Chapter 339 – Hongyeon (4)

“Ah, are you awake?”

An old woman’s voice brought me to my senses.

“Your condition was quite disastrous. The ones attempting to assassinate you must have given you quite a headache, huh? Well, seeing as you’re alive, it seems like you managed to overcome it somehow.”

The floor was damp. My vision was blurred, making it hard to see clearly.
A fragile thread of consciousness, repeatedly snapping and reconnecting.
A faint moan of ‘gurgle, gurgle’ escaped my lips.

‘…White Peach. Zodiac.’

The faces of the two girls flashed before my eyes.
The two of them in their childhood, beaming while clinging to each other. The children I need to care for.
As their faces appeared, I instinctively reached out my hand.

But I couldn’t reach them. They seemed to move farther and farther away.

“Ugh, cough!”

In a flash!

My body, attempting to rise from the damp floor, refused to obey.

It rolled off the inclined floor and drew near.

*Bang!*

“Ah, ugh, *sob*.”

My entire body ached and sorrow weighed heavily upon me. I didn’t want to regain consciousness, for there was no one left waiting for me when I opened my eyes.

The heaviness in my chest confirmed that this dire situation was not a dream. My siblings had ultimately perished at the hands of the World Tree.

I couldn’t even give them a proper funeral.

“Ah, right. Your eyes are temporarily blinded. I spent some effort trying to fix it. You won’t be able to see for a while. Your vision will gradually return, so rehabilitation should be possible.”
“…Ugh.”
“Don’t attempt to stand up. The same goes for both legs. There’s no intact place.”

My legs felt as if they had been severed, with no sensation remaining at all. Only a peculiar foreign sensation lingered in the lower half of my body.

My left arm wouldn’t move either. My vision was clouded, leaving nothing visible before me. Each breath I took brought immense pain, nearly causing me to scream.

“Ugh, ugh.”

I find myself at a loss for words. It appears that my body’s organs are not functioning as they should. The elder, unseen, whispers tenderly into my ear.

“You must have many questions. Why you’re alive, and why you’re here. I shall explain it all, one by one, from now on.”

– Bubble, bubble.

The sound of something viscous boiling.

“This place is called Flower. You must be aware of that.”
“… …”
“Though it is named Flower, it remains beyond reach. Power has been entirely divided due to conflicts among the higher-ups, leaving us as mere, impoverished humans.”

A massive group that opposes the World Tree, seeking to completely overthrow the existing powers.

Despite its ominous name, the surroundings are quite desolate. The elder speaks while boiling something in the pot.

“Do-won is aware. We have exchanged goods with them on numerous occasions. Surely, our affections won’t simply vanish. As it happens, I had an opportunity to help. The followers brought you here.”

“……”

The faithful.

It was a rare occurrence for Flower’s army to come to the village where the civilians hid within the domain of Flower. Clearly, they must have foreseen the collapse of Do-won and stationed their forces ahead of time. Their intention was to absorb the displaced warriors into their own ranks.

“I saved you when you were on the brink of death and allowed you to live as you please. From now on, I won’t interfere with whatever you choose to do,” they said.

“…Yes.”

“It’s quite something, getting older. Who would have thought that wars like this would still happen in this day and age?”

The elderly woman mumbled with a sincere, heartfelt tone.

“I can only hope that fewer lives are lost.”

– Rustle.

Within my embrace, something was touched. Soft silk, filling the palm of my hand; the rough, tattered uniform of a man, hardened and stained with blood in some places.

As I felt the precious object I thought I had released in my unconscious state, I held it tightly in my arms, fearing that I might lose it once more. It still remained. Tears welled up in my eyes, brought forth by the faint, lingering scent of the past.

– Thud, thud.

“I picked it up because it looked valuable.”
“….”
“…Tsk, tsk.”

Regrettably, the sound of tongue-clicking reached my ears. Soon after, footsteps echoed, followed by the sound of a door. I then realized that the old woman had left the room.

– Rustle.

My body is cold.

I carefully unfolded the crumpled black dragon cloth and covered myself with it.

“Heuh… huuuh.”

