelming flood of information that the bewilderment felt greater?

Or was it that the t.i.tle of The Beginning Wizard he had inherited did not allow for any perturbation?

…Whatever it was, it was fine.

“Then… let’s think about how to prevent the Destruction.”

Mark muttered with dead eyes.

Everything was a stage set for him.

So as always, preventing this Destruction was also a task given to him.

* * *

“……”

Lukas clenched his fist tightly.

They were similar.

No, they were the same.

Mark Trowman was Lukas Trowman.

If put in the same situation, Lukas would have thought the same thoughts as Mark did.

It was an unbelievable coincidence.

Among the countless ‘Lukas Trowmans' he encountered in the Dumpsite, it was ‘Mark Trowman'—merely a brother sharing the same blood—who resembled Lukas far more closely.

…d.a.m.n it.

It was knowledge he had known through information long ago, but for some reason, only now in this moment did he truly feel its significance.

Regret clenched Lukas's heart.

Memories of the past surged.

Were those really the only conversations he should have had with the Beginning Wizard?

The truth of the world, the Destruction, the Twelve Void Lords, Magic Planet, the responsibilities of those with power.

Were ‘those d.a.m.n things' really enough?

…There could have been other conversations.

About the bulls.h.i.+t life he had led,

About the piled up frustrations,

About countless trivial matters that could only be shared with each other.

“…….”

There is no time.

The anxiety only grows bigger.

Not wanting to end things this way, Lukas moved forward again.

* * *

─There was no way to stop it.

“…What?”

Mark initially couldn’t accept that fact.

Had he missed something? Or had he taken the notion of the Destruction too lightly?

He sharpened his focus and searched for a solution once more.

─Yet, there was no way.

“…….”

Mark had faced countless ‘difficulties' throughout his life. Conversely, it meant he had never encountered an ‘impossible task.'

To others, it might seem challenging, but if Mark thought deeply, he could easily find an answer. Of course, the pain and time it took to apply these answers were another matter entirely─.

“But this…”

This Destruction…

“…there’s no answer.”

The moment he voiced it out, it felt as if the tightly pulled string of tension had suddenly snapped.

The Destruction was a natural order, a natural occurrence, an inevitable fate that could not be resisted. In some sense, attempting to resist felt almost like a disrespectful rebellion.

‘No.’

Mark stopped denying it.

Natural order or not,

An inevitable fate or not,

Disrespectful rebellion or not…!

Mark stopped trying to deceive his emotions with such bulls.h.i.+t.

He had merely fancifully disguised the fact that he was scared.

Yes!

The moment Mark acknowledged the existence of the Destruction, his entire body stiffened…! Even his brain, which had considered possibilities in every crisis, stopped its movements. His mind turned blank, and no thoughts came to mind.

─The Destruction was unstoppable even by the G.o.d and his children, the supreme beings far beyond the perspective of mortals.

How was he, a mere human, supposed to stop it?

Yet, desperately trying to find a solution, his body moved.

He looked into the ‘Spring of Wisdom' day and night, hoping to find any clue that might help─.

“Ah…….”

And Mark saw it.

He witnessed a miracle.

* * *

With slightly dark blonde hair, eyes deep like the abyss, and tightly closed lips.

He realized at first sight.

The unusual string of fate that connected this man to himself.

Lukas, Lukas……

Yes.

That name, his mother had mentioned it a few times.

“…Blood, brother.”

He muttered the unfamiliar, awkward words a few times.

“…Younger brother.”

But it still didn’t feel any more familiar.

─Acc.u.mulate knowledge, hone your power, and when a being similar to you arrives, pa.s.s on that position to them.

Mark recalled the voice of G.o.d once again.

“Is it this guy? A being similar to me, really…….”

He couldn’t remember the last time he had felt his heart beat this excitedly.

A long-neglected desire stretched itself.

He suddenly realized.

According to G.o.d's words, responding to the Destruction wasn't his role!

─A being like me, to take my place. To take on the duty that only I could fulfill.

That irresponsible wish, that reality, the fantasy he had always yearned for became reality.

So Mark,

“…Whew.”

Mark calmed his desperately excited mind and body.

He took deep breaths to settle the emotions.

…It was not yet time to be certain. First, he needed to know.

Whether, this man,

Lukas Trowman could truly be the one to take his place.

***

“Ah─”

From his throat, a voice filled with intense joy flowed out.

Mark was crying, so overwhelmed with emotion that he did not realize it himself.

That man,

No, that being… is indomitable.

He never breaks.

Despite experiencing more pain, frustration, and trials than even Mark, he did not give up. He kept moving forward. And he achieved it.

