Yoo Sangah looked extremely anxious and her gaze darted around rapidly. Her breathing sped up and Kim Dokja was genuinely worried that she was about to send herself into a panic attack. He hadn't expected anything like that from her—she was always so composed and rational, after all—but he couldn't blame her for finding this difficult to handle either.
At least Shin Yoosung was with her to try and help ground her. The kids were good at that, and well, Kim Dokja's own shaky mental health had ensured that they got practice.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is tearing out his hair in excitement.]
A phone spins slowly on the screen against a dark background as Dokja's narration starts.
In the world of TWSA, the constellations are divided into two main types.
As the phone spins, the screen turns off to reflect the Earth below. The view then shifts to look properly at the earth with countless stars surrounding it.
There are free constellations who aren't affiliated with anyone, and the constellations that belong to specific nebulae. Some of the famous nebulae on Earth based on mythology are…
A map of the 7 realms appears in an antique style, with Asgard being the largest on the map, but Midgard stands out as well.
'Asgard' from Norse Mythology, 'Eden' from Biblical Mythology…
A drawn image of a naked man and woman among a group of animals by a tree comes next. It then changes back to 'Sangah' and an image of a classical temple appears, the columns capped with ionic capitals and there are carvings of people and animals gathering before a throne adorning its pediment.
And 'Olympus', which Sangah's constellation belongs to.
[many constellations are nodding in agreement.]
"Oh, it really is just like our mythology," Jung Heewon remarked. "Is there a nebula for Korean mythology too?"
"Yes, Hongik," Kim Dokja replied with a nod. "They're a smaller nebula since their stories aren't as well known outside of Korea."
[the constellation 'scribe of heaven' is pleased to see the mention of the nebula 'eden'.]
Those three nebulas were likely the most influential ones of the Earth-based nebulas, with Emperor, Vedas, and Papyrus following shortly behind.
"What's the point of being in a nebula?" Yoo Mia asked curiously, glancing over at Kim Dokja.
[the constellation 'demon-like judge of fire' says that being in a nebula can strengthen connected stories.]
"That's true," Kim Dokja said, nodding his head in thanks to Uriel for her quick explanation. "Some nebulas are for constellations whose stories are connected through mythology—like Eden and Olympus, and others are for constellations who have similar values—like the Black Cloud nebula that the Abyssal Black Flame Dragon leads."
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' proudly declares that he is the best.]
Clearly, Yoo Mia didn't agree, considering how she snorted a bit when she saw the message.
[How dare a puny human disrespect us esteemed stars?] the constellation inhabiting Sangah angrily demands.
"Don't get carried away. You're not even a real 'God'," Dokja replies casually, catching the constellation off guard. Dokja continues, stating that the probability of early scenarios doesn't allow the gods themselves to descend. "The only one they could send out with the least probability must have been you—the 'Abandoned Lover of the Labyrinth'."
The historical constellation from Olympus, 'Ariadne'.
An image of Ariadne appears behind Sangah's body, both bearing the same shocked expression. Dokja then proceeds to have no self-preservation and insults the nebula, calling them stingy for sending her since she has a low probability cost to her face. She naturally lashes out in anger, but stops when thunder rumbles from above.
There's no way they can attack me right now in this state. Even a partial descent robs an incarnation of their will and costs an enormous amount of probability, which is why using their true strength will make them incur losses they won't be able to recover from.
"She's being really rude," Lee Hyunsung muttered with a frown. He was so nice all the time, even when people didn't deserve it.
It was definitely strange hearing such a harsh voice coming out of Yoo Sangah's mouth. Ariadne was using her true voice, too, and Kim Dokja was glad that his future self had [The Fourth Wall] to help him withstand it. He did suppress a wince when he called her out directly, knowing that she would not be pleased.
[the constellation 'abandoned lover of the labyrinth' is glaring at the incarnation 'kim dokja' for his audacity.]
Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at him with a firm gaze. "Don't be careless, Kim Dokja."
He knew that, and he knew that he was provoking her too. His future self probably wanted to goad the constellation into spilling important information somehow. After all, people don't tend to care as much about whether what they're saying is important or not when they're emotional. The fact that he had done that practically told Kim Dokja that his future self was aiming to get her to agree to a three-question exchange. Risky, but he could possibly get something really crucial from it.
"Damn, that's a fucking gutsy move," Han Sooyoung muttered. "Bet you're only saying that shit because she can't fight back."
