The Ambush in the Dark
I snapped out of it late and grabbed Ma Yu-hyeon's hand to stand up. It was the last hand I wanted to touch, but forcibly shaking it off right now would only look suspicious. A few teachers I'd never seen approached and asked if I was okay.
"I got a little banged up during the exam and got some healing, but it hasn't fully recovered yet. I'm thinking of heading to the hospital today or tomorrow."
They nodded in understanding at my explanation. Then I followed Ma Yu-hyeon out the school gate. The crowd that had gathered around me scattered like it had never happened the moment I stood and started walking. Along the way, my eyes met Jeong In-ah's. She had that look like she wanted to say something to me, but upon seeing me with Ma Yu-hyeon, she quickly looked away.
"Florence has way too many damn people... We could cut it in half and still be fine. Small elite group only."
Ma Yu-hyeon grumbled curtly as he eyed the students pouring out the gate, then turned to look at me. He seemed to be waiting for a response. I didn't answer and just kept walking. He fell in step beside me, tilting his head curiously.
"You're quieter than I expected. Thought you'd have a ton to say."
"...Can't talk here."
I barely managed a reply. My voice came out dry and cracked, like it wasn't even mine. My condition was bad. Thirst had turned into full-on dehydration. My vision blurred black now and then, my stomach churned, and my head throbbed. I couldn't tell if it was from overusing Dan Wedo's power or psychological pressure. But now wasn't the time to worry about that.
"Why? Scared someone'll hear? They wouldn't get it anyway even if they did."
"..."
"Normal people live their whole lives without realizing who's special. Only the special ones recognize each other."
I kept walking without responding. Thankfully, Ma Yu-hyeon followed along without pushing. He glanced around as we walked, peeking back occasionally to check our surroundings. There were almost no people. But "almost" meant there could still be some. No one in sight right now, but we might run into someone soon. I needed a path where we wouldn't cross anyone at all. I knew a few such routes. As a kid, I'd had to avoid people constantly, so I'd learned them all. Come to think of it, nothing had really changed.
Along the way, Ma Yu-hyeon tossed out some chit-chat. Nothing dangerous, mostly worthless nonsense not worth answering. I gave short replies just enough to avoid irritating him and kept scanning for a good spot.
"By the way, where the hell are we going? Wait, don't you live in the dorms?"
Suddenly, he asked with genuine curiosity. It was a stupidly late question. He should've asked the moment we stepped out the gate. I glanced at his face. The smile he faked as relaxed looked oddly precarious now—something I'd never seen on him before, no matter who else showed it. The mark of a lie. He remembered I lived in the dorms. But for some reason, he hadn't brought it up. I didn't know why. Only that him following me wasn't a mistake—it was deliberate.
"Who knows..."
I glanced around as I answered. This was a dim alley with no people or parked cars. It also had a secret passage churchgoers used to access the worship hall. There were CCTV cameras, but they weren't working. We'd cut the wires. Even if someone had fixed them behind my back, it didn't matter. I'd make sure they stopped working from now on.
I looked up at the sky one last time. No stars, no moon. New moon.
"Ogoun."
I called him, and he lent his power readily. Because in front of Ma Yu-hyeon, I existed as the true cult leader.
Ogoun — Metal Control
Tick, tick, tick... The streetlights went out. Lights from houses and shops followed. Every man-made light vanished. Nature's darkness filled the void. Pitch black, without even a sliver of moonlight to cling to. I knew how deep and terrifying natural darkness could be. And how to use it.
"Huh?"
Ma Yu-hyeon let out a short yelp at the sudden blackout. I ignored him and drew spell circles. One in each hand—two in total. Holy light drives out darkness, black magic devours light. Voodoo mist seeps into the dark, hiding all presence. So someone ignorant of voodoo can't react to mist suddenly emerging from the shadows.
Two circles: Faint Spell (stun) and Recreation Spell — Decapitation Sword (lethal strike)
Kiiii... The spell circles hissed ominously, spewing smoke. But just in case—purely hypothetical—my voodoo might not work on Ma Yu-hyeon. He wields divine power and holy light, observes the world through his unique blessings, and performs new miracles and blessings no one's ever seen. Some call him "chosen by Adonai." If Adonai truly existed and had really chosen him, my voodoo wouldn't touch him. That's why two circles. First, the Faint Spell to knock him out. If it fails, Recreation Spell—Decapitation Sword to kill him.
Shaaaa... The voodoo mist wrapped silently around Ma Yu-hyeon, cloaked in darkness. Silence blanketed the area. Nothing visible, nothing audible. Time there felt like an instant or eternity. In darkness and quiet, time lost meaning.
Thud.
Finally, Ma Yu-hyeon's body collapsed. I looked down at him in the dark.
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped me. Whether Adonai existed, I didn't know. But at least, no Adonai had chosen Ma Yu-hyeon.
