"GOD!!!" Sil shouted, tears welling in his eyes. The cry echoed through the valley, bouncing off the cliffs like a prayer finally heard.
It was Atom.
Overwhelmed, Sil raised his trembling hands and ran forward.
"I'M HERE! I KNOW WHERE THEY COULD BE! I KNOW WHERE YOUR SISTER IS!!!"
Sil had finally found him — the one he admired, the one the world called Blasphemous.
And before he could even breathe again, Atom began to move.
From the peak, he slid down, graceful and terrifying all at once. The air bent around him; the light fractured like glass.
Each step he took carried the weight of something not human — a divine storm in a mortal form.
The aura of white smoke leaked from his cloak, curling through the cold wind.
It wasn't mist. It was power — quiet, patient, unstoppable.
When Atom finally stopped in front of him, Sil could barely breathe.
He was standing before the man who shattered the heavens, yet whose eyes carried the grief of a thousand lifetimes.
"God… this place is just an illusion."
Sil's voice trembled as he spoke, still catching his breath. Atom's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sil continued, "The whole mountain… it's not real. The real Mountain of Nori isn't here — it's above the sky. They're in the sky. Your sister is in the sky."
For a moment, even Atom was silent. The words echoed in his mind like thunder behind clouds.
The mountain... above the sky?
He looked at Sil — as if trying to see through his soul.
Then Sil lifted his hand and pointed upward.
"Look. It's there…"
Atom slowly raised his head. The heavens shimmered faintly, bending like heat waves.
Something vast was hidden behind that veil — a mountain floating in silence, unseen by mortal eyes.
Long ago, there lived a man — the kindest soul the world had ever known.
An adventurer by heart, he spent his life wandering through mountains, oceans, and forgotten lands. His name echoed in countless tales, yet one day, he simply stopped. No one knew why. He abandoned his clan — companions who had journeyed with him for over fifty years — and vanished without a single trace.
Not even his closest friends knew where he had gone. Some said he had grown tired of the world; others whispered he had found something… beyond it.
Years later, a strange rumor began to spread — a tale people dismissed as fantasy. But it was no rumor. It was the truth.
The man had discovered an island — untouched by time, unseen by the eyes of men. There, he created a new world. A civilization separated from the greed and chaos of humanity. The villagers lived in peace and harmony, guided by his kindness and wisdom. Their technology was unlike anything known beyond their shores — not built from steel or science, but from the very essence of nature itself.
And soon, people began to wonder — was that man even human?
Whispers turned into greed. Kings and conquerors sent their armies to seize the island and uncover its secrets.
But when they arrived, they found themselves unable to enter. An invisible wall — divine and absolute — barred their way. They struck it with weapons, magic, and fire… yet nothing pierced its light.
Then one day, the man himself appeared before them — calm, radiant, and unshaken. The intruders tried to speak, but none could utter a word. Because they were no longer alive.
They had been judged — slain by the will of God.
That island, the man revealed, was a gift — a land not for the living, but for the souls who once suffered and died in despair.
"This land is not for me," he said softly. "But for those who once died. I do not belong to the world anymore. I shall protect this land with my life."
And with those final words, he took a blade and drew it across his own stomach. His blood sank into the soil like a sacred vow.
"To Him," he whispered, "I sacrifice my body… for them."
As his body fell, his soul rose. The earth trembled. The island lifted into the sky — shrouded in clouds, hidden behind a divine illusion.
From that day on, the island was never seen again.
But sometimes, when the wind is calm and the heavens clear, travelers claim to glimpse a floating land above the horizon — glowing softly under the light of dawn.
A land of peace.
A land of the dead.
The legacy… of the kindest man who ever lived.
"This… this is the place where the man died."
Sil's voice trembled as he spoke. "The peak you're seeing… it's his body — decomposed and turned to stone over centuries."
Sil nodded. "The Mountain of Nori floats above the sky now. The people who took your sister… they belong to that land. The land he once gave his life to protect."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind howled around them — a sound that felt almost like mourning.
"The man who sacrificed everything," Sil continued softly, "can no longer act. His soul guards the path, but his will… remains asleep."
Atom clenched his fist, his voice low and firm.
"How do we reach there?"
"The peak," Sil replied. "That's the way. If his soul allows you, the path will open."
Atom took a step forward, his eyes fixed on the summit.
"You're not coming with me."
"But I can help—"
"No need."
The tone was final. Cold, but not heartless.
Before Sil could say another word, Atom was already gone — a blur of white light ascending the mountain. In seconds, he stood at the summit, the world below him like a distant dream.
He looked up at the endless sky — where the true Mountain of Nori floated.
"The man who sacrificed everything…" Atom whispered. "I'm nothing like you. But please—"
He pressed his hand against the stone peak.
"Let me enter. My sister is waiting for me."
The air around him trembled. The clouds shifted above as if something — or someone — was listening.
"GOD!!!"
Sil's voice echoed from below the peak. He was struggling, his hands bleeding as he tried to climb. The rocks broke beneath his grip, but he refused to stop.
Atom didn't turn around. His gaze stayed fixed on the stone.
"GOD!!!" Sil shouted again.
Atom exhaled slowly, his voice quiet but sharp enough to cut through the wind.
"I am no God," he whispered. "I am… a blasphemous."
The ground beneath him began to glow — the mountain responding to his words.
"GOD!!!" Sil screamed one last time, reaching his hand out toward the summit — just in time to see Atom's body enveloped in light.
The stone opened, like a divine gate parting for the unworthy.
Atom was gone.
Sil fell to his knees, tears mixing with the dust. He looked up at the fading light, his voice trembling yet filled with devotion.
"I'm coming… You'll need me."
He clenched his fist.
"After all — a GOD needs a BELIEVER!"