Genius Wizard who sees Rainbows- Chapter 257

**#257. Those That Were in the Sky (1)**

 

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Woooooo──!

The mana within the bolt was howling.

The faint traces of mana flowing along the cube’s surface converged into the small groove at its center, emitting a vivid light.

Ray slowly reached out his hand.

Bolt still in hand, toward the groove.

It was an instinctive action, like a magnetic pull.

*Click─!*

The moment the bolt clicked into the groove—

*Crack!*

With a thunderous flash of gold, the cube split in two, and a radiant light burst forth from within.

When the brilliance faded, the surroundings had changed.

The stone chamber remained the same.

But the figures within it were different.

The Pope and Solite were nowhere to be seen, and two new people had appeared.

A woman in a violet robe.

And a dwarf armed with all sorts of tools.

The two stood before the cube, facing one another.

*This isn’t the present.*

Ray could instinctively tell that what he was witnessing was a scene from the past.

The woman in the violet robe was the same guardian he had seen in Blue’s and the World Tree’s memories, but he didn’t recognize the dwarf.

Then, he heard them speak.

**“Rael, you’re alive.”**

**“So are you. I thought you’d been taken by Redran when we lost contact.”**

The dwarf spoke, and the woman replied with a bitter smile.

**“I ran for my life. I carved records and murals into the forest of the last remaining elves and lifted the spirits’ sanctuary into the sky so the soldiers of the Red Fortress wouldn’t dare touch it.”**

Ray realized this conversation was taking place during the period when the Red Guardian was invading the territories of the other guardians.

After a moment of silence, the dwarf asked,

**“Are you helping the other races out of guilt? As a human, the same as Redran?”**

**“I can’t say that’s entirely untrue.”**

**“So the elves and spirits are nearly done for, then.”**

**“They escaped extinction, but they’re barely hanging on. What about the dwarves?”**

The dwarf replied.

**“Ninety-seven.”**

**“Ninety-seven?”**

**“That’s the number of dwarves who survived. Including me. Damn it, the Red Fortress bastards… they were too powerful. We couldn’t hold out.”**

**“That was inevitable. Redran possesses the red fragment of the Rainbow. And the emotions it amplifies—like rage—are mostly ones that give an advantage in battle.”**

Speaking softly, the woman pulled something from her robes.

A radiant violet gem.

**“But we can be thankful for one thing—that the other fragments weren’t taken.”**

The dwarf silently took out a brilliant yellow gem from his robe.

He gazed at the two stones with a troubled expression before speaking.

**“Lately, I can’t shake a certain thought. What if the Rainbow had never given us emotions? Wouldn’t that have prevented this war altogether?”**

At that moment, the woman’s voice hardened.

**“Do you mean that?”**

**“Think about it. The reason we started this war in the first place was emotion. Envy, jealousy, greed… all of it.”**

**“It’s because of emotion—”**

She cut him off.

**“—that we were able to grow. We escaped the lifeless existence of stones and rocks. We laughed, we cried, we got angry and joyful. That’s how we came to live life to the fullest.”**

Overwhelming emotion surged out of her.

She looked deeply upset.

**“Tell me, Rael. Do you want to go back to the time when we had no emotions?”**

**“…No, I don’t. I’m sorry. I admit it was a foolish thing to say. There’s nothing wrong with emotion. If anything, the fault lies in our inability to control it.”**

**“Right. So don’t say something like that again.”**

*Tap— Tap— Tap—*

At that moment, cautious footsteps echoed from the stairs.

Soon, a young man appeared. Despite his anxious and nervous demeanor, his eyes were sharp and alert.

**“It is an honor to meet the guardians. I am Azema, a mage of the Red Fortress.”**

Azema—this was the name recorded in the journal as the first Pope.

Electric currents surged instantly as the dwarf shouted.

**“The Red Fortress! How did they find out we were here?!”**

**“It’s alright. I called him here.”**

**“Are you insane? Calling a Red Fortress mage to our secret meeting? What if he set a trap outside to capture us?”**

**“You don’t need to worry. He’s already been vetted. He’s an ally.”**

As she said this, the woman approached the man, who knelt on both knees.

**“Get up, Azema. We’ve lost the war, and all our followers. We’re no longer beings to be looked up to.”**

**“I—I couldn’t possibly…”**

**“Well, I still have 97 followers.”**

**“It’s alright to stand. Now, can you tell us what the situation is in the Red Fortress?”**

**“Don’t ignore me.”**

After hesitating for a long moment, the man stood up, drew a deep breath, and began to speak.

**“The Red Fortress… is in utter chaos.”**

**“What? The Red Fortress? Aren’t they the ones who should be thriving? They won the war and took everything above ground!”**

The dwarf exclaimed in frustration.

The man spoke, sounding ashamed.

**“That’s what we thought at first too. But… once the joy of victory passed, the land we looked upon was more devastated than we imagined. The mana in the air had turned coarse and impure, and the fields had become barren wastelands where nothing would grow.”**

It was hardly surprising.

Over the long years of war, absurdly massive spells had been abused without restraint.

**“We thought it wouldn’t be a problem. That time would heal the land. But…”**

**“You were gravely mistaken.”**

**“Yes. No matter how much time passed, the sickened land never returned to its former state.”**

The people of the Red Fortress wandered, searching for a place where they could live.

The land near the upper Elton River was somewhat viable, so they chose it as their new settlement.

**“At first, everyone worked together to endure the hardships. But soon, divisions arose. There were many people, but limited resources. As conflicts began to spark, the land split into zones.”**

The strongest claimed the original site as Sector 1.

