The Roar of the Betrayed Demon
His voice was merciless this time, leaving no room for anything softer. All traces of kindness and compassion had vanished. He sounded so cold and unfeeling it made the hair stand on end. “If you don’t do exactly as I say, that thing will come for you.” What thing? What was he talking about? The mad villagers? Or something else entirely? Was he describing the beast still howling in the village right now?
“Get up… get up… get up… Get up right now.”
Aaaah! His mother’s voice rang in his ears again, sharp and demanding. It was as if she were shouting directly beside him, and his eardrums felt ready to shatter. Because of that voice, Hwan somehow managed to hold onto the last threads of his fading consciousness. “Huff… ha… ah…” He barely managed to force out a gasping breath. Trembling, he slammed his palms against the floor and pushed with all his strength. But he collapsed again, hard. “M-Mom… I can’t get up…” he whimpered, tears streaming down his face. The image of his parents rose in his mind once more. He wanted to see his father and mother so badly. What kind of nightmare was this? Why was this happening to him? Why him? Why me? He just wanted it all to be a nightmare. He wanted the cold, the pain, the fear to all be dreams. But it was painfully real. Even the voice that kept urging him was no hallucination. Hwan bit down on his swollen lips until blood filled his mouth, the metallic taste flooding his tongue. He pressed his palms harder against the floor, arms shaking violently. “Huff… uh… uh…” Gasping, he finally pushed himself up again. He took a deep breath, then forced his trembling legs to move, following the voice wherever it led. He had no idea where it was taking him; he could only follow. Only follow. Only struggle to keep moving. As he did, the screams in the village began to grow quieter, one by one.
The old man Yoon could not bring himself to look up. The roars from outside, the screams, and that growing stench of blood and offal terrified him so much that he couldn’t even glance toward the church door. The stench had already reached his knees. He remained on his knees, head bowed, shivering like a sapling in the wind, waiting for the hell around him to end as soon as possible. How much time had passed? Finally the village grew silent. The screams stopped. The beast’s roar died away, and the fierce rain began to slacken. Then—
Crash!
The church door burst open like it had been blown off its hinges. Thud… thud… The thing stepped inside. Rainwater? Or blood? The wet, dripping sound grew closer and closer. The stench of rot and blood grew even stronger. Yoon forced down the rising nausea. He stayed on his knees, head bowed, trembling like a reed. Then—
Grind…
It stood right in front of him. Thud… It vomited something right in front of him. Thick, sticky blood spread across the floor all the way to where the old man knelt. Yoon shut his eyes tight. He couldn’t bear to look. “Our contract is over.”
A voice as sharp as a blade cut through the air. Yoon kept repeating, “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” That was all he could say. He had no other words. “Kyaaaaaaa!!” It roared again, a sound like tearing flesh. Then—
Crack!
A sickening crunch followed, and the thing finally vanished. Even after it was gone, Yoon still couldn’t lift his head. His eyes stayed shut. The terror hadn’t eased in the slightest. He felt frozen solid. Aaaah… He simply couldn’t bring himself to look at the scene in front of him. How long had it been? Then—
Kwaaang!
A bolt of lightning with the force of a thunderclap struck exactly where the church had stood. The light flashed, and in an instant flames erupted everywhere. Yoon finally opened his eyes in shock and saw the horror. “A… Aaaaah…” He sank into despair. A wet, gasping sound escaped his throat. “No… nooo… I won’t let this happen… Aaaah… Aaaahaaa!”
In the roaring flames he could do nothing. Dozens of corpses with their throats torn out lay piled high in front of him like mountains. This was the price of breaking the contract. The price for not offering the yearly sacrifice of a man, a woman, and an innocent child. The beast had slaughtered the villagers for that sin. It had swallowed them whole, heads first, and vanished. Yoon screamed until his voice cracked, tears of blood mixing with the flames. Meanwhile, Hwan’s mother Yeo-hui was nowhere to be seen. The thing had not taken her neck. She had simply torn the cross that bound her from her body and disappeared somewhere. The ceiling above the ruined church had collapsed, and flames shot up through the gaping hole. The fire raced across the village in seconds, unstoppable even by the weakening rain. Beneath it, only Yoon’s pitiful screams continued to echo.
Aaaah… When Hwan finally regained some awareness, he saw a woman of such breathtaking beauty that he thought he must be dreaming. She looked like a goddess who had descended from the heavens—pure, noble, and radiant. How could anyone be so beautiful? And the moment he looked at her, tears he could no longer hold back spilled over. She tenderly embraced him, as if pitying his pain. She knelt to support his exhausted body and gently stroked the bruises on his swollen arms and legs. Each touch from her hand seemed to erase the pain, as if by miracle. Hwan stared at her and wondered if she might be the compassionate Holy Mother herself. It felt exactly like the touch of a kind mother. He struggled to move his cracked lips. “P-Please… help me…” His voice came out broken and weak. She smiled softly and nodded. That smile felt like the sun pouring down on him. Her red lips parted gently. “Help me first… then I will help you.” The words rolled out like sweet honey, impossible to refuse. “Can you do anything for me?” Her sweet voice carried an almost hypnotic power. “If you do anything for me, I will help you too.” “W-What should I…?” “Can you tear away the amulet that is trapping me in that cave over there?” She pointed. There was a cave in the distance. He had no idea where it led or what waited inside. It looked deep. Hwan didn’t understand at first, so he looked back at her. She gave him a gentle, understanding smile. “I can’t leave this place because of the amulet. It’s such a pity. If I could, I would help you. So please do this for me first. If you tear the amulet out, I swear on my life… I will help you.” It felt like a dream. In his hazy mind, Hwan stared at her and, without thinking, nodded. His body moved on its own. Why? He couldn’t resist her sweet voice—it felt like an unbreakable spell. “A-Alright…” He somehow answered. Every step felt like moving mountains. He staggered, nearly fell over, but somehow kept going. Breathing heavily, he finally stood. Aaaah… Even standing was agony. His legs shook so violently it felt like they might give out at any moment. He took one step, then another, each one threatening to collapse. The pain in his lungs grew worse with every breath, as if his lungs themselves were tearing. It was unbearable. But he couldn’t refuse her. His mind was growing simpler and simpler, filled only with the need to obey her.