The Price of Forever
Similar yet different. The wooden door burst open as though flung aside. It slammed against the wall with a loud crash, and a figure strode into the room.
"Gi Ga. So, what exactly is going on here?" The voice was sharp with irritation. Understandably so. This was the signal they had agreed to use only in emergencies, yet the scene before them was quiet, untouched by any sign of struggle, and far from Hwawolru. The Heavenly Demon was not the sort to assume others had their reasons in such moments, and even decades-old friendships offered no exception.
The lack of an immediate reply only stoked the Heavenly Demon's annoyance further. Just as another sharp remark was forming, the Heavenly Demon paused, suddenly realizing something was amiss. The person seated in the corner of the room, half-hidden in shadow, was not the Chief Investigator. The beard was short and neatly trimmed, the long white hair smooth and orderly. Though the face was deeply lined with age, there was nothing frail about the old man. He carried the air of a true immortal.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Your tongue is rather coarse. What has you so worked up?"
"Look, do I look like I'm in the mood for pleasantries? I came because Gi Ga called, only to find Gi Ga gone and some stranger waiting instead."
"Then shouldn't you be even more cautious? Your friend might be held hostage."
At those words, the Heavenly Demon's brow tightened. In the next instant, the Heavenly Demon leapt forward, five fingers pressing against the old man's throat.
"Then I should take revenge all the more. I don't care for long stories, so if you have something worth saying, do it in one breath. You might lose the chance otherwise."
The voice resonated more like a beast's growl than human speech. Even if the old man possessed enough inner energy to avoid fainting, he should at least have shown some sign of intimidation. Instead, he merely shrugged with perfect composure.
"Well now, you can't even take a joke. Very well. I am Hoehoe Seonja of Guyeongmun. You may call me Master Ju."
"So, what happened to Gi Ga?" the Heavenly Demon asked, chin propped crookedly on a left arm resting along the chair's armrest. The mood was far from pleasant; the irritation seemed to stem from having been unable to tear out Hoehoe Seonja's throat after all.
Seated across from the Heavenly Demon, Master Ju of Hoehoe Seonja gave a short laugh before answering.
"He went off to handle his own business. In truth, it was the Chief Investigator who arranged this meeting in the first place. Out of respect for your friend, wouldn't it be reasonable to at least hear what I have to say?"
"Assuming that's true."
"Then speak freely."
"I'm already annoyed with Gi Ga as well, not just you."
The Heavenly Demon tapped the table slowly with a finger.
"I'm busy right now. Dragging someone who has work to do into a meeting with a suspicious stranger doesn't exactly match the loyalty between us..."
"Why do you always assume the worst? You're laboring under a rather large misunderstanding to begin with."
"What misunderstanding?"
When the Heavenly Demon replied in a bored tone, Hoehoe Seonja explained.
"Everything Guiseon has done—whether against the Deputy Envoy or in Luoyang—is something our sect has condemned as well. Because he refused to change his ways, he was already expelled, and further punishment will be carried out soon. Does it make sense to treat us as enemies simply because he keeps impersonating our name?"
"The real mistake was letting someone like that into your ranks in the first place."
The Heavenly Demon lifted their gaze from their own fingers and met Hoehoe Seonja's eyes.
"I've seen this sort of thing more than once or twice. People snatch up random strangers, torment them, kill them... and later, when the victims' families come seeking revenge, they suddenly realize the Demonic Cult wasn't their enemy after all—we were the ones who avenged them."
"Well, I suppose that would be the case."
"Exactly. And I don't even feel wronged by it. When you think about it, the one who accepted those people, raised them, and let them run around committing atrocities under the cult's name was the cult itself. Whether we knew what kind of people they were or not, the damage is already done. If you don't want to keep fighting, then stop talking about righteousness and either pay proper compensation or settle it with one side's complete destruction."
"Of course, we are prepared to pay a sufficient price."
"I wonder. Whether it's sufficient or not is for me to decide, isn't it?"
The Heavenly Demon's attitude remained skeptical, but Hoehoe Seonja answered with confidence.
"We will compensate with more than twice the number of lives lost compared to those harmed by Guiseon."
"What?"
The Heavenly Demon's expression darkened again. Hoehoe Seonja continued.
"Would gold or jewels truly serve as compensation? Since lives were taken, lives must be given in return. I will personally eliminate those in the court and military who keep stirring up trouble about the Demonic Cult. They are your greatest headache at the moment, are they not?"
"You can actually do that?"
"I can. Does that interest you now? On top of that, I have something even greater to offer. This is separate from compensation; it is the true reason I came to meet you today."
The Heavenly Demon released the arm supporting their chin and leaned back against the chair, giving a slight nod. It was an invitation to continue.
Hoehoe Seonja smiled as they spoke.
"I would like to invite you to join Guyeongmun. Though 'Eight Immortals becoming Nine Immortals' sounds rather awkward, that alone is no reason to refuse a half-immortal who meets the conditions."
"What?"
The Heavenly Demon's face twisted in disbelief. After a moment of thoughtful silence, gaze drifting aside, the Heavenly Demon turned back and asked,
"Does this Guyeongmun of yours accept just any stray dog that wanders in?"
"Of course not. How old are you now?"
"I don't know. A hundred and thirty? A hundred and forty? Why, don't tell me the condition is age?"
It had been asked half in jest, yet Hoehoe Seonja nodded readily.
