Chapter Text
The moment he opened his eyes, it was an unfamiliar ceiling. That's how it was often depicted, wasn't it? He had experienced it once before, but having the same thing occur could only mean a problem. A huge one.
Lee Seongjin blinked in a daze, not fully registering that he was sprawling on the floor. And just like how he was when he woke up as Morres Klein, the same lethargy and weakness came unbidden, with growing aches thrumming on his sore chest. Like 'he' had been having difficulty breathing and fainted from overexertion caused by lack of oxygen.
The surprise didn't end there— a voice echoed in his mind. It was not Demon King's voice, it was the voice he had come to be familiar with and silently yearned over. No, calling it a 'surprise' was not it, the shock was tremendous.
[Morres!]
The Holy Emperor, Nathaniel "Nate" Klein, his father. The most powerful existence in the True Delcross Plains with Holy Power bordering on Godhood. The one who most likely shouldn't be here, with his status as Guardian of Delcross and one of the [Key] holders of the Assembly of Six. If that same father is here, the causality it would invoke for having two Oracles absent from their post after throwing off balance into ruin would be…!
"What—!"
Thud!
He sits up abruptly, only to stagger and hit his head back to the floor. The dizziness was immense, his sight blurred into darkness before he could do anything to brace for impact. The feeling of 'spinning', despite his closed eyes, only caused him new agony. A nausea.
'Why… why is it whenever I wake up my body's a mess?'
[….]
Is this even his body right now?
[… it is.]
The Holy Emperor, whose worried words went unheard, finally said in dismay. How long was it? The first thing Seongjin did the moment he was able to support himself upright and walk was to check out a mirror.
… it really is his body. As Morres Klein, that is. The pale ash blond hair, and the eyes. What should be grey coloured was now having a permanent silvery sheen, which should not happen, either. As far as his position as the next Oracle, he had not awakened his power for long yet, and even his father had never had Oracle Sight activated all the time. The mental burden was something, and it would have broken causality had even a minute passed by. Nonetheless, it seems that because this world was another Flame World similar to Sigurd District 34, the same rules do not apply. Unlike Crystal Realm where every rule and structure was specified in [Status Window], and unlike True Plains like Delcross where powerful existences lurked.
In a world where holy power, aura, gods and demon kings don't exist, simply knowing more than other humans does not pose a threat to the balance, unless one participates in dabbling over causality. No soul terminals are wandering about with incessant words, like one from the Kornshiem's Clan information network Arenia, and thoughts from people here are far lighter to an incomparable degree.
It might have something to do with having the current and next Oracle sharing a body, but the Flame Crystal—where his father's soul resides right now—was an organ tied to him, so the mental load would be his, even considering his father's help calming down the initial shock. So if he felt fine, it could only mean it's not actively dangerous.
'Isn't that right?'
[….]
Lee Seongjin looks around, the furniture sure reminds him of the apartment he used to live in with his parents, he had confirmed he was in Korea too. Then he looks for information about his identity here, because surely whatever happened that had dragged both of them here would not be so careless as to ignore such a simple cause and effect principality.
Morres Hwan Jeong, 15 years old.
What the heck is this name…?
[Morres.]
I know, Father. It's fortunate that he still has the name Morres, but should you really make it obvious you're feeling smug… —
Ah…
That's not it….
He immediately sat back down, bathroom floor and all. The world blurred black, and a torrent of memories flew by in rapid current.
'The nausea after this is….'
:::
:::
:::
Nausea was the least of the worries.
"Ughh!!!"
Here he was, clutching the closet like a lifeline after emptying his stomach, bitter bile dripping down his chin. His body was shaking, and tears refused to cease streaming down. The soreness of his chest had multiplied over, and breathing was difficult, if at all. The pressure was not simply physical, Seongjin knows very well that this is closer to psychological issues.
Still, according to Morres Hwan Jeong's (god the name's too long) memories, he should have some medicine somewhere. So after reassuring his father one more time, he decided to organise the most important things first, walking around with shaky legs like a newborn fawn.
