The Final Mercy
I was captured by the awakened Han Jaehyuk and subjected to relentless torture. Being tied up and raped by ogres was the baseline. My fingernails and toenails were ripped out. Even so, I never opened my mouth.
'I have to… I have to drag this out as long as possible.'
Luckily, it seemed he hadn't heard anything about Seonghyun. For now, he was only interrogating me about the altar I'd hidden. But once he found it, the chances were high he'd start asking about the sacrifice and everything else. I couldn't die even if I wanted to. In that case, I just had to wait for someone who could kill me.
'I can give up the altar, but Seonghyun…'
I had to protect him. No matter what. I endured and endured without any sense of how much time was passing. My belly swelled like a mountain, and the iron will that had once been unbreakable slowly crumbled. Han Jaehyuk clicked his tongue at the sight of me.
"……"
Han Jaehyuk shook his head.
Then he turned his back. Three ogres approached. Hell began once again.
How many days had it been? What time was it? I didn't know. I wasn't even sure if I was still breathing. Everything felt numb. Empty, as if my body were floating in the air.
'It's about time…'
The next day, Han Jaehyuk came without fail.
"……."
He was about to call the ogres again when—
BOOM!
The dungeon shook. The sound of the sealed dungeon gate opening.
Han Jaehyuk poked his head out of the tent. Dozens of people. All of them were figures he couldn't ignore. His face crumpled mercilessly when he saw the woman standing at the very front.
He was at the early stages of S-rank, but the numbers were against him. He had no choice but to retreat.
In the end, he had to withdraw and plan for another day. He glanced back at me with lingering regret, but then gritted his teeth and left the tent. If he got greedy here and got caught, everything he'd built up until now would collapse in an instant.
The tent fell into silence. In the distance, I could hear people running this way. A rare moment of peace. And a rest I wouldn't be able to enjoy for long. Listening to those footsteps, I smiled faintly.
'Now that the Demon Sect has marked me, living a normal life is almost impossible.'
Even if I survived this place, the Demon Sect would hunt me down. Even if I managed to escape a few times, I'd eventually be caught and thrown back into hell.
'If I have to go through this torture again…'
My mind would surely turn to dust. If that was the case—
'I'll end it here.'
Every thread connecting me to Seonghyun. 'I'll cut them all.'
For my sake, and for his.
The professor entered the tent.
Her cracked voice sounded as if she couldn't believe the reality before her. In response, I acted out despair. I performed utter hopelessness. So that she could kill me easily. So that she wouldn't hesitate.
If not now… there would be no more chances. This was the only opportunity for me—and for Seonghyun—to strike back at the Demon Sect. So please…!
The professor sobbed as she held me. It wasn't enough yet. She needed to lose her mind even more. I forced my immobile hand to move, placing her palm against my swollen belly.
A kick. The ogre's child was moving.
Crack.
Irena's teeth ground together so hard they nearly shattered. Her breathing grew ragged, blood vessels rising in her eyes.
More.
More.
More!
My hand trembled as I stroked her face.
Her mind must have broken. She begged and pleaded desperately.
I finally let the tears I'd been holding back burst free. Irena's body shook like a leaf in the wind, and a hand made of mana gripped my throat.
Crack.
There was no pain. Only darkness swallowing my vision. The only thing that echoed in my ears was the professor's scream as she held me.
The memory playback ended. Yet Lee Seonghyun didn't move. He simply stared at the orb with hollow eyes.
"Haa… haa…"
Lee Seonghyun didn't answer her question. When Lee Seongyul approached him, she called out softly.
He was breathing in shallow gasps. His breaths trembled as if it were difficult just to inhale. Lee Seongyul pulled him into her chest and gently patted his back.
She held him tenderly. Even though her own shameful past had been exposed, her calm reaction made something surge violently inside Lee Seonghyun.
"Huh?"
Lee Seonghyun shoved her away with force.
"……."
"……."
Tears flowed. The tear ducts that had been dry for so long finally burst open.
"The Demon Sect is far bigger than you think. The next time they came, the entire cult would've shown up."
Lee Seonghyun covered his trembling face with both hands.
He was collapsing. The tattered remnants of his mind shattered once more. The fragile castle he'd built with the mask of laughter crumbled in an instant. The light in his eyes slowly faded.
His younger brother, sinking into self-loathing. And herself, whose body was gradually growing fainter. There wasn't much time left. Lee Seongyul sighed and pulled him back into her arms.
"……."
I had to save him. At those final words, Lee Seonghyun trembled once more.
"…….."
Lee Seongyul gently patted his back again. Her touch felt less like an older sister and more like a mother taking her place.
"……."
Lee Seongyul cupped his face and lifted it.
Lee Seonghyun could only nod reluctantly.
She seemed to have so much more to say. Her lips moved as if searching for words, then she smiled bitterly and pressed her forehead against his.
Her tear-filled eyes met his. Then—
Whoosh.
The Soul's Sanctuary reached the end of its lifespan and lost its light. Lee Seongyul turned into particles of light and vanished, as if she'd never been there at all.
Be happy.
Those were her final words.
"Seonghyun…"
Yu Chel fidgeted anxiously while staring at the screen floating in the air. Three days. That was how long Lee Seonghyun had remained completely motionless after watching the past. He now stared blankly at the Soul's Sanctuary, which had lost its light. There was no life in his eyes. He looked exactly like a man who had given up on living. A wreck. That was the perfect description.
As the shadow of death slowly crept over him, the Witch finally spoke.
"Stubborn."
Yu Chel refused to concede even though the match was clearly over. The Witch was about to shake her head when a golden light began to flicker from Lee Seonghyun's body. His dull skin regained its luster. His failing organs came back to life. Slowly, he rose to his feet. The broken man from moments ago was gone.
"Seonghyun…?"
The atmosphere had completely changed. Golden eyes. A faint golden glow flickered in his pupils, and his face was expressionless. He looked like someone who had lost all emotion. As if nothing had happened, he picked up the Soul's Sanctuary with one hand and walked out of the dungeon.
The Witch clicked her tongue in annoyance.
She turned away.
"W-wait! Hold on!"
Yu Chel stopped the Witch, who was hurriedly trying to leave the dungeon.
"……."
The Witch laughed. It was a sneer.
"……"
The Witch's eyes narrowed.
Her gaze wasn't on Yu Chel.
It was 9 p.m. Han Yuri and Choi Ahyeon were watching TV when the front door opened. Choi Ahyeon jumped up from the sofa.
"Yeah. Here, take this."
"Huh? What's this? Chicken?! Yes!"
At Han Yuri's suspicious gaze, Lee Seonghyun simply shrugged with a smile.
"……"
Han Yuri watched him head to his room with uneasy eyes.
'Something's wrong.'
The faint hatred she usually sensed from him was gone. It was as if all emotion had vanished. She felt nothing at all. Worried that she shouldn't leave him alone, she started to get up from the sofa—then froze.
It wasn't just Han Yuri. Choi Ahyeon's hands, which had been setting out the chicken, also stopped mid-motion. Both of them were staring at a message floating in the air.
"Y-Yuri, what is this…?"
"……."
It was the beginning of a new turning point.