Selina's Story
"What... what the hell are you doing?!"
I'd gone to the trouble of saving her life, but suicide was the last thing I'd expected. My shock didn't last long, though. I quickly pulled out the handkerchief I always carried for my sister and pressed it to the wound to staunch the bleeding. Then I shifted my gaze forward to check her condition again.
And froze.
"What the...?"
Unlike what I'd imagined—her turning the floor into a pool of blood, foaming at the mouth—barely any blood was flowing from the slashed wrist. Instead, a thick, black demonic energy was oozing out in its place.
...I'd definitely purified all the demonic energy with my White Breath, hadn't I?
I stared blankly at the scene, unable even to process it with my own eyes. Selina saw my expression and smiled again.
"The truth is... I was born from my mother, who was on the verge of death after being nearly consumed by the power of one of the Seven Eclipse Lords. It means the curse was already etched into her very soul."
"Then..."
"Right. Unless we resolve the curse at its source, the worst case is that a new Swelling Fallbirth could spawn from my body. Of course... even if that's not..."
The moment I heard those words, I instinctively drew the sword from my belt and swung for her neck.
But right before the blade touched her skin—just as it grazed her throat and opened a shallow new cut—I saw the Swelling Fallbirth's demonic energy leaking out once more. I stopped the sword dead.
"...Why'd you stop?"
"...Tch."
Her question twisted my face in revulsion. A boiling disgust and loathing surged from the pit of my stomach, grinding my teeth without me realizing it.
"You're the worst to the very end, Selina."
I slowly lowered the raised sword.
"If I kill you here, that damned Swelling Fallbirth seed festering in your body will take root right in Tarnass soil. And before I can crush it with my White Breath, that fucking seed will burrow deep into the frozen earth and hide away tight."
Selina twisted her lips into a crooked smile, like a child who'd guessed the right answer.
"Exactly."
She let her wrist—dripping black liquid instead of blood—hang limp as she looked straight up at me.
"And I have no intention of moving a single step from this place until you make your vow to the Creation God to save Talian."
"......"
That selfish stubbornness. Holding not just her own life hostage for her race, but the safety of the innocent villagers who'd taken her in. It was as vile as ever.
Fitting for a filthy thief. No—fitting for her kind, who sneered at humans whether they were being ravaged by demons or offering aid, always staying safe in the shadows.
No, just fitting for the ones who'd betrayed me without a shred of hesitation for their own gain.
And as those thoughts reached their conclusion, I realized one undeniable fact.
...I still haven't shaken them off completely.
I looked down at her slumped on the floor. I was so dumbfounded not even a hollow laugh would come. I just let out a deep sigh, suppressing my emotions as best I could before opening my mouth.
"I didn't expect anything from you anyway... but yeah, you're exactly the same."
I didn't even want to share the same air anymore. I spun on my heel irritably and stormed out of the hut.
Bang.
I slammed the rickety door with enough force to nearly break it, then pushed through the worsening blizzard. To calm this churning rage in my chest even a little, I headed for the village hall where Leysila waited.
The door slammed shut with a force that shook the ceiling, leaving only silence in the hut. Selina, who had held herself rigidly upright until the very moment it closed, collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Ugh... ugh...!"
A stifled groan of agony escaped her lips. From the self-inflicted gash on her left wrist and the shallow cut on her neck from Kail's sword tip, the pent-up Swelling Fallbirth demonic energy began surging out fiercely.
The black ooze writhed like a living beast, splattering to the floor in a desperate bid to sow a new curse into Tarnass's soil.
"No... stop...!"
Selina resisted with all her might, clamping her good right hand over the neck wound and yanking her slashed wrist tight against her chest. Though the toxic energy kept forcing its way out through the cracks, she rolled on the floor, desperately stuffing it back into her body to keep it from spreading.
But the pain only intensified. As if her bones were melting and her veins burning away, her eyes finally rolled back white.
Even then, she bit her lips until they bled, squeezing out a hoarse voice.
"Sorry... I'll take my punishment, I swear...!"
Her words, meant for the man she longed to reach, scattered futilely into empty air.
"Hate only me... please, keep that anger from reaching everyone in Talian...!"
The thief's atonement, leaping into hellfire of her own accord, crumbled away unheard in the cold, dilapidated hut of the ice plains.
It had been three days since Selina arrived in Tarnass. Just in case, I'd asked Leysila if she could wait here... but as expected, she had no intention of leaving my side even for a moment.
