It All Happened in an Instant
It happened in the blink of an eye. So fast that even grasping the full situation was impossible—like being swept away by rapids, and when I finally came to my senses, things had already spiraled beyond any hope of recovery.
The trigger was probably Yeo Min-seo's shout. Or maybe I'd already been dancing in the palm of Ma Yu-hyeon's hand long before that.
"Priest Class... Priest Class? Then we gotta catch 'em! What the hell are you waiting for!"
Yeo Min-seo bellowed as she bolted, not even glancing back, frantically tapping her smartwatch while she ran. The Holy Knight Class teammates, who had been standing around awkwardly watching her flee, snapped out of it late and gave chase.
"Gah!"
She tripped over her own feet mid-escape. The pursuing Holy Knight Class members quickly pinned her down. Click. Handcuffs snapped on.
Then, light poured down.
Literally. Far in the distance, a massive cloud of light emerged, raining radiance onto the ground. It was so vast and brilliant that it was visible even from afar, crystal clear.
Everyone froze, abandoning whatever they were doing to stare blankly at the light. There was something mesmerizing about it, a strange magnetism that seized the gaze. Those who beheld it fell silent, as if they'd forgotten how to speak. A deep, viscous silence settled in.
"What... the hell is that?"
Han Su-ryeon broke the hush. Yeo Min-seo shook herself awake next.
"What the fu—looks like the Priest Class is pulling some bullshit again. This..."
"Ma Yu-hyeon," Kang Dae-man said calmly, arms crossed. "As far as I know, he's the only one who'd pull something like that."
"...But you guys, you okay just standing there? Isn't the ten minutes almost up? You should run."
Han Su-ryeon eyed Kang Dae-man like he was an idiot as she spoke. He shook his head.
"Why should we run? We'd win in a fight."
"What kinda bullshit is that? Why would you win?"
Yeo Min-seo snorted in disbelief. Kang Dae-man smiled.
"With Do Seon-woo on our team, you guys wouldn't stand a chance."
"Yeah, sure, just overwhelm with numbers. Brute force always wins."
"You just saw it—numbers mean nothing to Do Seon-woo. He's worth a hundred men. Same for me."
"Why sneak yourself in there? You're trash."
Han Su-ryeon giggled, teasing him. A vein pulsed faintly on Kang Dae-man's forehead.
"It's because of me that Do Seon-woo could fully unleash his potential!"
"Whoa, scary! Why get mad? It was a joke..."
"I'm not mad..."
Kang Dae-man and Han Su-ryeon bickered. Yeo Min-seo occasionally jumped in to rib him.
I heard their chatter. But at some point, the voices faded from my ears. My eyes were locked on the cascading beams of light, unmoving.
My heartbeat grew louder, and with it came hallucinations. Not the Loa. Screams of people whose names and faces I didn't know—people no longer of this world.
They died because I was incompetent.
On the 'Starless Night', Leviathan's eyes blazed as they ransacked homes, rounding up Voodooists, herding them into pits, and setting them ablaze. Hundreds, maybe thousands, perhaps tens of thousands—their bodies wreathed in the light of blessings.
That day, too, a massive cloud of light had bloomed in the sky, just like now, showering the earth. Soon after, voices rose: Leviathan's furious roars, the captured Voodooists' screams, the wails of those losing family before their eyes—all tangled together.
I had stared blankly at the rising light and the smoke from burning Voodooists amid that cacophony. Eventually, even those voices faded. Only my heartbeat and ragged breaths remained.
Just like now.
Get a grip. Isn't this the exam you steeled yourself to watch closely...?
"Hey, where's that voice coming from..."
Thump, thump, thump...
Is today the day of choice? Looks like I got the date wrong...
"Huh, what..."
Aah, aaah, aaaah...
Prophet! If you need wind, just say the word! I'm always on standby...!
"The light's getting closer. Am I imagining it..."
Legba, Yeo Min-seo, heartbeat, Baron Samedi, Han Su-ryeon, screams, wails, Bade, Kang Dae-man—voices crashed in chaotically, unmoored.
Eventually, it turned eerily quiet. Overwhelming noise blurred into utter silence, indistinguishable.
In that ambiguous void, terror gripped me. Like wandering alone in a pitch-black mountain valley at dead of night, seeing and hearing nothing.
I thought I'd outgrown the fear from those past memories. Wrong. I still bore guilt for those who died due to my incompetence, still scourged myself for that helpless former self. No end to the atonement—everyone who could forgive me was dead.
In self-recrimination, I erred again, scourged myself anew, trembled at past failings...
And rot away in the pit of self-pity and self-loathing.
Legba's voice cut through the tangle, crystal clear. Like that timeless moment at the Crossroads with him—fleeting or eternal, who knew.
Crunch.
I bit my finger, twisting until it snapped. The Intoxication Spell engraved there flooded my throat and lungs. My mind hazed dizzily, then cleared.
The jumble sorted itself. My tilted gaze straightened.
"Do Seon-woo! You okay? What just—"
"I'm fine."
I cut Kang Dae-man off before he finished. He looked worried, pressing on.
"No, you don't look fine. Can't explain it, but my gut..."
"I said I'm fine. Not about to fuck up our score just 'cause I'm out of it, team leader or not. Don't worry."
"It's not you that's the problem..."
Kang Dae-man started to say something but clamped his mouth shut. His eyes weren't on me—they fixed on the distant cascade of light.
I couldn't parse his words. If not me, then what? No clue what he meant.
Breaking my finger for indirect Intoxication Spell use had barely anchored my mind—not fully cleared.
Thump, thump, thump...
Aah, aaah, aaaah...
The voices had only just begun to make sense in order—what they meant still eluded me. Heart pounding huge, hallucinations droning on. Echoes from afar—screams or cheers?—relentless.
