It is now nighttime when Song Dohyun arrives at the secluded place in the middle of the forest — Yang Semyon and Han Ruby get out of the car, staring at the structure before them.
"Did you really need to bring us here, Dohyun-ssi?" Han Ruby marvels at the place as she looks around, noticing that it is almost heavily guarded by the military awakeners.
"I mean the others were left behind—"
"Man... I was just about to send the seller a hundred more messages, but their account is completely down!" the leopard groans, his tail and ears were down while he and Han Ruby follow Song Dohyun inside the mansion.
Song Dohyun chuckles, "Don't worry about them, they can handle themselves. There's a lot of vortexes appearing in the city so I can't bring the entire guild with me now, can I?"
Once they've been granted entry by the guards, the doors open and Song Dohyun raises his palm, a signal that halts both Yang Semyon and Han Ruby.
"What is it?"
"I suggest you both wait in the living room, I have some business to handle in the backyard." Song Dohyun states as his eyes focus on the glass doorway leading to the back of the house.
Yang Semyon and Han Ruby exchange glances before nodding, "Alright then, boss." the leopard complies as he already went straight to the living room while Han Ruby follows him.
Han Ruby turns around for a bit and watches Song Dohyun disappear in the back.
"Why did he even bring us here?"
At the backyard, the crickets cry in the night, the garden is filled with lush plants and flowers that were carefully tended to. In the very middle of the path, there's an attendant and a woman in a wheelchair.
Just what Song Dohyun is expecting.
Before he could approach them, a man blocks his way — Graham Scott, a trusted companion of Song Dohyun, a fellow awakener, and leader of the
"Song Dohyun, good evening." Graham Scott greets with a short bow and Song Dohyun politely returns it with a nod.
"How is she?"
"Well... her state has been quite a disaster, but we've been doing our best to restrain her whenever she gets her outburst."
Song Dohyun nods and smiles almost with a hint of cruelty to its edge, "Is that so? Then, that's good. Keep her in control."
Graham Scott nods slowly as his eyes shift to the woman in the wheelchair, "Mr. Song, is it true that woman is..."
"No, she's not. She's Mary." Song Dohyun keeps his voice tight and firm as he stares down at the man in front of him.
"Why did you keep "Mary" alive?"
Song Dohyun almost laughed at the question, but he just keeps his arrogant grin and chuckles almost bitterly. "Because she has the ability to predict a subtle future every year, and now... I'm curious what she has this time. Besides, it helps us prevent any incoming disaster."
"Did she dream?"
"Yes, of course. We ensured that she will."
That news made Song Dohyun relieved, reaching out to pat Graham Scott's shoulder then tightening his hold onto him — he leans down to whisper, "Remember, don't share or tell this to anyone. Or I'll make sure your little guild won't be provided with the resources they need."
Graham Scott freezes as he nods frantically and shakes like a dog in the winter. "Y-Yes, of course! I won't tell anyone, Mr. Song!"
"Good, now run off."
Graham Scott obeys and walks back inside the mansion, leaving Song Dohyun with the attendant and Mary.
'What a good for nothing scum.'
Song Dohyun continues his walk to the stone path and greets the two with a polite nod, "Carmine, is she attended to now?"
"Yes, of course. Mr. Song." The attendant, Carmine, nods as she gestures to the woman in the wheelchair.
"Shall I leave you two alone?"
"That would be appreciated, thank you." Song Dohyun watches the attendant bow and leave them both alone, disappearing inside the mansion as Song Dohyun's expression instantly changes to something indescribable.
"Did you dream?"
"..."
Mary stays silent as she just sits there in the wheelchair like a doll, she had her vision long gone and the scars all over her face still felt stiff and painful even after many years of healing.
"...I.." Mary's voice came out as hoarse and dry, grating with Song Dohyun's nerves before he grabs her neck from behind.
"Speak properly, do you want to be mute too?"
"I-I dreamt! I dreamt!" Mary cries out in a whimper, but Song Dohyun refuses to let go of her neck.
"What did you dream about? Tell me, what prophecy have you dreamt?"
Song Dohyun purposely tightens his grip on her neck, making Mary wince and whimper from the pain.
"L-let go first! Please!"
