It's Not Night - Chapter 138
The patterns were varied. There were also numerous patterns that she had no idea had any connection to the things in the question. Although it was absurd that it was not descriptive, it was a comfort to Andra. If she was lucky, she might be able to fit it in. Of course, if not, it would be a problem.
“But what would happen if I can’t get it right?”
Still keeping her eyes on the problem, Andra asked Dean a question. However, Dean gave only an odd answer.
“There’s no way you couldn’t get it right.”
“There are always what ifs.”
“There are no ifs.”
“Why do you trust me so confidently?”
Andra turned around to face Dean once more. She was annoyed by how he had been turning people’s minds around thus far. It’s not the time to play jokes. I thought you had feelings for Anat! I thought you loved her! Can’t you help me with a riddle?! Andra wrinkled her nose at Dean’s calm demeanor.
“You have already solved that riddle once. Even if you lost your memory, there’s no way you wouldn’t be able to get it right this time.”
Even though Andra wanted to refute and argue that it wasn’t her, he would never believe her. So, Andra merely said nothing.
She also felt that she would be treated better in many ways by pretending to be Anat in front of him. Andra let out a series of sighs in her mind, focusing on the problem. Alright, rather than struggling with someone who won’t tell her, she should just think to herself.
Andra decided to think about her first problem.
Changes the mountains in the east and the mountains in the west.
Swap two mountains. But how could she move the mountain? And do that in less than a day? This was something only the primordial god and a few gods could do—and those few gods did not include Anat because she was the god of wisdom and ideals. She did, of course, use her wisdom to help Dean solve her tasks.
‘Let’s think, being able to change two mountains in one day without much effort.’
Was there any way? She’s told that Anat solved this riddle once, so the answer may be quite simple. She should find a loophole. Anyone can do that, but everyone overlooks it and doesn’t realize it. But what is it?
‘Hmm…’
Andra was not a genius. Although she had been called a genius, she would have heard that at least once if she had been born with the name Avellin. Andra surprisingly belonged to the average group amongst the Avellins. The descriptions, such as genius or gifted, were more appropriate for her brother or her father than for her.
‘I’m sure I missed something.’
Andra decided not to be impatient and to think calmly. Yes, she didn’t have to be so impatient now. At the Aslan ruins, the water was rising like crazy, so there wasn’t much time, but not now. The rock did not threaten her life, and was waiting for Andra to solve her riddle. Surprisingly, time was flooding her.
At that time, Dustin, who had joined his plan, suddenly came to mind.
‘No, when I think of Dustin… I shouldn’t take too much time.’
Andra decided that she would think calmly, but that she would not drag on too much time. Of course, that’s only if she can solve her problem.
‘Change two mountains. The mountains in the east to the west, and the mountains in the west to the east.’
First of all, north, south, east and west cannot be changed. That was already decided and Anat couldn’t change it. And to take into account that all of these tasks were aimed at Dean, who was just a human being. So she had to find a way to solve it from a human perspective.
At that time, a method flashed through Andra’s mind.
‘Wouldn’t it be possible if I did that…?’
A small smile appeared on Andra’s lips. She found a way to solve the first problem. After this, she began to think about the second problem.
Bringing the galaxy from the night sky.
The second problem was relatively easy. After realizing how she should approach the matter starting from the first problem, Andra thought that the second problem was almost a breeze.
Bringing the galaxy from the night sky. The sky was a realm that humans could not reach. Therefore, not only can humans not take the stars, but they also cannot take the galaxy, where countless stars are gathered. But to think about it simply, it’s easy. Anyone could bring the galaxy.
Andra, who solved the second problem without any problems, stopped at the third problem.
Creating darkness where no light can be found.
‘Creating darkness…’
Andra tried to approach the third problem the same way she solved her first and second, but she couldn’t think of anything worthwhile. If she did it this way, it wouldn’t make sense. If she did it that way, this part would cause trouble. Andra touched her forehead as her thoughts blocked her. It was not an easy task, as expected from the primordial god.
‘No, I can do it. I can figure this out. Anat already solved this once. Can’t I solve it, too?’
Andra was a descendant of the human civilization civilization based upon Anat’s wisdom. Although it seems that almost no magic was passed down, the wisdom of the ancestors that permeated their lives was still being passed down from person to person. Anat’s wisdom must have seeped into Andra either knowingly or unknowingly.
