The sky burned red that evening. It was the kind of sunset that made the world feel quiet, almost peaceful, as if nothing terrible could happen beneath it.
Han Jisoo stood at the edge of a wide, empty field, his hand resting lightly on the hilt of the sword at his side. The wind moved gently through the grass, carrying with it the faint scent of earth and something else, something unfamiliar and unsettling distant,something ancient.
Behind him, footsteps approached.
Slow. Steady. Familiar.
"You still come to places like this," a voice said.
Jisoo smiled faintly without turning.
"I could say the same about you."
Seo Kael stopped a few steps away.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They had known each other for years.
Long enough to fight side by side. Long enough to trust each other with their lives. Long enough that silence between them was not uncomfortable.
It was natural. Kael looked at the sword at Jisoo's side. His gaze lingered there.
"You still carry it everywhere," he said.
Jisoo finally turned, his expression calm.
"It's not something I can just leave behind."
Kael let out a soft chuckle. "Of course. The only weapon in the world that can kill someone like me."
His tone was light. Almost joking.
Jisoo shrugged slightly. "You say that like I'm planning to use it on you."
"Aren't you?" Kael asked, a faint smile forming on his lips.
Jisoo laughed quietly. "If I ever wanted you dead, I would have tried a long time ago."
Kael held his gaze for a moment longer than necessary.
Then he nodded.
"That's true."
The wind picked up slightly, rustling the grass between them.
Kael stepped forward.
"Let's fight."
Jisoo raised an eyebrow. "Now?"
"Why not?" Kael replied. "It's been a while. I want to see if you've gotten any better."
Jisoo studied him for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"You never change."
"And you're still too relaxed," Kael said.
Jisoo shook his head slightly, but there was no refusal in his eyes.
"Fine. Just don't complain when you lose."
Kael smiled.
"I won't."
They moved apart, creating distance between them.
The air shifted.
The peaceful atmosphere from before faded, replaced by something sharper, heavier.
Jisoo rested his hand on the hilt of his sword but did not draw it yet.
Kael stood opposite him, his posture loose, almost casual.
"Ready?" Kael asked.
Jisoo nodded once.
Kael moved first.
Fast.
Faster than any normal human.
His figure blurred as he closed the distance in an instant, his fist aimed straight for Jisoo's chest.
Jisoo reacted smoothly, stepping aside and deflecting the strike with minimal effort.
"Still rushing in without thinking," Jisoo said.
Kael smirked. "And you're still holding back."
They exchanged blows.
Quick. Precise. Controlled.
To anyone watching, it would have looked like a friendly spar.
There was no killing intent.
No real danger.
At least… that's what Jisoo believed.
Kael's movements were sharp, but not overwhelming. His strikes were strong, but not lethal. It felt like every other fight they had shared in the past.
Familiar.
Comfortable.
Jisoo drew his sword, but only halfway.
He never fully committed.
There was no need.
This was just Kael.
His friend.
Time passed.
The fight continued.
But something began to change.
Subtly.
Almost unnoticed.
Kael's attacks grew faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
Jisoo blocked another strike, his expression shifting slightly.
"…You're getting serious," he said.
Kael did not respond.
His eyes had changed.
There was no warmth in them anymore.
Only focus.
Cold.
Unfamiliar.
Jisoo frowned.
"Kael?"
No answer.
Kael moved again.
This time—
Different.
His speed increased suddenly, his body appearing in front of Jisoo before he could fully react.
Jisoo's eyes widened.
Too fast.
He barely raised his sword—
But it was too late.
Kael's hand pierced through his guard.
Straight into his chest.
For a moment, the world went silent.
Jisoo looked down slowly.
Kael's hand was buried deep in his chest.
Blood spread across his clothes, dark and heavy.
"…Kael?" his voice was quiet, confused.
Kael stood close.
Too close.
Their eyes met.
And Jisoo understood.
This was not a mistake.
"You…" Jisoo's breath trembled. "You're serious…?"
Kael pulled his hand out slowly.
Blood followed.
Dripping onto the ground.
"I've always been serious," he said calmly.
Jisoo staggered backward, his grip tightening on his sword.
"Why…?"
The question barely left his lips.
Kael looked at him without emotion.
"Because you are the only one who can kill me."
Jisoo froze.
The words hit harder than the wound.
"I trusted you…" he whispered.
Kael's expression did not change.
"And that is why this was easy."
Jisoo's legs weakened.
He struggled to stay standing, his breathing growing heavier with each passing second.
"…So this… all of it…" he said slowly, "was just to get close to me?"
Kael nodded once.
"Yes."
Silence fell between them.
The wind no longer felt gentle.
It felt cold.
Empty.
Jisoo let out a quiet, broken laugh.
"…I see."
His grip on the sword loosened slightly.
"I really am a fool."
Kael said nothing.
He simply watched.
Waiting.
Jisoo took one step back.
Then another.
His strength was fading quickly.
The wound was too deep.
Too fatal.
He knew it.
There was no surviving this.
"…So this is how it ends," he murmured.
Kael's gaze shifted to the sword.
The only thing in the world that could threaten him.
The only thing that needed to disappear.
Jisoo followed his gaze.
And understood.
"…You're not done yet," Jisoo said weakly.
Kael stepped forward.
"No."
Jisoo tightened his grip on the sword one last time.
"If I had taken this seriously…" he whispered, "things might have been different."
Kael stopped in front of him.
"But you didn't."
Jisoo looked at him.
For a brief moment, there was no anger in his eyes.
Only regret.
"…Take care of it," he said softly.
Kael reached out.
Jisoo's strength finally gave out.
The sword slipped from his hand.
Falling—
But it never touched the ground.
It vanished.
Kael's hand froze mid-air.
His expression changed for the first time.
"…What?"
The space where the sword should have been was empty.
Completely empty.
No energy.
No trace.
Nothing.
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"No…"
He stepped forward, scanning the ground, the air, the space around him.
The sword was gone.
His gaze darkened.
"…Impossible."
He turned back to Jisoo.
But Jisoo was already collapsing.
His body hit the ground softly.
Lifeless.
Kael stood there in silence.
For the first time in centuries, He felt something unfamiliar and Unease.
"…Where did it go?" he muttered.
There was no answer. Only the wind blowing across an empty field.
Far away, in a place unknown, something stirred.
And the sword waited.