Chapter 257: A■■ne(5)[R-18]
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 257: A■■ne(5)[R-18]
When Hayangi opened her eyes again, she felt a sensation that was entirely foreign to her.
Gurgle—
She was hungry.
It wasn't a hunger that bordered on torture yet, but for Hayangi, who had never experienced a single moment of starvation since the day she was born, it was enough to throw her into a panic.
"Ah...!"
Hunger wasn't the only thing that felt strange.
The earth she used to roam barefoot no longer treated her with kindness. Frozen branches dug into the soles of her feet, leaving wounds, and the air that once wrapped around her skin like a gentle embrace was now sharp and biting.
And above all else...
A■■ne.
Hayangi could not recall her 'True Name.'
She tried to remember it over and over, but her mind felt as if it were shrouded in a thick, white fog; the True Name would not take shape and simply scattered away.
Eventually, Hayangi gave up on trying to remember it. There was something far more important than a name to find right now.
She had to find Ian.
*
Hayangi stumbled back toward the ruins of the village, which was now thick with the scent of blood. Before her eyes, the corpses of those slaughtered by demonic beasts lay strewn about in gruesome forms.
"...I...an."
Tears began to fall, one by one.
She remembered a long time ago, when she had found a baby bird that wouldn't move in front of the Nest and showed it to Ian.
'Ian, the birdie isn't moving. It's bwoken... fix it.'
'...Hayangi, it's not broken. It's... dead. Let's make a grave for it.'
'Gwave?'
'Yes. When someone dies, you make a grave like this. So they can sleep peacefully.'
As he spoke, Ian dug into the earth with his hands and buried the baby bird. Then, he placed a small pebble on top of the mound and stared at it in silence for a long time.
From the sight of his back, Hayangi had vaguely learned the meaning of 'death' and 'mourning.'
Whoosh—
Recalling Ian's words, Hayangi whispered to the world.
"...Grave... help me."
Even this was strange. Usually, the world would move for Hayangi's sake before she even had to ask for what she wanted. But now, no matter how much she pleaded, the world did not answer.
"Why... won't you help?... Help me."
The only thing that returned was the sound of the cold wind.
"...Ugh."
Still, she couldn't just leave the bodies like this. These were people who might have been Ian's family. Just as Ian had done for the baby bird, she had to make graves so they could sleep in peace.
Clang! Clang!
Hayangi picked up a discarded shovel nearby and began to dig into the frozen ground. Perhaps it was a small mercy that she was still able to use tools at this time.
"...."
It took a full week just to bury the first body. The second was a bit faster. However, it still took a considerable amount of time to dig into the earth with only the strength of a young girl.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
By the time Hayangi had buried every corpse in the village... the agonizingly long winter was finally drawing to a close.
Only after covering the last grave did Hayangi look down at her hands. They were tattered. Her fingernails were all broken or missing, and her skin was torn everywhere, a mess of blood and dirt.
"Ugh... I... Ian..."
Only then did the sobs she had been holding back finally burst forth. Ian had not been among the many corpses. Believing that he must have safely escaped somewhere, Hayangi decided to return to her Nest for the first time in months.
Crunch, crunch—
Even the forest that had always welcomed her warmly was no longer kind to Hayangi. Branches scratched her cheeks, and stones tripped her feet, making her fall.
Thud! Thud!
The Dragon's Nest, which she had reached with such difficulty, refused to let her in.
"Why... can't I go in?"
It was as if an invisible wall stood in her way; no matter how much she pushed or pounded, she couldn't enter.
"...It's cold."
Rejected by everything in the world, Hayangi spent the night huddled in front of the Nest, shivering in the cold.
And the next day, when Hayangi returned to the village in a state of despair...
"Smash every bit of this evil to pieces!"
"...Huh?"
Men in armor were indiscriminately destroying the graves Hayangi had built.
"Wh-what are you doing!! Stop! Don't break those!!"
When Hayangi screamed at the sight, the knights turned toward her all at once, recoiling in horror. Some gagged, while others trembled atop their horses.
Nevertheless, the man who appeared to be the leader shouted in a trembling voice.
"Do not be afraid! The Goddess is with us! Do not back down before this cursed evil!"
At his signal, an archer drew his bowstring with shaking hands.
"Fire!"
Twang—!
With a sharp sound, an arrow buried itself deep into Hayangi's small wing.
"Aaaagh!!! ...It, it hurts...!! It hurts!! Why... why... are you... doing this... to me!"
