Baron Samedi Grins, Eager for Your Soul
[Baron Samedi is grinning at the thought of taking your soul. Will you still go anyway?]
"Anyway, I'm not gonna die."
[Those who said 'anyway' with such a complacent mindset all died without exception. Your father did. You'll die the same way soon.]
I ignored it and kept walking.
I blended naturally among the paladins and picked up a firefighter suit from the pile strewn on the ground. Glancing over my shoulder at the other paladins donning theirs, I mimicked them and barely managed to get dressed. Just as I was about to put on the smoke mask and move—
Thud.
Someone grabbed my wrist. An immense grip strength pressed through the fabric of my suit. Even Bosu's power made it hard to shake free.
"Why the hell is a guy who's not even a paladin putting that on? What do you think you're doing?"
The low, threatening voice belonged to Han Dae-ho, captain of the Seoul East Knight Command. He was decked out in a firefighter suit, hoisting someone limp over his massive shoulders. He'd just come out after rescuing people from inside the building.
"Hey, when someone's asking you a question, you answer, got it? ...You, you little shit."
His face hardened coldly as he scanned me up and down, still clutching my wrist.
"Hey! Rescue team! Get a stretcher over here! This guy's in bad shape!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Han Dae-ho barked at the rescue team waiting at a distance. They hurriedly moved to grab a stretcher from the truck.
But that couldn't happen. I wrenched free from his grasp on my wrist. He stared at me in bewilderment.
"What the...?"
"I'm a second-year from Florence Academy's Paladin Division. Dispatched here as an apprentice paladin. Let me enter."
The dizzying pleasure of the Intoxication Spell flowed from my heart to my fingertips. My mind was foggy, my tongue heavy. Yet the lie poured out smoothly, convincingly enough to surprise even me.
Han Dae-ho stared blankly before gesturing to the rescue team. They halted.
"Fine. Florence Paladin Division second-year, apprentice paladin... So what? You're still just an apprentice, right?"
"......"
"I've seen plenty of apprentice punks trying to play hero and just becoming dead weight. You think you're different? Take off the gear and stand back. Watch me work. Don't do something you'll regret."
He readjusted the smoke mask over his forehead and drew a Blessing Circle. A custom blessing, honed from millions of repetitions, enveloped his body perfectly. Right before charging in, he glanced at me.
"If you're dispatching, send someone with a brain instead of some clueless idiot..."
Whoosh!
Tsking, Han Dae-ho plunged into the building. His movement was ferocious and swift, like a bull charging. Unlike the other paladins hesitating before the massive flames, he dove in without a second thought to save lives.
"Make a choice you won't regret."
"Don't do something you'll regret."
[Today, you will stand at a crossroads of choice.]
The words of my father, Han Dae-ho, and Baron Samedi flashed through my mind.
A choice without regret.
I finished pulling on the half-donned firefighter suit. Gear in hand, I strode into the building.
The flames roared fiercer, the smoke thicker and blacker. A hellish, abyssal despair—like what the Abyss must feel like. But I couldn't stop.
The moment I did, I'd regret this day forever. I was certain.
Enter the building. Save the people. Even if it killed me, I wouldn't regret this choice.
*
Bang!
"Argh! Ugh..."
Kim Jin-seo bolted upright, clutching her head and rolling on the bed. She'd smacked her forehead on the phone stand while sitting up.
As the pain eased, she rubbed her brow and dragged herself out of bed, flopping into the chair beside it. The backrest snapped backward. She stared blankly at the ceiling for a long while.
Dazed. Because of the dream.
"Am I crazy?"
The dream she'd had was a nightmare, plain and simple. Do Seon-woo flirting with some girl. Then bumping into her, scratching his head awkwardly before brushing past like she was nothing.
It felt all too plausible, which made it sting even more.
She rarely dreamed, but today of all days—probably because it was the Charity Holy Mark appointment ceremony at 1 p.m., and Do Seon-woo was a top candidate.
"I'm crazy, totally crazy..."
