Nayun sips her coffee to calm herself down. The taste perfectly replicates the original from the smell, visuals, and everything. If not for her lack of access to her [Sea of Magic Power], she might think that she is in danger. The lack of the presence of her gift suggests that her essence or soul did not carry over to the current her while conversing with Lilith.
“Devil Lilith… I reject your proposal.” She resolutely says to the Devil in front of her, while she refills the coffee in her teacup with a thought. She sips on it the second time. “I have decided… I won’t give up Yoenha…”
Never will she fall to the Devil’s tricks again. She should at least promise herself this so she will not repeat her mistake with Baal. The regression, the miracle stone, and Baal— she is regretting her actions over them, but the truth of the matter is that no one can truly turn back time. "After all... what is known cannot be unknown... what is heard cannot be unheard... what is seen cannot be unseen..."
Kudos to time regression though as it is able to reverse 'what is said cannot be unsaid' which is a small consolation for Nayun.
Now, Chae Nayun can only owe to her mistakes and do her darndest to make things right again. Chae Nayun lets go of her cup of coffee and crosses her arms. She hides the trembling of her hands from under his armpits.
“Pffft…” Lilith snickers at Nayun’s strong front. “You don’t let them show, but you are scared, aren’t you? What is happening outside? What about Kim Suho and Kim Hajin? Are they doing fine?”
Mild sweating drenches Nayun’s back in reflection of the worries she tries to push at the back of her mind. It is true. She is worried.
Lilith directs a pitiful gaze at Nayun. “I am giving you the easy way out, yet you don’t see it.”
“I…”
A burst of magic power explodes from Lilith, and malevolent cries echo from the café. The earth shudders, and Nayun has no choice but to shut her trap. Lilith sheds her human pretense and shows her true side. “Do not delude yourself that you are in control. Inside your mind, you say? I already said that your conclusion was incorrect.”
Half of the café turns to the ruins of a luxurious castle on Lilith’s side. Lilith seats on a decadent throne with engravings of lustful men and women engaging in their carnal desires. Despite the eye-catching throne, Nayun’s eyes gravitate to Lilith.
No clothes or jewelry adorn her yet beauty naturally comes from her image. Except for the natural blonde hair, and the pair of bejeweled emerald eyes, the rest of her body is like a well-polished jade. Inhuman bat-like wings protrude from her waist, while two curving horns rest on top of her head.
“Do you realize now? We are not in your mind, but mine… Welcome to my domain, little sweety…” She welcomes Nayun with a playful tone. “Don’t fret, I will not be able to harm you as I am not that kind of Devil!”
Nayun calms herself immediately at the development of events. She then recalls the burst of magic power from Lilith. By that fact alone, it is most likely that Lilith is telling the truth that they are really inside the Devil’s mind, or rather more specifically, her domain.
“Is this the Transcendent Plane?” Chae Nayun asks.
“How astute…” Lilith nonchalantly compliments Nayun’s observation. “Yes, we are in the Transcendent Plane, but this domain of mine is only a small place from the whole plane of existence.”
The Transcendent Plane. It has come very often from Nayun’s research before her regression. Because of what did occur to her brother, she decides on researching the Devils in every free time she gets with the hope of resurrecting her brother. Alas, the topic of the ‘Transcendent Plane’ is one of the greatest roadblocks she faces in her research.
After all… How will she go to this place without knowing a way how to traverse it?
However, after seeing Hyon Hyung’s perspective on how to research the Devils, Nayun has come to gain inspiration. The concept of Afterlife is a far-reaching idea from the various history, cultures, and religions of Earth. Perhaps, the Transcendent Plane has a strong tie to the Afterlife.
“I understand now…” Nayun reasons that there should be an easy way out for her to return on her body, to planet Earth. “You are crazy… I wonder how much DP you used just to summon me here.”
“You know DP, huh? Not a surprise since you are a regressor.”
