By Zephyria 
The seeds of discord began with that flaw.
‘There is a time for everything. If we miss this opportunity, I cannot be certain how much longer we would have to wait.’
‘If you aren’t certain, it means it might be earlier than you think. Do you truly believe the “time” you’ve decided upon is significant enough to overlook all these problems?’
‘The population of Aberrants is no longer increasing. What could be more important than that? If they gradually decrease and eventually vanish, the unstable future of humanity will find a way forward.’
‘How long will it take until then?’
‘What?’
‘As you say, even if Blue Energy were to suddenly disappear one day, it wouldn’t be impossible to respond. Since technology has already advanced to a certain extent, people would establish new settlements and leap into the future. But how much agony must they endure until that happens?’
Human adaptability is extraordinary. No matter what environment they are placed in, they eventually carve out a way to survive according to the situation.
Some individuals will be swept away in the process, but human history will not be severed; it will continue, as it always has.
General Jin’s judgment was not wrong. It was simply different.
To some, that difference appeared as a gap as vast as the beginning and the end of the world.
‘If there is a disruption in the power supply, hospitals and medical facilities will be the first to be hit.’
‘I have accounted for everything. Water and sewage facilities, communication networks, food issues. According to my calculations, there will be some hardship, but things will gradually improve.’
‘And the people who cannot endure that hardship?’
‘Are you serious? When considering humanity as a whole, it is difficult to take every individual’s circumstances into account.’
‘…….’
‘…….’
‘Then this plan is certainly not for my sake.’
The Mayor had a son who lived as if he were dead. His problem lay more in his character than in his physical disability, but to his family, he was someone whose struggles were heartbreaking.
Among the former researchers, there was one who could not use both legs and one arm, but whose mind was exceptionally brilliant and inventive. He rejected the sympathy of others, solved everything with the help of science and technology, and lived a cheerful life.
An acquaintance of an acquaintance had given birth to a child with a congenital rare disease. A child who would have died immediately upon birth in nature survived past their first birthday through the power of medical technology.
In the world West Wind knew alone, countless people were born destined to be eliminated by selection pressure. She didn’t even need statistics to clearly envision how much more dire it would be outside the central area.
It is difficult to weigh human lives against each other. However, when forced to make a choice in the face of a dilemma, one’s heart inevitably leans toward those close to them.
‘The situation is not good. It seems the vegan society has caught wind of this, as their movements have noticeably increased.’
‘Still, I cannot postpone the plan. It would be better to strike first.’
‘The trigger hasn’t even been resolved yet. There’s no more contact coming from Solar City.’
‘It’s almost done. We’re at the very end. Everything will be wrapped up within a year at the latest.’
Just as Noru saw truths invisible to West Wind’s eyes, West Wind understood the interests of human society that Noru could not see.
Even if they prepared as much as possible for the remaining period, it wouldn’t be enough, yet political factions, the vegan society, and all sorts of things were draining their resources.
Even so, if they had pushed through, the project would have succeeded. Regardless of the sacrifices it produced, a new option would have opened up for the future of humanity.
Unable to overlook the scale of that sacrifice, someone turned away. After a compromise with the Mayor, the mastermind behind the Return flight was arrested, and the incident was extremely downplayed.
‘You say my great-uncle collapsed again?’
‘His condition has been poor since last year. A cardiovascular issue was discovered, so for now, a procedure…….’
Originally, the position of Mayor was not hereditary, but the prominent capitalists and Councilors did not covet the position enough to give up the wealth and foundation they had built, and his only child was more of a flaw than a point of pride.
Though she had split from the Return flight, West Wind—who similarly desired a life for humanity liberated from Dome City—saw that position as an opportunity and an authority to prepare for the future.
From then on, she took over her great-uncle’s duties as an Assistant manager. It was around that time she noticed the pregnancy.
A child who grew in silence, unknown even to the mother. In the face of a hope that had become so distant she didn’t know if it would ever be realized again, the existence of a child—and the time given to that child—approached her, flashing like gold.
‘Generation…….’
The extinction of Blue Energy is an unavoidable loss. However, if one prepares sufficiently over a long period, the chaos can be minimized.
Even in a precarious situation where the Council Faction was dominant, she searched for information on the Starpath and attempted to communicate with Solar City, from which no news had been received.
During that time, Solar City collapsed, and her child disappeared. In a situation that had twisted beyond easy repair, West Wind looked toward the slums where a former colleague from the Return flight lived.
A poor and shabby district. A dangerous neighborhood where, far from building fences or walls to protect the perimeter from the outside, one had to be wary of their neighbors.
Because of that, faced with a unique environment where there was no need to fear the outside of the village, West Wind’s decision solidified.
That year, her five-year-old son became a resident of Starlight Road under the name ‘Jin Mu-hae.’
“……I am aware that the vegan society was involved in the kidnapping.”
“Yes. In the end, neither they nor I were able to get you back. However, it seems there was a spy connected to that person. They used mercenaries to beat us to the location where you were likely to have been abandoned.”
As expected of someone who had risen to the position of City General Manager, West Wind’s explanation was concise and clean.
It was enough for Mu-hae to faintly picture the atmosphere and situation of Goryeo City at the time, which he had never experienced.
