Cheol: What is this thing…? I've never seen such a creature. Every movement—it isn't just to kill, no… it's to rip our very souls apart. Even as it shifts, my body trembles… like th is is my last moment before some horrible end.
A Few Minutes Earlier,
Cheol: "Hello, open up!"
Alesha (voice from inside, hurried, half to herself): "Just a minute—let me complete this, I'll be there! Wait, wait… almost done, finding the seal… let's break through this path… dead end, this… another… another one… how many seals are there? Ugh—I'm out of gas. I need a break."
Alesha lifts her hands, removing the metal plates fixed around Inglen's head. The dull sphere stops glowing faintly.
Alesha (with a soft smile): "You can open your eyes now, Mr. Inglen."
Inglen's eyelids twitch open, his mind hazy and stomach uneasy. His thoughts jumble together.
Inglen's thoughts:This… it feels nauseating… am I going to—did they sell me? Drug me?In an instant, I force my eyes wide open. She's still here. Wait… if she's here, then I'm safe. Thank the Lord… they didn't do anything wrong. My body feels weak though… drained. What's happening to me? I should… drink something…
He tries to rise, but his knees give way. He stumbles forward—only to be caught and steadied by Alesha. She carefully lowers him back onto the chair.
Alesha (waving her hands, bubbly as always): "Whoa, whoa—easy there! Don't try to sneak out just yet. You need water before you even think of getting out, okay?"
Inglen (head bowed, voice low): "Ahh… thanks…"
Cheol (from outside, knocking again): "Hey! Are you all done in there? I need some ointment."
The door opens, Alesha pokes her head out, her eyes scanning Cheol from top to bottom.
Alesha (concerned): "Are you hurt anywhere? Show me where it is—must've been hard standing in one place, you should—"
Cheol (cutting her off): "Not me. It's Rumi."
Alesha: "Oh. Here." She grabs a small jar from the shelf and presses it into his hand. "Use this."
Without waiting, she slips past Cheol, moving toward the kitchen, calling back cheerfully—
Alesha: "I'll bring some water for him!"
Cheol takes the ointment to the chair where Rumi is sitting.He opens the lid and takes some on his fingers, ready to apply it on her. But he stops midway and quietly extends his hand toward Rumi, offering her the ointment tube.
Rumi (softly): "It's fine… don't waste the ointment."
Cheol (shrilly): "F… Fine. "Finish it quickly, finish it quickly, finish it quickly—wait…" where should I apply it again?"
Rumi: "On the foot and the cross-section with the legs."
Cheol: "Cross… what?
"Rumi:"part right above foot "
Cheol touches the foot and with a heavy press applies the ointment
Rumi; "aaaaghhn" [Rumi moans in agony] what is he doing , has he never applied ointment to someone , "do it gently fool"Cheol:"s..sorry"[rubbing his head in embarrassment] I did it again, gently -gently-gently
With a gentle touch Cheol applies the ointment on the other part of her foot
Rumi:"yess thats how you do it" it still hurts but its better than before
Cheol:"Done, ill keep it back"[speaking like a bullet train ]Rumi:"wait, another one on my forehead and my arm as well"
Cheol slowly moves applies the ointment over the spots.
Rumi:"thats how you do it"[in a relieved voice]
Holding a bag of clothes, a broomstick, and a mop, Gao reaches the entrance of the restaurant. His eyes fall upon the two. He can only glimpse them from the back. Already swayed by the mood of romance and depression earlier, his teenage mind begins to imagine things.
Gao: Are these two so lost in each other that they no longer notice their surroundings? Very well, I shall excuse myself. I quietly take my steps away from their moment and slip out of the shop. I shut the door and lean against the wall of the restaurant, thinking to myself — so it is you, Cheol, who has been granted the fortune of meeting a lady first. I would have traded a lifetime's worth of luck to encounter such an experience. Well then, I shall offer you my congratulations. From this day, you have stepped beyond boyhood and into manhood.
Gao left his things inside the restaurant through a window and quietly slipped away. Moving to the top of a nearby building, he lay down flat on the roof, eyes drifting up to the clouds. A small smile tugged at his lips as he admired the slow, endless sky above him.
Meanwhile, inside the restaurant—
Inglen: "It feels better now. Thanks for the water." He shifted slightly, his eyes narrowing in thought. From what I've seen, everyone has their own way of analyzing things. I should ask her… but what if she lashes out? No, I need to know what's happening. "Hey, miss. When Miss Rumi checked my brain, her style felt warm. But your style… it felt brighter, and lonelier."
Alesha blinked. What is he talking about? "By style, do you mean how you felt in that moment?"
Inglen: "Yes."
Alesha's eyes lit up. "Really? Are you telling the truth?"
Inglen: "Ah… yeah." Wait, is she angry?
But instead of scolding him, Alesha beamed. "It means you could feel our Ki nature! Inglen, you never stop surprising me, you naughty kid."
Inglen: She's unpredictably fearsome.
Alesha leaned closer, excitement clear in her voice. "You should've told me earlier! It took me months of practice just to feel Ki entering… and even longer to sense its nature."
Inglen: "Well, maybe I practiced before my memory was wiped out." I should try to sound modest here.