Nayun plans to prolong the conversation more so that she can buy time for herself. DP is something like a universal currency all throughout the galaxies. Nayun believes that it is the same in the Transcendent Plane. DPs will also appear on Planet Earth, but that is still for the far future.
“Funny…” Lilith boringly calls out to Nayun. “Are you thinking of a way out? Maybe escape? Let me give you a hint then. What you are currently experiencing is an out-of-body experience… You are actually having a lucid dream… And since it is a dream, then you only have to wake up…”
How? Nayun harbors her suspicion about Lilith’s words, but there is no harm in trying. She slaps herself very hard on the face in the hopes of waking up through the stimulation of pain. “It hurts…” She realizes.
“That is very amusing…” Even Lilith’s laughter is beautiful, but that didn’t mesmerize Nayun a bit. “It is creative, but I suggest you stop… You might damage your soul. So starting right at this moment, this Devil will humbly beg you not to do something as extreme as killing yourself.”
The plot that someone who is trapped in a dream kills himself to wake up sounds very reasonable to Nayun, but for some reason, she feels that she can trust Lilith’s words,
Clearly, Lilith has some goal to bring Nayun here. But harming Nayun is not in any way on Lilith’s agenda.
“So how do I wake up from a dream then, genius?” She sarcastically asks Lilith.
“Sigh… fine…” Lilith shows an expression of giving up on taking entertainment from Nayun’s little actions. “You just have to finish the dream, silly!”
Lilith temps Nayun with a few ideas. “How about you get yourself a wet dream? Say, Kim Hajin? You can even go as far as to involve Suho, and maybe even Jonghak. Yes, that sounds interesting. A harem of men at your calling… If you’d like, you might as well try to have Rachel watch, and for Yoenha to play around too.”
The words coming out from Lilith’s mouth are sickly tempting, but Nayun easily dispels them as something so frivolous will not be able to move her. “I must finish a dream, huh?”
Yes. That sounds reasonable. Chae Nayun has the power to express her memories in this realm, thus making it possible for her to do as Lilith suggests. She glances at the cup of coffee on the halved table.
Nayun recalls that one-time Hajin helps her to dream of the past. She recalls recalling her mind returning to when she is at her nth birthday when everyone from her family is present. Her mom, dad, brother, and grandfather are within that single memory thus making it a very valuable dream for Nayun.
If given the chance, Nayun will choose to dream of the same memories again.
But recalling Hajin makes her feel conflicted. That sweet temptation is finally getting to her. It is a lie if she says that this regression doesn’t bother her anymore despite expressly giving up on Hajin as she still has that little hope in the corner of her heart.
Finally, Nayun chooses a dream.
That one first date.
"I hope you will like my gift..." Lilith insidiously smiles as Nayun journeys her way home, to Earth, to her own body. "Alas, this is the last help I will be giving you, Seungyeon... Entertain me..."
***
Chae Nayun is waiting for Hajin for a long time under the snow back then. She has it all planned what they will be doing since the morning, but Hajin the bastard just has to ghost her.
Kim Hajin did not appear at the agreed time.
To be fair, Nayun kind of forced the date on Hajin. To be more precise, it is actually just a Dinner Plan. Still, Nayun is very expectant of that one date. She has butterflies in her stomach and is blushing at the thought of doing something so exciting.
Yet, one hour has passed. Hajin did not come. She convinces herself that he must be busy with academic activities as he is a smart guy. So Nayun waits for more.
After another two hours, she consoles herself that he must be really busy.
Chae Nayun continues to wait for almost half a day because she is an idiot. “I am pissed.” She realizes, but all of that anger and resentment quickly vanishes in her heart as she sees Kim Hajin finally arriving while riding his cool motorbike.
“Hey, we still have time—” Nayun recalls having said something like that while she fumbles on her planned date schedule. It is way past 4 o’clock pm already, and by that time, they should be midway through watching a movie she herself picked.
