[many constellations are confused by the plan of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Well, Kim Dokja wasn't exactly surprised by that one. After all, it seemed pretty counterintuitive to just let his stories be consumed, especially as a new constellation. They probably thought he was a complete idiot.
Lee Seolhwa glanced over at him with concern. "Dokja-ssi, I understand that you know what you're doing and that you're confident about it, but won't this still be painful?"
"Of course it will be," Kim Dokja replied, trying to make sure he'd be able to stay calm, "but that doesn't change what I have to do."
Shin Yoosung glanced down at the floor before looking up at him pleadingly. "But I don't want you to be hurt, ahjussi. There really isn't another way?"
With a small smile, Kim Dokja smoothed out her hair a bit. "There isn't, but I promise that I'll be fine."
[constellations who like children are telling the incarnation 'kim dokja' to keep his word.]
Fine, if you want to eat so badly, then eat as much as you want. In return… try to eat all of this…!
The piranhas swarm Dokja, their teeth digging deep into his flesh. Letting out a gasping scream, Dokja grits his teeth and attempts to suppress his pain-filled shaking as words begin to flow out of the bite wounds in place of blood.
Seeing the massive story flowing out of Dokja, in which some words relating to TWSA can be discerned, the 'Devourer of Dreams' lets out awed noises as it pulls the phrases closer with its paws.
Eat. Eat as much as you want, until you get to 'that part'.
Lee Jihye sniffled a bit, looking over at Kim Dokja in pity. "Ahjussi, I know it's eating the stories or whatever, but there really isn't that much of you to eat otherwise. Maybe instead of a whole barbeque, you're actually just a super expensive hanwoo steak…"
Okay, she was back at it with her strange metaphors, but Kim Dokja couldn't let himself get bothered by that.
"Screw him being any kind of meat, Dokja-ssi is basically just bones and no muscle," Jung Heewon muttered with a teasing grin. "Maybe a certain someone should make sure he gets some kind of premium beef meal in the future."
Seriously? Now Jung Heewon was teasing him too?
[several constellations are drooling at the thought of premium beef.]
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced over at her blankly for a second before saying, "Maybe."
Y'know what, Kim Dokja would ignore the not-so-hidden insult there. The very thought of beef of that quality cooked by Yoo Joonghyuk of all people… yeah, wars could be fought over something like that.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is protesting that the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' was never specifically mentioned.]
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is snickering and asking the constellation 'secretive plotter' if he would rather cook the meal himself.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is adamant that he is a better cook than the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
As nice as that steak dinner sounded right now, the constellations bickering wasn't helping. For that matter, Yoo Joonghyuk's extremely offended glare at the Secretive Plotter's indirect message wasn't helping matters either.
Regardless, Kim Dokja couldn't help but grimace when that thought was immediately followed up by the piranhas starting to attack him and tear his story from him. In a way, Lee Jihye had accurately summed up the situation in an uncomfortable manner.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is frowning deeply.]
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is not satisfied by these screams of agony.]
Lee Gilyoung's grip on Kim Dokja's arm got even tighter, and he genuinely began wondering if the kid was going to manage to cut off his circulation at this rate. He was muttering under his breath, but Kim Dokja couldn't quite make out the words. However, judging from how intently he was staring at the screen, it probably wasn't anything good.
As the sentences began flowing freely towards the Devourer of Dreams, Han Sooyoung narrowed her eyes for a moment before they widened again. "Wait a fucking second, is that TWSA?"
Oh? So she had figured it out—
"What are you trying to do, bore it to death or some shit?" she asked with a judgmental glance in his direction, and Kim Dokja just stared back with a deadpan expression.
"No, that is not what I'm trying to do," he retorted, clearly unamused. "And TWSA isn't boring."
With a scoff, Han Sooyoung turned to examining her fingernails. "Over a thousand other people and I disagree, but whatever."
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is snickering.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is telling the incarnations to have faith in the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
The screen flips between Dokja, struggling as his head pounds and his consciousness blurring, and the bear happily devouring the stories. Suddenly, a wall of papers appears in the Outer God's mind, causing its eyes to widen. Reacting to the vibrations from the god hitting the wall, [The Fourth Wall] lets out an overwhelming amount of words and stories. The 'Devourer of Dreams' is immediately startled by the increased flow and questions what Dokja is supposed to be. Dokja, however, doesn't have the strength to answer, trying to keep his sanity by reading the sentences passing in front of his eyes.