Kim Bok-dong, Ha Ye-jin, Kim Jin-seo, and the child all opened their eyes at the same moment. They'd all lost consciousness to black magic simultaneously, glimpsed their desires in that gap, and escaped them at the same instant. But the feelings they had upon waking differed.
Kim Jin-seo's first thought after regaining her senses was, Shame. Midway through flailing in the illusion born of her twisted desires, she'd realized late it was all fake. But she hadn't wanted to wake up. Reality never flowed as she wished. Sometimes it was horrific. But the illusion always showed only what she wanted. Think it, and it became real. Omnipotence was sweeter than expected. She woke from the illusion, felt a pang of regret, then self-loathing. Surrendering to black magic's false pleasure made her feel filthy. Pain crashed in with the guilt. Every muscle and joint screamed. With the pain, she finally realized she'd returned to reality. And that someone was in her hospital room.
Kim Jin-seo barely turned her head to see the intruder's face.
"Ah, you're awake. Sorry for dropping by unannounced."
Mun Yo-seop said. His face was calm, but his hair was soaked in sweat, clothes caked in mud. He straightened his outfit as he approached.
"Forgive the state of my clothes. Had to rush somewhere and couldn't fuss over my appearance."
"It's fine."
Kim Jin-seo replied hoarsely, dismissively. She didn't care about his dirty clothes. She was just a bit disappointed that her first visitor wasn't "him," but Mun Yo-seop.
Mun Yo-seop pulled out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat drenching his face, and spoke.
"How's your condition...? No, pointless question."
He hastily retracted the perfunctory remark. Asking would just get a rote "I'm fine." No time to waste on small talk now. He irritably pocketed the handkerchief and got to it.
"Straight to the point. Can you tell me what happened, as best you remember?"
"..."
True to warning, brutally direct. Kim Jin-seo hesitated, then nodded and spoke.
"...I don't remember everything."
"Whatever you recall is fine. Or only what you want to share. Or nothing at all."
His tone carried a desperate, rambling edge. Kim Jin-seo didn't know him well—just his sparring with Do Seon-woo at the holy training ground and assigning tasks as exam proctor. Still, she could tell he was off from his usual calm composure. Some of it was gone.
Feeling odd tension, she replied.
"Where should I start...?"
"Don't mind me—just from wherever you want."
He waved it off reassuringly. Kim Jin-seo began. Encountering the demon species mid-exam, sending the child to safety and fighting alone. The third eye appearing on its forehead, paralyzing her. Snakes bursting from the ground to subdue it. Its heart ripped out and fleeing. The child bringing Kim Bok-dong and Ha Ye-jin, then all blacking out from black magic. She explained everything she remembered, skipping her glimpsed desires.
"Snakes from the ground?"
Mun Yo-seop asked when she finished. She nodded. He peered into her eyes. She seemed to hide something, but no lie. Hard to believe, but he'd trust it for now.
"Snakes, huh..."
Snakes appeared often in Romanica scriptures, with many miracle accounts. But no known recreation summoned snakes. At least none discovered. Kim Jin-seo was talented, but not to pioneer an undiscovered miracle. Mun Yo-seop recalled serpents from cult texts: Satanism's "Satan," Hinduism's "Naga," Voodoo's "Damballa," and obscure old myths. Unlikely Voodoo-Satanism clash. Voodoo had Damballa Loa, but no prophet ever summoned it directly. No reason for one to use power saving a Florence student. That left infighting between Satanists of differing factions—civil war. Why they fought was the next mystery.
"Oh, right—one more thing to show you."
Mun Yo-seop pulled out his phone, showing a saved photo.
"Is this the demon species you saw?"
"..."
Kim Jin-seo narrowed her eyes at it. Poor quality, blurry focus. After staring long, cold rage filled her pupils. The photo showed the demon: the one that killed her adoptive mother, appeared at the practical exam to target her again. Glowing scales, elongated arms, crimson eyes unmistakable. Her heart raced. Just seeing it through the screen boiled her blood, like it was right there.
"Looks like it."
Mun Yo-seop nodded, pocketing the phone. No need for words—her face said it all. He'd suspected from the black magic symptoms on the teachers and four students, but confirmed: the exam demon was "that one." Per her account, it lived—demons didn't die till hearts fully destroyed. It could return anytime.
Mun Yo-seop smiled faintly, hidden from her. Still a chance. For atonement.
"...One last thing. Blunt again."
He hid the smile. She nodded wordlessly. Her eyes icy, face unmoving. Still fixated on the demon. It lived. It'd return. She had to prepare—not cower like before. She'd kill it herself. Rip and crush that heart through its armored shell.
Mun Yo-seop watched her, then asked.
"What's your relationship with Do Seon-woo?"
"Huh...? What?"
Kim Jin-seo blinked, stunned. Direct as warned—too direct.
(To be continued)