“You don’t plan a date.” He indirectly scolds her. “It is the moment that matters…” Hajin gives a pained sigh while he taps on the back of his motorbike. "Let's go..."
Nayun is still as Hajin’s words do not register to her head. “I worked hard for this date, and you are going to dismiss me?” Nayun recalls how Yoenha warns her not to be involved with Kim Hajin as the dude is clearly problematic.
To borrow Yoenha’s words. Kim Hajin is a bad boy.
Hajin gets down from his motorbike, sticks his helmet to Nayun, and opens its visor. Nayun sees Hajin’s unmoving face as if he doesn’t care. However, Nayun can tell he is pretty much bothered by the way his lips are slightly twitching.
“Let’s go.” He softly calls to her while he rides on her motorbike. Nayun follows.
“Grab my waist.” He adds while he places Nayun’s hands on his waist.
Chae Nayun recalls the intimate contact as something she gets crazily shy over with. Despite that, she recalls deciding on being more proactive. As such, just like in the memory, she follows the script very obediently and hugs Hajin’s waist more intimately.
The rumbling of the engine sends an exciting chill down Nayun’s spine.
Nayun hugs Hajin more intimately and closely as the motorbike zooms on at amazing speeds that the current technology will never be able to catch up to. The date continues on seemingly forever as they sightsee on their speeding motorbike.
It is an unforgettable memory.
It is an irreplaceable memory.
Now that she is replaying and re-experiencing that one particular snippet of life, Nayun cannot help but find it funny as that dream ends up in a literal explosion.
Finally, their motorbike date comes to a close end. They face each other, exchanging words as the script dictates them. In that dream, Nayun confesses her love for the nth time.
And comes the explosion from the Tower of Miracle, which ends the dream effectively.
Alfir The nostalgia sure hits hard. This is based on TNE chapter 135. I strongly remember the date happening this way, but I am way off. Well, it is a dream sequence for a reason.
Nayun sips her coffee to calm herself down. The taste perfectly replicates the original from the smell, visuals, and everything. If not for her lack of access to her [Sea of Magic Power], she might think that she is in danger. The lack of the presence of her gift suggests that her essence or soul did not carry over to the current her while conversing with Lilith.
“Devil Lilith… I reject your proposal.” She resolutely says to the Devil in front of her, while she refills the coffee in her teacup with a thought. She sips on it the second time. “I have decided… I won’t give up Yoenha…”
Never will she fall to the Devil’s tricks again. She should at least promise herself this so she will not repeat her mistake with Baal. The regression, the miracle stone, and Baal— she is regretting her actions over them, but the truth of the matter is that no one can truly turn back time. "After all... what is known cannot be unknown... what is heard cannot be unheard... what is seen cannot be unseen..."
Kudos to time regression though as it is able to reverse 'what is said cannot be unsaid' which is a small consolation for Nayun.
Now, Chae Nayun can only owe to her mistakes and do her darndest to make things right again. Chae Nayun lets go of her cup of coffee and crosses her arms. She hides the trembling of her hands from under his armpits.
“Pffft…” Lilith snickers at Nayun’s strong front. “You don’t let them show, but you are scared, aren’t you? What is happening outside? What about Kim Suho and Kim Hajin? Are they doing fine?”
Mild sweating drenches Nayun’s back in reflection of the worries she tries to push at the back of her mind. It is true. She is worried.
Lilith directs a pitiful gaze at Nayun. “I am giving you the easy way out, yet you don’t see it.”
“I…”
A burst of magic power explodes from Lilith, and malevolent cries echo from the café. The earth shudders, and Nayun has no choice but to shut her trap. Lilith sheds her human pretense and shows her true side. “Do not delude yourself that you are in control. Inside your mind, you say? I already said that your conclusion was incorrect.”