Morres Hwan Jeong lives with his maternal aunt, Jeong Seonghwa, after his parents passed away from a car crash. The two were close, perhaps because of the irony of their fates; where the child lost his parents in an accident, and the aunt let go of her family after her husband's abuse caused miscarriage to her unborn child. She cut ties after divorcing that devil of a man, taking the young Morres into her custody and living anew. Considering the Jeong siblings were orphans, he and his aunt were each other's only family.
"…."
And the child … he was sprawling on the floor after collapsing from exhaustion. It somehow reminded him of the time when his routine consisted completely of training all day to the point that the emperor himself asked him to play outside more. This one consisted of studying to a crazy degree, though Lee Seongjin could remember everything, he was now determined to avoid a position where he had to use that knowledge with his own feet. Who on earth is looking forward to having an exam with a happy heart? What a lunatic.
Right then, after gulping down some pills with a glass of water and settling himself on the bed in his room, his father finally said something. Annoyingly, it was a scolding.
[Are you really avoiding the prospect of studying right now, my son?]
Both of them are stranded in an unknown world and that's what he's saying? Seongjin frowned. Even now, he could feel the gradients of cause and effect in the air. A major interference had occurred not long ago, his father should be the first to know that.
[…The principles of Crystal Realm had been applied to specific individuals. Most likely, the time and space had been bent several years into the past not long ago.]
'Father… you're speaking rather directly, is this because you're in my Flame Crystal and we're now technically soul mates?'
[….]
No words, but the deflated mood is a tattletale. Wait, why would he be deflated in being his son's soul mate? He could feel his father averting his eyes, it really threw him back to the days when the Demon King's soul resided there. Not that the pitiful, tiny soul could be compared to his father's grounding presence.
'Father.'
[Yes, Morres.]
'Father.'
[Yes.]
'Don't feel too sad.'
The one who felt the greatest shock at having nearly every power sealed was his father, after all. Worse off, he's practically confined inside the Flame Crystal. If he feels this bad for losing his aura, what about his father who possessed the strongest Holy Power and aura? And he couldn't even move around freely as a soul like he usually did, there's no homunculus body for him to enter, either. No need to even mention asking his father to possess some doll, it would be the worst outcome if he couldn't come right out, in the first place, only those possessing Flame Crystal could support a soul descending without crushing the original owner.
[….]
'The constraints had been lighter here, had it not? That's why you no longer worry about causality and speak freely. Since our presence for this information was practically negligible as of now.'
[That is… correct. The time and space interference in this world had allowed Delcross Plains to enter a liminal state in our absence.]
Meaning, their absence would remain undetected, and since time flows differently, however long they dwell here would mean little in Delcross.
'So, if we want to come back, we have to pose a presence strong enough to move the causality?'
The reason why he, as Morres Hwan Jeong, had Flame Crystal at all was that this is his body, Morres Klein's, and because Flame Crystal was a unique organ that is both tied to the body and the soul. The moment the two of them come back to Delcross, 'Morres Hwan Jeong' would cease to exist, because the moment he opened his eyes, the child had just died. That was the only reason the two of them are allowed here. Because there's a vacancy'.
Having suffocated to death from a panic attack as an end was incredibly lonely, especially when the kid was just fifteen. The grief they're sharing was enough to render him sigh deeply. At that moment, the Holy Emperor's voice rang loud.
[Precisely, it would require 'authority' to move causality, but that is correct.]
Their authority as the Oracle was more than enough, or rather, his father's authority as the Guardian of Delcross was enough, so what's left was the cause and effect to move causality.
"Then, first… let's eat."
[….]
What, why? Why are you so sullen, Father? You should know you're no longer at an age where you can throw a tantrum over food. Now that they're soul mates, Seongjin has come to understand he had been wanting to do a particular thing with his father.
[… Morres?]
Sigh, sharp as ever. Lee Seongjin brushes off the dread radiating off his father's soul and reaches out to grab his phone. It's been ages since he operated one… during his days as Hunter Lee Seongjin, the phone was useless, as he fought for decades and reached sixty, he hadn't touched a single phone. Still, the child's memory helps a lot. After fumbling with the face recognition lock, the phone opened smoothly.
'Wow… so nostalgic. Last time I had a phone was in my… twenties.'