Yoo Joonghyuk was eaten by this bastard in his 136th turn as well. But Yoo Joonghyuk didn't die at the time.
The screen focuses on the words flowing from a wound on Dokja's neck.
Yoo Joonghyuk spoke as he watched the mouth of the 'Devourer of Dreams' approaching him. "Fine, if you want to eat so badly, then eat as much as you want."
Yoo Sangah bit her lip as she kept watching, her hands clenching and unclenching in her lap. "I trust that you know what you're doing, Dokja-ssi, but I really don't like this."
In all honesty, he didn't like this situation either, but it wasn't like he had another choice.
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is tensely watching the current events.]
Lee Hyunsung let out an audible sigh of relief the second [The Fourth Wall] appeared, blocking the Devourer of Dreams from extracting even more of Kim Dokja's stories. "It'll just block it now, so everything should be fin—"
And then, all of a sudden, the wall seemed to burst open and release a veritable flood of sentences and stories.
"... what?" Lee Hyunsung muttered, blinking in confusion. "Dokja-ssi, isn't that really bad?"
Kim Dokja just smirked. "No, that's exactly what I was hoping for."
[several constellations are baffled by the response of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time some powerful being has questioned what you are, Dokja-ssi," Jung Heewon said after a moment. "It's probably still related to this wall thing, but… I don't know, it's just weird."
It was weird, but Kim Dokja didn't have any answers at the moment. He was just human, even though he had far more knowledge about this world than he should. For all he knew, maybe those questions were directed at [The Fourth Wall] itself and he was misinterpreting that they were for him.
Either way, Kim Dokja felt a sense of calm wash over him as his future self read the sentences of the story he loved, just to keep himself present. It was a familiar thing to do, and it brought a degree of comfort even under these circumstances.
As Kim Dokja revealed that when Yoo Joonghyuk had fought this Outer God, he had also been eaten and survived, Lee Gilyoung glanced up at him. "The sooty bastard really won?"
"He did," Kim Dokja confirmed.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is cheering for the incarnations 'kim dokja' and 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is wondering how the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk' survived being eaten by the 'devourer of dreams'.]
As the words flowed from his body, Yoo Mia stared at Kim Dokja for a moment before sighing. "So you were just copying my oppa again. I should have known that ahjussi couldn't be that cool on his own."
… She had thought he was cool for even a second?
"Ahjussi is always cool!" Shin Yoosung protested, but Yoo Mia just huffed and turned away in a manner that told Kim Dokja that she wasn't actually angry.
Yoo Joonghyuk, on the other hand, was looking at him with a strange expression on his face. Kim Dokja wasn't sure why that was, but there was something different about it. What could it be…?
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is surprised by the current events.]
Yoo Sangah glanced up at the ceiling after that message before nodding once. "I have to admit, I don't really know how stories work, but I have to agree with the constellation-nim."
"Why do you say that, unnie?" Lee Jihye tilted her head to the side as Yoo Joonghyuk's gaze slid past Kim Dokja to focus on the woman who had just spoken instead.
"Well, from what we've seen, the stories are your personal story—unless they're acquired from a sponsor or from defeating someone else," Yoo Sangah reasoned, and Kim Dokja nodded along. She was correct so far. "However, even though Dokja-ssi's skill seems to be made up of the words of the novel, that line wasn't coming from it."
Ah. It had come from…
Yoo Joonghyuk's intense gaze was back on him again, and Kim Dokja couldn't help but freeze.
"Kim Dokja," he said, the waver in his voice surely almost imperceptible to anyone other than Kim Dokja and Yoo Mia, "that is my story."
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is gasping dramatically.]
Following the words as they flow into the mouth of the Outer God, the panic filling the god becomes apparent as more words follow. As the Devourer of Dreams asks what this is, Joonghyuk seems to answer in Dokja's stead by way of another sentence.
"You will come to understand. You will experience the emotions I endured as I repeated 136 lives. You will realize all the loneliness, sorrow, anger, and hatred towards this damned world that I felt during those awful times."
