That day felt different.
As usual, I was lying in a sarcophagus, deep in a very peaceful and relaxed slumber.
The prophecy was still far off, the gods were silent, and both the humidity and temperature were optimal.
However,
For some reason,
“…My back hurts.”
To be more precise, there was a stabbing sensation just below my right shoulder blade.
I tried to ignore it and go back to sleep, but in the end, I couldn’t help but wake up.
“…Yawn.”
I let out a long yawn after waking from a long slumber.
In the sarcophagus, sunlight was streaming through the cracks, blinding my eyes.
“It’s daytime.”
I opened the sarcophagus lid.
As soon as I opened it, warm sunlight greeted me.
What I felt right after waking from such a long sleep wasn’t the scent of the battlefield or the cries of gods.
It was just the pleasant and subtle scent of flowers.
Really, it was an unexpectedly peaceful scent.
“It must be spring.”
I sluggishly sat up.
“Hmm…”
I flapped my wings once, and dust scattered everywhere.
My spine made cracking sounds as I moved after such a long time.
I slowly turned my head to look out the window.
The sky was blue, the forest full of blooming flowers was peaceful, and the world quietly flowed by with nothing happening.
‘I don’t feel any signs of disaster at all.’
There were no gods waking me up, and the world was not calling for me.
That means—
“I definitely woke up earlier than expected…”
I wondered just how early it was.
If it was a few hundred years early, that would be troublesome.
I continued to sit in the sarcophagus, arms crossed, leisurely pondering.
Waking up early meant my energy wouldn’t have fully recovered, but I could at least check when the day of the prophecy was.
Let’s quickly check.
And if the time I needed to stay awake was long, I’d just go back to sleep.
‘Although my sleep has already flown away.’
I slowly raised both hands, gathering strength.
Perhaps because I had just woken up or maybe because I woke up too early, the energy didn’t gather easily.
“…Hmm.”
I wonder how long I spent gathering energy—maybe five minutes.
The day of the prophecy began to appear before my eyes.
“Let’s see.”
40 years.
The time left until the gods called me.
‘…That’s vague, though.’
For me, it’s an instant, but it’s just too ambiguous for anything significant to happen.
It’s too early to go back to sleep, and it’s still too early to act.
It’s bothersome to push myself into preparing, and staying awake with nothing to do feels pointless.
“What should I do…”
I withdrew the energy I had gathered and slowly walked out of the sarcophagus.
The calm air, the scent of grass, and the distant sound of birdsong.
“The world before the disaster is this peaceful.”
It felt unfamiliar, maybe because it had been a long time since I saw such a sight.
So—
I leisurely spent about ten years just staring out the window.
The world slowly changed.
The forest turned pink, then green, then soon became red, and eventually was covered in white.
Several seasons passed like that.
Beasts bred, the grass died and grew again, and sometimes people ventured deeper into the forest.
In the meantime—
Nothing special happened.
“…You were the one who woke me up.”
I removed a small stone from the bottom of the sarcophagus.
It must have fallen from the lid due to the sarcophagus being old and weathered.
“I guess I should just get a new sarcophagus since I have nothing else to do.”
I made a new sarcophagus, cleaned my long-forgotten bedroom, and then—
“Go this way.”
“Thank you! You saved my life!”
Aside from occasionally guiding lost travelers to the village, there was nothing particularly special about my leisurely days.
And so, after staring out the window for ten years.
“…I’m kind of getting tired of this.”
The words left my mouth, maybe because the wind wasn’t as refreshing that day.
Or maybe it was because the birds were repeating the same melody to the point of boredom.
I slowly got up from my seat.
I put on the robe I had prepared long ago.
“Maybe I’ll take a walk.”
I suddenly felt like exploring the world again.
There was no grand reason for it.
I was simply bored.
‘Still 30 years left, so I can afford to take my time.’
From then on, I leisurely wandered the world.
I flew in the sky, walked along rivers, and crossed mountain ranges and borders.
Whenever I saw a village, I always stopped by.
“Is this enough for the price?”
“…Ah, yes. But how did you… get such antiques?”
“I had them at home.”
“…Huh?”