Finally, Song Dohyun lets go and watches Mary with that cruel and determined gaze. Mary felt like she's being stared at despite being blind.
"The... the vortexes they've been appearing a lot..."
"Yes, I know that."
"There's... because... an... an apocalypse coming in the future…" she stammers, her entire body trembling.
"T-The vortex… it'll appear once more,"
Hearing those words, Song Dohyun couldn't help but just let out a humorless laugh before it died down quickly as it appeared.
"The vortex? The great vortex is coming back?" he clenches his fists, frustrated upon hearing Mary's revelation as he starts tapping his shoe to the cobblestone ground.
He couldn't accept that prophecy is true, but he knew too well that her dreams tell the truth.
"Surely, you can dream again? See if what you saw was true."
"I-I can't dream another one again, I can only do it once a year—"
Her words were shortly cut by Song Dohyun's long exasperated sigh. Everything went still and Mary almost felt like she couldn't breathe all of the sudden.
( "[S+] Mana Siphon" is now in effect. )
Song Dohyun activates his skill, draining Mary's mana slowly but painfully — it felt like Mary couldn't move at all and her body that couldn't even walk feels like it's in flames.
"S-stop…"
"What else? I'm sure it's not just the apocalypse and the damn vortex."
Mary huffs, her hand instinctively tightens on the wheelchair armrest, her frail nails digging through the texture of the arm pads.
"A hunter…" she trails off, as if remembering a core memory in her mind's eye.
"He'll be back."
Song Dohyun didn't need Mary to spell it out for him, he knew exactly who she's talking about.
But how did Eight survive the vortex explosion?
"Is that why Seo Hwigeon…"
'How'd he know that Eight was alive?'
Song Dohyun became convinced that Seo Hwigeon could possibly have a prophecy ability like Mary's.
Could it be more powerful than Mary's own?
"I'm sure you don't know how he also survived, hm? Well, then, I'll be going." Song Dohyun deactivates his skill, causing Mary to feel very exhausted from getting her mana drained, she let out a huff and then another.
"I'll be telling them to remove your memory about this, rest well, old friend."
With that, Song Dohyun leaves the backyard and returns back inside to reunite with his guild members. Yang Semyon and Han Ruby are chatting, but stop when they hear Song Dohyun walk in.
"Boss! You're already done?"
"Yes, let's head out now." Song Dohyun smiles politely before he heads out of the mansion first, expecting for Han Ruby and Yang Semyon to follow.
When Yang Semyon is about to follow suit, Han Ruby stops him, "Who's Mary?"
The leopard just turns his head and shrugs, "I dunno. Who knows, she might be the boss's wife." Then heads out of the mansion.
Han Ruby stands there for a minute, thinking about it and seems wary of Song Dohyun's "business" but she knows that it's not her place to know.
"Nevermind."
***
The moment Yeon Yujun enters the portal, everything collapses into darkness — gravity swallowing him whole, pulling him somewhere he swore he'd never return to.
And when Yeon Yujun opens his eyes, he finds himself lying down at the dry soil ground that unusually reeks a fragrant smell of flowers, but it doesn't even have any flowers or sprouts.
"Hn…?" he blinks, looking around his surroundings, it looks like he just time traveled back to the caveman era. There are mountains in the distance and all the trees are dead. No leaves and no signs of any nature.
[ The Olympians are staring at you. ]
Yeon Yujun flinches at the familiar notification as his mind begins to register what and why he's here.
He followed Seo Hwigeon here because of the little girl who got dragged to the vortex.
[ The God of Creation greets you. ]
[ Welcome back, Yeon Yujun. ]
'Is there any way to mute these notifications?' Yeon Yujun thinks bitterly as he gets up from the ground with a grunt, brushing off the dirt from his clothes.
Before he could start looking for the kid and Seo Hwigeon, there were deformed birds flying in the sky, their calls were wrong — distorted, grating, like something that had forgotten how birds were supposed to sound.
Those sounds alone made Yeon Yujun wince uncomfortably, his memories were starting to flash before him, making him weak in the knees, "I should've bought my pills with me…" he mutters, hands trembling slightly as he walks around the vortex's surroundings.
He is quite surprised that the Gods still had the audacity to greet him, considering what happened back then… where everyone said nothing and just watched every single one of his companions die.
