49. Breaking the Eternal Seal
A strange, tearing sound ripped through space. At last, Eridan’s head appeared.
He was blond—surprisingly so.
Though his body wasn’t fully visible yet, his upper torso gleamed golden, with red, blue, and yellow lightning swirling around him. His appearance was overwhelming.
Eridan opened his eyes. They were a mysterious blue, like sky blending into ocean. This was definitely Eridan.
“Eridan… you’ve finally come. Take these children to Malta.”
Emperor Nova was clearly delighted to see him. ridan’s pupils grew larger, and within them appeared an image of Malta—a hellish scene of raging flames.
“Eridan… Eridan, sir”
Someone was calling him from somewhere.
Then a dazzling white cat appeared in Eridan’s eyes—Malta the cat, with his long white whiskers. Eridan had already revealed himself to Malta.
“Eridan… I’m moved that we’ve come to the Eternal Archive, but I’m also worried…”
Malta was holding a dead disk.
The Eternal Archive was located beneath the Core Garden, the sanctuary of the Omega Library. The library’s countless independent shelves were arranged in a radial pattern, with tens of thousands of shelves centered around the Eternal Archive beneath the Core Garden. The high ceiling was densely covered with hieroglyphs and opened periodically.
The Core Garden was directly above the Eternal Archive. Eridan and Malta stood before the bookshelf labeled “39-puzzle.”
“If something goes wrong… you will never return. Breaking the dead disk’s seal means… not just for you…”
Malta’s eyes, blue like the Mediterranean Sea, became increasingly transparent.
Suddenly, books from tens of thousands of shelves burst forth simultaneously, soaring through the air.
They opened completely, revealing every page.
“…Even the pages won’t be able to return to their original shelves.”
Malta bowed his head deeply.
“…If we can’t save Malta… the Sirius civilization will eventually disappear. Eventually… the library will vanish… and we’ll disappear too… Malta… don’t worry too much… this is a destiny we’ve been waiting for since long ago.”
Even Eridan’s long white beard had turned golden.
“The essence projection ritual of the six tribal great wizards won’t protect you or this library. But… I suppose there’s no other way… Besides, Marblem is already trapped in the dead disk… Are you planning to get his help?”
Malta was extremely tense.
“…I must enter the dead disk.”
Eridan stood like an immortal fortress with his golden hair and golden beard.
“…This is Marblem’s plan. The spacetime connection passage and the essence projection ritual—they were all his ideas.”
“Oh… then… he escaped from the dead disk on his own long ago and became a projection… there were all sorts of rumors… but I never believed them. His abilities have reached the highest level, capable of mastering almost all magic… And through this opportunity, he can completely escape from the dead disk.”
Malta was almost moved to tears.
“I was chosen by my student Marblem… it’s an honor.”
Eridan smiled.
So currently, Marblem was a projection who had undergone the essence projection ritual.
That’s why when the six tribal great wizards saw Marblem in the Altima room, they didn’t recognize him properly.
To the great wizards, Marblem appeared as Suri.
They saw Suri whether looking at the real Suri or at Marblem.
They thought some magic was at work but had no time to investigate.
“Et Shalosh Mir Eridan, Nem Baratus Kon Librarium…”
As Eridan began the incantation, the air in the Eternal Archive changed colors—red, blue, yellow in sequence.
“Et Essentia Draconis, Nomine Corporis, Mentis Et Magia…”
He chanted the spell again.
The dead disk rose high into the air.
“Essentia Divisio… Anima Projectio…”
This time it wasn’t Eridan but the dead disk itself reciting the spell.
The voice was as majestic as an orchestral sound.
The dead disk spun rapidly like a whirlwind, then gradually slowed and began to decompose. It split precisely into thirty-nine pieces. Then opened wide like a flower blooming in sunlight. The essence of the dead disk—a single drop of Altima—emerged as a bud. Inside was a sacred tree resembling a family tree, and Marblem stood alone before it.
His eyes were closed, his body transparent, revealing not bones and organs but ancient hieroglyphs throughout his form.
“Marblem is controlling his external self through possession magic. Get ready, Marblem.”
Eridan summoned Marblem.
“…Master… I’m ready.”
His voice was heard, though his physical body was with the Emperor in the Altima room.
“Marblem… you’ll now have complete freedom. I’ll take your place.”
Eridan pressed the drop of Altima with his dragon claw.
Marblem’s eyes beside the sacred tree began to move rapidly.
“Open…”
Eridan commanded Marblem.
In that instant, Marblem’s consciousness connected with Eridan’s.
Marblem’s eyes snapped open.
The sacred tree’s thousands of branches shook wildly as if caught in a storm. The branches grew longer, extending like tentacles, pulling Eridan in.
Moments later, Marblem disappeared, and Eridan stood beside the sacred tree.Eridan appeared as a tall half-human, half-dragon with long golden hair and a golden beard.
Marblem and Eridan had effectively switched places.
Now a complete projection, Eridan stood before Emperor Nova, the three children, Marblem, and the six tribal great wizards. He stood like an immortal warrior being with flowing golden hair and a golden beard. Yet Eridan’s dragon tail remained visible. The tail flickered like small lightning—flashing and fading, fading and flashing continuously. His eyes remained the same as when he was in dragon form.
Suri grabbed Eridan’s arm. Tears welled in Suri’s eyes. This was the Eridan he had missed so much.
The real Marblem and the projected Marblem moved frantically, trying to find their proper places.
But eventually they merged into one Marblem.
“Master… you’ve completely freed me…”
Marblem ran to embrace Eridan.
Tears streamed down his face.
The six tribal great wizards were shocked. They were stunned to realize Marblem had been right before their eyes all along. This was the same Marblem they had personally imprisoned in the dead disk during the Great Battle.
“How… how is this possible…”
The great wizards stood frozen like stone, staring at Marblem.
Meanwhile, in the Omega Library’s sanctuary, the Core Garden remained suspended with its blue, red, and yellow flames burning.
Books that had flown from countless shelves remained frozen with their pages spread wide.
Time had stopped.
“Preparations are complete. Master Eridan… you must return.”
Malta, his eyes the blue of the Mediterranean Sea, shed tears.
[To be continued…]
** Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily is excited to publish the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. This new captivating series follows a trio of young adventurers on their quest to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations, including the Maya and Inca. In an exciting development, Netflix is currently adapting the novel’s storyline into a film.
The ‘Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years’ is the latest novel authored by Jeeyoon Ha, who created the “Pangaea series.” Ha’s debut novel, “The Pangaea: Finding Xibalba,” was selected by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2022 as part of their initiative to support the global export of fantasy literature.
Readers can eagerly anticipate the online publication of two installments each month, with new chapters appearing bi-weekly, offering a regular escape into this magical realm. *Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
