DEB 105

Meanwhile, Yasha’s disciples, who had been wandering around the swamp in search of their master after being separated from Moot, encountered a mysterious figure.

In the dark, ominous lands of the swamp stood a man with long silver hair reaching down to his waist, radiating a holy aura that seemed to counteract the swamp’s gloom.

His nearly white eyelashes slowly lifted, revealing gray eyes that gazed at the disciples, causing them to hold their breath.

One of them spoke in disbelief.  

“…Yasha?”  

The figure that appeared above the swamp bore an uncanny resemblance to the Yasha they knew.

The only difference was his stature. 

While Yasha could change his size at will, he usually maintained the form of an adult male. 

But the Yasha before them now was much smaller, barely reaching Ash’s waist, appearing like a child around 10 years old. 

On closer inspection, his face also seemed a bit younger than they remembered.

“…Young Yasha? I must be going mad.”  

Verita muttered in a daze. 

The other disciples were in a similar state. 

None of them had ever seen Yasha as a child before, leaving them looking as if they had just seen a ghost.

After all, Yasha had always said that he had descended into the world in a fully formed, fully grown body from the moment he was born.

So, this was a bizarre sight. 

It was impossible to tell whether this was really Yasha or just an illusion created by the swamp to deceive them. 

As they wavered in uncertainty, the small Yasha noticed them and brightened up, as if the world had suddenly become radiant.

“It’s been a long time!”  

If emotions could appear as symbols or special characters, there would be an exclamation mark floating above the young Yasha’s head right now.

He approached them quickly, greeting his disciples with an eager smile. 

The disciples, taken aback, jabbed at each other with their elbows in confusion, especially Ash and Vita.

“Hey, what is that? Do you know anything?”  

“Watch your mouth. That could still be Yasha. Do you have a death wish?”  

“Does that look like Yasha to you? He just said it’s been a long time since he saw us.”

Just moments ago, they had been with their master. The phrase “it’s been a long time” was clearly out of place, and when Vita pointed it out, Ash had no response and closed his mouth, though he still looked skeptical.

Damn, how are we supposed to explain this?

Vita scratched his head in frustration, staring at the small Yasha.

It didn’t make sense for that figure to be Yasha, yet his intuition kept insisting that this was indeed their master.

 While Vita struggled to find an explanation, Zenith stepped forward.

“It is Yasha.”  

“Zenith.”  

Was it a twin’s intuition? 

Zenith, supporting Vita’s claim, took a step forward. 

Feeling more confident with Zenith’s agreement, Vita nodded.

“Yes, it’s Yasha. I don’t know why he looks like that or why he said it’s been a long time, but he is definitely Yasha.”

“Yasha?”  

With two of them, including Zenith, affirming this, Ash couldn’t dismiss the idea outright. 

As he scrutinized Yasha, the small figure finally reached them, grinning.

“You seem confused. Don’t worry. I am Yasha, but not exactly. I’m the same as your master, but also not. Does that help clear things up a bit?”

“Um.”

“…Did we come here to play twenty questions?”  

“Don’t speak recklessly, Ash.”  

Ash whispered in bewilderment, and Vina scolded him, rubbing his ear as if to brush off some dirt. 

Vina then looked at the small Yasha.

“…Yasha.”

After a moment of hesitation, Vina knelt on one knee and extended his hand. The small Yasha, recognizing the gesture, placed his hand in Vina’s. As Vina closed his eyes, seemingly sensing something, he opened them again with a conflicted expression.

“…It really does feel like Yasha’s aura.”  

“Didn’t I tell you? I am Yasha.”  

“Then what does it mean that you are Yasha, yet not Yasha?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. Think of it like a main body and an avatar. The one you’ve been with all this time is the main body, and I’m the avatar. My main body left me here a long time ago.”

This explanation was much easier to understand. The disciples exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.

There was a theory that came to mind.

“…We heard that Yasha had visited this place before. Did you come into existence during that visit?”  

Verita asked politely. 

The small Yasha nodded, and Verita, squinting as if to discern truth from lies, glanced back at the others and scrunched his nose.

His ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood didn’t seem to work here.

The only person whose abilities couldn’t be detected by the disciples was Yasha, who had shared his power with them. 

With that clue, the disciples accepted the small Yasha’s identity. 

Ash, however, wore a puzzled expression.

“So, does that mean there are two Yashas now?”  

