Chapter 144
When I opened my eyes again, I was instantly blinded by a bright light shining right at me, so I shut them again immediately.
Baaang—!
A loud horn blared. A strong wind blew, whipping my hair everywhere.
“What… is this?”
It was Winter’s voice. I followed his gaze and saw what I had summoned from my imagination—something from the modern world—standing there in my dream.
“Uh… well… I have a good imagination, so I sometimes wonder, What if there was a vehicle that looked like this? I thought maybe I’d call it something like… a ‘ground train.’”
That’s right.
To welcome Noe Rustin, I conjured a modern object—a ground-level train. I figured summoning just a few cars wouldn’t be enough to get his attention, so I went all out and made a full train.
“I guess because I often imagine these silly things, Noe Rustin finds them really fascinating!”
I’d even added some streetlights and trees along the sides. With all this, I was sure Noe would find his way here without confusion.
“Wh… what is all this…?”
Hojen pointed at the endlessly running train and then collapsed to the ground, speechless. I turned my back on him and ignored his reaction.
“A ground train…”
Winter repeated the words softly, as if savoring them, his eyes fixed on the train. Strangely, he looked a little… excited. It felt like a positive reaction.
“Where does it leave from, and where is it going?”
“Hmm… probably from one station to another? I didn’t think that far.”
Even though I knew that was a weak excuse, but so what? Who could prove me wrong?
I decided to just bluff my way through. Winter, however, was staring at the train like he was under a spell.
“…Well, maybe it’ll take someone to a new place.”
I said that absentmindedly, but Winter turned to look at me. Realizing what I’d just said, I quickly shut my mouth and turned away—only to find Hojen still sitting on the ground looking stunned.
“Wow… he’s completely lost for words right now.”
He opened his mouth, closed it, pointed at me, and repeated that a few times. I gestured toward the train casually.
“Do you really want to know what that is?”
Hojen blinked a few times, then slowly shook his head like an old rusty door hinge.
“N-no.”
“Want to ride it? Maybe it’ll send you to a place no one knows about. Aren’t you curious?”
“No!”
Now fully alert, Hojen jumped to his feet and walked to Millia’s grave. Kneeling down, he carefully began digging.
“I’m not curious. I’ve had enough of strange things. Don’t tell me anything about it.”
I sat next to him with a smile.
“Alright. Of course. Should I help you?”
“No. Don’t touch this grave.”
He refused my help and kept digging alone. Eventually, a coffin appeared. When he opened the lid, I flinched.
She looks like she just died yesterday…
Seeing the person I’d just met in the cabin lying here as a corpse was unsettling.
Hojen gently brushed Millia’s hair and pulled something from her neck.
“This is the bell.”
I silently apologized to the deceased and stepped closer. Hojen tried to undo the chain of the necklace holding the bell, but straightened with a groan.
“My hands keep slipping… I can’t get it off. Can you try? My back hurts.”
I took his place and examined the clasp. It looked like an ordinary necklace… but—
Tick. Tick.
Every time I tried to undo it, my fingers slipped away.
I tried several more times, but it was as if the necklace had a will of its own, dodging my touch.
“Lord Winter! Could you try undoing this?”
Winter was already beside me.
“The bell isn’t making any sound.”
That’s when I realized—no matter how much I touched and moved it, the bell hadn’t rung once.
Winter also failed to open the clasp. We exchanged glances and both smirked slightly.
This is it.
No ordinary necklace would resist like this. And the complete silence from the bell sealed it—this was no ordinary object.
“Did the bell always stay silent before?”
“No. Aside from being older than me, it was just a normal necklace. It used to ring when Millia walked. I even shook it on purpose sometimes.”
Hojen shook the bell. No sound.
“Why isn’t it ringing…?”
Winter studied it closely.
“When did Noe Rustin’s twin die?”
“Rose? She died before she was 100 days old.”
Winter nodded and turned to me.
“Isana, remember when Shuran said my soul smelled like yours?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I think this bell has a soul inside it. Based on the circumstances, I’d say it’s Rose Rustin’s soul. She doesn’t want to be separated from her mother.”
“What? Rose’s soul?”
Hojen’s voice rose in shock.
“It was probably attached to the bell after she died. Maybe the bell was special, or maybe Rose’s soul was special… maybe both.”
“…Then what does that mean for the holy relic? Is the bell the relic, or Rose’s soul, or the bell with her soul inside?”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as this bell willingly accepts Noe Rustin’s touch, that’s enough. Rose’s soul should hold about half the power of Ampelos. Being with Noe would be good for both of them.”
I stared at the bell, but questions still lingered.
“Then why didn’t it react to Noe before? It was near him even before his mother was taken into a dream. It didn’t help him even when he lost control.”
“That…”
Winter trailed off and shook his head.
“We’ll have to let Noe touch it himself to know for sure.”
“…Right.”
The idea that a newborn’s soul was in this bell was unsettling.
Ironically, it was the evil god Abilisk who had caused this—but also Abilisk’s past self, Huérion, who was now helping to fix it.
“Rose’s soul in this bell…”
I couldn’t even look directly at Hojen.
How would he feel, knowing his baby daughter’s soul had been trapped in this bell all this time, buried with her dead mother?
A quick glance showed me he was on the verge of breaking down.
Baaang—!
The train’s horn blared loudly, filling the heavy silence. I wished Noe Rustin would hurry and arrive.
What will he think when he meets Millia in this dream?
I worried that he’d be happy at first, then crushed when he learned she was just an illusion.
I should stay in the cabin.
When Millia appeared, I’d get her out of the way quickly.
With that thought, I walked toward the cabin. As soon as my hand touched the doorknob, the door swung open.
And a now-familiar face popped out.
“What the hell are you doing in someone else’s house?”
