24 - A Tale From The Past (1)

Warning: The content of this chapter may be harmful or traumatizing.

Quella sat in the rocking chair, reading the book she was holding. After reading the previous page, Quella turned to the next. As she was in a happy mood, she hummed as she read the book with the help of the sunlight.

'3 pigs and a flock of birds.

In a village there was a farmer who was feeding his three pigs. The farmer laughed happily when he saw the pigs eating well and said: "Grow so big that the birds will come!"

The farmer didn't realize that a bird was staring at him. 

The bird stared at him and never took its eyes off the farmer.

Night falls and the farmer goes out again to check on his pigs. Sleeping on straw, the pigs, who had been sleeping peacefully, did not notice that the farmer had been staring at them all night. 

When daylight came, one of the pigs woke up and immediately realized that the farmer and his two brothers were missing. Frightened, the pig decided to leave the farmer's house alone.

The bird that had been hiding flew into the forest. There was the bird's destination, its feet stepping on the red paint that was scattered everywhere, and a pale colored pig-headed thing with a body resembling a human body, but its feet were missing. 

With its chirping, the bird called its friends to eat together.

Quella, who was reading, quickly turned a new page of the book before her reading was interrupted when she heard a knock at the door. Closing the book, Quella got up and went to the kitchen where the door was.

"Grandma, hide me in here!" There was a 5-year-old boy with a panicked expression on his face, looking back several times as if to make sure no one was following him. 

His brown wavy hair was even wet with sweat, telling that this boy had run to get here. Quella stepped aside from the door to allow the child to enter, "Hoho, come in, it would be nice to have someone to accompany me here."

The child immediately looked at Quella with such happiness that even his red eyes sparkled. Taking off his shoes, the child entered the house and stood behind Quella, waiting for her.

Quella closed the door and looked at the boy.

To her, the boy was a bit strange, unlike other children of his age, this boy preferred to listen to the scary stories or tales she often told, and preferred green tea with a bitter taste to cake with a sweet taste.

If I remember correctly, his friend had a sweet tooth.

It really was quite a difference. 

The silent boy lifted his head and looked at Quella, "Does Grandma have a story to tell?" His eyes looked at her with curiosity and excitement.

"Of course."

"Oh! I want to hear it!" 

"Hmm," Quella closed her eyes before looking back at the child, "Then would you like to hear the story of the nine o'clock tower?"

The child nodded in agreement, "I do!"

"Then let's go inside." Quella led the way, with the child following behind. They immediately took their places, as if they already knew their roles. 

A small chair appeared next to the previously empty rocking chair, and the fairy tale book Quella had been reading disappeared somewhere. Quella leaned back and out of nowhere a book flew next to Quella, who picked it up and opened the first page of the book.

"Well then,"

"What do you think Chimera means?" Quella asked. The boy looked to the right, his hand touching his lips, "Um... A monster that has a body and head like a lion, a goat's head on it's back, and a tail in the shape of a snake...?"

Quella gave a small chuckle at that, "Oh, how interesting."

"The one you described is really a monster." 

"Ah, hahaha..."

The sounds of birds chirping and children laughing outside disappeared into this quiet room. Only the sound of books and lizards crawling on the wooden walls seemed to absorb the past. Green leaves adorned the small house, surrounded by the fragrant scent of lemongrass flowers.

"So what's the story behind the Chimera?"

Eriu paused for a moment before answering, "It is said that the Chimera enjoyed terrorizing the people of Lycia before the King of Lycia finally summoned a hero named Bellerophon."

"Bellerophon was actually a refugee. Bellerophon unilaterally broke off relations with the Empress Proetus, angering the Empress. The empress complained to King Proetus that she had been insulted by him. The king was angry, but did not want to kill Bellerophon with his own hands, so he hoped that by sending Bellerophon to the king of Lycia, Bellerophon would die."

"Bellerophon was his guest, so King Lycia was a little reluctant to kill him, but suddenly he remembered the existence of the Chimera, so King Lycia asked Bellerophon to kill the Chimera. The king's request was granted, and with the help of Pegasus, Bellerophon succeeded in killing the Chimera."

"The Chimera died, but Bellerophon did not..."

Quella looked at the boy's expression, which seemed to remember the past. Even sometimes, every step he took was full of caution.

In the past, his mother had asked for her help to take care of her son temporarily. The mother said she was going to buy ingredients to make medicine for her son, so she and her husband would be away for a few months. 

Before she left, the child's mother said something to her: Don't let the child go out at night and touch sharp objects.

The child was quite quiet, didn't talk much to the people around him, but strangely this child often talked to the mirror or to the wind, you could say to invisible creatures (?) The fifth day this child stayed with her, this child sneaked out and came back with a magic stone.

How did he know that there were many magic stones in the forest?

The forest has a very long history.

It made her tell stories to him.

'The Kingdom That Fell Under The Thunder of Judgment' and 'The Cave of Sinners'.

"How interesting." Quella turned the page and hummed a little at the title of the page, "Like the Chimera you told me about, there is a story about the origin of the Chimera that I believe in, a story I will tell you now."