Father, you know our emotions are connected, right? Your curiosity and fascination are heartbreaking. Is this what it feels like to teach elderly technology? For the sake of it, Seongjin opened the camera and took a selfie. The astonishment his father had was pitifully precious. He recorded a short video, took a picture of the room, opened the gallery and showed his father the result.
'Well, not bad, right?'
His skill in selfies might be outdated for now, but that's something he could observe and relearn.
[… Yes.]
Compared to Delcross where painting was the only means to immortalise images, of course, this was far advanced. When he opened another app, he had to explain to his father what the app was for, show him how to use it, and everything. Oddly, this is the closest to the regular audience they have in the palace, where Morres would share how his days been going and his father would listen over Melbourne tea.
"So, we can order food like this."
After checking contact information and replying to the aunt's message to order delivery because she'd come back late, Seongjin proceeds happily to satiate his lifelong cravings. Of course, now accustomed to his body's capacity as Morres instead of Lee Seongjin, he only ordered moderately. It's not good to overwhelm his father at once.
Hmmm. From the Delcross native perspective, it's fascinating to know they could order food to be delivered to their home, even without palace maids or butlers. Non-cash payment, too. If his father was already fascinated by this much, he'd be doomed.
[That is all a misunderstanding, Morres.]
'I didn't say anything.'
[….]
'And it's okay to be fascinated, I'm showing these off proudly.'
Ah… somehow he can imagine the Demon King chiming in, 'Place your hand on your heart and call forth your conscience, you crazy bastard!' or 'How many times have I told you you're terrible in comforting others?' The irony of the Demon King saying such things was ludicrous. That guy would probably be fine, he's residing in the soulstone temporarily as far as he can remember.
No, not yet. He couldn't treat the gaps in memories carelessly. Seongjin shook his head. That's not what's important right now.
"Anyway! Behold! Jajangmyeon and Jjampong!"
[.…]
To teach the ultimate picky eater whose food has always been poisoned since childhood, and the mental load of the Oracle who could see, hear, and feel the lingering intents on things he consumed, this black and red combo is a good starter!
"Furthermore, Father, there's no Holy Power here. We could not afford to starve and forego sleep as you did."
[…!]
What, you surely didn't think I wouldn't know, are you? You old man, because you have infinite Holy Power and can heal yourself whenever, you're in such a hopeless situation now. He easily shared the sense of taste with his father, complete with smells too. He feels a bit bad recognising the reluctance he could feel, it's like he's forcing his father to eat—now that he has no body of his own to resist.
Damn it. Why does it sound like he's being so mean? He just wants his father to eat food! He's not torturing him at all!
It didn't take long for the reluctance to shift into pleasant surprise. As Lee Seongjin watched and listened through the lingering intents of those who farm the ingredients, those who cook, and those who deliver until the food reached its destination, he confirmed there was no malice or killing intent. Above all, the familiar taste was comforting for him, so hopefully… that feeling of comfort would ease his father, too.
[… It's delicious.]
'Yes, eat a lot with me, father.'
When he took a bite of Jjampong, this time he had to ease his father for a completely different reason. This Delcross native keeps saying things like serving a biological hazard called spice… wait a minute, Lee Seongjin is Morres too, so he's… the Delcross native too. Oh shit.
'No, Father, you'll be fine! The one who physically tastes the spice is me!'
[Morres! That spice could lead to addiction—]
'Then let's finish the whole thing first! And then see for yourself!'
[Morres…!]
… Moments later.
Both Jajangmyeon and Jjampong were emptied. Lee Seongjin let the Holy Emperor wallow in stunned silence, even in soul form, he could picture his father's face drained of colour and wide-eyed. His father is going through the five stages of grief, he should not be disturbed.
In the meantime, Seongjin finished analysing and cataloguing the contact information on his phone with the corresponding memories. Thankfully, the kid Morres Hwan Jeong did not live a painful school life, he ranked first in the entire school, which alone gives him a place where everyone would want to be on his good side. Sigh… being adored by teachers at school was something he couldn't relate to. What could he do? Lee Seongjin was someone who stalked the committee staff until they resigned because they treated him unjustly. If there's any good news, at least they share similar personalities. If he treats this the way he did with swordsmanship training, then he'll do it.
About his… Aunt. How should he treat her? It's not like he can just say Morres Hwan Jeong had passed away and we who are stranded here occupied the body due to dimensional balance?
