Gwiam Reservoir (1)
"Ugh, huh? Wrong place? What do you mean—"
"Just come on."
I grabbed Mirinae's arm and spun around, retreating at a brisk pace.
"W-Wait a sec! Seorin, you gotta at least explain what's going on!"
"Mirinae."
I glanced back, locking eyes with her as she stumbled after me, dragged by my grip. My face was set in stone, and only then did she seem to grasp the gravity of the situation—her expression hardening to match mine.
"……No time to explain right now. I'll tell you everything later, so just follow quietly. Got it?"
"O-Okay."
As I led Mirinae down the mountain, I kept scanning our surroundings, letting out a deep sigh. Damn, damn, damn! It was staring me right in the face—how did I miss it?
Well, maybe it was inevitable. The density of Death Qi flowing out during the day and night is always different, but this place? The gap was insane. Up until the sun had fully set, the levels were negligible—nothing I couldn't handle, so I'd let it slide. But who could've predicted that the moment night fell, it would erupt like this?
Still, for a former Necromancer King, this was embarrassing.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Crunch.
Crunch.
"……."
"……."
We descended the mountain path in silence. In the suffocating quiet, only the sound of fallen leaves and gravel crunching under our shoes echoed through the woods.
I glanced back. Mirinae had even forgotten about the stream, blankly trailing behind me.
"Mirinae."
"Y-Yeah?"
"You said earlier this Gwiam Reservoir was a viewer recommendation, right?"
"Uh, y-yeah. It was."
"Remember what that viewer said?"
"Well……."
Mirinae pressed her furrowed brow, rummaging through her memories.
"Hmm……."
"……."
"……This is weird."
"What is?"
"I can't remember."
She clawed at her hair in agony.
"I remember getting the recommendation from that viewer, and the second I did, I was like, 'This is it!' and came straight here. Yeah, that's clear. But…… everything else? Blank!"
Her pupils trembled like there was an earthquake. Her breathing grew ragged as she clutched her pounding chest.
"The viewer's name, what time they recommended it…… Why I accepted it so casually, why I thought it was a great idea—it's all gone!!"
"……Haa."
"Seorin, what's happening? What happened to me? D-Did I…… get possessed or something?"
"Mirinae!"
Thud.
I tapped her shoulder, and she jerked her head up from where it had drooped. Her forehead glistened with cold sweat.
"Calm down."
"Seorin……."
"I'm right here. Don't worry. Nothing's gonna happen."
I wiped the sweat from her brow with my sleeve, speaking in the gentlest tone I could muster. Only then did color start returning to her pale face.
"Let's go."
"Yeah……."
Soon, we reached the mountain entrance. The van we'd taken up Gwiam Mountain was still waiting there. And in front of it, Mirinae's manager—the guy who'd driven us—was smoking when he spotted us. He jumped in surprise, hastily tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out.
"Kids! Why are you back already? You had like 2, 3 more hours, right?"
"Plans changed. We're heading back now."
"Now?"
"Yes, now."
I got Mirinae into the back first, then took the passenger seat. The manager slid into the driver's seat and turned the ignition, but his face screamed Is this really okay? Not my problem.
"Home."
"Got it."
Vrooom!
The van peeled out fast, and as the mountain entrance—and the Death Qi spilling from Gwiam Reservoir all the way down—faded into the distance, the tension finally eased. I let out the breath I'd been holding.
Gwiam Reservoir. I'd already penciled it at the top of my haunted spot list for later, but this intense? Good thing we came before nightfall. We escaped before 'they' got any stronger.
Or…… if we'd come at night, would we have turned back at the entrance?
"Hey, Seorin."
"Yeah?"
Mirinae called from the back, her voice tentative.
"Can you explain now? Why'd we bail on the mountain? What happened at Gwiam Reservoir?"
"Ah—that."
I leaned back against the seat, closing my eyes casually.
"Too dangerous."
"Huh? Dangerous?"
"Yeah."
Swallowing my rising disgust, I continued.
"Yeah, Death Qi…… or maybe ghost qi is easier to understand."
