Chapter 183
The girl tilted her head while meeting Aiden’s gaze, which was staring at her with a sense of curiosity. She looked adorable.
“What’s my name? Where did Mom and Dad go? Where is this place? Who are you?”
The girl seemed confused. However, there was no sign of tears on her face. She appeared strong and composed, just like Novnie had been when Aiden first met her. Before the trust that Aiden had shattered, like the relationship he had destroyed with the orb.
It was more like Aiden was crying, just like when he had met Novnie for the first time.
“Does Brother know?”
The girl asked. Her eyes were clear and pure. Aiden realized something. There was still something intact. Even if Novnie wasn’t inside her, the traces of Novnie hadn’t disappeared.
‘Novnie… is still here.’
The emptiness that had plagued him just moments ago slowly settled. He took a deep breath. His body, which had been trembling with no energy, began to calm. His composure returned. And then, his mind started to work.
“Yes. I know.”
But his voice was still tinged with tears. The trembling edge was embarrassing, but Aiden didn’t show it. He could allow himself to feel joy.
‘I can still have Novnie.’
That one undeniable truth supported him. So, Aiden was able to look at the girl not with hatred, but with affection. He could smile easily at the girl, who wasn’t quite Novnie but still resembled her.
“Your name is Ivonne.”
Ivonne, the reason he chose that name was needless to say. It was another memory of Novnie.
— So, are there other gods besides Novnie?
— Of course. There are gods created by human wishes, and gods who were forced into divinity by others.
In her casual words, Novnie spoke endlessly. However, those were far too difficult for Aiden, once human, to understand.
— The world is made of time and space. We call this the universe. And within this universe, there are countless worlds. There are worlds where people understand things that people in this world do not yet know.
— Ugh, that’s too hard. I still don’t get it.
— What should I say to explain it? Hmm, let me try this example.
Novnie took Aiden to an ever-flowing spring and had him reflect his face in the clean water.
— The reflection of you in the water is you, but it’s not really you. Beyond this surface, there’s another world just like this one. I call it a ‘dimension.’
— A dimension…
— There are countless dimensions. So, there are countless worlds. Oh, right. I told you earlier, didn’t I? There are people who understand the concept of the universe. That dimension is very close to ours.
— Really?
— Yes, and I even know a few languages from that dimension. My name might be written like this.
Novnie tapped her finger into the water and wrote letters in the dirt.
[Novnie]
— And you know, the characters they use are limited, so the pronunciation changes depending on how you combine them. If you change this, you get another name.
At that moment, Aiden remembered another name Novnie had written.
“Ivonne.”
The girl murmured.
“That’s my name.”
It was a name that fit perfectly for the girl who was Novnie but not Novnie at all.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
From that day, Aiden lived with Ivonne. However, he didn’t want her to call him Aiden.
The name Aiden, the one that had been used by Herix, who made a wish to Novnie, was meant to be only for the real Novnie. So, Aiden soon came up with a new name. It was the name that Ivonne would call him while waving her hand with a bright smile.
“Isaac!”
It was the most common name in the rural households of the Ortensia Republic.
Aiden, or rather, Isaac, discovered a few things while living with Ivonne, and each one left him stunned and frustrated.
First of all, Novnie hadn’t disappeared. What this meant was that the soul that moved Ivonne was Novnie’s, but it was unconscious.
It could be seen in things like her arms flailing in her sleep or muttering in her sleep. Yes, Novnie was asleep. Like a god’s soul resting in the human body. Because of this, her resistance was greatly reduced, but the more Aiden thought about it, the more unsettling it became.
This was clearly Isaac’s fault.
— Aiden, my words—
— Let’s meet again.
What Novnie had probably wanted to say at that time was something like this:
‘No matter how much talent they have, a human body can’t contain me.’, ‘I’m going to fall into a deep sleep.’, ‘I might end up trapped inside a human body.’, ‘My power will be limited.’ …and so on.
It was likely a persuasion for Isaac to reconsider because it was definitely not the direction he had wanted.
‘I… should have talked to Novnie.’
Now, even though he regretted it, it wouldn’t change anything. But every time Isaac saw Ivonne running toward him, he always thought the same thing.
Lost in thought, Isaac stumbled.
“Isaac! Are you okay?”
Ivonne, who was walking beside him, gently held his arm with her small hand to steady him.
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