The bear's stomach swells like a mother of octuplets as the story continues to flow into its mouth despite its protests. Screaming as more of its body swells in a grotesque fashion, the Outer God can do nothing to stop the massive story from rushing in.
"You bastards think of humans as beings more insignificant than bugs, so try feeling it from now on. You will know the pain that bug experienced. Put yourself in the shoes of a bug and thoroughly feel the history that a mere bug could never bear. And if you still have the confidence to continue eating me, then eat and consume as much as you want!"
It was Yoo Joonghyuk's story. In fact, all of this was, really. Maybe Kim Dokja had just devoted so much of his life to reading it that it had been lifted word-for-word and engraved on his very soul.
Opening his mouth, Kim Dokja glanced away. "I don't know why, but maybe it's just because reading your story is a crucial part of mine."
[a few constellations are discussing this hypothesis.]
However, Kim Dokja knew that it was thanks to having Yoo Joonghyuk's story—one way or another—that he'd be able to survive. Even in the apocalypse itself, the protagonist was saving him again indirectly.
Lee Seolhwa's eyes widened and she gasped as Yoo Joonghyuk's voice echoed throughout the room. "Wait a moment… Dokja-ssi, could it be that the only reason Joonghyuk-ssi was able to win was because of being a regressor?"
"Exactly," Kim Dokja replied, a small smile coming to his face.
No matter how many stories the Outer God had eaten before, it would never be able to expect the sheer amount of pain contained within a story where the apocalypse repeated itself over 100 times. Even if it could eventually digest something like that, it hadn't been prepared, and who would be? No one would ever expect hundreds of years of suffering trapped within the mortal shell of a single man.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing at the pain of the 'devourer of dreams'.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing his hair out in excitement.]
As Yoo Joonghyuk's voice continued speaking, Lee Gilyoung stopped muttering suddenly and looked up at the screen with wide eyes. Ah… so the protagonist was talking about bugs. Though he looked conflicted for a split second, Lee Gilyoung took a deep breath and scowled at Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Maybe you're not so bad all the time, sooty bastard," Lee Gilyoung said in a huff before his eyes widened, as though he had finally realized what he had just done, and his cheeks blazed red in embarrassment. "This doesn't mean I like you now or anything! You still suck!"
Kim Dokja barely restrained himself from shaking his head and sighing. Gilyoung-ah… nobody believes that.
[a constellation who likes grasshoppers is looking approvingly at the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Yoo Joonghyuk, on the other hand, looked rather proud of himself even though his sister was groaning. It was a strange reaction to be sure, but Kim Dokja was just glad that the sunfish bastard wasn't getting depressed from listening to stuff like that.
Finally unable to handle the story, the figure of the bear cracks before finally it bursts apart. Amongst the chaotic stories that flow everywhere, a single line of text stands out.
「It was at that very moment when the 'Devourer of Dreams', who was born in space and lived for 18,000 years, first realized it.」
Dokja knows this scene extremely well—it's the scene where Joonghyuk first kills a 'god'. After reading it over and over again, Dokja had almost memorized it.
"In this world, there is a story that should never be eaten," Dokja finishes as the words continue to flow from what remains of his upper torso.
In the original novel, the 'Devourer of Dreams' swallowed Yoo Joonghyuk and struggled to digest all the pain and suffering that Yoo Joonghyuk had experienced, eventually ceasing to exist.
"Holy shit, it actually worked," Han Sooyoung muttered, her eyes going wide. As much as Kim Dokja wanted to scoff at her for not trusting his word, even he had to admit that the plan sounded pretty outlandish without full context.
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is laughing and pointing at the 'devourer of dreams'.]
As the lines of text flowed freely, Kim Dokja's attention was drawn to the same line as his future self was. The moment he read it and realized just what it was, his heartbeat began to speed up. It was one of his all-time favourite scenes, and he'd be able to recognize it from even a partial line.
Shin Yoosung blinked at the screen. "It was that old?"
Kim Dokja nodded. "Just like constellations, the Outer Gods don't operate on human timeframes. Most of them are far older than we can truly understand."
However, the mere fact of being old wasn't enough to save it from the pain of human anguish.
