NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 855
Is the biological computer not set up yet?
The corners of the Data Center were empty.
A huge space reminiscent of a small auditorium.
Only after reaching the center did Ashtosh Singh let go of Anastasia’s arm.
Then he went over to the wall and began to hoist a massive container.
It resembled an enlarged jerrycan, commonly referred to as a “fuel can.”
『 Animal Oil
20XX.X3.14 』
『 Animal Oil
20XX.06.13 』
『 Animal Oil
2XXX.05.XX 』
The label exuded an inexplicable stench.
It bore signs of having been written over and erased multiple times.
Especially the date section was worn and smudged to the point that reading it was nearly impossible.
Apart from the leading numeral of the year, the rest looked so faded that it raised serious doubts about the hygiene of the ‘contents’ within.
‘Animal oil…’
But instead of focusing on the questionable hygiene of the recycled fuel can or the dates on the label, Anastasia concentrated on the words ‘animal oil’ written above.
Why was she so focused on that?
There was no choice but to be.
Given the desolate landscape she’d seen on the way here… it was impossible not to focus on that.
A ruined city where even a single weed was hard to find.
A place where all that existed were humans and insects.
In such a location, animal oil?
In a space where even feed for livestock was hard to come by… animal oil?
Surely, the container that seemed capable of holding 30-40 liters of oil was filled with the ‘animal’ that could be found nowhere else.
‘It’s human oil.’
The fact that the many fuel cans accumulating before her contained oil was astonishing.
How many people had to be squeezed to produce such a quantity…?
Anastasia bowed her head in remembrance for the lives sacrificed to create that not insignificant amount of oil.
‘Hmm. But why the heck did I bow my head in respect?’
She naturally found herself in a moment of silence, only to abruptly realize her actions were odd.
The scenes before her were ludicrously horrifying, claiming the number one spot among the countless nightmares she had witnessed, and they were so grotesque and filthy that they could maintain that position for an eternity.
Yet, despite that, they remained within the realm of ‘dreams,’ an illusion that could hardly escape that classification.
Thus, no matter how terrifying the nightmare, it was hardly something that would cause one to bow their head in solemn respect.
Weirdly enough, in that moment, Anastasia bowed her head so unthinkingly.
As if…
As if…
‘Uh… Could it be this?’
Something flitted through her mind.
A very vague, thin, and utterly indistinct something.
If she just dug a little deeper, it seemed like it could become clear and take form.
A mere sliver of enlightenment.
Just a little more.
If she thought just a little more, she felt something could be grasped…
But just as Anastasia’s enlightenment was starting to take shape, Ashtosh Singh set down the jerrycan with a thud, abruptly breaking her train of thought.
『 Child of spring. Just because we walk the same path doesn’t make everyone a companion, and even if we head in the same direction, you well know the truth that the destinations may differ. Thus, it is not strange when destinations part ways or when one who reaches the destination halts and remains alone. 』
Ashtosh Singh gazed at Anastasia and continued to speak.
『 Dreams are the ambiguity of memory. The vagueness of cognition. A picture reassembled from fragmented mosaics, and although some pieces are missing, it takes shape like an unfinished product.
Child of spring.
Do you remember why you came here? 』
Remember?
Of course, she did.
How could she possibly forget?
Ashtosh Singh and Anastasia had agreed on a shared purpose that extended into the ‘deeper levels of the collective unconscious’…
What had that purpose been?
At that moment, Anastasia stared blankly at Ashtosh Singh.
『 Our destinations are parting, and it is time for us to separate.
I am destined to disembark and remain here.
You must properly unpack and reorganize. 』
Then, he slowly raised his hand and brought it to Anastasia’s head.
Whoosh.
He lit his hand on fire and began to pour it into Anastasia’s mind, much like melted cheese drizzling.
As his fiery hand melted and seeped into her head, scenes started to emerge in Anastasia’s mind.
