Witch's Time (1)
It was strange. One person had vanished, yet no one seemed to notice.
* * *
"What are you doing after class? Heading to your part-time job?"
"Yeah."
I nodded vaguely at my friend's question. My gaze, however, remained fixed on the back of the lecture hall. Sensing something odd, my friend tilted his head and asked again.
"Why are you staring at an empty seat?"
"It's just…"
Something felt wrong. A strong impression lingered that someone should have been sitting there. Yet I couldn't explain it clearly. The feeling that someone belonged in that spot was vivid, but I had no idea who. No name, no face—only the stark sense of emptiness remained. It was too sharp to dismiss as a simple mistake.
This peculiar sensation didn't fade even after class ended.
"…"
Without thinking, I pulled out my phone and opened the department group chat. The number of members was… unchanged. I checked the group photo too. There seemed to be an ambiguously empty space, but I still couldn't recall who had occupied it.
"…Damn, what the hell?"
When I asked people from other departments or my friends, they only responded with confusion. "What are you talking about?" Maybe I was overreacting. I scratched the back of my head. This uneasy feeling refused to leave, but since nothing concrete came to mind, I pushed it aside and stood in front of the vending machine. With a beep and a clunk, I grabbed a canned coffee and downed it in one go.
"Screw it. If I can't remember, it probably wasn't important anyway. Time to head to work."
* * *
The sun was setting. As I walked back to my rented room after my shift, I spotted her. In a deserted alley lit only by streetlamps and house lights, a girl who seemed caught between youth and womanhood—black hair, striking blue eyes—stood watching me.
She's pretty.
"…Excuse me."
"?"
As I tried to pass her, she spoke. Up close, a pleasant scent seemed to drift from her.
"What is it?"
"This place… it's dangerous…"
"Dangerous…?"
I glanced around. It was the same alley as always. Nothing suggested imminent danger. Still, I knew unexpected accidents could happen even in familiar places. A year or two ago, random crimes had been all over the news. Thinking that, I looked her over.
"…"
I hadn't noticed because of her appearance, but her condition was off. Her clothes were disheveled and dirty.
"…Are you being chased by someone?"
I asked quietly, scanning the surroundings. I was fine, but if she needed help… She shook her head.
"No."
"…Really? I can help you."
Helping would probably just mean walking her to the police station, but that was something. She shook her head firmly. Instead, she said something incomprehensible.
"Don't go outside tonight."
"?"
With those words, she melted into the darkness.
"…What was that about?"
I stared after her with an awkward expression, shrugged, and headed toward my room. I bought a lunchbox at the convenience store near my building, ate it at home, played a quick game on the computer, and lay down.
"…"
I closed my eyes. Opened them. Closed them again. Opened them. Checked my phone. 11:57 p.m. Time to sleep soon. But strangely, sleep wouldn't come.
"Damn… all because of that weird warning."
The woman with the striking blue eyes I'd met for mere minutes. Her warning not to go outside. It nagged at me. Already unsettled by the subtle dissonance I'd felt earlier that day, meeting her had stirred it up again.
"Sleep. Just sleep…!"
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to force it. Still, no sleep came. The phone screen soon read 00:03.
"!"
At that moment, a strange dissonance washed over me. Different from what I'd felt during the day. It was like being yanked from an air-conditioned room into scorching, humid sunlight—the very air had changed. I stood up without thinking and found myself at the front door, hand on the knob.
"…"
Every instinct screamed not to open it. At the same time, curiosity about the source of this feeling pulled at me. Between caution and curiosity, curiosity won.
Creak. I opened the door and looked outside. The street was quiet. No one was out at this hour. It should have been normal, yet something felt off.
"A purple… moon…?"
The moon was huge. And purple. I'd heard of the moon appearing red because of fine dust, but a purple moon? Mesmerized by the sight I'd never seen before, I slowly descended the building's outer stairs.
It was bizarre. Unsettling. Then I heard it.
