Chapter 188. One and All (1)
“Mom, do I really have to get this surgery?”
The child asked with a frightened expression.
The hospital her mother had brought her to felt cold.
And then, out of nowhere, they told her she needed brain surgery and even shaved her head.
Soon, they were apparently going to open her skull and put something inside.
“How many times do I have to tell you?”
“You need this if you want to become a genius!”
But her mother was firm.
Her child could become a genius.
Her grades could improve.
That single thought had already decided everything.
“But...”
The child trailed off, looking dejected.
“Just think of it as going to sleep for a little while and waking back up.”
“After this, you won’t have to worry about your grades anymore.”
“You’ll be able to get into whatever university you want!”
Her mother snapped at her, ignoring everything she tried to say.
She was already too consumed by the expectation that her own child could become a genius to listen.
“Okay.”
With no other choice, the child nodded.
Then she quietly walked toward the operating room behind her.
“Do your best!”
Her mother called after her.
Inside the operating room, a doctor and nurses in white coats were already prepared.
Once the child lay down on the operating table, they skillfully administered a sedative.
As her consciousness began to fade, she heard a voice announcing the beginning of the procedure.
“We will now begin the surgery.”
Soon, the child sank into a deep sleep.
It felt as though her entire body were sinking endlessly into a vast white swamp.
[Welcome.]
And beyond her fading consciousness, the blurry figure of someone appeared.
A girl around her own age.
Blonde hair.
Blue eyes.
The girl held out her hand and spoke gently.
[Now you’ll become one and all as well.]
One and all.
The words made no sense.
And yet, for some reason, they felt warm.
The girl smiled contentedly.
[Let’s reach the Wisdom of God together.]
[All right?]
One and all.
That mysterious phrase swallowed what little reason remained in the child’s mind.
The only thing left behind was the lingering image of the girl reaching out to her.
“Haah.”
Yukgap let out a deep sigh while staring at the sky through the restaurant window.
Whatever else was happening, the sky was simply clear and blue.
He muttered something that sounded almost like a complaint.
“Damn nice weather.”
Several days had passed since the previous incident.
For some reason, Abraxas had left the scene immediately afterward.
Yukgap had expected them to be pursued again, but strangely, nothing happened.
No.
They had left without the slightest lingering attachment, almost as though they had already achieved everything they wanted.
“The media’s quiet too.”
Yukgap muttered while flipping through a newspaper.
He had expected the incident to become a major story.
Yet the media was unnaturally silent.
There were only a few brief lines about it.
Is Abraxas controlling even this?
Thinking that, Yukgap looked around the kitchen of Restaurant Shelley, where he had finally returned.
He was back in the familiar kitchen.
Yet somehow, he could not feel at ease.
“I’m back.”
At that moment, Victoria rushed into the restaurant carrying a stack of flyers.
Yukgap glanced at her.
“How was it?”
“Find anything?”
Victoria shook her head bitterly.
“No.”
“So this time, I’m going to widen the area where I put up flyers.”
“Nova has a distinctive appearance, so someone must have noticed her somehow.”
Robert approached carrying another stack.
Nova’s photograph and personal information were printed on each flyer.
[Doctor, I finished printing the new flyers as requested.]
“Thanks.”
“Print a few hundred more, just in case.”
Victoria took the freshly printed flyers from him.
After Abraxas left, Yukgap and Victoria had returned to Restaurant Shelley.
Nova had not.
She had vanished as though she had evaporated into thin air.
They searched the entire building, nearby hospitals, and even the surrounding streets.
But Nova was nowhere to be found.
Ever since then, Victoria had been personally handing out flyers and searching for her.
All because she believed Nova had to be alive somewhere.
Watching her, Yukgap could only feel bitter.
“Victoria, I understand how you feel, but if Abraxas got involved, then she probably...”
“I’m heading back out.”
“You don’t need to make dinner for me.”
Victoria deliberately cut him off, pretending not to care.
Yukgap knew exactly what that meant.
He could not bring himself to finish what he had been saying.
“Yeah.”
“All right.”
He could only wave and see her off.
Somewhere deep inside, he almost wished they could at least find Nova’s body.
“Is anyone here?”
Just as Victoria was about to leave again, someone appeared at the entrance.
It was Sister Olga of the Herrington Order.
“Sister Olga?”
When Victoria recognized her, Sister Olga chuckled.
“Sister Victoria, have you been well?”
Then someone else walked in behind her.
She wore the same nun’s habit, but her distinctive sharp eyes were impossible to hide.
