On the central panel, ancient Maltese hieroglyphs flickered as if blinking.
Moments later, the hieroglyphs were rendered into the voice of OMEGA-AI.
[ENERGY KEY IDENTIFIED]
[SWORD OF MEMORY — ACTIVATED]
[ANTENNA ALIGNMENT INITIATED]
Malta was reclaiming its memory.
A course set millennia ago—its path had wavered over long ages, but… the way was rising again.
“When we first arrived in Malta… I didn’t expect it to take this long… we’re finally going.”
Sansuna, perfectly linked to Malta’s fated course, was savoring the joy of coming home after a long struggle.
“Mom… Mom… it’s almost Malta.”
Marblem felt proud of his mother, Sansuna.
“…I’m about to be you. So. Malta is about to be Marblem.”
Sansuna stroked Marblem’s blonde, tightly curled hair.
OMEGA-AI (Central Network Channel; System Voice)
“Aether interface synchronization complete. Primary propulsion and neural link mode: active. Altima-39 at liftoff threshold.”
Now the island of Malta had become the starship Malta.
The Malta’s engines thrummed—wooong, wooong—venting a fierce roar like a warship poised to depart.
“Suriiii~~~”
Marblem called out to Suri with all his might.
Suri heard Marblem’s cry from the ground.
He started to run toward the Hypogeum.
Then, from somewhere, a familiar wingbeat sliced the wind.
A black shape dropped from the sky to the earth.
Blue-lit eyes and black wings billowing like a cloak.
As the figure resolved, Suri nearly fainted.
One curled its tail gently at Suri’s side, another set a paw lightly on Sabi’s shoulder, and the last crouched close at Maru’s feet
It was the black panther, Thorwayne.
“Sir Forte!”
Suri flung himself forward with a trembling voice and hugged him tight.
“Suri… we were waiting outside the Eternal Spire… then we heard the news. We came the moment we did.”
Sir Forte looked just as glad. Then, from the hollow of Sir Forte’s wing, someone suddenly poked out a face.
“Ms.Goli—!”
Sabi’s eyes went wide.
Ms.Goli jumped down with a thump from Thorwayne’s wing.
“…We must go. Fast. To Sirius Malta! I haven’t used magic in thousands of years—I might lose it… so we must leave before it’s too late.”
Ms.Goli panted, speaking in a rush.
“the way you just showed up is ridiculous, and so is what you’re saying. What’s even more ridiculous… you’re not qualified at all to go to Sirius Malta.”
Sabi looked utterly flabbergasted.
“Go back to school. I mean it. What if you get fired?… Aren’t you afraid of payback from Yuki’s mom and her crew?… We can’t protect you while we’re out here.”
Maru spoke out of genuine concern.
“You kids! Daring to question my qualifications? You! Do you not know my lineage?… We’ll discuss it properly later… for now, hurry!”
Ms.Goli suddenly barked an order with the firmness of a battlefield commander.
Strangely, Sabi and Maru felt no resistance to Ms.Goli’s contextless entrance and command.
“…Ah… Eridan… Eridan… don’t go…”
All at once Suri cried out and sprinted forward.
Eridan’s essence projection, standing some distance from the group, was steadily fading.
Eridan, with a single horn and two large ears.
Eridan, with eyes of a mysterious blue—sky and sea blended together.
Then suddenly Eridan, blazing with unrestrained blue light.
Eridan, whose red, blue, and yellow wings were flaring.
Eridan, hiding tiny red, blue, and yellow lightning bolts within those wings.
Eridan, five meters from snout to tail, with a ten-meter wingspan… Eridan.
“Eridan… Eridan… Eridan…”
Suri’s face was a mask of tears.
Eridan’s essence projection vanished like a mirage, leaving not a single shard behind.
“Suri… we’ll see Eridan again… so let’s do what we must do. Marblem is waiting.”
Maru grabbed Suri’s hand and ran.
Sabi, before she knew it, had taken Suri’s other hand and ran.
Ms.Goli and Thorwayne ran after them.
Suri, Sabi, Maru, Thorwayne, and Ms.Goli boarded the Hypogeum, which was about to begin its great leap.
The moment they were on, the bedrock beneath Malta split with a booming vrrrumm down hundreds of meters.
What had once seemed solid strata transformed into an ultra-ancient metal frame.
The island of Malta shed the crust of the earth as if peeling an outer skin.
Inside, bolt-type thrusters began to ignite furiously, spitting red, blue, and yellow lightning.
Malta was no longer an island floating in the Mediterranean.
It was the ultra-ancient space warship, the Malta.
With a colossal launch-blast, the Malta rose.
It punched through Earth’s atmosphere with overwhelming force and slipped free of Earth’s gravity.
OMEGA-AI;
[COURSE TO SIRIUS: LOCKED]
[QUANTUM DRIVE — INITIATE]
Sansuna squeezed her eyes shut.
The true voyage had begun.
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.
