Taboo (6)
Seong Hyun-jin stood frozen, his hand neither lifting from the sword hilt nor drawing it. It was pure instinct—he could sense that the Wise Star Abraham Nobwells's power far exceeded his expectations.
If he drew his blade here and unleashed his master's swordsmanship... yeah, he might land a solid hit. But what came after was the problem.
Seong Hyun-jin had sharp instincts. He'd sensed something off about Abraham on his own and uncovered the truth because of it. And right now, that intuition told him that with just the power they had on hand, subduing Abraham would be impossible.
...It's been a while since I felt this sensation.
He felt an intense pressure. Not quite on the level of standing before Karin, but the same kind of pressure.
Drawing his sword rashly here wouldn't just put him in danger—it would definitely endanger Serena and Elena beside him. Seong Hyun-jin never feared battling the strong; he relished it. But when others were at risk, he had to think coldly and rationally.
"...Mind if I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
After some deliberation, Seong Hyun-jin kept his hand on the hilt and tried talking to Abraham.
"Were you really doing this research to bring back your late daughter?"
"What other reason could there be?"
Abraham affirmed it as if it were the most obvious thing. His expression darkened slightly as he asked Seong Hyun-jin,
"Do you want to hear about my daughter?"
"...Honestly? Yeah, I'm curious."
"Then make me one promise."
Abraham made his proposal.
"Listen to my story, and if it changes your mind, let this go. Pretend you saw nothing here today."
"......"
"No, we can't just bury this...!"
Elena protested, but Seong Hyun-jin readily replied,
"Sure. If it seems like a truly reasonable reason, I'll call it my loss."
"Sunbae...!"
Of course, Seong Hyun-jin had no desire to overlook something like Life Creation, defying the laws of nature. He just knew that refusing Abraham's offer here could lead to a situation where someone might die—and it wouldn't be him. The other two were different.
Abraham chuckled lightly at Seong Hyun-jin's straightforward answer.
"I like your decisiveness. That personality of yours is just like the Sword Star."
Abraham began his quiet tale.
"My daughter, Estella—a beautiful name, wasn't it?"
Estella. An ancient word meaning "star." Naming her that hinted at how dearly Abraham cherished her.
"She was my jewel. So lovable, so precious... the greatest treasure my late wife left me."
As he reminisced, a faint happiness softened Abraham's sunken expression. Just recalling those memories eased the tension in the air, revealing the immense love he held for his daughter. Even Elena, who had insisted they couldn't cover this up, faltered for a moment. Serena was already biting her lip hard.
They knew how that happy memory ended.
Seong Hyun-jin, meanwhile, showed no change.
"So I raised her with utmost care in 'Eden,' the safest place in the world. She was someone I could never lose—should never lose."
"Eden?"
"A neutral city created long ago, after a world engulfed in war, through agreements between all nations back then. They called it the city of peace."
Serena added the explanation, and Abraham smiled kindly, expressing his thanks.
"Well explained. Yes, it was so safe that I thought it perfect for raising my precious daughter."
"Lots of people moved there to raise their kids safely. Free from war, backed by multiple nations—if a crime happened inside, the backlash was huge, so no one even thought of committing one."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded slightly, as if Serena's explanation sufficed, then looked at Abraham as if urging him to continue. Abraham smiled, sensing the agreement to listen fully, and went on.
"The city lived up to its reputation—peaceful. I was certain that if she grew up here, she'd turn into a truly lovely girl, safe and serene. One I could proudly tell my late wife about... I was convinced of it."
"......"
"And I vowed we'd live happily together until the end of our days."
Serena clenched her fists without realizing, a deep ache stabbing her heart at Abraham's words.
"But the heavens wouldn't allow it."
Abraham's joyful tone darkened in an instant.
"Twenty years ago, disaster struck the peaceful city."
At the dreadful word "disaster," Seong Hyun-jin spoke up with what he knew.
"...The Eden Great Fire."
The Eden Great Fire. A catastrophe that turned the neutral paradise, haven to so many, into an inferno overnight, erasing the city from the map.
"It was a dry winter. Cold weather meant every home had fires roaring in their hearths, and woodpiles were larger than usual. It started in one small household."
"......"
"A spark flew from the hearth and caught the floor. The problem? The family was deep asleep in the hearth's warmth. It could have been contained early if spotted, but people don't wake easily from such cozy slumber—especially in the dead of night."
Seong Hyun-jin nodded faintly. Once you're truly deep asleep, nothing short of a rough shake wakes you.
"That tiny spark grew into an uncontrollable blaze. By the time the family woke, it was too late. It devoured their home in seconds, then spread to the next, and the one after. The inferno lit up the darkened city like daylight."
Abraham's vivid telling made it easy for Seong Hyun-jin to picture the horror.
"The cold meant homes were stocked with extra wood, fueling the rapid spread. Eden was overcrowded for its size, houses packed tight—that was a big factor. And that night, the wind howled fiercely. Perfect conditions for the flames."
"...The fire must have consumed house after house, beyond control."
Abraham nodded.
"Countless people were swept away. Mostly ordinary folk, helpless against such a calamity."
