62. The Sword, The Memory of a Star — Love Never Dies
At that moment, Emperor Nova’s voice rang out.
“I’ll do it!”
He appeared on a holographic screen.
“But…your mother is there. The Sword, the Memory of a Star… We need to save her, but she could die too.”
Suri spoke with concern.
“…This is a black hole. Neither time nor light flows straight here. The core of the Possession Equation relies on the integral of time—how long consciousness flows. When you destroyed the equation’s unstable parts, time twisted, and consciousness twisted with it. So now, no one can enter another’s body; no one can invade another’s mind. There’s only one answer… Destruction.”
Emperor Nova showed no hesitation.
“…So that means if Ultima escapes this place, it’ll come back to life. Right?”
Suri cried out.
“…The Oracle is trying to move all of Ultima. Like moving a star. Destruction is the only way.”
Nova warned of the Oracle’s plan.
“In the term (Ψ × δ × B) dt, dt represents time. But inside a black hole, dt becomes zero. When time warps, consciousness warps too… making possession impossible.”
Sabi finally nodded in understanding.
Ultima’s pulse surged violently again.
The mine workers’ pickaxes swung faster.
They moved in perfect unison, like slaves on a slave ship.
“They’re not mining Ultima ore… they’re moving it. They’re destroying the Cosmic Cliffs that block the way… It’s the Oracle. It always hides and schemes… This is terrible.”
Fear swept through Suri as he realized the truth.
He might never see his father again.
As everyone fell into panic, Emperor Nova reappeared.
His expression was resolute.
“First, I thank you all. To the Mage Tribes, I apologize deeply. To Sansuna, I owe both apology and gratitude. My ambition to conquer the universe with Ultima wasn’t just political greed—it was the destruction of civilization itself. I exiled and annihilated the cosmic tribes that wouldn’t submit to me. I used Ultima as a shield to coerce and threaten. So many were sacrificed. Even my own mother…”
He paused, his voice trembling.
“I denied magic, but magic… returned to me in the end as my mother’s love… I must be the one to end this. It’s my responsibility.”
Emperor Nova moved his screen into the heart of the mine.
The heart was now completely covered in the Ultima Nucleus.
“Say goodbye to your mother. You have to. Please, now.”
Suri begged Emperor Nova desperately.
“Love is memory… Leon. As long as I hold onto memories of you… love never stops. So I’m not dying… Leon… Leon, you are my star. A star’s memory will be eternal.”
The Sword, the Memory of a Star, spoke first.
“Leon… my love… Leon… I’ll love you forever… Thank you for remembering me. Leon.”
She, Aria, barely managed to speak.
Finally, tears began streaming from Emperor Nova’s eyes.
His tears soon turned to sobs.
Everyone cried together.
“Mother… Mother… This greeting is too late, but… Mother… I think every path I took was ultimately toward you. So this final path can only lead to you too. Mother… no words can describe how I feel about you. Just… Mother… Mother… that’s all.”
Emperor Nova seemed to be gathering his last strength too.
“I’ll enter the Ultima Nucleus.”
Emperor Nova’s expression turned serious again.
The holographic screen disappeared, and the real Emperor Nova appeared.
Emperor Nova slowly melted into the Ultima Nucleus.
At the same time, the red plasma turned black, and the entire mine shook violently.
Emperor Nova, who had once warped cosmic history, was now converted into energy of repentance and regret, piercing through the Ultima Nucleus.
Moments later, the entire mine turned brilliant white.
The Cosmic Cliff chains melted away, and the Lumen Chains melted too.
Everyone closed their eyes.
Tears kept flowing from their closed eyes.
They were tears of hope.
As the explosion’s aftermath subsided, the mine stopped crying and shaking.
The unshackled Cosmic Cliffs crumbled.
The prisoners who had been swinging pickaxes like shadows now smiled brightly and embraced each other in joy.
“We survived, right?”
Sabi opened her eyes.
Tiny particles of light were floating around, and Alice came out to play.
“This place isn’t a black hole anymore—it’s become a new planet. Planet Ultima!”
Sabi caught Alice and kissed her.
“Dad? Dad… Dad…”
Suri ran forward.
He hugged his father, crying.
Sabi and Maru hugged their fathers too.
Mablem hugged Sansuna.
Ms. Golli hugged Sir Forte.
“Suri. You need to leave for Sirius now. The Malta has to go there.”
Suri’s father urged him.
“What about you, Dad? You’re coming with us, right?”
Suri felt anxious.
“No… I—we—can’t go yet. We have work to do here. We’ll stay and build a new civilization with these people. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll be right here. After you finish your journey to Sirius… let’s meet again.”
Suri’s father kissed Suri’s forehead.
At that moment, a streak of light flowed into Suri’s forehead.
It was a star with a long silver tail.
“It’s the Sword, the Memory of a Star. Her form died, but her spirit lives on… Let’s meet again and go home. Then we’ll gather as a family and have some chicken, okay?”
Suri’s father smiled brightly.
“Ready for departure?”
Sansuna’s voice boomed.
“Yes! Copy that!”
Suri, Sabi, Maru, and Mablem shouted in unison.
“Let’s go! To Sirius Malta!!”
The Malta’s engines ignited.
The massive ark slowly lifted off.
[The End]
Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily has published the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. The 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’ was 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.
*Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