"It is."
"..."
"More precisely, it is not your current age that matters, but how many years you have left to live. Guyeongmun is an association of half-immortals who have each found their own path to longevity."
The Heavenly Demon pressed hard at their temples.
"Fine, whatever. But listen. I am the Heavenly Demon."
"I, too, have disciples of my own. Guyeongmun is not a sect. It is merely a gathering where we exchange information and occasionally assist one another. Therefore, there would be no issue with the Demonic Cult's Heavenly Demon becoming Guyeongmun's Demonic Immortal. On the contrary, it would benefit both the cult and the association. Earlier I mentioned the court and military—our influence reaches that far."
"All right, suppose that's true."
The Heavenly Demon cut off Hoehoe Seonja's next words with a wave of the hand.
"So what do you old folks actually do when you gather? Is it just helping each other stay alive?"
"That is part of it, but not all. We do not demand sacrificial devotion, yet as much as possible, the goal we pursue—and the reason I founded Guyeongmun—is..."
Hoehoe Seonja spread both hands wide with pride and declared,
"To one day banish death from this world."
"Banish death... what?"
The Heavenly Demon looked at Hoehoe Seonja as though staring at a madman, but the old man paid no heed and continued.
"The most terrible injustice and suffering in this world come solely from death. Wounds can heal, sins can be atoned for, but an irreversible end robs us of every possibility. The fact that every intelligent being must one day die is the sole and absolute evil of this world."
The tone was utterly sincere and solemn. There was no room to dismiss it as a joke or madness, and the Heavenly Demon's drooping eyes gradually lifted.
"And the vanguard of death, its greatest servant, is time itself. That is why we, who have first overcome time, gather under the name of half-immortals to preserve, study, and advance those methods—so that no one in this world need fear the passage of time."
"...Did you really think I would fall for this insane talk? Truly?"
"Of course."
At the Heavenly Demon's question, Hoehoe Seonja stated firmly.
"Who else loves life as much as those of the Demonic Cult? I personally find much to agree with in your teachings."
"For example?"
"There is no god, no heaven. If a truly benevolent absolute existed, would it have created death? The same applies to ethics. Clinging to old customs without questioning their reasons is a mindset only the foolish require."
"...I see. Well, my answer is..."
The Heavenly Demon, who had been drawing out the moment, finally curved their lips into a wide smile.
"Refusal. Go eat dirt, old man."
"Why on earth?"
This time it was Hoehoe Seonja whose brow furrowed—not in anger, but in genuine bewilderment. The Heavenly Demon replied,
"Just as you said, I love my life. I love the world as it was given to me, every choice I have made, and everything I feel with my body and mind. Each moment of life feels like standing before a fragrant field of flowers in pure ecstasy."
"Then wouldn't you wish to continue that life forever?"
"I do want it to last as long as possible. But not forever."
The Heavenly Demon glanced briefly at the ceiling before meeting Hoehoe Seonja's eyes again.
"Can you even imagine how horrifying it would be if that flower field never withered and I had to watch it for all eternity?"
"..."
"At that point, the flower field would mean nothing. Everything else would too. That's what 'forever' is. Infinity divided by any number is still infinity. Even if I looked at the flowers for only a single instant each day across countless sands of the Ganges, I would still be looking at them forever. When nothing you do matters anymore, it's no different from being unable to do anything at all."
"...Even if you truly believe that, being able to choose death at the moment you desire is clearly better than inevitable death."
Hoehoe Seonja's furrowed brow relaxed, and a cold glint appeared in their eyes. It was the look of a dragon whose reverse scale had been touched, rather than someone merely corrected. The Heavenly Demon seemed to find the change rather pleasing, for a deep smile spread across their lips.
"That sounds far more foolish than before. What happened to all that talk of absolute evil? Well, fine. So, did you at least get permission from those hundreds of people you fed to Guiseon, asking them to die for the sake of others' right to choose death?"
"The ones I sent were death-row prisoners."
"Do I really need to point out that this is sophistry?"
"..."
As the two stared at each other in silence, the Heavenly Demon suddenly let out a soft exclamation.
"It was you, wasn't it?"
"What do you mean?"
"The one who made Master Yu talk about responsibility. It shows at a glance. Am I wrong?"
At that, Hoehoe Seonja let out a heavy sigh and rose from their seat. The Heavenly Demon asked,
"What, is that it?"
"It seems it won't work out. Go finish whatever you were doing. If you change your mind, contact me."
The moment Hoehoe Seonja turned to leave after saying this, the Heavenly Demon's hand shot out with a sound like a bursting drum. At the same time, the table swelled and transformed into the shape of a massive tiger that leapt forward, while the two chairs unraveled into coils of rope—one binding the Heavenly Demon's entire body, the other wrapping tightly around their wrist.
"What is the meaning of this?"
It was Hoehoe Seonja's voice. Before their chest, the Heavenly Demon's elongated fingertips touched a single coin engraved with intricate patterns. When the hand withdrew, the coin bounced away, rolled across the floor, and split cleanly in two. The pierced wooden tiger twitched a few times before shrinking back into a table full of holes.
The Heavenly Demon sneered.
"Where do you think you're going? I never said I would let you leave."
Hoehoe Seonja sighed once more and lightly raised their right index finger. The floorboards rose in sequence as pillars rushed forward, and at the same moment, the Heavenly Demon kicked off the ground.