"The nine o'clock tower."

The boy tilted his head, "What does the Chimera have to do with that story?" Of course, to the boy, the nine o'clock tower and the Chimera were completely unrelated. Quella just laughed lightly at the skeptical question with the story she was about to tell, "Hoho, of course there is."

"But it's just a story, so I don't know if it's true. Just believe it."

The book in her hand immediately turned black and random writing appeared continuously before the random writing turned into readable writing.

The first page appeared,

"Now, let's begin."

'Girl, Oath, Noble, Executioner

In a land without a name, there is life: The royal family, nobles, merchants, citizens and priestesses.

Living side by side in this nameless land.

In the town there was a famous bakery, visited by many people from all walks of life. 

The Girl was famous for her beautiful face, until the Crown Prince himself came to propose to her, saying that he would make her his concubine, whom he would love forever.

The Girl wanted to refuse, but there was an unwritten rule that everyone knew that it was a sin to refuse what the royal family wanted. 

The Girl had a friend who was a Priestess, and she asked her to spread the word: If the bread she served was golden, it meant that God wanted the marriage to go well. But if the bread was muddy and smelled bad, God didn't approve and the royal family would know the consequences.

The rumor spread, so an event was organized, and in front of everyone, the Girl made the bread that would be presented to the Crown Prince. As the fragrant smell of the bread spread, everyone was sure that the bread that would appear would be golden in color, but unfortunately what everyone expected was wrong.

The bread that appeared behind the basket was mud bread with a foul odor emanating from it. 

Everyone was stunned and the "wedding" was canceled.

The Crown Prince was disappointed, but what could he do, God rejected their relationship and the Crown Prince became the laughing stock of everyone.

Knowing that the Crown Prince was depressed and very angry, the rich rats quickly capitalized on this by proposing to punish the GIrl by accusing her of lying to the whole kingdom.

(*The rats are mean to the nobles)

There was nothing wrong with that, since she had used chocolate and mixed it with flowers that had a foul odor. But no one knew the truth, not even the Priestess.

The Crown Prince was enraged and immediately sent people to spread the story he had made up to every corner of the kingdom. 

In an instant, everyone believed the Crown Prince's story, and they came in droves to see the woman hanged. The executioner who would kill her was the main customer of the Girl's shop. 

Orders are orders, the executioner could not refuse, as the Girl put her head into the rope that would be wrapped around her neck, the Girl smiled and said her last words, "Thank you, I will make you more delicious bread."

The executioner stifled his screams and pulled the rope in his hand.

Everyone who heard the last sentence was sad and sorry, but after they returned to their homes, they all forgot about the Girl's death.

Everyone felt sleepy, and slowly everyone fell asleep around 9 o'clock.

Everyone woke up and realized that they all went back in time to when the Crown Prince said he would make the Girl his concubine.

Everyone remembers, even the Girl who was supposed to be dead comes back to life and clearly remembers the end of her life. 

In this second life, the Girl received love everywhere, everyone protected her and cared for her, believing that God was protecting her, so they were given a second life for forgiveness.

The scheming nobles couldn't touch her and everyone's opinion of the royal family became bad, but they forgot that there was a church that wanted her too.

The Girl was forced to enter in the name of God and told to protect the kingdom in the name of God as well. All those who "loved" her also hoped that this Girl would become a Priestess. But contrary to what this Girl thought, her friend, the Priestess, stood before her and protected her.

The Priestess protected the Girl from all those who wanted her, and since the Girl was part of a church that was opposed to the main church of the kingdom, the Girl would be safe.

During their time together, the Girl learns that her friend actually likes her.

Perhaps the second life was a beautiful one before the Priestess was punished for trying to defile God's gift. Cursed by the entire kingdom, the Priestess wished for a beautiful life to continue with the Girl.

The Priestess slowly disappeared into the sea, along with the rock that held her.

The Girl was depressed and decided to follow the Priestess.

At 9 o'clock the Girl died.

She felt her stopped heartbeat return, she opened her eyes, and the whole kingdom began again. The day the Crown Prince said he would make her his concubine.

Everyone was surprised, even the Girl, but she ran straight to where the Priestess lived, her life's oath.

But of all the people who returned to the beginning of time, only the Priestess disappeared. 

Her whereabouts were nowhere to be found.

The Girl burst into tears and everyone immediately prevented her from going to the Priestess. Locked up in a tower, everyone took good care of her, but the Girl felt lonely.

There a cat came to visit her almost every day. For 2 years, the Girl was accompanied by the cat, and it was there that the Girl noticed her growing belly.

The Girl was even confused, she herself knew the meaning of pregnancy and had knowledge about it, but the problem was that the Girl did not do everything that could make her pregnant.

She did not meet boys or be with boys at night or even during the day.

She only had the cat for company for the rest of her 2 years.

In a moment, everyone thought that God had given the Girl a child. This made the Girl the most holy person.

Everyone praised her and asked her many things, prayed in front of her, cried in front of her, and was happy in front of her.