She shook her head vigorously, trying to dispel the lingering images.
The clock read 10 a.m. Plenty of time before the ceremony, but she got up and started getting ready to head out. To the gym.
Nothing cleared a cluttered mind like a workout.
"...Am I crazy?"
As she washed up and changed into workout clothes, she muttered to herself. Was she talking to herself, or to the Do Seon-woo from the dream fooling around with another girl? She couldn't tell.
Arriving at the gym with a sour expression, she wrapped her hands and dove into her routine. It was morning, so it was mostly empty—pro hopefuls, mainly.
"Whoa! Jin-seo, you're early toda— whoa, your face looks murderous. Someone's about to die."
The gym master approached as she stretched, teasing her. She glanced in the mirror, puzzled. He was right—her face was twisted with irritation. The dream's fault.
"Something up? You're here early for a workout too. Boyfriend dump you or what?"
The men's eyes flicked toward her. She shot the master a horrified look.
"No, it's not that."
"If it's not, then it's not—why get all pissy~ Anyway, no school today?"
"...Just said I'm sick or whatever."
"Sick enough to skip school but fine for the gym?"
She averted her eyes and bowed her head, at a loss for words. Lately, she'd been skipping school on "hospital" excuses to hit the gym. Reasons varied.
"You're a total delinquent. Smoking, too—"
"Master, seriously."
"Oho? Lemme see those eyes. No one to beat up, so now you're eyeing me?"
She looked flustered, which only egged him on. He grinned, enjoying it.
She finished stretching without a word, jumped rope, then launched into heavy training. The thwacks against the heavy bag and mitts echoed loudly.
Crack!
When a mitt snapped, she took a break. Her strikes were sharper and heavier than usual today. Like her fists carried emotion.
The master wrapped the broken mitt with blue tape and approached.
"Jin-seo, I really think you need to pay more dues. How many mitts have you broken? The damage is insane."
"Ah... how much more?"
"Ha! Kidding, kidding."
He chuckled helplessly. Her earnest reaction to his joke deflated him. He was still amazed that sweet-natured girl had demolished dozens of mitts and burst multiple bags.
"So, how's prep for the tournament? Weight cut going okay?"
She chugged water without answering, then shot up.
"Gonna get some air."
"Hey? No answer? This tourney's important. Nail that weight cut, yeah?"
"......"
Ignoring him, she left the gym. Her steps led to the rooftop.
Standing in the open space, she savored the breeze, then glanced around and pulled a cigarette from her pocket. Lighting up was second nature.
Fwhoosh.
The exhaled smoke drifted skyward, scattering in the wind. It burned fast—maybe the breeze—down to a stub in no time.
"...Hm."
She sighed softly at the spent butt, embers blown away.
She'd meant to quit ages ago, but it was tough. Should've never started. Regret flickered briefly.
It began with curiosity, like anyone. First drags made her head spin—why do this? Now, not smoking made her head spin.
That's addiction's terror. It seeps in unnoticed, and by realization, it's too late.
Shaking off the stray thought, she headed back. The building felt shaky—earthquake?
"Jin-seo! Grab your stuff and let's go, hurry!"
The master greeted her. The gym was eerily empty. No sign of the earlier trainees. Mitts and ropes littered the floor.
"Huh? Suddenly, what?"
"Can't feel the building shaking? Damn, cheap rent 'cause it's shoddy construction. Anyway, hurry! It's gonna collapse—"
Kaboom!!
The explosion rocked the earth. They stumbled, off-balance. The building had tilted.
"───!!"
Riiiing...
She couldn't hear the master's yell—only piercing tinnitus. Black smoke billowed from shattered windows. Even fierce winds couldn't scatter it.
In her blurred vision, the master gripped her, shouting something. The chaos felt unreal, dreamlike. She half-hoped it was.
"──Mental, manage your mental! I told you that's key, di—!"
Thud!