"You'll at least step back while I'm engraving the Oath Brand, right?"
I cautiously asked my sister, who was plastered to me like we were one body. Leysila hesitated for a moment, then silently slipped her arm free and stepped back without a word.
Once I'd confirmed she'd put enough distance to avoid the oath's effects, I dropped one knee to the ground, drew a dagger from my bosom, and sank into final contemplation.
No matter how pissed off and resentful I am, I can't just not do it.
I could ignore it all and just live well on my own. Screw the Swelling Fallbirth curse or whatever—I could die happy with my sister. There's no reason for me to take responsibility for future generations, and even though Tarnass gave us peace, that alone didn't obligate me to vow to save Talian or spare Selina.
But there was no real reason not to, either. It wasn't like this was something I'd started for personal gain or recognition from the start.
It was just something I could do. As the fake hero who'd stayed true from beginning to end for the one person who still admired the real me, this was my last act of strength.
Yeah... that's enough. Don't overthink the rest.
With my thoughts settled, I drew the dagger across my palm without hesitation.
Slice—!
Red blood droplets fell onto the snow.
"Hoo..."
I took a light deep breath, closed my eyes slowly, and began drawing up the White Breath from deep in my dantian.
Whoosh.
Soon, white energy and red blood intertwined in the air, weaving into a complex pattern.
"In the name of the Creation God, I swear."
I declare my will.
"I, Kail, vow to utterly eradicate the source of the Swelling Fallbirth nested in the beastkin land of Talian. Until this oath is fully fulfilled, my steps will not halt. Should I forsake it, may my soul find no rest."
I proclaim my resolve.
No sooner had the words left my mouth than the floating pattern began emitting bright light. It floated through the air and burrowed into my chest.
Sizzle.
A faint, scorching heat like flesh searing grazed my heart.
This is the sensation of an unbreakable, indelible Oath Brand etching into my soul...
I wiped the blood from my palm roughly on my pants, stood up, and turned to my sister, who'd watched the whole scene quietly from the side.
"Well... exile's over now. Wanna see the world again after two years?"
"Yeah."
As if she'd been waiting, Leysila scurried over from where she'd stepped back and grabbed my sleeve tight again. I lightly ruffled her hair and headed toward the dilapidated hut where Selina was staying.
In the carriage heading away from the Tarnass Ice Plains toward Talian. The cramped interior was oppressively heavy and stifling. Only the rhythmic creak of the old wooden wheels filled the space.
I didn't spare a single glance at Selina sitting across from me. Propping my chin, I just stared out the window at the passing scenery. As always, Leysila was glued to my side, taking in the outside world after two years through the opposite window—though her eyes were outward, her hands were busy fiddling with the thick calluses on my palm.
That was when it happened.
"Um..."
Selina, who'd been staring silently at her lap for ages, finally lifted her head and sneaked a glance at us siblings before tentatively breaking the heavy silence.
"You two are still always stuck together like that. Don't you care about what people think at all?"
"...What're you getting at?"
"...I mean, socially speaking, people probably won't look kindly on a brother and sister clinging to each other like that."
"......"
Don't meddle in our personal affairs. Or What makes you think you can do anything about it? I could retort like that easily enough.
But I just stayed silent. Simple reason: I'd already sensed it clearly myself.
Leysila's attachment to me was growing stronger by the day. And at this level, it was plenty enough to invite weird misunderstandings from outsiders.
Still, I couldn't force her away. If I pushed her off, she'd crumble—and without her, I'd crumble too.
So I just said what I could for now.
"We'll handle it ourselves, so butt out. You just think about how you're gonna clean up your mess when everything's done."
"...Yeah, right. Got it."
I shot back coldly and turned my gaze back to the window. How long had we been heading south like that?
Through the boringly peaceful scenery outside, something alien suddenly caught my eye.
Thick smoke rising in the distance—not just black, but an inky darkness beyond words. Even from afar, a prickling unease on my skin. Demonic power so foul it could pass for demonic energy itself.
"Was that just...?"
"Looks like it."
Selina and I locked eyes, nodding in unison as we confirmed the aura.
One of the demon remnants that slipped away right before we could crush the demon realm completely?
No need to voice it—we were thinking the same thing. I leaned out toward the driver's seat and snatched the reins from the horse charging straight ahead.
No reason to hesitate. The carriage veered sharply toward the rising black smoke.
...A comeback stage right after leaving Tarnass? Not bad at all.