That's what he thought, until the aunt dropped a bombshell the moment she took a seat in front of him. Her elegant features are reminiscent of First Consort Elizabeth, so much so that not only Lee Seongjin but the Holy Emperor gasped in shock. It's as if the woman had been reborn as a Korean, it's utterly mind-blowing.
"It's okay. When you've finished… my purpose here ceases to shackle me."
What odd could there be that Morres Hwan Jeong's aunt is a shaman? Sure, she's working as a professor in some university but her knowledge shows she's adept in this field.
She holds his hands gently, caressing them with melancholy, "That child… is ultimately you. I have always entertained the thought, of what may happen, if I were given a chance to live as your mother in some other life. But as it is, I have arrogantly overstepped the mercy upon me."
Her eyes, they can see souls. It's not something like an Oracle's level, but for a human who lives in a world where there's no aura nor holy power, she proves her mental fortitude in the surest way possible.
"So don't burden your hearts. It is simply as it's ■■■■■■■■."
"...!"
[...!]
They were left in bewilderment. The silvery sheen gleaming on Lee Seongjin's grey eyes looks as if they'll shine brighter—that's how shaken both he and Nate are.
[Morres.]
I know. I know, Father. Any thoughts should be halted. Lee Seongjin shut his eyes tightly, trying to compose himself from crumbling under a mental breakdown worth two Oracles baggage. The grips on his hands tightened, and he inhaled deeply before opening his eyes.
Then…
Then now.
"My name is Morres Hwan Jeong."
[….]
Jeong Seonghwa smiles, her laughter echoes softly, "Yes, Morres, I am Jeong Seonghwa, your aunt."
:::
:::
:::
They tread through the days with an intensity of strangers getting to know one another. Familiar and unfamiliar. Nevertheless, Lee Seongjin would like to digress, they're all genuine. And that genuineness made it painfully apparent that the three of them are in the presence of one another while yearning for someone different at the same time. Even so, when weeks passed like that and he attended school under his father's insistence, they finally found the first fragment of the Crystal Realm rules in this world. Oh, the health check was immediately done the night they had that conversation, he's been admitted for days afterwards but that's in the past now.
Walking down the street with his hood pulled down, Lee Seongjin gaze through the glasses, his mask obscuring his lower face. Since the apartment was located in the central entertainment district, it's easy to monitor what's happening in real time. The Holy Emperor had said that interference of massive magnitude was only possible with enough causality, so highly likely, the one who's entangled in that cause and effect web would be someone influential. Meaning, famous people. That's why Lee Seongjin had been diligently monitoring who the current artist occupying the huge ad screen there, whatever it's called.
Tonight, everywhere was plastered with the same man. A man named Cheongryeo, the leader of veteran K-pop boy group VTIC. Numerous congratulations and other similar words flying about, but his focus was on something else.
The pulls that could only be felt by Oracle. Now that the sight was locked permanently active, the gravitational waves of causality could be seen so clearly. Even without meeting in person, they know enough.
'Regressions….'
[Yes. The causality had snapped its connection from him, this is the last timeline for that child.]
Really, Father? Are you planning to call everyone your child? Lee Seongjin grumbles inwardly, but says nothing. Thanks to his father teaching him how not to overload by attending school, being in the crowd like this is no longer unbearably taxing. Everywhere he sees, he can see the soul of everyone and every living being present. His head would be filled with torrents of thoughts if he let his guard down, thoughts that moved too fast and abstract for anything concrete. As if that's not enough, he'd occasionally see visions of the future too, a future that no longer exists, or the past of others whom he accidentally brushed over. He could see the souls of the dead without needing to summon them, and while it was embarrassing to have his father find out he was scared of ghosts, not being alone in this maelstrom of insanity was a blessing in itself. After all, while his father was an Oracle older than him, even he had never been in this state permanently. Most of these were supposed to be fleeting, with wide intervals in between. Because an Oracle was ultimately human, and unlike his father who had Holy Power to recover, it is not possible here. So the two of them were, absolutely, utterly suffering through gritted teeth.
How they managed to eat on the first day was a mystery.
