The shadow bird is a being that moves according to Cha Sahyeon’s will.
So why would a bird like that not return to its master, and instead fly somewhere else?
The sky the bird pierced through was covered again in black shadow. I lowered the gaze I’d had lifted upward and looked at ‘Cha Sahyeon.’
The being in front of me was simply quiet. He didn’t look after the shadow bird that had vanished beyond the sky, and he didn’t attack us either.
His form wavered for an instant, blending into the shadows filling the area, then becoming clear again, over and over. The sight made everything feel like some cruel nightmare.
“......”
Without thinking, strength went into the hand gripping my sword hilt.
‘A nightmare.’
If only it really were just a dream.
If all of this were meaningless, like a midsummer night’s dream—something that would vanish the moment I opened my eyes.
The corner of my mouth twisted up. Wearing a self-mocking smile, I murmured bleakly.
“It’s too late to say that now. Right, kid?”
I know.
The “midsummer night’s dream” was the time Cha Sahyeon and I had lived through, and the truth was that this was reality.
And it wasn’t just me—Cha Sahyeon must have already known deep down, too. That if we kept chasing those fake bastards, a moment like this would come someday.
Whether the ‘Cha Sahyeon’ standing in front of me was acting of his own will or not didn’t matter anymore.
Because there was no running or avoiding it.
And because we both knew that someday, a moment like this would come.
Kugugung!
A roar boomed and the ground shook. Something surged up around ‘Cha Sahyeon,’ who had been standing there silently.
Before I could even make it out with my own eyes, Kwon Taehyuk moved in front of me, shifting his blades.
Kakang!
Something sharp slammed into the blades that blocked the front like a shield.
It was a black tentacle made of shadow. Ryu Sunghyun shouted urgently.
“It’s still coming!”
From within the darkness spread everywhere, tentacles burst out wildly and lunged at us.
The instant Kwon Taehyuk grabbed my arm and kicked off the ground, a black tentacle stabbed down into the spot where I’d been.
Kwon Taehyuk’s blades grazed past the tentacle, but it didn’t get cut, and it didn’t vanish.
The sticky tentacle was like smoke, and like liquid. It wasn’t a form you could physically clear away.
Ryu Sunghyun hurriedly strengthened the sphere of light he’d floated in the sky. The golden glow lit the area even more strongly, but the shadow tentacles poured in from every direction without taking any damage.
“Ugh...!”
Ryu Sunghyun sucked in a breath and flung his body sideways. A tentacle that barely missed his cheek shattered the ground.
It hadn’t touched him, but just passing close by left a cut on Ryu Sunghyun’s cheek, and a line of blood ran down.
‘We have to attack the main body.’
Blocking the tentacles was endless.
The moment my gaze reached ‘Cha Sahyeon’ far away, Kwon Taehyuk moved.
Thinking the same thing, Kwon Taehyuk ran toward ‘Cha Sahyeon’ without hesitation.
“Wait—!”
Before I could stop him, Kwon Taehyuk closed the distance at an incredible speed and reached out his hand. One of the blades that had followed its owner, slicing through the air, flew into his grip.
Even as Kwon Taehyuk came close, ‘Cha Sahyeon’ didn’t move—he only looked on with an expressionless face.
Kwon Taehyuk only realized something was wrong right before the tip of his blade was about to sink into ‘Cha Sahyeon’s’ shoulder.
“......!”
I barely swallowed the scream that tried to burst out. My lips parted, but no sound came.
‘Just now... what...’
He vanished.
Right before the blade could pierce ‘Cha Sahyeon’s’ shoulder—
Kwon Taehyuk’s figure flickered, then disappeared in an instant. Like a monitor screen with bad reception crackling with static before going black.
“What the hell is this...?”
‘Cha Sahyeon’ still stood there in the same way, silent.
A face that looked especially white inside the darkness. And green eyes that glimmered faintly within it.
When those clear eyes turned toward me—
“Don’t!”
Ryu Sunghyun screamed like a reflex, reaching his hand toward me.
And then he disappeared.
As if I’d closed my eyes, my vision was dyed in darkness in an instant. The moment I let out the breath I’d been holding, I realized it.
Ryu Sunghyun hadn’t vanished.
I’d been swallowed by the shadow.
That realization was the last thing I had before my consciousness cut off with a snap.
My vision is blurry.
