Chapter 658: Scythe (8)

Yeon-woo's eyes darkened. Uranus' eyes flashed coldly at him, saying, "My youngest son doesn't know anything related to Pneuma's Sky yet. But you already know it? You're just wearing the skin of my youngest son. You aren't him, so who are you?"

'Yet?' Yeon-woo didn't understand what Uranus meant by that, but he pretended not to know anything. He simply said, "I don't know what you're talking about. Father, I just..."

"You! Pneuma's Sky is something I tell my son in the future!"

Dududu! The world quaked with Uranus' booming voice, as if on the verge of collapse. Even the expanding "night" momentarily paused.

[The domain of fight reacts to the intense stimulus!]

[The domain is canceled because it has no relation to this legend.]

Yeon-woo saw why Uranus was called the Father of the Heavens. Uranus had been the only being powerful enough to strike against Mother Earth before falling to Gaia's Curse. His aura made Yeon-woo's skin prickle, truly fitting of the founder Olympus.

Even so, Yeon-woo didn't miss the other emotions that wavered under Uranus' angry gaze. It was clear he was concerned that something had happened to his youngest son. All kinds of thoughts flashed in Yeon-woo's head. 'Should I just reveal my identity to ask for cooperation?'

From what Yeon-woo had seen from Kronos' legends, although Uranus was rough on the outside, he was constantly worried over his children and had great love for his family on the inside. It was possible he could help Yeon-woo if Yeon-woo revealed he was Uranus' grandson. It was also the most optimal unfolding of events since Yeon-woo was rushed for time. However, he quickly put that idea away. 'I have no proof that I'm his grandson. If he thinks I'm lying and tries to capture me, things will become difficult.'

Although this was a world made of Kronos' memories and legends, all the beings living inside it believed themselves to be real. Thus, if Yeon-woo told Uranus that he was his grandson from the future or that this world was fake, it was most likely Uranus would think he was crazy. However, since Uranus was suspicious of Yeon-woo, Yeon-woo still needed to come up with a plan to alleviate his doubt.

"...I see. So that's what happened." Suddenly, the aura that twisted around Yeon-woo's neck was released. While Yeon-woo had been in contemplation, Uranus had come to his own conclusion. "You...are my grandson. Are you Kronos' child?"

"...!" Yeon-woo couldn't believe how Uranus had known. Surprised, he couldn't help but be surprised since he had given up on the plan to reveal his identity.

"Based on your expression, it seems I'm right. Then this world must be imaginary...and you've come here through my youngest son's legends?" It seemed as if Uranus was a fortune-teller, accurately deducing everything.

Yeon-woo didn't remember Uranus having any abilities relating to foresight or divination. 'He didn't. Father definitely said although the spring of time was from Grandfather, he didn't have the domain of time. Then how...?'

Unsure of how to interpret Uranus' observations and guesses, Yeon-woo simply asked, "...How did you know?"

"I already told you. Pneuma's Sky is something my future self tells my youngest son when I'm on my deathbed. You're talking about something that hasn't even happened, so how could I not notice?"

"..." Yeon-woo still didn't understand, but one thing was for certain. Although Uranus couldn't foresee the future, he "knew" about the kinds of events that would occur far in the future.

"This bloodstained place isn't a place where I should be meeting my grandson for the first time. Let's move someplace else first."

It seemed their conversation would be long. Even then, time was ticking.

[11:20:41_06]

[11:20:41_05]

...

* * *

"It's hard to believe. I never imagined that troublemaker would have a child. There couldn't have been a greater burden than that. Who is this angel-like daughter-in-law who carried that burden and saved the troublemaker?" Uranus brought Yeon-woo inside of his tent. He ordered his subordinates not to let anyone approach them until he gave further orders. He observed Yeon-woo with wondering eyes.

Even though Yeon-woo still looked like Kronos on the outside, Uranus was looking at him warmly. Yeon-woo then wondered, 'There's a big difference in how he looks at me and Father.' He questioned whether the love for one's son and the love for one's grandson were different.

At the same time, Yeon-woo felt an unidentifiable emotion surging inside of him. He thought that, if he really had a grandfather, he would've gotten along with him well even though he had been on bad terms with his father. There were many things he wanted to talk about, but he continued to feel rushed.

[11:14:25_98]

[11:14:25_97]

...

It had already been an hour since Yeon-woo entered this world. He said, "Grandfather, I...!"

"I know. You must not have a lot of time. But it's enough for us to talk, so don't worry." Uranus smiled warmly as if he understood Yeon-woo. "But I'm really curious. May I ask what your mother's name is?"

Uranus continued to speak as if he was talking to a fascinating creature, and although Yeon-woo was worried, he answered with composure, thinking Uranus must have his own plans. "It's Rhea."

"What...?" Uranus widened his eyes at the unexpected response. "Is this the Rhea I know...?"

"Yes. I heard you're also my maternal grandfather as well."

"Ha! Hahahahaha!" Uranus' booming laughter filled the tent. He seemed to find it quite riotous. "They attack each other like mortal enemies every day, but what? They're getting married? I suppose they've grown fond of each other after all that fighting. Hahahaha! Hahaha!"

