The Second Collapse #2
The Doctor looked up from the workbench. “Like this?”
“Yes. That raises the output without risking an explosion. Go ahead and adjust it.”
“Understood.”
Marcela’s voice carried a trace of tension as she slowly turned the dial to the right. A deep, resonant whirrrr filled the room, and the barrel of the photon cannon resting on the bench began to glow with brilliant light.
Marcela’s face lit up. “It’s true…! This is incredible!”
The Doctor felt a swell of pride and gave the woman’s shoulder a few encouraging pats. “It’s because you’ve been such a quick study.”
The two of them were currently performing maintenance on one of the futuristic weapons Marcela had designed. In exchange for the medical knowledge the Doctor had passed on to her, Marcela was now sharing her expertise in weapons technology. Their conversations flowed effortlessly. Whenever a question arose, the other would pose a sharp follow-up, and answers came without the slightest hesitation. Debating science with someone so compatible was pure joy.
Before the Doctor knew it, hours had slipped away. She and Marcela had spent a long time together, exchanging knowledge on countless subjects.
Of course, there was worry mixed in. Teaching this knowledge meant future weapons might appear during monster assaults. There was even the risk of chimeras—monstrous fusions of demon and machine. Unlike the Syria incident, which had ended as nothing more than a conspiracy, these threats would become reality.
Still, the Doctor had decided to accept every risk. Anyone who defied Sehwa deserved to die anyway. They were worthless creatures who spent their lives drawing meaningless lines between themselves in society. The Earth had no need for parasites who only consumed oxygen.
Beep—! Beep—!
As evening fell, the smartwatch on Marcela’s wrist sounded an alarm. She looked reluctant. “The time Her Majesty set for you has arrived. You should return now…”
“Right. Let’s head back. Should I put the blindfold on?”
“No. Her Majesty has ordered that the blindfold no longer be used.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She seemed very pleased. Your face is positively radiant.”
“Well… of course I’m happy. Let’s hurry. Sehwa might get angry if we’re late.”
“As you wish.”
The Doctor walked beside Marcela, passing the medical wing where Yuria was being held. She glanced at the drawn partition and asked, “How is Yuria?”
“Not well. She keeps rebelling against Her Majesty… The punishment count has reached ten.”
“T-ten times…?”
“Yes. However, Her Majesty, concerned that you might offer to take the punishment in her place, has decided to show mercy.”
The Doctor felt genuine delight. Hearing about Sehwa’s love for her through a third party had a special sweetness. Between the blindfold matter earlier and this new revelation, it was clear Sehwa cherished her deeply.
Even so, she worried about Yuria. What was the woman thinking, doing things that would only earn her scorn while trying to kill a hundred humans? It made no sense. Sehwa’s patience had limits. The Doctor needed to turn Yuria’s heart before it was too late—even if the methods required were extreme.
“It’s worrying. She’s so stubborn.”
“Still… I believe time will soften her.”
The Doctor gazed at Marcela’s optimistic expression with fondness, then found herself suddenly curious about the woman’s true nature. Was she a monster? Or something else?
Unable to contain her curiosity any longer, she asked, “Marcela, are you… a monster? If it’s difficult to answer, you don’t have to.”
“It’s not difficult at all. I am not a monster. I am a demon.”
“A demon?”
“Yes. One moment…”
Marcela unfastened the button at the waist of her skirt and lifted the fabric slightly. The Doctor, startled by the sudden boldness, whipped her head away. Undeterred, Marcela tugged her shirt free as well and called out again.
“Doctor, could you look here?”
“Huh…?”
“It’s all right. Please look just below my navel.”
At Marcela’s gentle insistence, the Doctor hesitantly glanced downward. Sure enough, right where the womb would be, there was a vivid red pattern that somehow looked sensual. A mark like that on the most intimate part of a grown woman? In the past the Doctor would have found it vulgar and repulsive. Now it felt strangely familiar. She didn’t know why. It simply seemed natural. Beautiful, even.
“This is the emblem of the demon race. We are vastly different from monsters. Demons stand far above them.”
“Ah… so it’s like a caste system? Nobles and slaves, that sort of thing?”
“Precisely. For reference, Her Majesty is also a demon.”
Sehwa was a demon too? Did that mean demons could retain human appearance? And if monsters were little more than slaves, then demons could presumably command them. The rejuvenating effect suggested extended lifespan as well. Immortality had been humanity’s most desired wish across every era.
The Doctor herself had never truly imagined it, but experiencing it firsthand made the prospect incredibly tempting.
While the Doctor organized her thoughts, Marcela straightened her clothes and smiled brightly. “Shall we go back now?”
“Hm? Yes… Oh, and could you place a full-length mirror in my room?”
“I will ask Her Majesty.”
“Thank you.”
Standing naked before the full-length mirror, the Doctor let out a soft gasp of wonder.
She had taken good care of herself, but the approaching milestone of forty had brought worries about dull skin and fading elasticity. Now those concerns felt laughably distant. She had grown so young that such things no longer mattered.
Just as she had felt the first time she saw this body in the bathroom, the truth struck her again with perfect clarity: she had become far more beautiful than she had ever been in her prime. It was as though she had been reborn.
Beauty is not perfection. Beauty lies in imperfection, in individuality. All those lofty sayings now sounded like complete nonsense.
As the Doctor admired her flawless, unblemished skin, she suddenly licked her lips. Something felt missing. Perhaps it was the absence of a mark on her lower abdomen. Without realizing it, her fingers drifted to the spot where a womb would sit.
A knock sounded. The door opened.
The Doctor froze.
“Doctor…? What are you doing?”
Sehwa stood in the doorway, looking puzzled. The Doctor belatedly realized she was completely exposed and hurriedly covered herself, voice shrinking to a whisper.