A shivering breath escapes, filled with a sense of injustice. I wrapped the last remaining vestiges of Do-won around my body, barely managing to calm my heart that was on the brink of collapse.

All sorts of thoughts raced through my mind, and they didn’t cease even the following day. As days passed and seasons changed, my physical condition remained dire. It took two whole months for my eyes to properly see again.

All I could do was find solace in the fabric I held close to my heart, as I sought to quell my anger.

“It seems I can start rehabilitation now. To do that… Now I truly have to enter the flower.”

Time was not swift.
Each day was filled with suffering.

Gaunt eyes and emaciated bones from not being able to eat properly.

The man’s clothing, which hadn’t been removed from his body for months, had turned into tattered rags that could hardly be called garments anymore.

I managed to survive thanks to this object. I can’t count how many times I contemplated suicide.

Perhaps it would be better to die than to live like this.
Each time that thought crossed my mind, I would recall the warmth in my embrace and barely manage to overcome it.

Rehabilitation spanning several years. It takes place in a space completely isolated from the outside world.

Surprisingly, the dam of emotions I thought was entirely drained began to fill little by little.

“…Sigh.”

It’s so futile. A fleeting laugh escaped my lips.
One by one, I remember the names of those who left me.

“Truly, if there is a will in this sky…”

My father, who picked up the insignificant me in my childhood when I lost everything.
Do-won Hyang, who introduced me to my life for the first time.
Starting with my younger brother who followed me faithfully, even though I wasn’t extraordinary.
Work colleagues.
Children from the orphanage.
And my first love.
Each one was precious, and I loved them dearly.

“If the reason I’m still alive lies in this world…”

There were so many people who accepted me as I was, insignificant and all.
Yet, I couldn’t hold onto what I was meant to protect. All the treasures became grains of sand that slipped through my fingers.

Because I couldn’t be the vessel they needed.

“……”

Now, there’s no one left by my side.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

The man stood before me.

His face remained unchanged from that time. He smiled awkwardly and muttered in an audacious, unparalleled voice. It was exactly the image I held in my mind.

Despite the passage of such a long time, not a single feature had altered on his face. I wondered why he appeared before me, as I had known him.

Did I appear that ridiculous to him?

“How far…”

The hand gripping the sword trembled violently.

Fluttering –

“How far do you plan… to make me wretched?”

My heart sank just by looking at him. My throat constricted with the rising resentment, preventing words from coming out properly.

– Paang!

I thrust my sword toward the hazy space before me. The faint, linear energy spread out and pierced the side of the man’s neck.

A wound formed in my chest.

Unable to look ahead, my eyes were drawn to the vivid scar etched into his face.

– Drip, drip.

Sweat and tears mingle and fall.
In the area where the commander had fallen, further conflict was futile. The skirmish rapidly devolved into a chaotic melee.

-Keah!

Cries and wails resounded from every direction.

-Clang! Chaeeng!

As blade and pole clashed, blood and sparks flew.

I need to give orders, but my hands remain motionless. Resentment, hatred – saliva trickles from my tightly clenched jaws.

“You.”

The person speaks.

“It seems you’re laboring under a misapprehension–”

-Paang!

“Enough, enough…!”

I wish I could silence them. With a trembling heart amidst the overwhelming emotions, I swing my sword haphazardly.

-Whiik!

My stance is unsteady, aimless.

-Huung!

The arcing blade finds no target. Through bloodshot eyes, I gaze at the man.

Surrendering to emotion, the movements were undeniably clumsy. The man, evading the sword, effortlessly caught the blade as it descended with the force of a striking bell.

The distance between them closed, nearly nose to nose.

“…Why? Why must you always…”

He had lost everything.

“…Take all that I have… to the very end.”

– With a resounding thud.

Two doppelgängers of Sistus appeared suddenly from behind. The man’s face, for the first time, was tinged with the sensation of impending danger from the assault of the duplicates.

“It was supposed to be the last… You, only you. You were to be my final encounter. But now… do you intend to snatch even that away?”

He wasn’t sure what he was saying.

“Why? Why… why now of all times?”