Even back in my ordinary necromancer days, I never ran like this. My pride stung.
"The second night hit, ghost qi started pouring out of the reservoir at dangerous levels. If we'd stayed…… I'd be fine, but you? High risk for you."
"Eek!? M-Me?"
"Yeah. So let's call it for today. I'll come back alone later—hold up."
I turned to the manager driving.
"Ajusshi."
"Yeah? What's up, Seorin?"
"Forget 'what's up'…… Where the hell are we going?"
"Where? Your place, duh?"
"Sigh, Ajusshi."
I clenched my fist and smacked the top of his head.
Crack!!
"Eek!"
"S-Seorin?"
The manager clutched his head, staring at me in bewilderment. Following the ancient wisdom that seeing beats a hundred words, I pointed out the window.
"Look."
"What— holy shit!! What the hell!!"
Screeech!!
The van slammed to a halt with a metallic shriek. Physics did its thing—our bodies lurched forward—but seatbelts kept us from face-planting.
"Th-This is weird? I was driving straight…… When did this……."
"Hah, fine…… Not letting us go easy, huh?"
The manager gawked out the window, sweating bullets. I gnashed my teeth, muttering.
Mirinae alternated glances between us and the window, calling out cautiously.
"Ugh…… Manager Ajusshi? Seorin?"
To her, everything looked fine. Like our world and hers had split apart—unsettling her.
I crooked a finger at her.
"Mirinae."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Head here."
"……Huh?"
Mirinae stared with trembling eyes, but curiosity won. She squeezed them shut and leaned in.
Tap.
A light smack.
"Okay, eyes open."
"Huh? That's it?"
The manager shot me a super aggrieved look from the driver's seat, but I ignored it. Can't hit your friend-slash-sponsor, right?
"Kyaa! What the hell is that!!"
Then Mirinae, peering out, let out a shriek.
"G-Guys! Look at this!"
She swung her phone camera from herself to the window, giving viewers the view.
Yeah. Viewers unaffected by Gwiam Reservoir were seeing it clear as day. Without anyone noticing, thick fog—impenetrable, zero visibility—had swallowed the van.
"Well, not exactly fog."
"Huh?"
"Not fog?"
Both stared at me, faces full of What do you mean, if not fog, then what?
I gave a bitter smile and dropped the brutal truth.
"Souls."
"Eek."
"……What'd you say?"
"Those things that look like fog? Souls devoured by Gwiam Reservoir."
"Hiiiik!!"
"Kyaaa!!"
The manager and Mirinae shrank back, shoving themselves as far from the window as possible. Futile.
To me, they were visible. Audible. The souls clinging to the windows, their grating voices.
These types are the worst. One alone? Flyswatter easy. But dozens, hundreds? Tedious as hell to pick off one by one. Honestly, a massive pain.
"S-Seorin……."
The manager grabbed my shoulder, hands shaking.
"D-Do something…… please!"
"Manager Ajusshi!? What are you telling Seorin to do!!"
Trembling with fear, but instinct to protect her friend kicking in? She thrust her arm between us.
"You're trying to send her out there into that danger!?"
"But, but we have no choice! I saw her last video—she's good at exorcisms. Better than us, right!?"
"That doesn't mean you sacrifice her for us!"
"—Fuck! Then what!!"
Driven mad by terror? Eyes bloodshot, the manager spat with frothing madness.
"I-It was you! You kids who messed up!! I didn't even wanna come here!! But you lured me!!"
"A-Ajusshi……?"
"Y-Yeah. Right…… All your fault! You killed me!! I don't wanna die, don't wanna die! Don't wanna die! Don't wanna die! Don't wanna die!"
Drip.
The rampaging manager froze like someone hit pause, staring blankly at Mirinae.
"……Oh, right."
Crack.
A weird sound from his neck.
"Don't wanna die?"
His eyes bulged red, hand rising slowly.
"Then I'll kill you fi—"
Wham!!
I smashed his skull.
With everything I had.
"Gwaaaack!!"