The bright silvery sheen, if anything, makes the dull grey eyes appear silver. At least it looks more like a human's than some lightsaber in the dark. Well, he's Morres Hwan Jeong here, he's half foreigner technically so he can just say it's inherited. Which is true anyway.
'… Father.'
But again, that's not the main problem now, is it?
Feeling the heavy premonition sinking with dread, the Holy Emperor tensed slightly. At another time, Seongjin would marvel at how transparent his father is in soul form, but he was too busy with a frightening realisation.
'… We'll need to become a K-pop idol, Father.'
[….]
'The only way to come in contact with the current holder of Crystal Realm's status window is by entering the same field.'
[Morres….]
'MEANING WE SHOULD SING, DANCE, BE COOL SEXY AND CUTE, IN FRONT OF THE MASSES…!!!'
Lee Seongjin held the back of his neck and staggered to a corner. He had a guess, of course he had, but acknowledging it took a different toll than expected. What is he? He's some sixty years old inside!! He's too old for this!! Even older was his father!! Why would they debut as an idol!!! THEY JUST WANT TO GO HOME…!!!
[Morres, your blood pressure…!]
"Ex-excuse me. Are you okay?"
Lee Seongjin flinched, blinking rapidly at the voice of a woman in her late twenties. He was crouching in a more secluded corner than he initially thought, clutching both of his ears while appearing as if he were having a panic attack. It's no wonder the woman was worried.
He stood up in surprise, bumping his head into the womam, his glasses slipped off and fell.
"So, sorry…!"
Oh no, her chin looks reddened in real time, the sight was enough to distract Lee Seongjin from his sore forehead. Standing up, Seongjin was nearly the same height as the woman, he remember when he first woke up as Morres Hwan Jeong that he was around 169cm, shorter than Morres Klein who's in the midst 170cm.
"No, no! Don't apologise, student. Are you okay? Have you contacted your guardian yet?"
'I'm not a kid!'
[You are a kid, Morres.]
Not you too, father!
The woman was about to say something else, until she saw his silver eyes and ash-pale blond hair, and drew a deep breath.
No, why, is she hurt?
The sudden change caused him to take a step back, distinctly remember the reprimand to stay alert towards strangers. If he runs away right now, would his aunt be angry at the lost glasses later? No, can he run away that long? Should he call the police right now? His hands were trembling, and so were his eyes. The fluster was definitely not solely his reaction, but also how Morres Hwan Jeong had acted before, so really, he couldn't stop his next words from spilling.
"Ple, please don't kidnap me.…"
… At least the kid knew not to follow strangers, but why did Lee Seongjin have to bear the secondhand embarrassment?
[.…]
Father….
Is that a suppressed snort he just heard? Wow, the Holy Emperor had committed betrayal towards his child!
[No, Morres….]
Lies!
Maybe the absurdity of the situation snapped her back to her senses, she took a voluntary step back and held both hands up.
"I'm not a kidnapper, you can trust me," the woman said in a coaxing tone, and then pulled a card from her pocket. "See? Noona is a program writer under TNET Entertainment!"
Not a kidnapper, sure, but if someone suddenly shows their cards and introduces themselves like that, then they could only be scammers. Lee Seongjin squint his eyes, suspicious.
[Why are you having sufficient caution for things like this but not ones that actually put you into a life and death situation, my son?]
Why? Obviously, because he had a father with the strongest Holy Power. And that same father doesn't have a right to defend himself after practically living ignoring his human needs of eating and sleeping, and one who thought amputation's not a big deal because he's a damn axolotl who can grow back his limbs.
[.…]
The woman refuses to give up, she introduces herself one more time, "My name is Ryu Seorin, I'm a program writer who's currently working on Idol Inc. Season 3. This Noona would like to formally invite you into the program, please gives it some thought after discussing it with your guardian, yes?"
Idol…?
Is this… the outing curse he's had acting again? The moment he stepped out of his house, things like this followed?
When he stood by blankly like that, Ryu Seorin kept rambling on about this and that. Anyone could see she was the desperate one in this exchange.
"But I'm…."
"Yes?"
"But I'm fifteen years old…."
She blinked, taken aback, her mouth agape in surprise, "Is that based on international age standards?"