Sure enough, she was right. Dammit, Kim Dokja didn't really want to deal with the author being all smug right now, but figuring out what they wanted with Yoo Sangah was more important.
Dokja asks if they can get straight to the point since some outer gods have taken notice of her presence. Ariadne demands to know how he, a mere human, could know this. Dokja responds by asking if she descended just to argue, and he then suggests a three-question exchange.
The three-question exchange. A means of trade between constellations to minimize the probability cost they would normally have to pay for information.
An image of two beings in incredibly different styles of dress appear, conversing.
When Ariadne makes another comment about Dokja being a mere human, Dokja snarks if they're going to do this or not.
Ariadne pauses a moment, closing her eerily glowing eyes. She opens them again soon after. [Fine. I accept the question exchange.]
"Ahjussi, you really only sometimes care about keeping things a secret, don't you?" Lee Jihye asked in a half exhausted voice.
In Kim Dokja's defense, every bit of knowledge he wasn't supposed to have here was catching the constellation off-guard. If his future self was really doing what Kim Dokja suspected, then he was likely trying to stack the board and lead Ariadne into asking questions that wouldn't lead to severe losses for him.
[many constellations are curious to see an incarnation participating in a three-question exchange.]
"By exchange, I assume this means that you have to trade an equal amount of information," Lee Seolhwa wondered. "Is that what reduces the probability cost?"
[the constellation 'lily blooming in aquarius' praises the incarnation 'lee seolhwa' for her correct guess.]
Kim Dokja relaxed slightly when Ariadne agreed to participate in the exchange. Now, it was just a matter of subtle maneuvering and manipulation. What mattered most was getting her to waste her questions, or to give information that wouldn't be as useful to Olympus, while he asked the questions that would mean the most to him.
Three lanterns appear behind the two of them as a ghostly voice explains the rules—the truth must be told, and each participant is permitted to decline one question. Dokja states that he'll go first, asking why they chose Sangah as their incarnation. Ariadne responds that they are here to monitor the singularities of this world and, as soon as she answers, a lamp goes out behind Dokja. Dokja states the word 'singularity' in a curious tone, making Aridane smile slyly as she asks if that's his second question.
Telling her that it's not, he takes note of her shrewdness. Ariadne uses her first question to ask Dokja's true identity, to which he replies that he is one of the 'singularities' that they have been monitoring. As her lamp goes out, Ariadne asks how he could possibly know with a horrified expression as she's caught off guard.
Dokja looks pleasantly surprised that he got that right, causing Ariadne to grit her teeth as she realizes that she was tricked into giving more information than she wished. Dokja reminds her not to be mad as that would be hypocritical.
Lee Gilyoung listened to the rules carefully before tugging on Kim Dokja's sleeve to get him to lean over. When he did, Lee Gilyoung whispered, "Hyung, is the point to get her to waste her skip early so you can ask a really important question? Then she can't avoid it, right?"
The kid was smarter than people gave him credit for sometimes. The fact that he chose to whisper it just in case Ariadne hadn't figured out that Kim Dokja knew the trick to the exchange just made Kim Dokja even more fond of him.
Kim Dokja nodded once with a sly grin on his face. "Exactly that, Gilyoung-ah. Good observation."
He brightened up immediately, which caused Shin Yoosung to scowl. Though she didn't leave Yoo Sangah's side, she looked pretty ticked off that Lee Gilyoung was getting all the attention.
[several constellations are suspicious of the intentions of the nebula 'olympus'.]
Singularities…? That wasn't much information, but that was a term he could use. Plus, it was in the title of that book in the Gamtu as well, so clearly whatever it was, it was important.
When Ariadne tried to bait him into making that his second question, Kim Dokja clicked his tongue. Dammit, she was better at this than he had expected.
[the constellation 'queen of the darkest spring' reminds the incarnation 'kim dokja' not to get overconfident.]
Yeah, he had realized that.
Ariadne's first question wasn't too difficult—he could just say any number of things about himself that weren't important. Still, that would be too easy, he had to figure out some way to spin it in his favour…
"What the fuck?" Han Sooyoung asked when Kim Dokja declared himself to be one of the singularities. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
[the constellations of the nebula 'olympus' are alarmed by the answer of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Huh? Where did that come from?
Kim Dokja blinked at the screen as he realized what he had just done. "I didn't."