‘I can do it, I can do it…’
As Andra struggled with the third problem for a while, closing her eyes and repeating the mantra to herself, something suddenly occurred to her, just as she did with the first problem. Well, it was simpler than she thought, right? Andra tried to calm the rising corners of her mouth and began to turn the rod according to each problem.
She chose the same mountain as the pattern that matches the first mountain pattern, water as the pattern that matches the second pattern of the galaxy in the night sky, and the shape of a human eye as the pattern that matches the third pattern reminiscent of darkness. Dean watched this silently from the side.
Eventually, all the patterns were aligned and Andra waited for the rock to move. But as time passed, the rock remained the same, and Andra became curious.
‘Is this not it? So what did I miss?’
Andra was confused when nothing happened as she expected. Was she wrong? She looked again at the problem with trembling eyes.
First, swapping the mountains to the east and the mountains to the west.
So Andra chose the same mountain. She thought that there was no need for her to physically change the two mountains. In the first place, she said, it was not only something that humans couldn’t do, but it wasn’t even possible. So Andra came up with a trick.
By changing the names of two mountains. This method takes less than a minute, let alone a day. All she has to do is call the mountains in the east the mountains in the west, and the mountains in the west as the mountains in the east. What method is that? They could say that, but it doesn’t make sense.
The power of language has reigned strong since ancient times. If they give something a name and people start calling it, that becomes a name. Just as an apple became an apple by calling it an apple, just as a person named Jane became Jane by being named Jane.
In the same way, they can simply call the mountains in the east the mountains in the west, and the mountains in the west as the mountains in the east. And as time passes, the mountains of the East will truly become the mountains of the West, and the mountains of the West will become the mountains of the East. And the place where the sun rises will be called west, not east.
So Andra chose the same mountain as the answer to her first problem.
And secondly, getting the galaxy from the night sky.
If she approaches the problem in the same way as before, the second problem is also easy. So the answer Andra chose was water. The sky is beyond anyone’s reach, but they can have what shines in it. So she chose Andra water, especially because the stars in the night sky were reflected in the water better than ever.
‘They didn’t ask me to destroy the galaxy or make it explode.’
Next, thirdly, creating darkness where no light can be found.
Andra believed that there is no darkness completely devoid of light, so he had the most trouble with this part. But eventually she figured out her answer. That is the human eye.
Because when she closes her eyes, she can’t see anything. If she closes her eyes right now, she won’t be able to see the problem engraved on the rock, the light, or Dean. With just these thin eyelids, she could create darkness as though there was nothing.
‘But it’s not?’
Andra glared at the problem. She was even more frustrated because she couldn’t tell if the answers to those three questions were all wrong, or if one or two were wrong. She thought she could guess the correct answer if they just told her that it was wrong, but since there was no such thing, she was at a loss.
In the end, she had no choice but to have some hope and ask Dean for help.
“Dean, look. I was wrong. The rock isn’t moving. Don’t be like that, help me just this once.”
Andra looked at Dean with a face as tearful as possible. Still, Dean was cold. He just glanced at the answers that Andra had guessed. Naturally, there was no answer from him. She stared at him, wondering if he would really do something like that, but he maintained the same attitude.
“No, how can I solve this when I really don’t know what’s wrong or not…”
As Andra continued her words, her eyes quickly focused on the warning she had read earlier.
“Only those who can bear all this can open the door. Those who know the truth, doubt the truth. Pray also that God will have mercy…”
Truth. It was also Dean’s words. Doubt the truth? What on earth is that truth? Andra was glaring at the warning message after hearing something completely incomprehensible.
At that moment, with a short sigh, Andra turned off the light she had lit. Then, in an instant, the passage, which had been filled with bright light, was filled with darkness, and Andra started running blindly toward the entrance she had come through.
Dean didn’t follow. No, she didn’t even know if he was there in the first place. Because it was a long passage, Andra became increasingly out of breath. But she couldn’t stop.
Those who know the truth, doubt the truth. The moment she knew it, goosebumps from her toes to the top of her head led her out of the entrance into the temple.
She can see the entrance in the distance. Andra tried to ignore her gasping for breath as she stepped out of the entrance she and Dean had entered through.
And she could hardly open her eyes to the bright light pouring on her.