As Hayangi let out a scream of agony, some of the knights began to wet themselves, while others' eyes rolled back as they were consumed by madness.
"C-Commander! We must retreat! Th-that is not a being we can face!"
"...Grrr. At least this filthy breeding ground must be destroyed!"
Crash—!
Another grave was shattered by the axe the commander swung.
"Stop itttttt!!!"
As Hayangi shrieked once more, even the horses began to go wild with frenzy, throwing the knights from their backs.
"Re-retreat!"
Unable to hold out any longer, the commander ordered a retreat, vowing to return and perform a Purification on this place before disappearing.
"Ugh... why... why... whyyy..."
Left alone, Hayangi wept for a long time as she looked at the ruined graves.
"I'm sorry... hic... I'm so sorry..."
She wanted to fix the graves, but the fear that the people would return forced Hayangi to flee.
The arrow in her wing hurt so much. Her heart hurt even more.
*
More than a decade passed.
Thwack—!
A stone flew through the air and struck Hayangi's forehead as she was digging up tree roots deep in the forest. Her forehead split open, and blood began to drip down.
"...."
However, as if she were used to it, Hayangi casually wiped the blood from her forehead with her hand and looked toward where the stone had come from.
"Hi... gasp...! Eeeeek!! It's a monster!!"
A young boy screamed at Hayangi with a face full of terror before running away.
"...I guess I have to leave this place too."
At some point, Hayangi had realized the truth. She had become hated by all humans... no, she was hated by this entire world.
The pure white hair and skin that Ian had called beautiful... to others, they were nothing more than hideous and ominous symbols of a curse.
Step—
She was hungry again today.
Step—
She was cold.
Step—
She was lonely.
Hayangi wandered from the forest to the desert, from the desert to the swamp, and from the swamp to the snowy plains. She moved constantly, seeking places where there were no people.
Then one day, she happened to learn something. She found out that areas declared as a 'Sealing Designation' by the Church were strictly forbidden for people to enter.
It would be dangerous, but she thought that if she went there, she wouldn't have to encounter anyone ever again. So, Hayangi headed toward a 'Sealing Designation' zone.
And...
After wandering for so long, the place she finally returned to was, ironically, the very spot where all the tragedy had begun.
"...."
The graves Hayangi had worked so hard to build were completely destroyed and burned; not even a trace remained. There was no point in looking at the village anymore.
Hayangi entered the forest where she used to run and play with Ian as a child. But had the World's Malevolence defiled even the place where her memories resided?
Unlike her memories, the forest was no longer beautiful. The once-vibrant trees were withered and twisted, and the clear flowing stream had turned black and rotten.
"It's okay..."
Hayangi actually felt relieved. No one would come to a forest as defiled as this.
But as time passed, the World's Malevolence tightening its grip on Hayangi grew stronger and stronger. Even the forest she thought was already defiled began to rot even deeper.
Knowing this, she no longer had the strength left to wander. Instead, Hayangi intended to meet her death quietly here, in the place that held the happiest memories of her life.
*
And now.
Hayangi lay curled up inside a grave she had dug for herself.
'...I'm sleepy.'
Gradually, the sensations in her body were fading, and the terrible hunger and pain were drifting away. Did this mean she didn't have to hurt anymore?
'I'm tired...'
She had endured with all her might, but she had finally reached her limit. Just as Hayangi was about to slip into eternal rest...
Rustle—
The sound of human footsteps, something she hadn't heard in years.
'Don't come...'
Step— step—
Contrary to her desperate wish, the footsteps grew closer and closer... until finally, someone began to frantically dig up the earthen grave Hayangi had covered herself with.
Hayangi could only resign herself. The World's Malevolence wouldn't even allow her a peaceful death. It didn't matter anymore. Whether they treated her like a monster and stabbed her with spears or burned her with fire, she decided to accept whatever death came her way.
Whoosh—!
The dirt and leaves covering the pit were all cleared away, and a faint light poured in from the ashen sky.
"I found... you."
A voice that felt incredibly nostalgic.
"...."
Even while thinking that a miracle could never happen to someone as hated by the world as she was... Hayangi carefully opened her eyes at the sound of that voice she couldn't possibly refuse.
"...Huh?"
Through her blurred vision, the figure of a man came into view.
"...I found you."
The young boy he once was had now become an adult and changed quite a bit, and he was covered in wounds and filth from traveling through the forest... but Hayangi recognized him instantly.
"Hayangi."
It was Ian.