[ …My contact with you is for a good future. ]
[ …In the present world, firewood fed with oil is piled up everywhere, so how could I spare myself in such a precarious political situation? Though flames are warm and possess the power to create civilization, they can also turn everything to ashes if excessive. Thus, the essence of fire is to guard against excess above all else, for I do not wish for the entire world to burn. ]
[ What I desire is human flames and the flames of the spirit.
A heart that burns brightly, the flames of life itself are what I truly seek. How could I simply watch as they go up in smoke? ]
[ Child of spring. I would like to propose a transaction to you.
The vague yet colossal notion of an undesirable future may not resonate with you.
What would you think if your benefactor, the one who bestowed upon you your name, fell into a pit of despair? ]
[ Your benefactor is attempting something as dangerous as igniting a lighter in a gas-filled room—a foolish act akin to lighting a campfire atop explosives.
Oh, child. We can join forces for a moment.
I wish to prevent that spark from spreading across the world while you seek to protect your benefactor from foolish acts that might unleash a horrifying fire upon the world, thus avoiding karma on a grand scale. ]
[ Also, I stake everything I have in this—the fact that you will grow.
By accompanying me, you will surely gain strength.
Your power comes from the strength of the spirit, dreams, and the amalgamation of human unconsciousness, from countless gatherings.
You will undoubtedly grow stronger and more resilient.
Perhaps… ]
[ Perhaps, as you wish, to a level where you can aid your benefactor. ]
It surfaced.
The words of Ashtosh Singh, who had come through the mirror.
Harnessing the flames to project his image in the mirror, while tracing echoes long known and sending his will directly into Anastasia’s mind.
Ashtosh Singh proposed the transaction.
And what had she replied upon hearing that transaction?
Anastasia began to murmur to herself, as she interacted with the memories of Ashtosh Singh.
“Perhaps my inability to fully understand what grandpa is saying isn’t due to him being a shaman. It’s natural for people to think of shamans as special, but they’re humans at their core.
Yet, while an ordinary person’s mind may be likened to a pond, a shaman’s mind is comparable to a lake or sea; that vastness may lead people to feel disconnected and incapable of understanding or empathizing.”
What she said now was a re-enactment of her previous situation.
A re-enactment before entering the dream.
“But one thing does seem clear.”
“Grandpa harbors goodwill towards me and views me as a person, seeing our connection as something special. And just like he said, this ‘transaction’ will indeed be an opportunity for me. According to grandpa, I will surely grow.”
She paused, recalling the same words she had said to Ashtosh Singh through the mirror.
“…Of course, I can’t guarantee my safety.”
Then she stared at Ashtosh Singh with vacant eyes.
With unfocused eyes, she recalled the past Ashtosh Singh and gazed at the present one.
“Though grandpa swore to protect my potential, he neither guaranteed my safety nor swore not to harm me.”
“But even so, I’ll accept grandpa’s proposal.”
“For I believe that the goodwill he sends my way speaks of his commitment to protect me and that he will not treat me like an object because he considers me special.”
When she replied like that, what did Ashtosh Singh say?
What had he replied?
[ …Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Though all flames are alike, your flame shines like a star. ]
[ How could I not cherish such brilliance? ]
[ I vow. As long as you are you, and your flame remains unchanged, I will do my utmost to protect you. I will strive to prevent you from harm. ]
[ However, I will not hinder you from burning of your own volition, nor prevent you from mixing with others or falling into despair. ]
[ To suppress another’s will is hardly just! ]
[ The creation of order comes at the cost of diversity.
Isn’t that the nature of flame? ]
[ Ego. Child of spring. Let’s go. ]
[ From now on, you will fall into a deep sleep enchanted by a curse, much like a princess in a fairy tale. ]
[ Without a chance to inform another, you will drift into slumber and explore the collective unconscious. You will explore what you wish, and together we will venture deeper. I shall not restrict your steps, only accompany you, prioritizing your safety. And when we reach my destination, I shall ask for a small favor, and then we shall part ways. ]
[ This is a transaction. This is a brief companionship.