Those who lost the power struggles moved downstream along the Elton River, settling in Sectors 2, 3, 4, and so on.

**“…Eventually, the sectors expanded all the way to Sector 25, near the fortress wall. Those who couldn’t even secure a spot there were exiled beyond the walls.”**

The dwarf clicked his tongue in dismay.

**“So that’s why those ragged people were wandering outside.”**

**“And what about Redran? What was he doing while the Fortress fell into ruin?”**

**“The Red Guardian… took no action.”**

**“What?”**

The woman’s voice rose in disbelief.

Startled, the man hesitated before answering carefully.

**“The Red Guardian merely observed the situation… and then disappeared.”**

**“That’s unbelievably irresponsible! He abandoned his followers and left alone?”**

**“Yes. One morning, he was simply gone from his quarters.”**

**“Without leaving a single message?”**

**“No message. But… he did say something before he left, while watching the growing conflict with a vacant expression.”**

**“What did he say?”**

The man took a breath and replied.

**“He said… ‘Emotion is a curse.’”**

**…….**

**…….**

A heavy silence followed.

The woman asked,

**“Azema, do you believe that? That emotion is a curse?”**

**“…No. I believe emotion is a gift bestowed upon us.”**

**“Thank you. I’m glad you think so.”**

Regaining her composure, the woman continued.

**“You said you came from Sector 7. You gave up a relatively comfortable life to help those exiled outside the wall.”**

**“Yes. I dream of a world where everyone can live in abundance and happiness. But with my current strength… I see no way to restore the ravaged environment or to truly help others.”**

Tears streamed down the man’s face, and overwhelmed by emotion, he collapsed in sobs.

**“I see no path forward… I can’t bring this hellish reality back to what it once was…”**

**…….**

The woman bit her lip.

She gently stroked the man’s head and said,

**“There is a way.”**

**“There… there’s a way?”**

**“Gather the exiles wandering outside the wall. Form a group, make families, and just—live. Desperately. Cry, laugh, be joyful, get angry, suffer. Embrace your emotions moment by moment, and grow the number of people around you.”**

And then—

*Hooo─*

**“Find the Reincarnated Sun.”**

The dwarf cut in.

**“The Reincarnated Sun? What are you talking about?”**

**“Rael, I told you about the current state of the Rainbow. That it didn’t vanish after giving us emotion. It merely weakened, and now wanders the world in a spiritual form.”**

The dwarf nodded.

**“Yes, you said your research showed that the Rainbow’s spirit would eventually reincarnate into new life.”**

**“Exactly. It may already have reincarnated somewhere. But no one knows what form it took. It might be human, elf, dwarf… or something we never considered—like a bird, an insect, or even a plant.”**

The woman slowly approached the cube, gently touching its surface.

**“That’s why I’ve been leaving records all over the world. So that one day, when the Rainbow returns, it can discover them and learn what happened to this world.”**

**“I understand that. But what’s this about the Sun reincarnating too…?”**

**“Haven’t you ever thought the sunlight felt weaker lately?”**

**“I have. But isn’t that just the aftermath of the war?”**

The woman shook her head.

**“It’s not because of the war. The sunlight itself has weakened. Because the Sun followed the Rainbow down to the earth.”**

**“Why would the Sun follow the Rainbow?”**

**“Because… the Sun loves the Rainbow.”**

The dwarf was struck speechless.

And the woman smiled, continuing,

**“Was that too poetic? In terms a rule-and-logic-driven dwarf might prefer: you could say the Rainbow *is* sunlight.”**

**“Explain that more clearly.”**

**“Sunlight is dazzling white. But within it are hidden all kinds of colors—red, orange, yellow, green, blue—the foundational hues of the world.”**

**…….**

**“So. On the day after it rains, the sunlight travels toward the world and collides with the moisture in the atmosphere. Then it splits, revealing the colors it had been concealing inside.”**

**“So that’s what creates a rainbow.”**

**“That’s what we speculate based on our experiments. I’ve never actually seen a rainbow in the sky myself.”**

Turning away from the cube, the woman faced the man once more and continued speaking.

**“In any case, from the Sun’s perspective, the Rainbow is no different from a part of itself. Perhaps it even saw it as a lover. What’s certain is—”**

*Tap.*

Her palm came to rest gently on the man’s head.

**“The Sun, too, is undergoing reincarnation. To reunite with the Rainbow. So Azema, live on. Increase your community. Raise the chances that the Sun’s soul might take root in a new life born within your group. If you can find the Sun’s reincarnation, you may also find a way to restore the weakened sunlight.”**

Because—

Sunlight is the source of all life.

If it returns, then even the ravaged environment might recover.

The man, with the tracks of dried tears on his face, nodded as if entranced. Then, realizing something, he asked:

**“I will do as you say. But… how will I recognize the Sun’s reincarnation?”**

**“That part is not difficult.”**

The woman pulled a small stone fragment from her robes and handed it to him.

**“This is a Sunstone. If the Sun’s reincarnation holds this stone, a pure white light will burst forth.”**

**“Its proper name is *Terranote*, mind you. Don’t just go around renaming things. It’s an extremely rare mineral that absorbs light when exposed to sunlight… not something you can find easily anywhere in the world.”**

The woman turned her gaze to the dwarf beside her, who had chimed in critically.

**“You’re right. It’s a very rare mineral. That’s why I was only able to obtain a single piece. And with just this one, it won’t be enough to search for the Sun’s reincarnation. Maybe not now, but in the future, the population outside the wall will grow even more. But fortunately, I know a certain dwarf whose hobby is collecting minerals.”**

The woman smiled sweetly as she said:

**“Bring out everything you’ve got.”**

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