61. The Navigator of Memory and the Fetters of Eternity
The Mediterranean breeze blew warm.
The sea glistened, a translucent azure.
Laden with a sweet salinity, the wind bore the scent of sun-scorched rock and olive leaves.
Beside Suri, his father was engrossed in an ancient stone tablet.
The slab’s colors were stark, its imagery as vivid as a panel from a webtoon.
“There once lived a giantess named Sansuna,” he began.
“They say she spent a night with a man of this land and bore a half-blood child. To honor the birth, she built a colossal temple in a single day—with the infant perched upon her shoulder the entire time. This tablet tells us that the tale of Sansuna is no mere legend, but true history.”
His father’s gaze drifted somewhere between legend and history.
“Really? A giantess? Wow, that’s so cool!”
Seven-year-old Suri clapped his hands, cheering with delight.
“Of course it’s real. But do you know where Sansuna came from?”
His father gently pinched Suri’s cheek.
“Hmm… umm… from some faraway universe?”
Suri looked up at the sky.
“Exactly. My brilliant boy. From the heavens—from Sirius in Canis Major.”
His father ruffled Suri’s hair.
Just then, Suri saw a star fall from the sky, trailing a long silver tail.
“Dad, look! A star with a tail!”
Suri shouted, pointing upward.
“That’s a herald,” his father explained, gazing up at the falling star. “A sign of the lightning that comes only once every seventy-two years. One bolt alone cannot complete its purpose. Two must meet and become one.”
His father’s eyes remained fixed on the heavens.
“Suri,” he said quietly, “I’ve lived as an explorer. But I hope you’ll live as a navigator—a navigator of memory. Someone who recovers the lost names of vanished civilizations.”
He pulled Suri close.
In that moment, something ancient stirred within Suri—a memory from long ago that shouldn’t have existed.
He realized, somehow, that he had always known about Sansuna.
He had known, too, about the lightning that came every seventy-two years.
“D-Dad…” Suri called out softly.
—
“It’s not over!”
Sansuna’s voice rang out.
The explosions had stopped; the mine had fallen silent.
Among the wreckage of shattered metal claws, the last bio-signals flickered—blue and red—before Kaliflux vanished into the shadows, wings beating weakly.
“Let’s go to the Heart. Together.”
Sansuna led the way, her massive presence bringing comfort to everyone.
The Heart was a maelstrom of gravitational vortices, layered deep and weaving colossal wave-like patterns.
It resembled Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and its raging jet streams.
At the center of the swirl was a violet eye.
The entrance was both wave and metal—solid and fluid at once.
When Suri touched it, their frequencies synchronized.
The violet eye opened, revealing a chamber inside.
At the center of the chamber stood a sanctum.
A great sword was embedded beneath the surface, its blade entirely crystalline.
Inside, a faint light pulsed weakly, threatening to go out.
It was a living consciousness, fighting desperately not to fade.
“The Sword… it’s the memory of a star.”
Suri held his breath.
“Uh… look… over there… Dad…”
Maru stammered, pointing.
Everyone turned.
Beyond the sanctum stood their fathers, gaunt and haggard.
They looked unmistakably like mine workers.
“Dad! Father! Dad!”
Each child called out, rushing toward their own father.
But the men showed no recognition. No joy. Nothing.
“Their consciousness layers have been severed. The Oracle’s controlling them.”
Mablem said grimly.
But an even more horrifying sight lay beyond.
Past the fathers, countless people swung pickaxes in eerie silence.
The fathers and all the mine workers were bound by glowing chains—*Lumen Chains*.
Eternal shackles that only tightened the more one struggled to escape.
“This is… the destruction of humanity… This can’t be…”
Sabi couldn’t finish.
“Is there anything we can even do?”
Suri asked.
“…Almost nothing, it seems.”
Mablem’s voice was hollow with defeat.
“If it were Eridan… he would’ve been wise. He would’ve been brave…”
Suri’s thoughts turned to Eridan.
“…But don’t you have us?”
Sir Forte moved closer to Suri.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ignore you. It’s just… Eridan feels like family to me. Like I’ve known him forever.”
Suri looked apologetic.
“…Don’t apologize. I’m sure Eridan misses you too.”
Sir Forte smiled gently.
—
“There’s only one person who can do this.”
Sansuna spoke without hesitation.
Everyone turned to look at her.
“Emperor Nova. If he hadn’t oppressed the Mage Tribes, I never would’ve fled Sirius Malta with Altimi-39. Though I did create the beautiful Mediterranean Malta civilization because of it. That’s my greatest achievement. I kept building temples on Malta—all of them aligned with Sirius. But because of Earth’s axial precession, I was always anxious that the temple light wouldn’t reach Sirius properly. Fortunately, Sirius Malta started sending lightning back to me. They kept sending it, but it took seventy-two years to reach Earth… and Emperor Nova interfered every single time. This entire war is his fault. All because of his vengeance and greed. That’s why only he can fix this. Emperor Nova still controls most of Ultima.”
Sansuna spoke with intermittent sighs.
“…The Oracle only has partial control. So Emperor Nova can still save all of us… and Malta. True, he’s lost some control over the Ultima that’s under Oracle control. But if he can just destroy the Ultima under his own control… the Oracle’s Ultima will be destroyed along with it. Because… Ultima is a metal that can become anything, and they’re all connected by a shared consciousness, right? But whether Emperor Nova can reflect on his mistakes and sacrifice himself to save us, the people, the tribes, the empire, the civilization… that’s…”
It was Ms. Golli who spoke.
The children looked at her with respect.
“Whoa… Teacher… that was amazing.”
Suri said admiringly.
“Why the surprise? I am a teacher, after all.”
Ms. Golli shrugged proudly.
“Teacher… sorry to say this… but have you considered trying Wegovy? Your bone structure is basically the Golden Ratio… If you succeed, I suspect our school’s heartthrob, Mr. Nero, might fall head over heels for you…”
Maru spoke with a sly grin.
Ms. Golli’s face lit up like a blooming flower.
[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.
*Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