Half of the café turns to the ruins of a luxurious castle on Lilith’s side. Lilith seats on a decadent throne with engravings of lustful men and women engaging in their carnal desires. Despite the eye-catching throne, Nayun’s eyes gravitate to Lilith.
No clothes or jewelry adorn her yet beauty naturally comes from her image. Except for the natural blonde hair, and the pair of bejeweled emerald eyes, the rest of her body is like a well-polished jade. Inhuman bat-like wings protrude from her waist, while two curving horns rest on top of her head.
“Do you realize now? We are not in your mind, but mine… Welcome to my domain, little sweety…” She welcomes Nayun with a playful tone. “Don’t fret, I will not be able to harm you as I am not that kind of Devil!”
Nayun calms herself immediately at the development of events. She then recalls the burst of magic power from Lilith. By that fact alone, it is most likely that Lilith is telling the truth that they are really inside the Devil’s mind, or rather more specifically, her domain.
“Is this the Transcendent Plane?” Chae Nayun asks.
“How astute…” Lilith nonchalantly compliments Nayun’s observation. “Yes, we are in the Transcendent Plane, but this domain of mine is only a small place from the whole plane of existence.”
The Transcendent Plane. It has come very often from Nayun’s research before her regression. Because of what did occur to her brother, she decides on researching the Devils in every free time she gets with the hope of resurrecting her brother. Alas, the topic of the ‘Transcendent Plane’ is one of the greatest roadblocks she faces in her research.
After all… How will she go to this place without knowing a way how to traverse it?
However, after seeing Hyon Hyung’s perspective on how to research the Devils, Nayun has come to gain inspiration. The concept of Afterlife is a far-reaching idea from the various history, cultures, and religions of Earth. Perhaps, the Transcendent Plane has a strong tie to the Afterlife.
“I understand now…” Nayun reasons that there should be an easy way out for her to return on her body, to planet Earth. “You are crazy… I wonder how much DP you used just to summon me here.”
“You know DP, huh? Not a surprise since you are a regressor.”
Nayun plans to prolong the conversation more so that she can buy time for herself. DP is something like a universal currency all throughout the galaxies. Nayun believes that it is the same in the Transcendent Plane. DPs will also appear on Planet Earth, but that is still for the far future.
“Funny…” Lilith boringly calls out to Nayun. “Are you thinking of a way out? Maybe escape? Let me give you a hint then. What you are currently experiencing is an out-of-body experience… You are actually having a lucid dream… And since it is a dream, then you only have to wake up…”
How? Nayun harbors her suspicion about Lilith’s words, but there is no harm in trying. She slaps herself very hard on the face in the hopes of waking up through the stimulation of pain. “It hurts…” She realizes.
“That is very amusing…” Even Lilith’s laughter is beautiful, but that didn’t mesmerize Nayun a bit. “It is creative, but I suggest you stop… You might damage your soul. So starting right at this moment, this Devil will humbly beg you not to do something as extreme as killing yourself.”
The plot that someone who is trapped in a dream kills himself to wake up sounds very reasonable to Nayun, but for some reason, she feels that she can trust Lilith’s words,
Clearly, Lilith has some goal to bring Nayun here. But harming Nayun is not in any way on Lilith’s agenda.
“So how do I wake up from a dream then, genius?” She sarcastically asks Lilith.
“Sigh… fine…” Lilith shows an expression of giving up on taking entertainment from Nayun’s little actions. “You just have to finish the dream, silly!”
Lilith temps Nayun with a few ideas. “How about you get yourself a wet dream? Say, Kim Hajin? You can even go as far as to involve Suho, and maybe even Jonghak. Yes, that sounds interesting. A harem of men at your calling… If you’d like, you might as well try to have Rachel watch, and for Yoenha to play around too.”
The words coming out from Lilith’s mouth are sickly tempting, but Nayun easily dispels them as something so frivolous will not be able to move her. “I must finish a dream, huh?”