As the future Kim Dokja revealed that he had almost memorized the scene, however, Lee Hyunsung's eyes teared up. "The scene where Joonghyuk-ssi killed a god for the first time… I can see why you would keep going back to a scene like that, Dokja-ssi. So inspiring!"
[many constellations are impressed by the accomplishments of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is applauding the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
Yoo Mia sighed, looking disappointed again. "At least this time you're admitting that you're quoting my oppa."
It wasn't his fault that Yoo Joonghyuk was effortlessly cool like that! Kim Dokja just knew that he'd never be able to come up with anything cooler in the same situation…
At the very least, Lee Seolhwa looked rather pleased to know that her hypothesis was essentially correct as Kim Dokja's narration explained how the regressor had killed the Outer God in his 136th turn. At the same time, Kim Dokja couldn't help but be somewhat amused by the way Lee Jihye was muttering under her breath about how awesome her Master was.
Looking at the remains of the bear, trying to claw its way away from the words escaping from its own shattered form, Dokja grits his teeth as he forces more of Joonghyuk's story to flow towards the god. This time it's not just the agony of the 136th round that the Outer God will be eating, but everything beginning from the third round.
An image of Joonghyuk, his eyes bloodshot and lips chapped as blood flows down his face, comes into being across a series of mirror shards flowing out of the shattered pieces of the Outer God's body.
"Are you aware of what happens when a person lives for thousands of years?"
"Have you ever wondered about the anguish of a life that repeats endlessly?"
The bear screams in anguish as the pages of the wall appear, drifting past a set of rusty, clanking cogs as Joonghyuk counts upwards with every new regression. More shattered pieces display ways he'd died in the past—a solemn and bloody figure, an eye staring forwards after a betrayal, a sword pierced through an exposed ribcage. Everything flows amongst the god's voice.
"This is human suffering, you fucking tentacle."
Yoo Sangah sighed, a small yet sad smile crossing her lips. "It's a shame that the future Joonghyuk-ssi has no idea what you're doing in there."
Huh? What did she mean by that?
At his confused expression, Yoo Sangah's smile grew slightly. "Well, I just thought that maybe he'd be a bit reassured to know that he's still helping you win somehow, even if he's not physically there."
Oh.
[the constellation 'bald leader of the peasant's army' is nodding his head in agreement.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is smiling.]
In a way, it was true. Just like he always had, Kim Dokja was trusting the protagonist to protect him from the hell that was slowly consuming him. It felt reassuring to know that the story would always be there, and that Kim Dokja could easily imagine that broad back standing in front of him, blocking the horrors ahead.
Glancing over at the protagonist, he found Yoo Joonghyuk looking back at him with an almost gentle look in his eyes—something rare and baffling to see. It was hard to look away, and it was hard to breathe.
"Well, I for one wish we could have seen that guy's reaction to that," Jung Heewon sighed, breaking the silence. "He'd probably be so smug…"
Honestly, Kim Dokja would rather take the protagonist being smug over the scene that took over the screen next.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is frowning deeply.]
[many constellations are gasping in shock.]
[some constellations are entertained by the current events.]
Fuck. Fuck.
Kim Dokja felt like he had been plunged into ice-cold water as the protagonist's bloody appearance crossed the screen, shattered into pieces. He could hear Yoo Mia whimpering through the ringing in his ears, and anything the kids were saying sounded garbled and muted.
All those deaths… Kim Dokja remembered every single one of them vividly. He remembered crying and sobbing, pleading with the author in the comments to just 'let Joonghyuk-ie be happy in one life, please'. He remembered the despair that Yoo Joonghyuk had felt, but also the flickers of accomplishment or relief to know that others had survived instead.
Yoo Mia's sobs grew in volume before becoming muffled as she surely turned away to bury her face in her brother's shirt or coat, and he was certain that Lee Jihye wasn't managing well either.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is distraught.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is gritting his teeth in frustration.]
Kim Dokja knew that until the cycle was finally broken, Yoo Joonghyuk would wander endlessly in an eternal hell of regressions. It was a pain that not even the only reader of his story could truly understand, no matter how hard he tried. Absently, Kim Dokja wondered if tls123 knew the kind of agony they had doomed Yoo Joonghyuk to, simply by creating him under those circumstances.
However, even in the face of death, Yoo Joonghyuk hadn't given up back then.