“What—what?”

Unable to bear the thought of further sullying his memories, he mustered all his strength to manifest his magic.

Releasing the sword, he invoked his magical power. All the swords that lay dormant on the battlefield floor rose up and pointed their tips towards the man.

“No… hey, do you really not recognize me?”

“…….”

Cistus steadily closed the distance. If the two doppelgängers were to explode, it would be akin to killing hundreds of people present in this location.

A decision that, as a commander, I would never make.

Rather, all I desired was for the man before me to vanish swiftly.

-Click.

A smile formed on the lips of Cistus as he approached the man’s back. The tattoos on his face blazed crimson, his visage splitting into five sections as blood streamed down.

It’s about to explode.

“….”

I sensed death in the heat engulfing my entire body. I stared at the man in front of me and swallowed my saliva.

Ah.

-Kkugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugugu.

Not even the moment of my demise could bring me comfort. Beside the being I longed for the most, I had to witness him disintegrate into dust, and this agony—

“…Ah, damn.”

The man’s body stirred.

His arms suddenly reached forward, embracing me. I disregarded the incoming swords and braced myself.

– Whoosh!

Calves, thighs, shoulders. Swords relentlessly pierced down, causing the man’s expression to contort with agitation.

“…?”

The man moved rapidly, going against the direction of the explosion. My heart plummeted with icy dread at his unforeseen and impulsive act.

The explosion of Sisyphus did not cease.

– Flicker!

An explosion so swift it couldn’t be seen with the naked eye. There was a jolt, yet no pain at all. Instead, the warm fabric of my clothing brushed against my face, providing a gentle sensation. My limbs, which I had thought would melt, remained unscathed, free of any burns.

The scene before me flickered, and the ceiling and floor traded places.

– Crash! Bang!

The foundation split and tumbled down. Still, I couldn’t comprehend what had transpired.

“…Why?”

Why did this person shield me?

In a fleeting moment, a scene had caught her eye. Desperately pulling herself close, she sought refuge as far back as possible to evade the explosion. Long, cruel blades protruded from his body, eliciting blood.

“…Ugh.”

The man, wearing a pained grimace, spat up blood.

– Drip, drip.

His eyes widened as blood trickled down his cheeks.

Could such a lifelike body exist?

The power to conjure illusions and physical forms resided in the World Trees. She had witnessed it multiple times and was conscious of it. She should have been prepared accordingly.

So, why didn’t this man vanish and instead clung to her?

“…You insane woman… You really know how to pick the things I never asked for.”

“…Uh, what?”

A verdant energy enveloped the man’s body as though it were ablaze. It seemed to be healing, but it was futile. The explosion from Cistus posed a lethal threat to anyone directly struck by it.

“Hong-Yeon.”

Her name was called.

A pained expression filled his face, yet the hand gripping my shoulder clenched tightly, as if it hurt.

“It’s you.”

The persuasion continued. Why is my heart pounding so fiercely for something that could never happen? No way. It can’t be possible. He was surely dead.

He was gone without a trace, leaving only a set of clothes behind. Even my father acknowledged his death.

So, the person before me now must be an imposter. Though my heart yearned to believe, my mind cruelly rendered an accurate judgment about the situation.

“…Why did you. Embrace me. Isn’t there. Blood, no blood?”

The words that escaped were peculiar.

“Please, with that face… don’t shed blood. Why? Why did you do it?”
“Half dead by your own hand, and yet you say…”

The man’s consciousness seemed to fade, his brows furrowed, and he teetered on the verge of collapsing. His head drooped, his cheek coming to rest against my chest.

Warmth. The scent.

That fragile warmth, more precious than anything else, now teetering on the edge of oblivion.

A resonating sensation, as though struck on the head.

“…uh. uh.”

-Whack!

“Snap out of it, you wretch.”

His head had been struck, causing him to worry about a swelling on his forehead. His mind cleared abruptly.

“…Truly. Do-won… Is it you?”

From a voice that had been stifled, he spat out the unbelievable truth. The man exhaled a sigh of weariness.

“So, what have you been seeing up until now?”