"What happened?"
"You see that van, it's from the predator's guild. They're heading towards the portal; the people must have reported the man. They'll take you as the culprit since you were the one who had any interaction with him in the end, and there are also witnesses."
"Let them be. I have something on my mind."
"W-what?"
"I want to make use of the reverse echo."
"Now?"
"Yes."
"You can, but m-master it is dangerous. Playing with minds is not a game."
"I know."
Si-Hun stood up from the bench and walked towards Kuro.
He stood behind him, the cold breeze making his silky hair blow up.
Si-Hun closed his eyes to focus and clenched his fists.
After a few seconds, there was a purple glow coming out of him, making him look almost…unreal
Kuro didn't notice him till the glow spread out, grabbing his attention.
"H-how did he know how to use it? He is great at his responsibility."
Si-Hun replayed the moment in his head; each moment followed a rhythm
He reached an unknown world, where there was nothing around, only a purple glow everywhere.
He travelled through a light source to a place called "Threads of memory."
He could see the moment happening in front of his eyes, the same, but with different perspectives.
Each thread pulsed faintly, echoing the thoughts and fears of those bound to it. It wasn't a place — it was a feeling
He could see it from everyone's perspective.
He clenched his fists and jaw harder.
And then said the word "Vanish!"
And in the matter of time, everything started to fade away, vanishing like dust.
In real life, he was sweating very hard, his body trembling slightly.
Kuro's eyes were tense.
He was very worried since Si-Hun had just reached a certain level of XP, and it was a dangerous skill for someone using it for the first time unless they had control of their minds.
But he knew Si-Hun was a man of strong faith.
He would do it.
Minutes passed like this, but Si-Hun didn't get out of that phase.
Kuro was now getting very worried.
He was walking here and there, trying to calm himself.
He was reluctant at first, but his fear took over his control.
He gently tried shaking Si-Hun a little bit, but when he still didn't snap out, he shook harder, but no response.
"Master! It's ok, you don't have to do it right now!"
But nothing came out from the other side.
Kuro fell to his knees.
"It's my mistake. I shouldn't have told him about this right now. I hate myself! What if he ends up disrupting his own brain!? No, no, no!"
Kuro lowered his eyes, staring at the ground.
His knees were digging into the wet soil.
He couldn't cry; he wasn't capable of it.
But something inside him just came out.
He could no longer ignore this feeling.
This regret, this utter sadness.
It was the end.
It was over.
But…no…it was not over.
Kuro noticed the glow fading slowly.
His eyes were half shut, but seeing what was happening, he opened his eyes slowly.
His eyes were trembling slightly.
It was not over, not yet.
Kuro, seeing this, quickly stood up and saw Si-Hun breathing deeply.
"M-master?"
"Kuro."
"MASTER!" Kuro said, relieved to the core.
"W-what happened??"
"You're…fine. You did it."
Si-Hun didn't say anything, just looked at him with that look in his eyes that told Kuro the whole story without ever hearing anything from him.
"I'm fine."
Kuro hugged him tightly, not letting go.
Si-Hun was taken aback by the sudden action.
Kuro had actually made a bond with Si-Hun that even humans are not able to make, pure and truthful
Si-Hun patted his back, reassuring him that he's fine.
"Master, you don't know how dangerous playing with minds is. One mistake and you're done for. You could never even come back from Threads of Memory if anything went wrong. But m-master, you showed incredible growth. I-it's not…possible."
"Everything is when you have control over your controller. Your brain, the biggest gaslighter."
"H-he's passed that level..., the level where he's...human enough to come back safe from Threads of Memory." Kuro thought.
He then broke the hug and looked at Si-Hun.
And surprisingly, there were tears in the corner of his eyes.
Si-Hun saw them, and his eyes widened, just for a second.
He didn't tell Kuro, though.
"Let's go home, Kuro. There's nothing more to worry about. I've erased their memories, everyone's."
Kuro sighed, and they headed home.
Si-Hun couldn't help but think about today's events, especially the tears in Kuro's eyes.
It was impossible.
"How did he have tears in his eyes when he isn't even one of us, a human. He is not capable of tearing up." Si-Hun thought in his head.
Si-Hun was shaken up by the events.
He wanted to digest it all.
The only way to understand everything was to reach Eravus.
He went to the balcony, away from Kuro.
He had the ring on his finger, the one Kuro handed to him.
It could access him to Eravus.
Si-Hun pressed it and swiped right to see the button for the portal that connected this world to his.
He clicked it.
Suddenly, the atmosphere became colder.
The wind started blowing faster, and in a few seconds, a portal, bigger than normal ones, appeared.
Si-Hun closed his eyes because of the bright light reflecting straight into his eyes, blinding his vision for a second.
He breathed through his nose and entered the portal.