Still, by doing that, he had given up his hand and revealed that he knew how to game the system more than the constellation expected. Oh well, no point keeping it a secret anymore.
"What do you mean by that, Dokja-ssi?" Yoo Sangah asked quietly and nervously.
"Well, there's a probability penalty for not speaking the truth, so I would have been hit by a probability storm if it considered me to be lying. Still, the three-question exchange won't consider the question complete until you answer it truthfully, and you can end up revealing too much and getting hurt if you don't answer wisely," Kim Dokja told her. "So, I just took the chance and made a random guess."
"And you were correct," Yoo Joonghyuk said thoughtfully, likely scouring his memories for any further hints about the meaning of 'singularity'. "You were lucky to not incur a probability penalty, Kim Dokja."
Well, that was true, but the risk was absolutely worth the reward in this case.
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' smiles cryptically at the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
Dokja notes that the point of the exchange is to use your own questions in your favour and make the other use theirs up in vain. Out loud, he asks what a 'singularity' means. Ariadne tries to beat around the bush by saying that it's someone like him, but Dokja calls her out and makes her answer properly.
[... Technically, it refers to being mentioned in a 'prophecy',] Ariadne states, also letting Dokja know that he was discovered by coincidence as he was not originally someone they intended to monitor.
[The one we were trying to monitor was someone else.] As she speaks, bloodied gears creak as they jerkily turn together. Behind them, the figure of Joonghyuk is faintly visible as he faces away, the ground below him soaked with the blood dripping off the gears, indicating that they've been turning for a very long time. [Someone bearing an immense fate on their back, whose existence alone destroys probability.]
Dokja steels his gaze, now grasping what she means. For her second question, she asks who he will choose at the Sponsor Selection. This catches Dokja off guard, causing his jaw to drop as he stares at her in baffled silence for a moment. Many constellations chime in with their hopes that he'll pick them—including the Great Sage—but Dokja just states that he will forfeit his answer as it would be no fun to reveal his choice ahead of time.
Kim Dokja relaxed slightly when he heard himself ask about the 'singularity'. Maybe this answer would be useful to them. Of course, Ariadne had tried to avoid revealing too much, which only told him that it was pretty important.
"A prophecy?" Shin Yoosung muttered. "Like in fairy tales?"
Well, that wouldn't be entirely incorrect. Still, the fact that he wasn't their original target meant… ah. Of course.
Yoo Joonghyuk stiffened when he saw himself on the screen, gritting his teeth and clenching his jaw. His hatred of the constellations was absolutely contributing to his discomfort, and knowing that they were specifically monitoring him because of this fate that had been forced upon him… well, Kim Dokja could understand why he looked almost murderous.
"An immense fate…" Yoo Mia said faintly. "Oppa, you have to be safe, okay? You have Dokja-ahjussi now to help you."
Kim Dokja would certainly do his best, but even he wasn't entirely certain how he should feel about the revelation that Olympus considered the protagonist to be someone whose 'existence alone destroys probability'. Was that potentially related to the fact that he was a regressor?
[many constellations are astounded by the description of the incarnation 'yoo joonghyuk'.]
It was an awful burden to bear. Yoo Joonghyuk already carried the world upon his shoulders, and no matter how strong he was, even he would crumble with the eroding passage of time.
[the constellation 'prisoner of the golden headband' is pulling out his hair in excitement for the next question.]
Ah, fuck, so that was how she was playing it?
It was a question that he couldn't answer if he didn't want to be targeted by angry constellations. Or, well, targeted before he was prepared for it.
"Come on, that was low," Jung Heewon griped, but Kim Dokja just had to admit that Ariadne had outplayed him on that one. She found a weakness and she zeroed in on it as soon as she had the chance.
[some constellations are disappointed to not get an answer.]
[the constellation 'secretive plotter' is pleased that there were no spoilers.]
For her final question, she asks how he knew that they were watching him. Dokja grits his teeth, realizing that this extremely specific question was their goal, since they knew that asking about his identity could have led to an irrelevant answer. As he thinks, an image of TWSA on a phone screen appears.
"I read a certain novel very well," Dokja states, his expression calm and relaxed. At her confusion, he continues, "I found out everything after reading a novel diligently."