Yeon-woo just watched curiously. He thought it was possible Uranus would be displeased that his adopted children were married, but it appeared he didn't need to worry about such matters. Rather, he thought that Uranus seemed quite pleased. 'I suppose some of his worries are eased since the reason why he took in six adopted children was to unite Olympus.'

But Uranus seemed a bit too genuinely joyful to say it was because of the political benefits. Yeon-woo wanted to see him be happier, so he added, "He eventually had...eight children."

"What? Eight? Hahahaha! What a loving couple! So loving! That means they must stick to each other all the time, no?"

Yeon-woo hesitated to speak that number, but he had added Jeong-woo and himself to Zeus and the other siblings. Even though they were far apart, it was true they shared the same blood.

"What a relief. The long-standing strike between the Pneuma faction and the Quirinale family will end in your generation. You must be the fruit of their relationship."

Yeon-woo's eyes flashed. The word he had been awaiting for, Pneuma, had finally appeared.

"Have you heard anything about your father and mother's relationship?"

"No, sir."

"Is that so? It looks like your father didn't say anything about the resentment in the generations before him."

"I did hear they were on bad terms during their youth."

"It wasn't simply bad. They were mortal enemies. It's because of the resentment that was passed down from their forefathers... No, from the beginning of time." Uranus' explanation was simple. The universe was opened at the beginning of time, and countless divine beings were born. There were many societies established and destroyed, so it was only natural that enemies would be made during that process. One of the prime examples was the Pneuma faction and the Quirinale family.

"It'll be a headache to dig too deeply into it, so put simply, the Pneuma faction was made of a group of lunatics who wanted to expand the universe. They would do anything for prosperity and victory." Uranus continued to explain, "The family of Quirinale, on the other hand, put emphasis on honor and dignity. They were essentially a noble family that worshipped 'laws.' Because they were complete opposites, they fought at the drop of a hat. The fact that both their history and tradition existed from the beginning made it more severe. Well, eventually, both of them were nothing in front of me."

"..." Yeon-woo felt like Uranus was showing off, but he pretended not to notice.

"However, the Pneuma family was already starting to fall before that. Each of them had such horrid tempers that they started fights wherever they went... Anyway, because of that, the remaining members of the faction felt threatened that the faction would be no more, and they did something that shouldn't have been done." Uranus smiled wryly. "They gave a seed with their energy to Mother Earth...and had her birth a child."

"...!" Yeon-woo instantly realized who it was: Kronos.

"Fortunately, I managed to rescue him, but as a result of that incident, the Pneuma faction was marked as a common enemy and completely collapsed." Uranus narrowed his eyes. "Also, my youngest son doesn't know what 'Pneuma' is. He lost his memory, and I never told him the truth."

Yeon-woo's eyes widened. "Then, Pneuma's Sky is...?"

"It's their secret skill that Kronos should've received from his ancestors a long time ago."

Yeon-woo finally began to understand the big picture. 'The method of using holy power that Father learned from Grandfather...must be Pneuma's Sky.' Thinking that must've been the core of Scythe, Yeon-woo began to wonder what kind of beings this forgotten group was, and how powerful their secret skill was to be Scythe's core.

"Since you spoke about something my son hasn't received yet, I can only think that another being has entered his body."

"But that isn't evidence that I'm your bloodline."

"That's because of Pneuma's Sky."

"..." Yeon-woo wondered what exactly that meant.

"The Pneuma faction sought after the expansion of the universe." Uranus spread his hands apart. Above them appeared a map of the universe with countless glimmering stars. It was the universe where the influence of Olympus was reached. He then added, "The universe expands. It becomes infinitely bigger. There's a speed to it. The "life" continues to grow."

Perhaps due to the stars glinting on the map, Uranus' eyes were shining. "And that's what we call 'time.'"

"...!"

"Pneuma was a group that represented time. They worshipped and admired it. They also represented it. Once, they even attempted to write the long history from the beginning to end into a book."

'...the revelations!'

"They were prophets and warriors. If they hadn't been greedy and attempted to forcefully take what they wanted, they could've been standing where Olympus is today." Uranus smiled bitterly. "But seeking time doesn't mean you're flawless. Since I won them in the end and stole their power, I saw a bit into the future."

Psh! Uranus laughed. "Although I didn't know that would be today."

"..." Yeon-woo closed his mouth. He felt overjoyed to have found a way to repair the spring of time, but he felt dizzy because it was as if he had peeked into the secrets of the universe. Moreover, he was curious about how the Quirinale family could possibly oppose the Pneuma faction, which had supposedly sought time, for so long. "May I ask something?"

"Of course."

"Then what did my mother's family seek?"

Uranus chuckled as if it was obvious. "Space."

Yeon-woo drew in his breath. For some time, Uranus' presence filled his vision, heart, and subconscious.

"I create the universe with the latitude of time in one hand and the longitude space in the other. That's where the name of the ruler of the skies, Father of Heavens, comes from." Uranus burst out laughing. "And that's me, Uranus."