The Tragedy of Mugok
Erina Mugok. A purely fictional rural backwater village in this world, so remote that even proper electricity didn't reach it. There lived a girl so breathtakingly beautiful that anyone who saw her couldn't help but gasp in awe. Her flowing platinum blonde hair set the hearts of boys her age ablaze, and her starlit eyes were enough to enchant the entire village.
The girl's name was Erina. No one knew exactly when she had stumbled into the village. She herself had no idea either—she only ever said, "I was wandering around 'cause I was hungry, and then I was here."
The villagers were at a loss. This was a poor, hardscrabble place where struggling folks scraped by. No family had the means to take in and raise an extra child. But sending her off to just anywhere was risky too—her stunning looks would surely attract all sorts of creeps with ill intentions.
As everyone pondered what to do, a young couple stepped forward. "Village head! We'll take responsibility and raise her!"
"Yeah, he's on board too..."
"Hmm..."
The village head of Mugok stroked his beard in silence. The couple before him were recent arrivals. They had shown up out of nowhere one day, asking the strangest questions: What year was it exactly? Was this really the country of Korea? Who was the president? Was Samsung stock still going strong? And so on.
They were especially shocked to learn about magic and unique abilities—mysterious powers that existed in this world. When he showed them a few tricks from his younger days, they nearly fainted on the spot. The village head had helped the homeless pair settle in, and since it was a sparsely populated rural spot, everyone had taken a liking to the diligent young couple. Their son stayed with them too.
Knowing they were trustworthy, the head entrusted the girl to them.
Years passed since Erina became part of their family. Now just seven years old, the girl wore a goofy grin.
"Mmm... nya."
There was a black-haired boy so deep in sleep that he wouldn't have noticed if someone piggybacked him. He was strikingly handsome. It was hard to believe this kid, who would surely break hearts when he grew up, was her little brother.
"Hehe..."
Erina planted smacking kisses on his cheeks, then rubbed her own against them in a fierce display of affection. The girl thought to herself: Being a blood-unrelated big sis was selfishly perfect. She'd stick by his side forever. And while she was at it, she'd swat away any creepy bugs that tried to latch on.
Those happy times flowed on endlessly.
Years later, the boy was nine, and the girl lay with him on the hill overlooking the village, hands clasped. Beneath the pitch-black night sky, they gazed at the brilliantly shining stars, blissful smiles on their faces.
"Siwoo! Look over there! That's the Hero King's constellation!"
"Whoa... You know that stuff too? Erina's so smart."
"Hey! It's Nuna. Say it right!"
"But... we're the same age...?"
"Nope!" Erina jumped up, hands on her hips, shaking her head. "My birthday's earlier, so I'm the big sis!"
"Eek..."
"And being the big sis is better anyway."
"Why's that?"
"So I can protect my little brother!"
Beaming ear to ear, Erina hugged Choi Siwoo tight and nuzzled his cheek. The boy whined in embarrassment, but she was too busy showering him with one-sided love to care.
Both thought: These times would last forever.
But happiness... didn't endure as long as they'd hoped.
-Whoosh!
-Fire! The village is on fire! Everyone, wake up! No more sleeping!
-What?! Fire?!
-G-get the kids out first!
-Kids in this dump? Where?!
-You know, those two—the ones always sucking face like it's the end of the world!
The village was ablaze. It looked like an ordinary fire at a glance, but with every house igniting simultaneously, no one could call it normal anymore. If this were a city, nearby heroes would have realized: The spreading flames weren't natural—they were black magic fueled by demonic energy.
As screams echoed through the night, a ragged-robed figure darted from house to house at blinding speed. The feminine silhouette peeking from the robes belonged to none other than Silver Eyes, ranked 3rd among the Six Demon Reverse Heavens. A calamity from "beyond," known as the Demon King.
Yet for all her fearsome title, her power now was pitifully weak. She had forcibly extracted her main body from a sealed state. She was so diminished she couldn't even glimpse the fragments of her old moniker, "Grave of the Stars."
Silver Eyes knew well the terror and infinite potential of the Hero. It was the previous Hero who had reduced them to this state. So when her precognition revealed someone here awaiting the goddess's call, she had emerged, ready to perish.
No matter what...
She had to kill the Hero—the platinum-haired girl—right here, right now. Even if it was a slim, urine-thin chance... If there was any risk of her beloved master, the Demon God, perishing, she had to stop it.
The Authority of Nothingness.
A ridiculous power that erased even divinities on contact. She couldn't let her awaken it. She still vividly remembered the "black" energy flowing through the previous Hero's sword. An absolute force that overwhelmed all powers and scarred the Demon God's body.
Ignoring the pain of her slowly disintegrating flesh, Silver Eyes pressed on. Just ahead was the loathsome child who would inherit the Hero's mantle.
She arrived at a shabby hut—likely used as a shed. Without hesitation, she blasted it apart with magic.
Boom!