Yes. That sounds reasonable. Chae Nayun has the power to express her memories in this realm, thus making it possible for her to do as Lilith suggests. She glances at the cup of coffee on the halved table.
Nayun recalls that one-time Hajin helps her to dream of the past. She recalls recalling her mind returning to when she is at her nth birthday when everyone from her family is present. Her mom, dad, brother, and grandfather are within that single memory thus making it a very valuable dream for Nayun.
If given the chance, Nayun will choose to dream of the same memories again.
But recalling Hajin makes her feel conflicted. That sweet temptation is finally getting to her. It is a lie if she says that this regression doesn’t bother her anymore despite expressly giving up on Hajin as she still has that little hope in the corner of her heart.
Finally, Nayun chooses a dream.
That one first date.
"I hope you will like my gift..." Lilith insidiously smiles as Nayun journeys her way home, to Earth, to her own body. "Alas, this is the last help I will be giving you, Seungyeon... Entertain me..."
***
Chae Nayun is waiting for Hajin for a long time under the snow back then. She has it all planned what they will be doing since the morning, but Hajin the bastard just has to ghost her.
Kim Hajin did not appear at the agreed time.
To be fair, Nayun kind of forced the date on Hajin. To be more precise, it is actually just a Dinner Plan. Still, Nayun is very expectant of that one date. She has butterflies in her stomach and is blushing at the thought of doing something so exciting.
Yet, one hour has passed. Hajin did not come. She convinces herself that he must be busy with academic activities as he is a smart guy. So Nayun waits for more.
After another two hours, she consoles herself that he must be really busy.
Chae Nayun continues to wait for almost half a day because she is an idiot. “I am pissed.” She realizes, but all of that anger and resentment quickly vanishes in her heart as she sees Kim Hajin finally arriving while riding his cool motorbike.
“Hey, we still have time—” Nayun recalls having said something like that while she fumbles on her planned date schedule. It is way past 4 o’clock pm already, and by that time, they should be midway through watching a movie she herself picked.
“You don’t plan a date.” He indirectly scolds her. “It is the moment that matters…” Hajin gives a pained sigh while he taps on the back of his motorbike. "Let's go..."
Nayun is still as Hajin’s words do not register to her head. “I worked hard for this date, and you are going to dismiss me?” Nayun recalls how Yoenha warns her not to be involved with Kim Hajin as the dude is clearly problematic.
To borrow Yoenha’s words. Kim Hajin is a bad boy.
Hajin gets down from his motorbike, sticks his helmet to Nayun, and opens its visor. Nayun sees Hajin’s unmoving face as if he doesn’t care. However, Nayun can tell he is pretty much bothered by the way his lips are slightly twitching.
“Let’s go.” He softly calls to her while he rides on her motorbike. Nayun follows.
“Grab my waist.” He adds while he places Nayun’s hands on his waist.
Chae Nayun recalls the intimate contact as something she gets crazily shy over with. Despite that, she recalls deciding on being more proactive. As such, just like in the memory, she follows the script very obediently and hugs Hajin’s waist more intimately.
The rumbling of the engine sends an exciting chill down Nayun’s spine.
Nayun hugs Hajin more intimately and closely as the motorbike zooms on at amazing speeds that the current technology will never be able to catch up to. The date continues on seemingly forever as they sightsee on their speeding motorbike.
It is an unforgettable memory.
It is an irreplaceable memory.
Now that she is replaying and re-experiencing that one particular snippet of life, Nayun cannot help but find it funny as that dream ends up in a literal explosion.
Finally, their motorbike date comes to a close end. They face each other, exchanging words as the script dictates them. In that dream, Nayun confesses her love for the nth time.
And comes the explosion from the Tower of Miracle, which ends the dream effectively.
Alfir The nostalgia sure hits hard. This is based on TNE chapter 135. I strongly remember the date happening this way, but I am way off. Well, it is a dream sequence for a reason.