"You show 'em, Master!" Lee Jihye called tearfully as Yoo Joonghyuk's voice spat out a final line filled with venom.
"It sure is a fucking tentacle, alright. Hate to admit it, but the protagonist bastard has some good lines sometimes," Han Sooyoung grumbled, looking away in a huff.
Kim Dokja knew exactly what her problem was—she could only wish she could write dialogue that cool.
Cracks spread throughout the space, the damage caused by eating what should not be eaten. The Outer God writhes in pain, trying to escape, but there's nowhere it can go inside its own stomach. Dokja knows well that no one can escape from themselves. The stories that it can't absorb flow away into the outer universe like waves, and the wreckage of the stomach scatters.
Suddenly, a rush of pages circle around the Outer God as [The Fourth Wall] opens its eyes. Both Dokja and the 'Devourer of Dreams' look on in distress as they're completely encircled by the pages and a mouth made of the papers laughs while grinning at the Outer God.
In slow motion, the 'Devourer of Dreams' terrified gaze meets Dokja's own shock and confusion. Then, the teeth abruptly chomp down, consuming the stories itself. The screen flips between the bear's desperate attempts at escaping the papery maw and a page slowly being filled with words. From the other side of the mouth, the filled papers flow out and glide over to Dokja, who notices that they're filled with the fables which had been eaten by the Outer God.
This time, it was being eaten by [The Fourth Wall].
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' is agreeing with the sentiment of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
No one could ever escape their own minds, no matter how much they tried. Now that it had absorbed all of that suffering, the Devourer of Dreams could only struggle in vain.
"Hyung, where are those other stories going?" Lee Gilyoung wondered, watching them carefully as they flew away.
Kim Dokja honestly didn't know. "Maybe they'll be lost, or they'll be picked up and eaten by something else out there."
Regardless, what truly mattered was getting out of this place alive.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is eyeing the skill 'the fourth wall' curiously.]
"Wait, ahjussi, what's it doing!?" Shin Yoosung asked worriedly, sucking in a breath as the pages surrounded both him and the Outer God. Kim Dokja pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out just what was going on.
Wait, was it—
Kim Dokja stared in muted horror as the mouth made of pages opened wide and took a massive bite out of what remained of the bear.
"Holy fuck," Han Sooyoung gasped. "What? This is fucking insane!"
Lee Seolhwa's voice shook as she stared at the screen in shock. "Is your skill eating the Outer God the way it ate Nirvana…?"
[many constellations are wondering how this is possible.]
[some constellations are extremely suspicious of the skill 'the fourth wall'.]
Just like with Nirvana, its thoughts and stories were being recorded on the pages of the wall, and Kim Dokja had to swallow tensely. It was one thing last time when it had eaten the reincarnator—they had been inside Yoo Joonghyuk's soul at the time, and Nirvana was still technically mortal—but this time…
How was that allowed? What kind of fucked up skill was this!? The probability should never have allowed this to happen, and Kim Dokja couldn't understand how any of this had happened in the first place.
"Kim Dokja, you…" Yoo Joonghyuk's voice trailed off as he stared at Kim Dokja with wide eyes. He was still cradling his sister, strong arms wrapped around her trembling shoulders, but his eyes were shaking as much as she was.
"I…" Kim Dokja said, having to stop to wet his dry throat. "I don't know."
The sound of pages flipping cause the Outer God's screams to cease as it speaks, [◼◼…?]
Dokja's eyes widen as the papers finally fill in and the god's thoughts, asking about ◼◼, appear before him on the wall. On the other side, the 'Devourer of Dreams' begins to call out, [Great Old Ones! Where are you all now? Oooh! O Great Plot…]
The Outer God's words are cut off by another scream before it's finally fully devoured by the pages, which separate and float around aimlessly for a moment before joining the wall in front of Dokja as the hunt ends. This, in turn, adds a nameless achievement to Dokja's fable as the Star Stream has no logical explanation for this feat, and it decides that his status—which was about to be confirmed—will have to be re-evaluated again.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is taking a sip while narrowing his eyes.]
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' is humming contemplatively.]
[several constellations are muttering amongst themselves.]
There was that censored word again… just what did it mean? Why was it relevant in this situation? Why were the constellations acting so strange?