Alesha tilted her head thoughtfully. "Fun fact: your Ki also has a nature, you know. It feels like that of a powerful and strong person… but with a bit of confusion and a lot of fear. I really wonder—what is it that you're so afraid of?"
Inglen [shivering]: "That thing… it must be because of that thing I saw in the morning."
Without a second thought, Alesha wrapped her arms around him.Alesha: "Calm down, kid. You don't need to think about it. It's fine to forget."
Inglen slowly stopped trembling. She should really learn to hesitate… hugging me like I'm some child.Inglen: "Miss, I'm not a kid."
Alesha: "Oh? I forgot. Then again, I couldn't just sit by while you were shivering in fear."
Inglen clasped his hands together, his voice quieter.Inglen: "Ahh… so is it… done? My treatment?"
Alesha: "Not so fast, kid. I only analyzed what was buried in there. Don't worry though—your memories will return in a month's time."
Rumi's voice carried across the room.Rumi: "So, Alesha, are you done there? If so, could you bring him here?"
Alesha: "Perfect timing. I needed your help anyway with this."
Inglen rose slowly from the chair, his body still a little numb but steady enough to move. Step by step, he made his way toward the table where Cheol and Rumi were sitting.
As Inglen neared the table, Cheol gave him a long, careful look. His voice carried a note of concern as he asked,Cheol: "Are you alright, boy? Do you feel anything strange?"
Inglen glanced up at him. His voice… it feels reassuring. Maybe I can trust him.Inglen: "Yes… thanks for worrying."
Cheol rubbed the back of his head, awkwardly.Cheol: "Well… whatever." Good. I didn't mess up by trying to help him this time.
Alesha folded her arms, her tone suddenly serious.Alesha: "Now that we're done, I have something important to say. This boy's condition isn't difficult—it's strange. When I checked his brain, it was filled with basic seals, each one locking away a part of his memory. Whoever set them up clearly didn't want this to be an easy fix. I've identified one basic seal—something blocking some generic information. This is where you come in, Rumi. Breaking seals isn't my specialty, so I'll need your help to stabilize the transfer and prevent the seals from exploding."
Alesha placed her hands firmly on Inglen's temples, her expression unusually focused. Rumi sat across from her, palms pressed lightly over Inglen's chest, her brows furrowed in concentration. The faint glow of Ki sparked between their hands, weaving into a thin, unstable thread.
Alesha: "Alright… I've located the first seal. It's weak, but the structure's stubborn. Rumi, keep the flow steady—don't let it collapse."
Rumi nodded, her lips tightening. Already, beads of sweat rolled down her temples. The Ki thread flickered violently, resisting their attempt.
Rumi: "It's… pushing back harder than I expected."
Alesha bit her lip and quickly traced a small circle over her own wrist with her thumb.Alesha: "Switch to the Layered Flow Method. Keep your Ki cycling in two streams—one stabilizing, one probing. That'll keep the backlash from jolting him."
Rumi adjusted her breathing, shifting her rhythm. Her fingers trembled slightly, but the thread steadied.
Inglen twitched, groaning softly.
Alesha: "Good. Hold it there… I'll try and pry it open." She pushed harder with her Ki, sparks of light scattering across Inglen's skin like tiny cracks forming in glass.
The resistance flared again, and both girls winced.
Rumi gasped. "It's—spiking! If we keep forcing it, it'll explode."
Alesha grimaced, sweat dripping down her chin. "Tch… fine. Use the Breath-Siphon Method. Push the excess Ki into me—I'll absorb the recoil. Don't worry about me overheating."
Rumi hesitated, then followed the technique. A faint wisp of steam rose from Alesha's shoulder as she took in the backlash. Her body shivered, but her hands didn't falter.
Finally, the seal cracked with a faint echo, like glass breaking deep underwater. Inglen slumped forward, breathing heavily, though still conscious.
Rumi withdrew her hands, panting. "That… was only one? How many more are there?"
Alesha wiped her forehead, her smile wry despite her exhaustion. "Too many. But at least now we know—between my recklessness and your patience—we've got a chance."
The two girls let out a breath of relief, their hands slipping away from Inglen as the last shimmer of Ki faded. A brief smile passed between them—victory, small but hard-earned.
But before the joy could settle, a sudden chill crawled through the air. The warmth in the room vanished, replaced by a suffocating cold that pressed against their skin.
On the counter, shadows gathered. From them, a dark figure emerged, seated casually with its legs crossed, as though mocking their triumph.
Inglen froze. His chest tightened under the weight of an unseen pressure. That stare—piercing, merciless—he knew it. It was the same thing he had glimpsed that morning. His body trembled.
The figure rose slowly, each movement deliberate, unnatural. A voice rumbled from it, low and resonant, shaking the air itself:
"You mortals… You dare tamper with the Master's spell? For this defiance, you shall be punished."
It lifted an arm. The air split apart with a deafening crack. From nothing, a blackened scythe materialized in its grasp, the blade dragging sparks across the ground as it carved a fresh wound into the floor.
The room shook with the weight of its presence.
Cheol: What is this thing…? I've never seen such a creature. Every movement—it isn't just to kill, no… it's to rip our very souls apart. Even as it shifts, my body trembles… like th is is my last moment before some horrible end.