Though our destinations differ, this journey shared by those walking the same path is fleeting. ]
Then the mirror shattered, and the flames scattered.
They swiftly coalesced into the shape of a swan, soaring forward to guide her to a secluded warehouse—
They fashioned an altar-cum-bed and caused her to lie down, drifting swiftly into sleep.
Thus, the journey began.
And then, then…
“…I had this feeling that accepted the transaction that whispered to me? That’s what it felt like!”
The focus returned to Anastasia’s eyes, and the scenes in her mind began to disperse.
Instead of the Ashtosh Singh from her memories, she now beheld Ashtosh Singh with a monitor on his head.
“Though I’m still unsure, did I really grow?”
『 …Indeed. And depending on your enlightenment, it will vary.
Perhaps just a little, or quite a lot. 』
Ashtosh Singh slowly began to print that out and started to melt his body.
Flames of blue engulfed him, his form melting away like cheese or even slime…
The only intact portion was the monitor that had occupied his head.
The rest quickly melted into a shape resembling a fake body sculpted from wax and began to entangle Anastasia in long, sticky strands.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Then, as if that was what they were waiting for, the fuel cans toppled down.
The solidified white oil began to melt away under the heat of the flames Ashtosh Singh emitted, starting to flow onto the floor, and soon the flames spread, igniting the entire Data Center in a firestorm.
Flames soared as if to cover the whole world.
A river of oil saturated with flames.
The flaming serpent cascaded across the ground, threatening to engulf everything in its wake, spewing out black smoke and white smoke.
Anastasia, at the center, was the pillar and axis.
The irreplaceable center that the multitude of serpents could not reach, and she was the goddess they served.
Ashtosh Singh performed a spell using Anastasia as the footing, with myriad flames, this unique space of the collective unconscious, the black and white smoke…
Using all that as a symbol, he invoked a spell.
A spell that would summon an existence.
One seeking to forcibly bring it here.
Ah.
In that moment, the realms of reality and illusion harmonized and began to intertwine.
Countless souls who voluntarily burned themselves, who turned into firewood, did not hesitate to ignite their being.
Flames and smoke within the unconscious surged.
All of them formed ropes connecting space to space, manifesting shapeless spirits and creating an anchor.
It was a call.
For those with dreams, for those who sleep, it was an irresistible invitation.
Ashtosh Singh’s spell finally reached out.
And began to rudely invite someone.
Behold.
Within the shrouded smoke.
The mind of one who had roamed in a fake body had arrived here.
By the resilient thread of fate, through the grasping hand, the mind of the author reached here—
“I do not know this spell….”
The young shaman in a black suit.
The man who had named Anastasia.
He succeeded in summoning Park Jinseong…
Ashtosh Singh smiled as he began to form his body again while observing Park Jinseong’s slowly revealing figure.
Drawing flames roaring from the floor, filling his body with human oil, he began to reform himself.
With a smile witnessing the newly invited soul into the collective unconscious by his spell.
As he was about to print his welcoming words –
A whisper brushed past Ashtosh Singh’s ear.
* * *
Disgusting hypocrite.
Believing his objectives are righteous
A wretched, narrow-minded, and selfish old fool.
I acknowledge that I failed to achieve my own purpose and faded away
Yet you, too, shall falter.
You shall not fulfill your own purpose either.
How could one who obstructed others’ paths easily attain success?
Receive my karma.
Hypocrite.
You shall accomplish nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
The things you cherish will be shattered into unrecognizable pieces.
Your collective unconscious will splinter and crumble.
The fears you harbor shall solidify.
The future you dread shall arrive.
Disgusting wretch.
Selfish fool.
Receive my curse.
* * *
And.
Three.
Two.
One.
With a malign whisper, the very space began to shatter.
The dense smoke was torn apart, the space split, and wood emerged.
It was a tree.
A vessel containing the malice of a shaman.
An artificial intelligence that sought to understand humanity.
Its name is Anael.
And the curse directed at Ashtosh Singh is a most unwelcome guest.