But why can't she pray in front of these people, why can't she cry when she loses the person she swore to forever, and why can't she be happy?

Anger consumed this Girl's emotions. After giving birth to the child she was carrying, the Girl jumped from the top of the tower.

At 9 o'clock, the Girl died again.

The Girl woke up on the same day as the Crown Prince? What did the Crown Prince say? I don't know. The Girl went to the kitchen and took the sharpest object there and stuck it in her brain.

At 9 o'clock the Girl gave up.

Everyone immediately locked the Girl up again, kept her away from sharp objects, and made unbreakable glass windows.

Even the arrogant Crown Prince could not bear to experience the same thing over and over again. 

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he was humiliated by all the eyes looking at him.

His friends deserted him and he was left alone.

In this life, the Girl heard the Crown prince commit suicide where the kingdom stood firm. But unfortunately, he was left with a total disability. 

The King and Queen were tired and did not want to look at their son anymore. 

The Queen decided to find a replacement for her son, she met with her sister, the Queen said she would adopt the boy as a replacement for her son.

The boy became a high-ranking nobleman in an instant, and in an instant his behavior changed to that of a wild dog. On the day he became the Duke, he went to the tower, the Duke called for the Girl, but the Girl never answered his call. 

"Just because she turned back time doesn't mean she can look down on me!"

The Duke ruthlessly killed those who worshipped the Girl and prevented anyone from approaching the tower. Of course, with the help of the cat who incited him: "If you get her, you can become a God. No one will oppose you, and even the Girl wishes you would visit her every night."

The Duke was consumed by the dead cat's whispers.

Everyone was against it, even the King and Queen were furious, so what? If the Girl became his, the time of return wouldn't come again. So when everyone had left the tower, the Duke went into the tower and went up the stairs one by one until he saw the door at the end of the stairs. 

The Duke opened the door and heard the sound of the Girl's laughter, the Girl had even guessed his arrival. The Duke was suddenly frightened, and in an instant the Duke noticed something above him.

The corpse of a cat with missing eyeballs was hanging. The Girl pointed to the mirror: "Look, it's you."

The night passed and the Girl killed the Duke. With her clothes torn and wounds all over her body, the Girl seemed to survive. 

The day the Girl became pregnant again, the same thing happened.

After giving birth, the Girl drank a poison.

At 9 o'clock it all came back.

On the Day of the Crown Prince....

Everyone is fed up, they try to kill themselves, but they always manage to survive death. Whether they become blind, mute, or deaf, they don't care, they just want to die.

The Girl woke up, no one had broken into her house or called out God's gift to her. With easy steps the Girl decided to go to where the Priestess lived. All her belongings were still in the same place. 

For the first time she lived a long life.

70 years of living in the quietest and most comfortable place, everyone could have forgotten her, and this could be the last time.

Closing her eyes with a feeling of peace, the old Girl took a deep breath and slowly felt her heart getting weaker and weaker.

"Goodbye, my oath."

At 9 o'clock the Girl breathed her last.

It was also 9 o'clock when the Girl woke up.

Everyone who had forgotten her immediately remembered her and cried because the family they had built had disappeared. Some people had also disappeared, like the Priestess.

They all went to the Girl and cried, apologizing for their sins.

The Girl, whom they had not seen for a long time, became a different person. The Girl said calmly: "Were you all once human?" 

The Girl already had her destiny, she returned to the house and planted a garden as the Priestess wanted.

At 9 o'clock in the morning of her 82nd year, the Girl closed her eyes.

As if she already knew what she was going to do, the Girl went to the Priestess church and became a Priestess like her friend.

The line she often said to people crying under the statue of God was: "Have you ever looked at the image of God?"

"But why do you believe in him or her, see, this is the work of those who look down on us from above." 

Although everyone hated her, they did not dare to kill her. This Girl devoted herself to a ridiculous God she didn't believe in and died while praying in front of the statue of the Almighty.

At 9 o'clock the Girl died while praying.

The Girl woke up and looked at the familiar ceiling.

That day, she decided to open her bakery. Baking bread and inhaling the fragrant aroma of bread. A small bell rang, her first customer had arrived.

The executioner, whom the Girl had not seen for a long time, was there, smiling and reminding the Girl that the executioner would say to the Girl when he was choosing the bread he wanted, "Choose the bread in the 9th row." The Girl took the bread in the 9th row without the executioner saying a word.

When he finished eating, the executioner stood up and paid her, but there was a piece of paper on the copper coin.

Let's go to heaven.

The Girl laughed slightly as she read it and left the bakery. The executioner, who was supposed to be there, also disappeared.

The Girl shouted at the top of her lungs for everyone to hear: "This will all end!"

"Follow me to the end of the world!"

Dressed in her favorite white clothes, the Girl walked among the hundreds of people who followed her. There was the edge of a steep cliff. The Girl's gaze seemed to return to that of a small child, and she dashed off the edge of the cliff.

The people behind her caught a glimpse of huge wings sprouting from the Girl's back before she disappeared over the edge of the cliff.

Everyone there realized something immediately.

They were not going back to the beginning.

This was the end.