But when he nods, she visibly exhales in relief, like barely dodging a bomb. "It's okay, the minimum age requirement is sixteen years old as per korean age standard."
The Holy Emperor was far from pleased.
[They hire minors?]
'Father, traditionally, people in this field debut in their late teens or early twenties, starting a trainee program even younger is inevitable.'
[.… Child labour.]
He can't deny that.
"If it's a survival program, would it mean the shooting starts soon?"
"Ah, yes, it'll start in three days. Don't worry! It's three days starting tomorrow!"
So it was done in a slapdash manner. He's sharing the same displeasure with the Holy Emperor with this one, but in the end, this might be the fastest way to go home.
So….
He brought the card back, showed it to Jeong Seonghwa, got approved immediately and then is now intensely preparing to be… Idol… in three days.
The helping grace was that their apartment's soundproofing is excellent, so he can sing to his heart's content and dance around like a madman. And true to the body which trained in swordsmanship and assassination, dancing was no problem. And because he's trained in aura cultivation and aura concealment, Seongjin could hit notes as high as around C# without overexerting himself. That means Morres Hwan Jeong's body had completely synchronised with Morres Klein's… except height, and the baby fat. Well, that can't be helped, seeing the results of his training works here at all is already a godsend.
Truly a slapdash.
'There are three major position; sing, dancing, rap. It's not uncommon for a group to have an all-rounder who excel the three, so it would be good. Because in a survival show program, having a teammate who can do everything is substantial to success. At least above average in everything and then doing notably better at one speciality….'
[My son.]
'Please don't ask why I understand all of this but not our dimension's God, Father. I even attend school in this world as you said!'
It's not his fault that he couldn't understand abstract things!
At that moment, Nate had a sudden surge of sympathy towards the Demon King's soul who previously resided in his son's Flame Crystal. In soul form as he was, he ends up clutching the back of his neck at his son's rebuttal.
Why are you like this, my son!
By the end of the day, one day before the shoot began, Seongjin found the greatest strength for this idol career that he's about to start.
Rap...!!!
:::
:::
:::
Now he's here, subtly hiding behind the most stoic participant, avoiding the kid who's asking everyone their ages and agency in a relentless onslaught. Lee Seongjin knows that the connection could be detrimental, but seeing the same political moves being applied in this manner was quite something.
[... Morres.]
'He's stoic like you, he won't mean harm.'
[Not that, look closer.]
'…?'
Seeing the kid named Choi Wongil finally gone, Lee Seongjin focus his gaze on the man beside him. The amber eyes blinked in surprise. He was in the same shock.
'Father, am I really having an outing curse? How on earth do we succeed in finding the current system holder immediately??'
Ah. He's staring for too long.
Lee Seongjin introduced himself briefly, bowing slightly, "Thank you, Hyung. My name is Morres Hwan Jeong, I'm fifteen years old, sixteen by korean standard."
"I'm… Park Moondae, I'm twenty years old. There's nothing to thank me for."
He hummed along, "The ones who do not resort to political manoeuvres are more trustworthy, Hyung. Also, you can speak comfortably, calling me Hwan is okay… many people mispronounce Morres."
Sigh, it hurts him whenever people call him Molles— it's like saying he's a mole in English. But the only thing that went on Park Moondae's head at that moment was;
{Ah, as expected. This bloody game that even tainted middle schoolers.}
[….]
'... He, he sounds just like Owen—'
Thank goodness this one is actually smart and calm. Right, in the first place, the reason why he decided to sit beside Park Moondae was that he's the most stoic (meaning his mind likely won't be too unbearable). But perhaps that's an error in his judgment, because this one is 100% strategist. Lee Seongjin had to admit he was impressed.
'So he transmigrated, and then regressed.'
[Watch over him carefully, Morres.]
Yes, if there's anyone to stick to, that would be the one with the most information. They couldn't interfere with the status window, but at least they could see the information displayed.
Watching Park Moondae's audition from a distance, Lee Seongjin blinked his eyes in disbelief. The floating status window was visible with Oracle Sight.
He had to debut, or else he'd die???
This, father, this would take a long time. If they were to gather as much cause and effect as possible, then that would mean they would have to accompany this fellow to the top.
[….]
NOOOOOOOOOOOO..…!!!!!