Scent of the Fallen (1)

Of course, it wouldn't be that damn easy!

Lucian gritted his teeth, seeing the manifestation of the dimensional rift in front of his makeshift heavenly sanctuary for the lost souls.

These past few weeks, apart from Marcus of the now disbanded Black Rose Guild, and the particular lost soul whose initial desire was to punish his wife under the presumption of cheating over his dead body, Lucian didn't really encounter that much difficulty.

Transporting them was, in fact, relatively easy either as Lucian discovered that the mobility of the lost souls as they could hover in the air was outrageously quick, making his experience of driving Kim Sana—the first soul he communed with—to the place of rest utterly laughable.

Now, after overcoming these negligible yet worthwhile struggles, Lucian… No, not only he but the entirety of Gehenna's Bosom was met with unknown circumstances.

And this situation was nowhere near amicable even in the eyes of the lost souls.

"Wh-what's that…?"

"Th-that's a dungeon gate!"

"I'm surprised it's manifesting far from the city."

The sense of urgency was not in their voices, only awe and somewhat amusement—such total opposites of what the physically living used to fear.

At the back of their heads, such reactions were equivalent to the thought—'We're already dead; what more could go wrong?'

But for Lucian, who was aware of the circumstances thanks to the [Cosmic Fall System], such the manifestation of the peculiar dungeon gate was nothing short of impending danger.

Damn it! What should I do?

Kim Sana, the white ghost girl, who was standing by his side, noticed his expression, prompting her to ask,

"Is something wrong, Oppa?"

"Evacuate…"

"Huh? What-"

"Everyone, evacuate now...!"

Lucian's voice echoed throughout the mountains, alerting the hundreds of scattered lost souls.

They didn't know why, but as someone unique, as a person who led them to find rest, it seemed his words held authority over them that further questions didn't bloom over their heads.

And even if they questioned him, no matter what popped up in their minds, only obedience was the right answer.

The adults and those who at least could think for themselves, like Kim Sana, began escorting the innocent children deep in the mountains, as long as it was far from the manifesting dimensional rift emanating an ominous hue.

Meanwhile, Lucian racked his brain, trying to find possible solutions based on the system messages that alerted him one after another.

[ Emergency Quest ]

Quest Title: [ Scent of the Fallen ]

Description: [ As a reward for completing the Hidden Quest: The Comforter of Souls, you have acquired the five (5) traces regarding The Girl From Heaven. However, because you lack the capability to hide these traces, their scent reaches the '???' Faction of the now imperfect heavens. ]

Objectives:

[1] Find a way to conceal the traces' scent.

[2] Protect the souls or bear their spirit.

[3] Don't get caught.

Failure Penalty:

[ The revival of the dead god overshadowing your world will be drastically hastened. ]

Reward Completion:

[1] Book of Souls

[2] One Death Wheel Spin

[3] Coordinates of the Girl from Heaven

Duration: [ ??? ]

[ Duration until the Dungeon Rift breaks: 15 minutes ]

Aside from the Emergency Quest, a few prompts blocking his vision also indicated something that couldn't be ignored.

[ The Girl From Heaven in her cold chamber senses the lost traces in your grasp. ]

[ Do not let her wake up to find you. But find her while she was still in deep slumber. ]

[ If you cannot fulfill the latter, you will be in danger. ]

***

What should I do… Where do I even begin from here?!

While such words of seeming helplessness repeatedly echoed in his thick skull, as he turned his head, Lucian witnessed the retreating souls under his order… All but one.

"Tell me what's happening, Oppa. I can clearly tell this isn't your normal occurrence based on your grim expression just now."

"What are you doing here? I told you to evacuate-"

But Kim Sana cut him off.

"Do not bear it alone, Oppa! Do you think I wouldn't notice? The first time you escorted me to this place, the night you disappeared after being swallowed by dark green mist or whatever that was for some reason… to the moment you came back, something was different… I don't know what happened to you wherever you were, but if there's something I can say—what makes you think you have to shoulder the world alone? Isn't being friends means shouldering something together?"

Lucian was momentarily at a loss for words.

Letting out a deep sigh…

"Huh- W-why are you laughing, Oppa?"

Lucian let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

Accepting the Witch of Dream's dominant personality in teaching her how to become like a human again…

To specifically teach her what it means to be friends as the first step towards having compassion…

I was so used to being alone that it's ridiculous why I subconsciously thought that everything should be overcome by myself without the other's help…

"…Thank you. I guess you're really mature for your age, saying cringe things that make the atmosphere awkward as if it's the most normal thing."

"Eh… Ehhh?!"

Even though Kim Sana's complexion couldn't biologically react anymore to such a flustering remark, it was as though she sensed her cheeks getting crimson.

"By the way, go with the other souls. I appoint you as my right hand whether I'm here or in my absence. Take care of them. Ask some adults for assistance just like how I'm asking you right now. Moreover…"

With a clear mind, thanks to [Cold-blooded] trait, Lucian continued to entrust her with something.

After some time, as the clock was ticking, he left the Gehenna's Bosom and approached the now fully formed dimensional gate.

***

Dreamworld, Domain of the Witch of Dreams.

Floating amidst the abstract mix of dark purple and pink mist and countless mysterious spheres while hugging her pillow, the Witch of Dreams, with her seeming eternally slumbering eyes, listened to a swirling phantom that emerged within the misty world.

"Why are you entrusting that man bastard with our inhumane self?!"

Just as this phantom—one of the avatars of the Witch of Dreams—spoke, another one manifested out of nowhere.

"Why? Are you jealous? After all, you're the first one to meet him, oh our clumsy self. No… should I say our private self?"

One after another, multiple avatars surrounded the sleeping main body as though she didn't care about the noise around.

After all, at the end of the day, these personas were one with her.

"I don't trust that bastard! I don't trust him! Should I break his limbs and throw it into outer space!? Who knows, maybe another race will pick it up, imagining it's a gift from above!"

It was the Witch of Dream's angry self.

"By the way, where's our inhumane self?"

Even though they were crafted from mist without faces, they incomprehensibly recognize each other.

Looking around, they didn't notice the inhumane self or the obsessive self of the Main Body that was tailored from her inhumanity.

It was then that every phantom seemed to have chills all over their body, hearing the dominant voice of all.

"She's out to meet… our friend?"