Sometimes, people found me suspicious, but most just assumed I was a traveler.
The world around them was far too busy for them to pay attention to me.
I quietly observed it all, merely as a silent spectator.
I walked through dark alleys, checked out items at the market, or passed by people arguing over trivial things.
“Is it good?”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Don’t you want any?”
“I don’t like sweet things.”
I sat in a corner of the market, blankly watching children eating ice cream.
“…Huh? Where’d the older brother go?”
“What? He was sitting here just now?”
I never mingled with the people, but I blended in quietly, watching them from a distance.
Sometimes, I watched wars from afar.
Some cried, some died, some rejoiced, and others went mad over a death notice.
I silently watched it all.
Without doing anything, just quietly.
As a brief moment passed, the fireworks of a magnificent festival filled the night sky.
“Pretty.”
It was the victory celebration for the end of the war.
Fireworks filled the sky, celebrating the end of the war, and people raised their glasses, blessing each other’s safety.
Children reached for the sparkling tree decorations, and lovers who had safely reunited held hands and laughed.
Some people sat on the street, crying, while others passed by silently.
I watched it all from above.
Not approaching, but quietly turning my head, observing each scene.
“…Maybe I should get a little closer this time.”
There was no particular reason.
It was just a thought that crossed my mind.
I became curious about small things, like children picking out hairpins, young men haggling with merchants in the market, or an old blacksmith shaking his head, saying, “This can’t be used.”
Those little things piqued my curiosity.
Maybe because I was bored, or perhaps—
I just wanted to see the world after the disaster ended.
So, I came down from the deserted forest.
Slowly, very slowly, I walked toward the village.
It was late autumn.
The leaves had all fallen, and soon, snow would fall.
Then the trees, with only their branches left, would turn white again.
‘…Although there aren’t any trees left around here.’
The village came into view from afar.
The festival was still going on.
And the ruins from the war remained unchanged.
“Has it changed?”
It wasn’t a sentimental remark.
I was simply stating the truth.
There were more buildings than I remembered, and strange flags and shops had sprung up between them.
‘I haven’t seen that inn before.’
It seemed like more inns for travelers had appeared.
Even in the ruins created by war, it was a bit surprising to see buildings that had survived.
‘…Well, even if I bring about a disaster, humans would stubbornly survive.’
I passed by the entrance of the village.
Someone greeted me, and I gave a small nod in return.
That was enough.
“Don’t block this path!”
“Move a bit to the side! Over there, over there. Clear the wood chips!”
Someone’s shout, someone’s laughter, and the faint sound of a flute playing somewhere.
‘…That child.’
In the middle of the square, there was a makeshift stage.
The child I had once bought ice cream for was there, setting up a donation box and playing a flute.
The same child who had smiled with missing front teeth, holding onto my robe with little hands and asking, “Why don’t you like sweet things?”
Back then, the child had looked like they had the whole world when eating that ice cream.
Now, on the stage, the child was gathering people with a small flute.
‘Impressive.’
I slowly walked over to the stage and dropped some money into the donation box.
The child playing the flute paused.
“Thank you!”
“It sounds good.”
“Hehe, it’s still a bit rough, but thank you for listening.”
The child greeted another person who had placed money in the box.
They smiled, turned their head, and—
Indeed, human memories are as fleeting as dust in the wind.
The silent observer,
The stranger who doesn’t remain in anyone’s memory.
A being that leaves no trace.
I walked away quietly, letting the fleeting memory fade as I continued down the path.
Slowly,
Very slowly.
‘…This place is completely in ruins.’
I found a deserted area while walking aimlessly.
A building made of bricks had collapsed, signs had fallen, and wooden debris was scattered around.
I pushed it aside with my foot as I moved forward.
There was no noise.
Almost no signs of life.
Even though I had only wandered a little from the square, this place felt like time had stopped.
“How strange. …Huh?”
A faint presence nearby.
A very faint, almost vanishing presence.
Even if I passed by, no one would notice, but it still clearly scraped at my senses.
My steps stopped.
“Is it over there?”
Curiosity turned my feet in that direction.
I walked toward the source of the presence.
It was an abandoned alley, where I found a little girl sitting with dead eyes, alone.