Tinnitus faded; his words cut off. An ominous sound jolted her eyes open. The ceiling crumbled. The master lay sprawled, eyes wide. A fallen tile had smashed his head.
"Ah...?"
She crawled to him, murmuring. Thick blood oozed from his cracked skull—dark purple, almost black.
Rumble...
Sinister groans closed in like the building's collapse. She tried stemming the blood—futile. It surged relentlessly.
"...Master?"
No response. His eyes stared blankly.
"Master, come on. Don't joke. Master..."
Bloody hand on his pulse—faint. Breathing barely there. Limp as a rag.
She drew a Healing Circle. A Blessing Circle. Light bathed his head. No stir.
No, no, this can't...
Roooar!
"Kyaa...!"
Tiles and debris rained from the breached ceiling. She recoiled instinctively. Debris buried him; only an arm protruded limply.
"Ah, ah..."
She stared vacantly, murmuring. Heat surged from behind—the fire had reached the second-floor gym.
She couldn't turn. Consciousness melted. Incoherent sounds escaped her lips. She tried standing—legs failed.
My fault. If she'd snapped out sooner and left, he wouldn't have died. If she hadn't gone to the roof for a smoke.
Like with her mom. Her outing that day killed her mom. If she hadn't bragged about miracle recreation, no demon would’ve come.
Mom, master—everyone she relied on died.
Maybe causality flipped. They died because she relied on them.
She squeezed her eyes shut, yielding to encroaching heat and smoke.
She'd pondered death more than life. Fear now felt absurd.
"Kuhk, ugh..."
Smoke invaded—scratchy, filling lungs. Coughs, headache. Vision blackened; head sank heavy.
Legs gave out; arms soon followed. Like batteries yanked.
Rumble!
"Kuhk, kuhk. Gahk, urgh...!"
Collapse sounds brought nausea. She retched, head near ground—nothing came, just tears soaking the floor.
Death wasn't peaceful.
She pushed up weakly.
"Ha, haa. Kuhk, ugh... Kyaa!"
Splat!
She collapsed again. Legs powerless. Dizziness kicked relentlessly. Too much smoke, overused divine power.
"Hic, h-heuk..."
Up, down, up, down—exhausted, she sobbed on the spot.
She didn't want death. Just escape from pain. When no hiding spots left, death was final refuge.
Too late for life now. Gym choked with smoke; flames loomed.
Consciousness flickered away.
Whoosh!
A water jet from nowhere doused the flames.
"You're okay."
Someone pushed through smoke. Smoke mask, firefighter suit. Rescue?
No time to question—he scooped her up piggyback and strode out.
"Hic, h-heuk, ugh..."
She sobbed and coughed harshly on his back. Air cleared as they neared outside. Mind slowly returned.
"You're okay. You didn't die, so... it's still okay..."
His mutter— to her? Himself? Intense resolve laced it.
Wheeeen!
"Stretcher, now!"
"Seoul East Paladin Fire Team here—requesting Central Paladin support. ASAP, please!"
"Fuck, why's a suit empty! Who the hell manages gear like—!"
Chaos outside. Paladins yelled irritably everywhere.
He laid her on the stretcher without pause, then went back in for another—the master.
He removed his mask; his face emerged.
Kim Jin-seo forced her eyes open amid fading consciousness. Blurry gaze fixed on him.
Unreal, dreamlike scene.
"Second floor embers suppressed. Everyone visible... rescued."
His voice trembled.
Bitten fingers from beasts, classmate turned demon lunging, baiting encirclement, flames claiming her now—
In those brutal moments she'd wished nightmares, he was always there. Seeping into her life slowly.
Realizing too late, her life was dyed with him.
"Thanks for the gear. I'll be going now..."
"What? The dispatched guy leaving? Hey, where—hey!"
She watched his retreating back.
Sometimes, she wondered if it all was a dream. Fleeting happy dream before harsh reality.
Waking to misery.
In blurring consciousness, she wished briefly: If this moment's a dream, may she never wake. Live eternally in it.
(To be continued next time)