“Y-you didn’t even knock properly… How can you just barge in…”
“If you didn’t want anyone entering, you should have locked the door.”
“I was worried you might not like it if I did… Anyway, why are you here…?”
“Today has been full of infuriating things. I wanted to talk to you.”
Having said her piece, Sehwa walked over to the bed and lay down. The Doctor quickly pulled on the clothes she had discarded and broke into a wide smile.
The fact that Sehwa had come to her while angry meant she trusted her, relied on her. The Doctor carefully settled beside her on the bed.
“Is it about Yuria?”
“Yes. I don’t understand why she refuses to listen. She’s so different from you, Doctor. It’s getting harder not to lose my temper.”
By now Yuria should have accepted reality. Instead she was being foolish. It made the Doctor angry. Why did the woman keep provoking Sehwa? If she simply obeyed, she could live comfortably. At this rate, even the Doctor would find it difficult to shield her any longer.
Sehwa, noticing the concern on the Doctor’s face, spoke with clear affection. “Doctor. Did you know that when you’re thinking deeply, your eyes drift upward?”
“I do that…? Really?”
“Yes. Were you worrying about me just now?”
“Yes… Was that presumptuous? I’m sorry…”
“Presumptuous? I’m absolutely delighted.”
Sehwa turned her palm upward on the pillow. Without hesitation the Doctor pressed her cheek into it, rubbing gently like a contented cat. She savored the touch for a long while before remembering something Marcela had said. She sat up.
“Sehwa. I heard you’re a demon. Is that true?”
“Marcela must have told you. Yes, it’s true. I am a demon.”
“Then… is this your…”
“True form? No.”
Just as she had suspected. The Doctor was curious about Sehwa’s real appearance, yet afraid to ask directly in case it angered her.
Sehwa seemed to read her thoughts. She let out a small giggle. “Would you like to see it?”
“Huh…?”
“My true form.”
“C-can you show me…?”
“There’s no reason I can’t. I’ll show you whenever you want.”
The Doctor’s face flushed crimson. One worry remained. What if Sehwa transformed into something hideous? She wasn’t sure she could handle it. The rejuvenating effect of Sehwa’s blood suggested it was unlikely, but one could never be completely certain.
Still, she wanted to know. “I… I want to see.”
“All right.”
Sehwa brushed the Doctor’s bangs aside, then rose from the bed. She cleared the desk to create open space and smiled at her.
“I hope it pleases you.”
She closed her eyes. Black energy began to rise from her body. A faint current—like wind, yet not quite—rose from the floor and lifted her hair into the air. It seemed to be an effect of the dark power itself.
Her hair lengthened, shifting from the tips into a soft lavender. That was only the beginning. A vivid crimson light bloomed from her lower abdomen, forming the same beautiful pattern the Doctor had seen on Marcela. Her skin turned pure, snowy white. Her ten fingernails sharpened into elegant points. Her lips gained a wet, glossy red sheen as though coated in vivid tint.
Finally, her eyes opened.
The irises had become a rich purple. In the dim lighting it was hard to be certain, but the pupils appeared to be vertical slits—like a cat’s.
The Doctor stared, mouth agape, dignity forgotten. The words slipped out on their own.
“Beautiful…”
Sehwa’s true form, radiating a chilling aura, was every bit as stunning as the word implied. Her earlier fear of ugliness had been pointless. The version of herself who had admired her reflection in the mirror earlier now seemed shabby by comparison.
This beauty surpassed imagination. No elaborate praise could capture it; only the simple word “beautiful” felt adequate. There was a nobility to her that placed her far beyond comparison with lowly humans.
Her gaze was sharp, yet the overall atmosphere remained gentle. It felt as though Sehwa were watching over her insignificant self from an unreachable height, offering protection.
So this was a demon.
The Doctor wanted to resemble her so badly it hurt. Her breath caught. Blood surged hot through her veins. It wasn’t mere excitement—it was the overwhelming urge to fall to her knees in reverence.
The steady stream of black energy flowing from Sehwa’s body felt strangely familiar, though the Doctor could not name why.
Just as she instinctively straightened her posture, Sehwa released the transformation. The heavy pressure in the air vanished. The Doctor gasped.
“Hah…!”
“Are you all right?”
The icy majesty was gone. Sehwa had returned to her usual appearance and was looking at her with concern. The Doctor nodded frantically.
“I’m fine… I’m fine… I was just surprised and forgot to breathe for a second…”
“Wait here.”
Sehwa walked quickly to the refrigerator, poured cold water into a cup, and brought it to the Doctor’s lips. After drinking, the Doctor felt considerably calmer.
“That just now… that was really you?”
“Yes. That is the true me—the one who became a demon.”
“Ahh…!”
The Doctor let out another soft cry as she recalled the breathtaking sight. She remembered what Sehwa had told her yesterday: when the Doctor made up her mind, she should say she wanted to become family.
Did that mean the Doctor could also become a noble demon like Sehwa? Would any child she bore inherit that same transcendent beauty?
“Doctor.”
Sehwa’s voice pulled her from her deepening thoughts. The Doctor blinked.
“Y-yes…?”
“This may seem sudden, but I need to say something important. You remember what I said about considering you family, don’t you?”
She had been thinking exactly that. As always, Sehwa seemed to know everything about her.
“I remember… I remember it all…”
“No matter what trials await us, do not worry. I am here. I am the sanctuary for your soul, Doctor. When things become difficult, lean on me anytime. I am the only one who will never push you away. I will always embrace you. Do you understand?”
The words alone filled the Doctor with warmth. Yes—if hardship came, she would lean on Sehwa without hesitation. A dreamy expression settled over her face as she nodded.
“I understand…”