Therefore, this time too, he surely will…!

I don’t have to fight that dreadful Destruction…! It was not my role! Even if it were my role, there clearly exists someone to replace me!

Isn't he right there?

Someone much smarter, more outstanding, more resilient, and more reliable…!

A wave of joy surged in Mark’s heart. At this moment, he felt saved, and he cried tears at the visit of a miracle he thought would never come in his lifetime. The thrill, the sense of liberation, and the joy he was feeling right now were unimaginable to anyone else.

─Pa.s.s on that position to him.

Once again, the voice of G.o.d was heard.

As he first thought, that voice was truly a revelation.

It was a celestial voice meant to save Mark.

Thus, with a joyful heart,

For the first time in his life,

He was to pa.s.s on his responsibility,

To someone else…

…

…

Pa.s.s it on…

…

…

Pa.s.s it on…

…

…

He had to pa.s.s it on…

…

…

Pa.s.s it on, he had to.

“…….”

Mark could not move.

His face, which had been smiling moments ago, had now hardened, and his mind, once filled with euphoria, had turned ice-cold as if doused with cold water.

Was there ever a role he liked this much in his life?

For the first time, the world had offered Mark a role that he could be satisfied with.

A role so simple it made him yawn.

All that was left was to perform that role on stage faithfully and make a clean exit.

That should have been all.

‘But…….’

Why can’t I do it?

He was acutely aware of his own hesitation.

It was something he never wanted, and there was even justified reason for it to be so.

So, he should just do it.

That would be the end of everything.

But, he couldn't do it.

…Because he knew,

─It's too hard. It’s too much.

Because he knew better than anyone.

─There, someone, please.

Just because he doesn’t break, doesn’t mean he isn’t hurting.

Just because he doesn’t give up, doesn’t mean he doesn’t feel despair.

─Someone… if there is anyone… please, take my place…

The envious looks, the admiring voices, all the praises that sang of him,

Turned the place where Mark stood into h.e.l.l.

He couldn’t show it. He shouldn’t. He knew how frail they were. If he were to let go of the burdens he was carrying, the surroundings would turn into a wasteland.

Therefore, Mark had no choice but to scream.

A scream that he couldn’t share with anyone, always having to scream it out alone.

…At some point, that screaming overlapped.

In a different place, a person exactly like him was letting out the same cries.

The being he intended to pa.s.s the responsibility onto was not strong from the start.

For some reason, Mark remembered Lukas as a baby, whom he had never seen before.

─Your younger brother is going to be born.

“…….”

Two paths, two roles appeared before him.

One was the role desired by G.o.d, the role desired by the world, the role as The Beginning Wizard,

And the other one was…

─Take good care of him, and protect him.

─Me?

─Yes. Because you are the elder brother.

“…Haha.”

Mark suddenly burst out laughing.

Perhaps everyone harbors a desire to be saved.

He had seen Lukas’s life.

He had suffered even more terrible pain than Mark.

So, he thought it would be okay. He thought that having lived a harder life, he would be tougher, a convenient interpretation.

The greater the pain, the greater the desperation.

…Mark, of all people, should not have been ignorant of that.

Even if others didn't know, at least he had to keep that in mind.

So,

What he really want to know now is,

“How happy would he be?”

If someone else could perform the duties he thought were his own,

Even if it were just a temporary reprieve or a momentary rest, how joyful would that be?

He wanted to share the ecstasy and thrill he felt right now.

He wished that guy would know it too, at least once. Even if it were not possible in the final moments, even for an instant, just briefly, he wanted him to understand the heart of someone who had been saved.

“…I see.”

And Mark understood his own heart.

For the first time since he was born,

Not out of silent compulsion but by his own volition,

He wanted to take on someone else's responsibilities.

* * *

“…d.a.m.n it.”

Lukas wiped away the welling up emotion with his wrist.

The strength in his clenched fist didn't disappear.

That b.a.s.t.a.r.d, that d.a.m.ned b.a.s.t.a.r.d, that unforgivable b.a.s.t.a.r.d.

Are you really satisfied with that, with such a role?

Can you be happy just because it gave you a reprieve?

I am not. It does not make sense to me.

I don’t want to end it like this.

Because, wasn’t our last conversation too pitiful?

The river water had now risen up to his chest, and Lukas was moving forward as if swimming.

In a s.p.a.ce where nothing had been heard before, now there were sounds echoing.

It was the sound of crying.

The sobbing mixed with the cries of an old man.

As he moved further, he could see where the river was flowing from.

─The giant mask of an old man,

This was the murky liquid flowing from its eye sockets.

The river was the tears of The Beginning Wizard.

*****