The small Yasha simply watched Ash scratch his head in confusion, letting out a satisfied chuckle.

“I’m just an avatar, so you don’t need to take me too seriously. Still, it’s good to see you all again. It’s been ten thousand years… I’ve missed you.”

There was an innocence in the small Yasha’s smile that was absent in the current Huiyun. It was like seeing Yasha from before the War, before he sacrificed his life when his soul was untainted and unscarred.

Now, Yasha possessed a human heart, with all the corruption and weariness that came with it. 

The disciples, who were also human, were the same.

In the face of this radiant purity, the disciples felt a renewed conviction that he was indeed their master, the Yasha from ten thousand years ago.

The small Yasha was a fragment that had fallen during Yasha’s visit to the Black Swamp, retaining the essence of Yasha from that time.

A deep nostalgia settled over Ash and Vina, while Zenith and Vita’s expressions darkened as they thought about how Yasha’s sacrifice had tormented him.

As the disciples were immersed in various thoughts, only Verita remained calm, addressing the young Yasha without being swayed.

To Verita, Yasha, whether from ten thousand years ago or now, was always a divine proxy and his guiding deity.

“…Young Yasha, may I ask why you are here and how you came into being in this place?”

The young Yasha, observing the contemplative disciples with an understanding gaze, smiled brightly at Verita’s question. His expressions were more vivid and youthful than the Yasha they remembered.

The young Yasha turned and pointed toward the distant Black Swamp.

“My main body wanted to save those children. When he fell into the swamp, that desire surged forth, eventually becoming a fragment that took shape over time. So, I’m here to save them.”

“…Are there children there?”

“Yes. The children I couldn’t protect, that my main body couldn’t protect, and our regrets remain there.”

The young Yasha confirmed this, and the disciples followed his gesture to look at the Black Swamp.

“…Young Yasha, is there a way to save them?”

For once, Verita’s voice trembled. 

The young Yasha, observing the hopeful disciple with a hint of pity, shook his head.

“No, neither I nor my main body can forgive the sinners trapped in the swamp and return them to life. That swamp is a completely different realm—a kind of afterlife. Trying to intervene with those who dwell there would be a transgression, against the natural order.”

“…Ah.”

The disciples sighed in understanding. Yasha must have realized this when he first visited the swamp long ago. Unable to do anything, he had returned without saying much about it.

The mood grew somber as they remembered Yasha’s troubled expression upon his return and thought back to the time spent with the children who had become prisoners of the swamp. To the disciples, those children were a shared regret, just as they were to Yasha.

“So, doesn’t that mean you have no reason to stay here anymore?”  

After a long, hesitant silence, Vina finally spoke. The young Yasha remained expressionless, even in the face of a question that could have been seen as disrespectful.

“I thought so too, but I didn’t disappear. It’s a sign that I still have something to do here, according to divine will. And now I know what it is—I’m here to save the swamp, to prevent those children from committing any more sins. That’s what my main body longed for, even without realizing it, and the gods granted that wish by leaving me here. I am, in many ways, greatly favored by the world.”

If only the main body knew that, he’d be so pleased.

A tender whisper accompanied his final words. Just then, the Black Swamp began to tremble.

“Oh no!”  

The ground swayed like waves, forcing the startled disciples to steady themselves.

“The swamp really is acting up… What does it mean to save it? Should we help?”  

Ash asked. The young Yasha, maintaining a serene composure amid the shifting ground, reached out his hand.

His silver hair billowed in the northern wind, and the scent of grass surrounded him. 

Standing at the center of all the turmoil, the young Yasha spoke.

“‘Calm down.’”  

Suddenly, the chaotic shaking ceased.

The world fell silent, and the howling winds settled down. It was as if the command alone had accomplished it all.

Domination.

The disciples were reminded of the sheer magnitude and strength of this power as the young Yasha’s display revealed its full force once again.

The young Yasha glanced at his hand and clenched his fist.

“My power has fully returned, probably because the main body has come here. You don’t have to help, but if you’re willing, it would be great to work together. I can’t keep suppressing the original ruler of the swamp forever, so we must deal with the new ruler as soon as possible.”

Yasha added that even a cat’s paw would be useful at this point, causing the disciples to purse their lips.

“It’s not a cat’s paw, it’s a dragon’s. Even if we’re not as strong as Yasha, we’re at least that much.”  

“…Ash, please be quiet.”  

Vina’s usual reprimand was a beat slower than usual this time.