Through the wind magic's severed wall, she saw the boy and girl inside. The boy lay still, blood trickling from his forehead where debris had struck. Silver Eyes ignored him entirely. Her focus was the platinum-haired girl glaring at her, arms spread protectively.
As she raised her hand to strike, a roar echoed from afar.
"!?"
A young man, barely past thirty, charged with sword in hand.
Damn, spotted.
Irritated, Silver Eyes mustered her meager mana, activating a violet magic circle. A tiger-shaped lightning gathered in her palm.
But it fizzled just before launch.
"!"
She hadn't noticed the woman nearby, staff in hand. She must have interfered. Their resolve to protect the children at all costs was palpable.
The Hero's parents, perhaps?
Before she could react, the man's blade sank into her shoulder. Instead of blood, metallic shards sprayed everywhere—not the body of an ordinary creature.
"Filthy... human pest!"
The brutal fight dragged on for over two hours. Grunts of exertion rang out. The clash of sword against steel-like flesh filled the air. Severed limbs littered the blood-soaked ground.
In the end... the young couple emerged victorious.
A hopeless battle, yet they triumphed—as if gods above had intervened directly.
But a great evil is a great evil. The Demon King who once terrorized a continent didn't vanish so easily. Resentment leaked from Silver Eyes' crushed body, lunging at the pair too swiftly to counter.
An authority to dominate via medium. A fragment of the power bestowed directly by the Demon God.
As her parents screamed, Erina's eyes filled with despair. The possessed Silver Eyes advanced on the shouting girl. Squeezing out her last strength, she planned to take the girl as her companion in death. She manipulated the man's arm, raising the sword high.
One slash to the neck, and it would all end. Even if Silver Eyes herself perished, her mission would be fulfilled.
The gleaming blade cast silver light, poised to cleave.
It swung down... but halted inches from the girl's nose.
"Grr... urgh!"
Veins bulged across the man's body. Silver Eyes panicked at his superhuman willpower holding back the sword. A mere human resisting her dominion, even weakened?
Impossible.
Beings from "beyond" like her Six might manage it, but creatures bound by this world's laws? No way.
Meanwhile, the man managed a faint smile and looked at his precious daughter. "My little princess... you must be scared, huh?"
"D... Dad..."
He wanted to tell her to run, but who knew what the thing inside him would do. Sensing time running out, he swallowed a groan. He had to choose.
But he hesitated. What he was about to ask his daughter was too cruel.
Steeling himself, he spoke word by word. Erina's face hardened. Tears streamed down as she shook her head.
"I... I can't... How could I..."
"You can, princess. If that thing inside him... gets free... Siwoo will be in danger too."
"...!"
He figured: She loved her brother more than anything. It would hurt, but she'd make the right call.
And she did. At Siwoo's name, Erina's eyes snapped wide. A soft glow began to envelop her sobbing form.
Realizing it, Silver Eyes went berserk. Miss this moment, and the girl would fully awaken as the Hero. She poured more authorities into her power. Vile demonic energy rotted the surroundings.
But the man's will was unshakable. His iron resolve even terrified Silver Eyes momentarily.
Forcing a smile, he handed her the sword. "Please... my girl."
Erina couldn't hold back the surging emotions. Tears burst from her chest, blurring her vision. Yet she assumed the stance—basic swordsmanship her father had taught her.
Blinding light surged along the blade. A pillar of radiance stabbed down, etching the Hero's mark on her hand's back. The half-broken sword transformed into a resplendent holy sword.
A flash of light, followed by an agonized scream.
Silver Eyes, 3rd of the Six Demon Reverse Heavens. The mighty Demon King met an utterly pathetic end.
Clang.
The moment it ended, Erina flung the holy sword aside and rushed to her parents. Clutching their lifeless bodies, she wailed in grief.
As she sobbed, footsteps approached.
"...!!"
Her precious little brother stood there, though she didn't know when he'd come to.
"......"
The black-haired boy's mouth hung slack as he stared at their parents' cold corpses. His gaze shifted to the discarded sword hilt, then to his blood-soaked sister.
"Si... Siwoo!"
Seeing Erina approach, the boy stepped back. His face was etched with terror.
That single retreat told her everything: She could never go back to how things were with her beloved brother.
After that, things unfolded as he knew. The belated arrival of the Papal Court's agents and the Yulis family retainers. Discussions on Erina's fate. The natural rift between the two siblings. Finally, Choi Siwoo, broken and catatonic in a cramped room—until he possessed him.
His feelings toward Choi Siwoo, gleaned through Kay, carried over seamlessly. The boy was filled only with shock and despair: His sister had killed their parents.
Anyone knowing the full story would never blame Erina. But a child without context lacked the capacity to understand or accept it.
'......'
The space crumbled. The Dream Demon's Pocket Watch clutched in his arms thrashed wildly. He pressed it against the transparent wall before him.
With a shattering sound, he gazed at the 17-year-old Erina, collapsed on her knees, sobbing her heart out.