27. The Beginning of the Marblem War
Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily is excited to publish the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. This new captivating series follows a trio of young adventurers on their quest to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations, including the Maya and Inca. In an exciting development, Netflix is currently adapting the novel’s storyline into a film.
The ‘Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years’ is the latest novel authored by Jeeyoon Ha, who created the “Pangaea series.” Ha’s debut novel, “The Pangaea: Finding Xibalba,” was selected by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2022 as part of their initiative to support the global export of fantasy literature.
Readers can eagerly anticipate the online publication of two installments each month, with new chapters appearing bi-weekly, offering a regular escape into this magical realm. *Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
In a flash, Suri blacked out. Even unconscious, he desperately tried to grasp his grandfather’s hand. But it kept slipping away, just out of reach. The moment Suri finally managed to catch hold, his grandfather’s face morphed into his father’s. Startled, Suri snapped back to reality.
“I know I saw my grandfather die… but then it was Dad’s face… What could’ve happened to him? Something must be wrong. I’m sure of it…”
Suri was utterly confused.
“What’s going on? Why did that just happen?”
Suri demanded answers from Marblem, his voice rising with frustration.
“We’ve already broken through the barrier around the megalithic temple. You have no idea how far we’ve traveled… Hahaha. You passed out because you couldn’t handle the incredible speed. Hahaha… It was probably just a dream. Don’t worry about your dad.”
Marblem’s laughter had a teasing edge, but there was also an innocence to it.
“…Really? A dream?… Yeah, maybe you’re right. No, you must be right… But how far have we come?”
Suri couldn’t even begin to guess.
“…Well… why don’t you see for yourself? Hahaha.”
Marblem bounced around playfully like a mischievous child.
Suri witnessed the legendary battle that would one day be known as the Marblem War, a conflict destined to become the stuff of legends in the distant future. The land and sky were shrouded in darkness, pierced by flashes of lightning that seemed to be engaged in their own life-or-death struggle. It was as if the very bolts of lightning were battling fiercely.
With an otherworldly sound, a magical bird with the face of a lion – Ariel – flew in majestically. Each lightning flash revealed thousands of Ariels, flickering like dark phantoms.
The sorcerers and grand sorcerers from the six tribes – Arcanus, Draco, Ren, Cain, Libya, and Meta – were launching a full-scale assault on Marblem, the golden-haired boy standing atop the highest hill. Behind that hill rose another, taller and more imposing, like a primordial life force. Atop it stood a prayer tree, surrounded by dozens of Bahar tribe members with crystal-like eyes. From the tree, a flow of red and black lava bubbled over with a rumbling sound, as if bursting forth from the womb of creation. A powerful bolt of lightning shot up toward the cosmos.
“Marblem was guarding the location of the prophecy… that’s why he stood alone on that hill.”
Tears streamed down Suri’s face.
The sorcerers’ attacks continued relentlessly. The grand sorcerers of each tribe used their wands’ hexagonal stars to draw lightning from the golden pyramid of the silver obelisk, hurling it mercilessly at Marblem. A colossal serpent emerged, heading straight for him.
“Oh no… this battle has been repeating endlessly… How is this possible? It’s just like the fight I saw at the megalithic temple in Malta.”
Suri felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he’d been struck on the head.
“…The great battle has been transcending time… only the era and setting have changed… But what’s strange is… why didn’t I realize this before? It’s shocking. I’ve always been part of the great battle, right? So why was that memory erased?”
However, from any perspective, the battle clearly favored Marblem’s opponents. He seemed completely still, showing no signs of movement or magic use. He merely gazed at the sorcerers and grand sorcerers of the six tribes with a smile on his face.
“…Are you just going to stand there and watch?”
Suri wanted to help Marblem, who stood alone atop the hill like a solitary flag.
“I told you I’m Mailer, who has to change the timeline, right?… Could this be that moment? Answer me. Hurry.”
Suri felt an urge to shake Marblem.
“…Not yet… I’ll do it soon. Just wait for it. Hahaha.”
Marblem laughed heartily, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“How? How?”
Suri shouted in frustration.
“We’ve become one now, right? We ourselves are… hmm… let’s call it a time accelerator? We compress time and move instantly. Think about it… we can send a message through the portal in just 0.1 seconds, right? With just one click… As a time accelerator, we can leap thousands or even millions of years back in just a few seconds. Who knows? The message you sent to your dad might have already arrived a million years ago… Hahaha.”
In that moment, a transparent barrier lowered, revealing another world.
“You can change the fate of the universe. Stay strong… let’s save the Sirius civilization. That’s the only way to save the Sirius people. You Earthlings treat civilization as if it’s just a spectacle, right? Just a display of knowledge? But for the Sirius people, it’s about survival. Survival.”
For the first time, Marblem spoke without a smile.
“Self…”
Marblem pressed the acceleration button attached to his waist.
[To be continued…]