When I forced open eyes I didn’t even remember closing, throbbing pain surged in.
‘...What?’
I forced my heavy arm up and pressed my forehead. A dull pain spread through my entire body along with grit and dust.
Only then did I realize I was collapsed on the ground. Cough—my cough burst out.
‘Why, all of a sudden...’
Fragments of memory surfaced.
I was definitely... right. I’d been inside an unidentified rift. And I definitely met Cha Sahyeon...
The sensations were subtly strange for something that was supposed to be reality. It hurt, but it felt like I was wearing a single layer of unconsciousness over myself.
Yeah—like... a dream. No, more than that.
‘A memory.’
For some reason, it was a memory even I had forgotten.
Slowly, I lifted my head. First I saw a dark night sky, and beneath it, golden hair came into view.
Someone was standing in front of me, blocking the way. A broad back. Blond hair fluttering in the wind. I couldn’t see his face.
「Stop.」
I heard the man’s voice, the one standing in front of me.
I definitely heard it, and yet, strangely, I couldn’t tell what kind of voice it was. As if my mind refused to understand.
「This one... is fine. You don’t have to touch him.」
The man was facing forward, speaking to someone else—not to me.
I painfully rolled my eyes to check who the man was talking to, and the moment I saw it, my breath stopped.
‘......!’
Black hair hanging long past the waist, fluttering in the wind. A worn, frayed robe that covered the entire body.
Green eyes, silently watching the man, then turned toward me. Just that brief, passing gaze sent a chill down my spine.
「.......」
That black presence didn’t open its mouth. Instead, it nodded. When it stepped back, the man who had been protecting me let out a small breath of relief.
Then the man slowly turned his head and looked at me.
But my mental strength had hit its limit—my eyelids sank heavy, and I couldn’t see his face. Feeling the firm hand gripping my shoulder, I helplessly closed my eyes.
How much time passed?
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a place that was painfully familiar.
I’d only experienced it once in reality, but it was a place I’d been through countless times as a nightmare.
The world was red, as if blood had been sprayed across heaven and earth. Above the ruined city, the sky was setting.
The wind blowing from behind carried a strong stench of blood. I looked at the countless corpses lying densely across the ground, then lowered my head.
Ryu Sunghyun was in my arms. A single line of blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were closed as if asleep.
Bearing the cold, heavy weight the corpses gave off, I smiled faintly. Song Jiwoon and the other guild members dead in the distance, too—their weight was pressing down on me as well.
A land where only I was alive. A space that was the end of everything, and the beginning.
Slowly, I lifted my gaze. Across from me stood a tall man.
In the wind beaded with blown blood, black hair fluttered softly. In his hand was a huge, black scythe made from shadow.
...Not a sword, but a scythe.
At that difference, I furrowed my brow and let out a weak laugh.
Seeing my smile, he started walking slowly. Stepping through a pool of blood, he came toward me.
Chzzzt—zzzt.
The tip of the enormous scythe dragged along the ground, making a bizarre sound.
He stopped about five steps away and looked down at me. Slip—black hair poured down, and between those strands, green eyes were visible.
Meeting his eyes, I spoke evenly.
“Kid.”
“.......”
“You know it too. This has no meaning.”
With his lips pressed tight, he only stared at me. His face looked like a doll with no emotion, but I knew the stubbornness held inside it.
“Running away won’t solve anything.”
“.......”
“In the end, if we want to get out of that place, there’s only one way.”
“.......”
“I... I want to try, so we can go back out together, Cha Sahyeon.”
For the first time, his eyes wavered.
“Trust me, hyung. No matter what, I’ll make it out of the rift alive.”
“.......”
“You too. And everyone else. Without giving up—together.”
“.......”
“So...”
Like offering a handshake, I reached out my hand toward Cha Sahyeon.
“Let’s do it, Sahyeon.”
Cha Sahyeon looked at my hand as if hesitating. Then, cautiously, he raised his arm.
A hand a little bigger than mine gripped mine firmly. And as if pulling me up, it yanked hard.
“Cough—!”
A painful breath burst out, like I’d come out of water.
I hacked violently and forced my eyes open. A familiar Status Window was blocking my view.
《ë□□ì□¬ì□□ paid the price.》
《Навык: Божественная Сила (S-ранг) Активирован!》
《Holy energy is overflowing!》

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