None of them stopped Song Dohyun's betrayal too.
'This is why I hate to go back to being a hunter…' he clenches his stomach while he walks around and after a few steps —
CAAAAW!!!
Yeon Yujun instinctively hides behind the rock and when he decides to take a peek, he sees an unfamiliar man in wolf's clothing.
'Is that…?'
The wolf stands upright, broad and towering, grey fur rippling as it moves with an unsettling human precision. Long claws catch the light of the vortex's scorching sun —
Seo Hwigeon swiftly attacks the deformed bird in just one swipe, it was cut in half. Its sliced body falls to the ground, painting the dry cracked ground blue. Not only that, it's covering Seo Hwigeon's claws.
Seo Hwigeon huffs as he shifts his predatory red eyes towards the rock, "Yujun…" he calls out, causing Yeon Yujun to flinch from his spot.
'He saw me quickly?'
After a few seconds, Yeon Yujun gets up from the ground and reveals himself to Seo Hwigeon.
"Are you okay?" Seo Hwigeon asks quickly before Yeon Yujun could ask the same thing to him.
Yeon Yujun nods, "I'm… okay."
'I just hate being here.'
Then suddenly, he remembers the little girl — "Hwigeon! Have you seen a little girl?"
Seo Hwigeon tilts his head, "No, did she enter here?" he says, voice slightly distorted and almost animal-like.
"She did, we have to find her before she gets hurt." Yeon Yujun insists, already walking towards the other direction to try and find the child.
"Hold on – how about you? You look like you're about to pass out in any second."
Yeon Yujun didn't even realize how much he's hyperventilating right now, but he had no time to think about his own well-being.
"I'm fine, we need to find the kid."
But before Yeon Yujun can continue walking, Seo Hwigeon blocks his path and grabs him without any warning.
"–HEY!"
"You look like you're about to collapse if you keep insisting, hold on." Seo Hwigeon carries Yeon Yujun and he has no choice but to hold on.
"Don't you dare drop– WA—"
Yeon Yujun squirms and gasps when Seo Hwigeon starts running like a feral wolf in the dry land of the vortex while Yeon Yujun holds onto his furry neck.
The fur beneath his fingers was warm — warmer than he expected, and he hated that he noticed but still refuses to let go.
'This is so uncomfortable… But I'll fall if I let go.'
He is fast, really fast that it almost took Yeon Yujun's breath away. It's not his first time meeting a shapeshifter, but not a shapeshifter wolf!
Seo Hwigeon on the other hand follows his own senses, sniffing for any signs of where the little girl had been.
Before he could move to another spot, that's where they both heard a scream coming in the distance.
"HELP! HELP!!"
It's a little girl's scream as Yeon Yujun instinctively tugs Seo Hwigeon's fur, "That's her! Go!"
Seo Hwigeon wastes no time moving towards the child and the serpent-like monster who was about to attack the little girl.
( "[S] The Mind's Eye" is now in effect! )
[ VORTEX BOSS: (Lvl. 50) [B+] Crowned Jewel Serpent ]
'It's… it's just a weak vortex boss,' Yeon Yujun feels relieved when he views the profile of the vortex boss.
"It's just a weakling," Seo Hwigeon scoffs and arrogantly swipes his claw clean at the serpent, causing it to wiggle in pain and screech.
"HIIIIISSSS!!!"
Blue blood gurgles out of its body and Seo Hwigeon quickly lets Yeon Yujun down the ground and he wastes no time rushing towards the little girl.
"Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Yeon Yujun checks the trembling and crying child as she nods frantically.
"Y-yes, mister… T-Thank you!" the little girl holds onto Yeon Yujun like he could protect her.
In reality, he can't do anything at all. Even though he's afraid to be in this place, he can't let that show now. He has to take her to a safe place while Seo Hwigeon deals with the monster.
He really wishes he could help, but… something's holding him back.
'Maybe if we're back in the real world, maybe I still could.'
"Go! I'll finish this monster in one hit." Seo Hwigeon yells at Yeon Yujun and he nods, already running somewhere safer while he carries the little girl with him.
Seo Hwigeon shifts his focus back to the serpent who is now recovering from its wound.
"I'll finish this in one swipe."