Jin Mu-hae’s opinion was absent from that entire process. As is the case with a five-year-old child, he was simply swept up in the choices of those around him.
Ridiculously, he didn’t feel wronged or angry. He didn’t even feel regret over losing a childhood that could have been comfortable.
Perhaps it was because he grew up in the slums. To Mu-hae, life was something that was decided and given arbitrarily, like the wind and rain that raged outside the city.
He had always believed that complaining about the rain clouds that gathered without warning was nothing more than a waste of time.
“So, what is it that you ultimately want.”
He understood the animosity that existed within the Return flight. He understood why he had grown up in the slums with a father he had no memory of, and how his mother had become such a powerhouse in this position.
The problem lay at the end of the journey of uncovering the Return flight. West Wind had called him out, holding all the data of the Starpath in her hands.
“I have been steadily preparing for the moment Blue Energy vanishes. Fortunately, the central axis of the vegan society disappeared all at once, and I have gained the confidence that I will see results at least before I die.”
“That’s good news.”
“But how long can I take responsibility for the aftermath of that work? My great-uncle—your great-granduncle—has been unconscious since six years ago. In reality, I have managed all the affairs of Goryeo City with my own hands since long before that.”
The reason the Return flight had rushed the Starpath despite numerous risks was due to the limits of the time and opportunity given to them.
Mu-hae gazed at the cold face with calm eyes.
“What I’ve prepared isn’t just the future of humanity. Position, opportunity, growth. I have provided plenty of everything if it is for the sake of family.”
West Wind was looking for a successor. Just as her great-uncle had, she wanted another version of herself who could complete her grand plan.
“Ha.”
If he had continued to stay in Yeonneul Path, if he had grown up among the people of the central area, it was a proposal he would have accepted without any objection.
However, too many stories and backgrounds overlapped in Jin Mu-hae’s growth. Above all, he had long since felt no sense of belonging to his blood relatives.
“Then you can just hand it over to ‘family.’ Along with that desperate wish to leave it to future generations.”
The already quiet room became deathly silent. Mu-hae suddenly recalled the moment he discovered the secret of the mementos in the study.
The past of his father, which he learned for the first time in his life. A mission that felt like a calling given to someone who had lived without purpose.
……He couldn’t deny that the goal of the Return flight was intriguing. It was a journey that made his heart beat and flutter too much to be called a burden suddenly thrust upon him.
The more he learned about the Return flight and the future they dreamed of, the more he developed similar desires. It started as the will left by his father, but at some point, Crystal Blue and the Starpath also became Jin Mu-hae’s business.
“What if there is no family left?”
“Then you’ll have to entrust it to a complete stranger. If you look, I’m sure there are plenty. Suitable and decent talents.”
But this was the limit. The reason the Return flight had moved his heart was that he himself had been the subject of the exploration.
Even if it had actually been within the guidelines provided by West Wind, choosing to walk that path had been his own will.
Now, he had no intention of following a target he felt nothing for, bound by the shackles of family.
Even without such an attempt, there was now a place that would accept him. Mu-hae slowly turned his gaze and scanned his clingy companion.
Joo-oh, who had been staring blankly this way, nodded with a strange expression.
“Very well.”
West Wind agreed readily. There was no look of disappointment or expression of anger.
After looking back and forth between the two for a long time, a faint smile played on her lips.
“Then I shall propose again. The Starpath is prepared to some extent. I need a successor who shares my vision before and after the extinction of Crystal Blue.”
“I believe I already told you. Look for someone other than family.”
Was she planning to erase answers she didn’t like from her mind? Before Mu-hae could even frown at the repetitive words.
“Yes. I’ve taken it to heart. Therefore, this is not a proposal handed to a blood relative, but one sent to the Defense Force instructor ‘Jin Mu-hae,’ who holds the medal of Goryeo City.”
“I’m not interested.”
“I’m not joking. As you said, I am searching for a suitable talent. Young age, a healthy body, outstanding combat skills, and an unimpeachable intelligence. Someone who knows all the secrets of the Return flight, the Starpath, the vegan society, and the Aberrants, and an experienced individual who has personally witnessed various lifestyles from the slums of this city to the central area.”
“…….”
“When you add the advantage of being well-versed in the external environment and the situation of nearby cities, it would be hard to find a better talent than this.”
West Wind extended her right hand with an expression as firm and unchanging as a mask. Her brown eyes, shining with anticipation unbecoming of her age, were asking implicitly.
You and I may be different people, but weren’t you excited regardless?
Running persistently through all sorts of hardships couldn’t have been solely because of that person’s mementos.
You yourself must have been more satisfied than anyone while experiencing a new world.
“You don’t have to follow the path I’ve drawn exactly. That is precisely why I needed someone who could think for themselves as the new General of the Return flight.”
At the words delivered like a final period, his throat tightened. Jin Mu-hae swallowed hard and clenched his jaw firmly.
Serious gazes clashed several times, and just as a silence like eternity flowed.
“Uh.”
Suddenly breaking the atmosphere, Joo-oh let out a short exclamation.
Then, thud—the moment they turned to look, he collapsed to the floor.