Dokja looks up, seeing that her light didn't go out and no message explains that the answer was received. Dokja realizes that he needs to find something else, since talking about TWSA isn't possible. After a moment of thought, Dokja brings up the Koreans' knowledge of Greek Mythology.
As Dokja explains that their myths are popular and how there are cartoons about them, an image of a chibi Pildu talking to Dokja and Sooyoung appears on the screen, and all three have black censor bars over their faces. As the three converse, images of gods with wreaths and grapes in their hair—also censored by black face bars—appear around them. Dokja asks if they really didn't know of their fame here.
Seeing that she's still in disbelief, Dokja brings up her own myth, starting from the labyrinth, the minotaur, the abandonment on Naxos, and her relations with Dionysus. As she sweats profusely, she pleads for Dokja to stop speaking. Dokja then asks what the contents of the 'prophecy' were. She says that she cannot say, causing Dokja's final light to go out as he sighs that it's such a shame since his last question was the most important one.
Shit, of course they would go with something extremely specific. Maybe he could answer vaguely and get away without revealing too much…?
[the constellation 'abyssal black flame dragon' is frustrated with the stalling of the incarnation 'kim dokja'.]
"So mentioning that you read the novel wasn't enough…" Lee Hyunsung said in disappointment, his entire posture drooping a bit. It absolutely was disappointing, but Kim Dokja had some kind of back up plan.
Thank goodness that Ariadne came from a well-known myth, because there was no way this would have worked with any constellations that weren't based on Earth's mythology.
[the constellation 'god of wine and ecstasy' is wondering if he's really that famous.]
Considering how many alcohol companies named their drinks after him, absolutely.
[the constellation 'abandoned lover of the labyrinth' is gasping.]
Ah, so he was embarrassing her until she ordered him to stop, which finally made his answer be considered complete. Of course, it's not like his maneuvering meant much anymore since everything about TWSA had been broadcasted to the constellations, but Kim Dokja felt like he should be allowed to bask in his victory a bit.
Now, all that was left was his most important question.
[many constellations are curious about the contents of the prophecy.]
And of course she rejected it. Dammit.
Well, at least he tried.
The lanterns flash again before disappearing as a voice states that the exchange has concluded. Ariadne turns incredibly serious as she warns Dokja that the fun and games are ending, giving him a warning not to interfere in Olympus's plan and that Sangah will be a sturdy dam to block the waves of destruction.
Dokja demands to know why it's Sangah who has been given this role, and Ariadne states that it's pointless to ask since even the three fates don't know the answer. This annoys Dokja since Olympus keeps hiding behind fate.
[O incarnation bound by the scenarios, the course of fate is warping. All of the Star Stream shall converge at one place, and the story that decides the fate of all constellations shall then begin.]
Dokja asks if she means Gigantomachia, and she commends him for knowing of it, but then states that he will never understand, as a mere puppet of the moment.
[Remember one thing: if at the moment the apocalypse dawns, you still have not chosen the right side—] Ariadne is abruptly cut off from her stern and mysterious warning as lightning suddenly strikes Sangah's body.
"A dam…?" Yoo Sangah muttered, curling in on herself and wrapping her arms around her body. "But I don't want…"
[the constellation 'abandoned lover of the labyrinth' insists that the incarnation 'yoo sangah' is the only one who can fill that role.]
That wasn't a good sign, and the fact that not even the fates knew the reason… something about that was suspicious. Honestly, Kim Dokja half suspected that they had no clue and were bullshitting to cover it up.
"What's Gigantomachia?" Shin Yoosung asked nervously. "Is it the last scenario?"
Ha, if only.
"It's a later scenario, we don't have to worry about it for now," Kim Dokja told her, and she nodded. After all, they needed to focus on finishing the fifth scenario alive before they could even begin to worry about something as far off as Gigantomachia.
Still, what did she mean by 'a puppet of the moment'? If anything, Kim Dokja was the one doing the puppeteering most of the time, due to being the only one in the world who knew this much about the apocalypse. It was unnerving, and he had a really bad feeling about it.
[the constellation 'lightning throne' is warning the constellation 'lover of the abandoned labyrinth' not to say unnecessary things.]
"Fuck," Han Sooyoung cursed, flinching violently as she did. "What the hell?"
Clearly, Ariadne had gotten too caught up in the moment, and Zeus was not pleased with her. Kim Dokja very nearly shuddered. He definitely did not want to be making an enemy of one of Olympus' three Myth-grade constellations right now.