293: To the last of my people

A certain Tidal Prison.

Kim Jae-wook opened his eyes and found himself sitting on a chair.

Kim Jae-wook's body froze in place.

He stared at his hands in disbelief, his throat seemingly choked, completely unable to speak.

Before he left, Raven had specifically told him that she had left him a derivative body.

But Kim Jae-wook never intended to survive by using this derivative body.

He naturally wanted to leave this derivative body for Raven.

However, upon seeing Raven and all the other derivative bodies trapped in cages, Kim Jae-wook's mind went blank, and he had no time to think that much.

His original intention was to swap with Raven, thereby sacrificing his life for Raven to leave that cage.

But the result was that he died along with Raven and her other derivative bodies.

And he occupied the resurrection slot of the last derivative body.

"What did I do?!"

Kim Jae-wook slammed his fist on the table in front of him, filled with resentment.

Clang ————

A faint sound of objects colliding came from an envelope.

Kim Jae-wook frowned slightly and picked up the envelope.

"This..."

Upon opening it, the first thing that caught his eye was a crystal-clear heart of africa.

Next, there was a piece of paper.

Kim Jae-wook ignored the heart of africa and casually placed it back on the table.

After taking out the slightly yellowed paper, Kim Jae-wook saw the neatly and beautifully written words on it.

This was Raven's handwriting.

Although he and Raven came from different countries, through years of interaction, Kim Jae-wook had long become proficient in Asara's language and writing.

The moment he saw the content on the paper, Kim Jae-wook's body suddenly stiffened.

Drip ————

"King..."

Large teardrops fell onto the yellowed paper.

The beautiful script on it also became somewhat blurred by the tears.

The paper read:

"Personally penned by Itaq Diwan bin Alpha Haimu."

"To my last subject."

"By the time you see this letter with your own eyes, we should have lost, and you should have been killed by me at the last moment."

"Kim Jae-wook, I am sorry for killing you with my own hands."

"I hope you can understand that my original intention was not to kill you, but to let you survive by using the last derivative body."

"In this battle, I must have fallen into that state again, right?"

"Perhaps it is precisely because of this that such a tragic outcome has occurred."

"But I cannot just stand by and watch my subjects die before me without doing anything."

"You don't have to worry about my death either."

"I will resurrect in the next world, at most continuing to be trapped in a cage."

"If you are still willing to follow me, this heart of africa can be used to find me."

"If you feel tired, this heart of africa might also grant some wishes that allow you to live out the rest of your life peacefully."

"Goodbye, my last subject, Kim Jae-wook."

Kim Jae-wook sat on the chair, his heart unable to calm down for a long time.

On the paper, Raven mentioned killing him with her own hands, and Kim Jae-wook understood what she meant.

From the very beginning, Raven had intended for Kim Jae-wook to use this derivative body to resurrect.

Just as Raven said, this derivative body was left for Kim Jae-wook.

"How could I be tired following a King like you...?"

Kim Jae-wook wiped away his tears and picked up the heart of africa in his hand.

"I wish to follow the King to the next world."

As his words fell, Kim Jae-wook closed his eyes in anticipation, a faint smile on his lips.

Time passed by minute by minute, and Kim Jae-wook's brows gradually furrowed.

When he opened his eyes, he saw that the heart of africa was still quietly lying in his hand.

"Why?!"

"Why can't such a wish be fulfilled?!"

"Does even such a wish require a price?"

Kim Jae-wook held the heart of africa, lost in thought.

"I wish to exchange a part of my lifespan to follow the King to the next world."

After waiting for a moment, Kim Jae-wook's brows furrowed even tighter.

"This won't work either..."

Next, Kim Jae-wook tried some other prices, but none of them were fulfilled.

Suddenly, a terrifying thought appeared in Kim Jae-wook's mind!

"Could it be... there is no next world?!"

"Will everything end here?!"

Kim Jae-wook's eyes widened.

Besides these two possibilities, there was also the possibility that there was no Raven in the next world.

Aside from an insufficient price, only this would lead to a failed wish.

If this was the end, then it meant... if Raven died, she was truly dead!

Even a resuscitation ventilator couldn't resurrect her!

Whoosh ——————!!

Kim Jae-wook instantly sprang up from the chair, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead.

This outcome was something Kim Jae-wook absolutely could not accept.

He now hoped that it was merely that the price he offered was insufficient to allow him to follow Raven to the next world.

And not any other outcome.

"Price..."

"It's what I possess, and what is precious to me..."

"But what exactly..."

As he pondered, Kim Jae-wook's pupils gradually brightened.

"Since it's a price, anything important to me should suffice..."

"And what is most important to me..."

Kim Jae-wook slowly raised the heart of africa and said:

"I wish, at the cost of forgetting all my experiences with the King, to follow the King to the next world!"

Kim Jae-wook tightly closed his eyes, not daring to look at the result.

But even with his eyes closed, the feel of the heart of africa in his hand prevented him from deceiving himself.

In an instant, Kim Jae-wook's breathing became somewhat heavy; he gasped for air, unable to believe such a result.

"Calm down, calm down, there must be a way!"

"Now is not the time to act on impulse..."

Kim Jae-wook suppressed the urge to smash the heart of africa to the ground, frantically thinking in his mind.

Assuming the price was sufficient.

Then a failed wish meant that one of the two possibilities he had thought of earlier had occurred.

Either the King had not resurrected in the next world, or there was no next world anymore... "Wait!"

"Why must I go to the next world?!"

"Why can't I go to a world where the King existed before?"

"If the heart of africa can cross worlds, then why can't it travel through time?"

Kim Jae-wook continuously comforted and numbed himself.

He didn't even notice how frantic and terrifying his expression was at that moment.

"I wish! I wish!"

"At the cost of forgetting everything!"

"Let me go to a world where the King exists!"

As his words fell, the heart of africa in Kim Jae-wook's hand dropped towards the ground.

During its descent, the heart of africa gradually dissipated.

And Kim Jae-wook's figure had already vanished.

The entire Tidal Prison was once again empty.