It didn't take long to realize they weren't my heartbeat or mere delusions.
Thump, thump.
The grand, repulsive booms shaking the ground drew near. The once-distant light cloud loomed right before us.
Aaah, aaaaah—!
Not hallucination—cheers. Like Leviathan's furious, mad roars trampling Voodooist screams and wails.
The cheers echoed through the ruined cityscape, closing in on us.
"Do Seon-woo, retreat or fight?"
Kang Dae-man asked gravely. Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon muttered, scrambling to fall back. They hadn't even considered facing the light cloud.
It commanded gazes, overwhelming and subjugating the crowd.
Before ordering, I looked up at the approaching cloud.
Just before negotiating with Yeo Min-seo, I'd dealt with Ma Yu-hyeon first. He saw we held three Holy Knight Class hostages.
He'd guessed we'd soon negotiate with them post-Priest Class. And we did—right after him.
The spying Priest Class girl got spotted, fled reporting her position via watch, became their hostage.
That exposed Holy Knight Class position to Ma Yu-hyeon. And ours too.
His goal: wipe out Holy Knight and Paladin Classes. Or maybe not wipe out, just...
"...Too late."
The light cloud was upon us. Footsteps near. Cheers swelled. No longer echoes—raw roars.
Bathed in blessing light from the cloud, Priest Class members advanced. Light rippled around them; faces twisted with madness and euphoria.
Drunk on blessings.
Ma Yu-hyeon led. Spear in right hand, tip gleaming beautifully.
No—the spear was light. Forged of light.
"Behold my entrance!"
Ma Yu-hyeon slammed the spear down—thud—voice booming. Not from his mouth—from the sky-blanketing light cloud.
Dozens of light-drunk kids stood behind, handcuffs dangling, awaiting orders.
Ma Yu-hyeon heaved labored breaths, spear heavy, then leveled it at us.
Light wreathing the kids surged along the spear tip.
Rooooaaar—!
Like puppets to the light spear, they charged us roaring, fearless.
Thanks to blessings or the cloud? No fear, no hesitation—just joy. Near-maniacal bliss lit their faces.
"F-fuck, what the hell?! They high or something?!"
"Uh, uh. This is bad. R-retreat! Retreat!"
Yeo Min-seo and Han Su-ryeon yelled, backing off. Holy Knight kids hesitated, then turned tail fully.
But Yeo Min-seo didn't flee. Drew a Blessing Circle, forcing fusion—aiming for clash.
Gurgle, gurgle—!
The circle merged with weird noises, twitching with pre-explosion omens.
Sizzle...
Suddenly, her circle powdered away. Dust rode wind to Ma Yu-hyeon's spear, absorbed.
Ma Yu-hyeon smirked triumphantly, spear raised.
"As if!"
"You motherf—!"
Click.
Handcuffs on Yeo Min-seo before she finished. Resistance futile.
Ma Yu-hyeon's 'minions', boosted by blessings and cloud, were fast and strong. No shaking them easily.
I knew. Leviathan's forces on 'Starless Night' were the same.
All minions burly—Priest Class kids picked for size and blessing efficiency.
No sign of Jeong In-ah or Seong Ha-yeon.
"Do Seon-woo, what now?! Run?!"
Kang Dae-man yelled amid chaos. No time to answer.
Minions captured Holy Knight and Paladin kids at terrifying speed.
One went for Kang Dae-man's wrists.
Thud!
"Whoa, too hard! Sorry!"
Kang Dae-man hurled the kid into the ground. The minion hit without pain, just ecstatic gaze at the light cloud.
He kept slamming incoming minions, shouting.
"Do Seon-woo! Answer! Run?!"
"While I buy time, you run. Or vice versa."
Back-to-back with him, I punched at the horde.
Smack!
Wind Punch! Let me handle this one!
Wind blasted a minion's jaw. Legs buckled; it crumpled.
But no end this way. Fearless from blessings, they rose undaunted, slinking to encircle us.
"...I'll buy time. I'll clear a path—you run first."
"How long?"
"Till you're clear. Trust me. Like I trusted you."
Kang Dae-man nodded, hurling another.
I nodded back.
"Yeah. Got it! Clear!"
"Roger—!"
Whoosh!
Kang Dae-man roared, firing a Blessing Circle. Light enveloped him—pathetic next to minions' glow, but potent in his frame.
"Hoo—come onnn—!"
Splash!
Curling up, he charged the encirclement. Minions flew like deer hit by a car.
One rush broke the ring, opening escape.
"Thanks, Kang Dae-man!"
"Remember this!"
I bolted through his path. Minions grabbed for my wrists; each time, Bade's Wind Punch to the jaw repelled them.
Whoosh!
Once distanced, I summoned wind to carry me. Body lightened. Looked like running, but really gliding on breeze.
Finally shook the minions.
While fleeing, next steps: Plenty tokens left. Could fetch Kang Dae-man via negotiation, rebuild steadily. Or wait for light to fade, minions weaken, then one-vs-many win.
Time remained. Lost teammates, retreating—but uncaught, reversal possible. Ally with other Paladin teams? Victory assured.
"Bade, faster—!"
Swoosh.
Till radiant golden-feathered wings blocked my path.
"Who're you talking to?"
Ma Yu-hyeon. Light spear in hand, light wings on back.
He flew too. Me on my wind; him pushing air with wings.
Stab.
No time to think—his spear pierced my side. Unprecedented agony. Blood halted inside, like.
Pain sharp, vivid. Strange—I'd traded touch to Baron Samedi; no pain possible.
"Knew it. Cult Leader."
Ma Yu-hyeon leered down, sticky and vile.
(To be continued)