Seong Hyun-jin didn't even want to imagine it. Curiously, he asked,
"Why didn't anyone alert other cities? Someone could have called for help..."
"Normally, yes—nearby towns would notice a blaze that big and report it. But Eden was a planned neutral city from multiple nations' accords. No other settlements nearby. Help arrived too late."
"......"
The worst possible setup. A powder keg waiting for a spark.
Seong Hyun-jin frowned bitterly.
"Fortunately, a few with the power to save people from the flames were there."
Abraham looked at Seong Hyun-jin.
"Including your master, the Sword Star Hakodate Karin."
"...My master was there?"
Abraham countered,
"Didn't she tell you? How she became a Palstar Hero, and why she chose seclusion."
"That ties to the Great Fire?"
"She was a transmigrator with genius sword talent, rising to fame, but hadn't done anything heroic yet. Even her admirers called her Sword Princess, not Sword Star."
Abraham continued.
"Thanks to her, many survived the Eden Great Fire. Survivors who saw her blade cleave the flames still thank the Sword Star to this day."
"......"
Seong Hyun-jin was a bit surprised his master became a Palstar Hero through that. But a question arose.
"She did something great—why did that lead her to seclude herself?"
Karin saved people. Countless lives that would have been lost without her. So why did it drive her into hiding?
"...The Sword Star saved many. That's fact, worthy of praise."
Abraham acknowledged it but added a bitter coda.
"But far more perished. The inferno was massive, claiming countless lives—including my daughter."
"......"
"You know what kind of person your master is. She felt guilt for those she could have saved but didn't."
"...But she didn't need to feel guilty."
"People think differently. And could you so easily dismiss it?"
Abraham said,
"Especially when faces of the unsaved haunt you."
"......!"
"Before secluding herself, the Sword Star operated around Eden. She knew countless people there—including my daughter. We'd met before too."
Abraham spoke as if understanding Karin's heart.
"That fire took much from me and your master. It's left scars, keeping her in those mountains for twenty years. The loss must have been immense."
Abraham's fist clenched.
"And the same for me. I lost my only remaining blood, the last gift from my departed family."
"......"
"Losing her ended my line. I'd never remarry after my wife—I planned to live for my one daughter alone..."
Seong Hyun-jin looked at Abraham. His clenched fist and expression held grief too profound for words. Seong Hyun-jin fell silent, unable to respond. Beside him, Serena's eyes were already red-rimmed, hands clasped over her heart, pressing down hard.
It hurt that much.
"I swore to my wife I'd protect our daughter, no matter what. That I'd never send her to her mother's side before me."
"......"
"Yet I broke even that simple vow. If I'd been there, I could have saved her from the flames—but this worthless father wasn't."
Abraham unclenched his fist. He swept his hands over his face, far more wrinkled than twenty years ago, and cried out in anguish.
"While Estella suffered and died in the fire, I was laughing, blathering about my research and achievements before crowds!"
The paper and lecture Abraham Nobwells presented then were still hailed as groundbreaking in spirit studies, a legendary feat. But behind it lay the most unbearable memory for him: his ignorance as his daughter perished.
"I had to find a way. I couldn't let my jewel go so pointlessly."
Abraham, who'd wiped his face, now smiled faintly.
"So I decided to revive her. All I had was my unique mind and the ability to make it real."
His smile mixed obsession, madness, and sorrow for his daughter.
"That's the research you've seen—and it's nearly complete. So please, don't interfere."
Abraham pleaded earnestly.
"Let me see my daughter, Estella, again."
"...Wise Star Abraham, you're mistaken about something."
Seong Hyun-jin's tone had grown solemn, polite even.
Abraham smiled wryly at the shift, sensing his decision.
"What mistake?"
"Do you really think that's your daughter come back?"
"If not my daughter, then who?"
Abraham's calm question, as if it were obvious, made Seong Hyun-jin grit his teeth. Its serenity stung more.
But he had to say it.
"It's just something mimicking her shell."
"......"
A cruel truth for Abraham Nobwells.
"You know it well. The dead don't return."
"...No, they can."
Abraham's voice chilled at the denial.
"Nonsense—the departed never return to this world."
"With her exact face and memories, how can it not be my daughter?"
Abraham declared firmly.
"She is my Estella."
"It just looks like her, remembers like her—mimicking your daughter!"
Seong Hyun-jin shouted, uncharacteristically emotional.
"Not the jewel you cherished, but a perfect fake!! She won't come back like this!"
"......"
Having vented, Seong Hyun-jin sighed deeply. Then, cooler, stripped of emotion:
"And you know what your research could do to this world—will you still continue?"
Abraham bowed his head slightly at the point, then smiled chillingly.
"Think I started without knowing?"
He lifted his gaze.
"I know the harm it'll bring the world. That it's evil, the most selfish act."
Abraham understood Seong Hyun-jin's stance—he wouldn't tolerate it.
"But I won't stop."
It was regrettable. The cherished disciple of the Sword Star, who shared that day's pain.
"Even if it makes the world my enemy... even if it defies heaven's laws!!"
He had to end it with his own hands. So regrettable.
"I must see my daughter—my jewel—again."