However, Kim Dokja couldn't pay attention to that mystery as the Outer God began crying out to the Great Old Ones for help, and he couldn't help but tense up anxiously.
"If any of them come to its aid, then that won't be good," Yoo Sangah gasped, shooting Kim Dokja a worried look. Fuck, she was right. If any of them decided to actually respond, then—
Suddenly, Kim Dokja froze as he processed the Outer God's next words. What had it just said…? Great Plot…?
[many constellations are greatly alarmed by this turn of events.]
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is eyeing the constellation 'secretive plotter' suspiciously.]
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' is urging the constellation 'secretive plotter' to provide some answers.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is scoffing and rolling his eyes at this nonsense.]
Was he related to this or not? Kim Dokja couldn't tell. Maybe it was referring to some other being that had never been mentioned in TWSA, but for now, Kim Dokja had no choice but to trust the Secretive Plotter's dismissive attitude. He had never heard of an Outer God being able to send indirect messages through the Star Stream, let alone have a constellation modifier. The situation was still extremely suspicious—especially considering his earlier musings about whether the constellation could actually be an Outer God in disguise—and Kim Dokja would definitely keep this in mind, but the constellation clearly had no intention of answering any questions right now anyway.
Still, that didn't stop Yoo Joonghyuk from glaring daggers at the message. Clearly, what very little trust he debatably had for the constellation was now in the negatives. His fury was clearly affecting everyone else, and even Han Sooyoung looked mildly concerned.
"Um… at least Dokja-ssi has a more powerful story now, right?" Lee Hyunsung said to try and replace some of the awkward atmosphere with optimism.
Jung Heewon laughed in a way that felt very fake. "Yeah, that's right Hyunsung-ssi! Who knows, maybe Dokja-ssi will actually be more powerful than Joonghyuk-ssi after he gets evaluated…?"
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is doubtful that could happen unless the incarnation 'kim dokja' unlocks a secret hidden power.]
[the constellation 'maritime war god' is encouraging the incarnation 'kim dokja' to try his best.]
Despite the fragments of the 'Devourer of Dreams' scattering, Dokja remains in the void of the outer universe with only a few stories. The space hasn't collapsed, and he hasn't returned to his world yet. The other Outer Gods, learning of this fledgeling constellation lost in the outer universe, are also immensely bewildered and begin to assess the situation.
Dokja, on the other hand, pukes. Guessing that his nausea is from having his mind torn and eaten, Dokja pants heavily while noting that this must've been how Joonghyuk felt after going through the same thing. His gaze is then drawn to a set of papers which flutter apart to reveal the image of his mother formed by the Outer God, fortunately still preserved even after the 'Devourer of Dreams' had died.
"Please come back safe, ahjussi," Shin Yoosung muttered in a panicked tone. "Why aren't you coming back yet?"
Kim Dokja didn't know why he wasn't being sent back. Had something gone wrong somewhere? This wasn't supposed to be happening.
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is frowning deeply.]
To make matters worse, the other Outer Gods were beginning to take notice of his presence. Considering that his skill had literally just eaten one of them, Kim Dokja really didn't want to confront yet another one anytime soon. If they did show up, the chances of survival would drop into the negatives, and he didn't know what would happen with his [Eight Lives] attribute if he died all the way out here.
As his future self was overcome with nausea and began to vomit, Lee Seolhwa perked up in concern. "I can't imagine what you're going through in the future, Dokja-ssi, but it looks horrible."
Having his mind essentially torn to shreds and having the stories stripped from him had inevitably left him weakened at best, but Kim Dokja just hoped that he'd be able to hold out long enough to figure out what the hell was going wrong here. If he could just make it back to Dark Castle, then everything would be okay.
However, the nausea he felt a moment later was for a completely different reason as the pages parted to show her body lying motionless in the air.
[the constellation 'founder's mother' is relieved to see the incarnation 'lee sookyung'.]
"Hm, so you didn't forget about your mother after all, Dokja-yah," she said, her voice tinged with something that Kim Dokja refused to accept could be anything but smugness. "It seems you still remember to be filial when it suits you."
No, the nausea wasn't because of the utterly violating experience he had just gone through. Not even having the very essence of his being stripped from him could be compared to the utter revulsion he felt at the realization that she was feeling vindicated because of his actions.