"Haa… haa…"
Breathing. I turned toward the sound. It seemed to come from deeper in the alley. Drawn by it, I moved closer—and found the woman I'd met earlier, covered in blood.
"!!"
"Haa… haa…?"
"Hey! Are you okay?!"
Of course I rushed to her. She noticed me and looked up. Her blue eyes trembled for a moment. Then she spoke a single word.
"Run."
"Run? In your condition—"
I should've dragged her to the police station earlier, no matter what. Thinking that, I tried to support her when footsteps echoed from the dark alley ahead.
"Found you at last."
A voice that belonged to neither of us. From the depths of the shadowed alley, two figures emerged—a man and a woman.
"A witch without a family making such a fuss, dragging things out and running away."
The woman stepped forward as she spoke. Her outline became clear: violet-black hair. Her gaze shifted to me.
"Huh? What's this? I thought she hadn't made a contractor yet."
"Contractor…?"
The woman muttered something incomprehensible. The burly man behind her stepped up as well.
"Hey. You didn't forget our deal, right?"
"Of course not. I'll make sure you have plenty of fun, so don't worry."
Even from that brief exchange, it was obvious this wasn't a normal conversation. I supported the injured girl.
"…Ah! Who the hell are you two?!"
"What?"
"Don't tell me she's another witch…?"
Both turned toward me. I used the opening to run.
"No one here—ah! This bastard!!"
Of course, it didn't buy much time.
"Why… are you…?"
The girl I was supporting asked quietly.
"Now's not the time to ask why! The police station's nearby—run!"
"…No."
"What do you mean no?! Instead of talking, just—"
"There are… no people here."
No people? What was she talking about? Unable to understand, I kept running. I glanced back, but they weren't chasing us. Relieved, I reached the police station.
"…Huh?"
The lights were on, but no one was inside. Police stations operated twenty-four hours a day. With officers on standby for emergencies, an empty station was strange.
"I wondered what you were rushing for, and it's just this? As expected, the contractor's level matches the witch's trash status."
"!!"
Before I knew it, they had caught up. Not even winded, they looked down at us with mocking smiles.
"During Witch's Time, no one exists except witches and their contractors. Didn't she even explain something that basic?"
"…"
The woman shrugged as if scolding the girl I was supporting.
"Well, whatever. It's easier for me if I can just deal with the competition."
Witch's Time. Witches. Contractors. None of it made sense. I couldn't follow the conversation. Meanwhile, the man stepped forward. A long-handled hammer had appeared in his hand, its head stained reddish.
"Let's get this over with."
"Sure. No need for me to step in."
The distance between us shrank with each step. I could only watch helplessly. Maybe I should've run alone like she'd said.
"…I'm sorry."
At that moment, a voice reached me. The girl I was supporting spoke weakly.
"Sorry for what? This is just my meddling."
"…"
I gritted my teeth. What should I do? The opponent held a terrifying weapon. One wrong move and I'd be nothing but bones. But I couldn't just stand there either. That would mean certain death.
"…My name."
"?"
"My name is Gretchen."
"…Doyun. Han Doyun."
I told Gretchen my name. And with that, the world changed.
This guy? My successor? A scrawny kid who's never even killed anyone—what can he do?
A voice that sounded like mockery—or maybe not—echoed in my head. Suddenly, a sword hilt was in my hand. It radiated a lethal sharpness, as if it could cut through anything.
"Hraaagh!!"
The man who had reached me swung his hammer. A sharp whistle—then a wet impact. He collapsed, a deep red line across his neck.
"?!"
The woman stared in horror. I approached her without hesitation.
"Kuh! Construct, full restraint, [Iron—"
Before she could finish whatever she was attempting, I left the same red line across her throat. Blood gushed from the wound. She clutched her neck, choking, unable to form words, and crumpled to the ground.
"…This is…"
I had killed people. Two of them, in an instant. Yet my mind remained eerily calm. I looked at the girl who had introduced herself as Gretchen. She met my gaze and smiled faintly.