983 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

In front of him was a tree. Not an exceptionally large tree, but its abundant leaves were impressive. At first glance, it resembled a plum tree, but the blossoms were different, hinting it was something else. Catching a falling leaf, he noted its appearance was akin to a feather. It was a tree he'd never seen before. The tree bore a gentle, magenta hue. He gazed at the tree quietly before shifting his attention. 'Where am I now?' Suddenly, the space changed. He found himself in an unfamiliar place. A clear lake stretched out before him, with that tree standing at the center. The continuous falling of leaves had carpeted the ground beneath it. The subtle floral scent filled the air, tickling his nose. Particularly... 'This fragrance.' The scent was familiar. It was reminiscent of something he'd smelled before. He turned, and his eyes met those of the figure beside him—Yeon Ah. Of course, this was the scent that always lingered around Yeon Ah. Breathing it in filled him with an inexplicable warmth. Trying to quell the feeling, he asked, “Why did you bring me here?” He questioned the reason for his presence, yet Yeon Ah remained characteristically unresponsive. "…You could at least answer when someone asks." His tone sharpened in irritation. Just then... Svvv. Silent until now, Yeon Ah began to move. He narrowed his eyes at her warily. He couldn't predict what someone without memories might do to him, hence his guarded stance. Yet, rather than doing anything to him, she turned her attention to herself. Her hand rose to the mask on her face. And then— Click-! "…!" Abruptly, she removed her mask, revealing the face hidden beneath. It was the same as before. She still bore the visage of the sword master, with brown hair and golden eyes, a face different from what he remembered merely by the color of her hair. No. 'Come to think of it, her hair was originally brown.' Considering this, it seemed this was her true appearance. He silently stared at Yeon Ah, contemplating this revelation. "What am I supposed to do about this?" Why had she removed the mask, he wondered. Even though he'd expected her to act after such an impulsive move, she displayed no notable reaction. She merely gazed at him vacantly. What does she want from me, really? His frown persisted, laden with emotion he couldn't quite express. "If you have something to say, then say it quickly." If she had anything to convey, he wanted her to just voice it. If she intended to draw her sword, she should do so soon. Her unforthcoming demeanor was getting on his nerves. Even after voicing his frustration, Yeon Ah stood silently. Unable to bear it anymore, he took a step forward. "Talk already…" Just as he approached her, intending to demand an answer— Paaaaaa. A gust of wind came from somewhere, halting his movements. Though it wasn't a physical restraint, instinct had made him stop. It was a strange sensation. The petals continued to scatter, even though the air was still. 'But there's no wind blowing.' There was no breeze in this space. What significance could scattering leaves hold despite this? 'This is an artificial setting.' He had never thought of it as a natural scene. But that wasn't the issue. 'What's the purpose?' The purpose of bringing him here was what truly mattered. He hoped they weren't planning something troublesome. 'My body is already in rough shape.' He was in no shape to respond effectively, with severe internal injuries posing the greatest threat. Any escalation would be disastrous. As he heightened his wariness and tension, keeping a keen eye on Yeon Ah, she made her next move. Her hand reached out to touch the tree's trunk. Suddenly— Thud-! Something dropped in front of his eyes without warning. Startled, he instinctively stepped back, turning his gaze downward to examine what had fallen. 'What is this.' What had appeared was a round fruit, the color of magenta like the leaves. Why had this suddenly appeared? Turning back to Yeon Ah, he sought an explanation. "What do you want me to do with this?" The fruit had dropped, but for what reason? Though perplexed, when he looked at her this time, Yeon Ah finally responded. She nudged the space with the fruit playfully with her hand. Was she suggesting...? "Pick it up?" Nod. Yeon Ah nodded in response to his question. Turning his focus back to the fruit, he wondered, should he pick it up? He hesitated briefly, but despite his doubts, his arm moved on its own, reaching to grasp the fruit. Swish. The texture felt ordinary. There was nothing particularly special about it, akin to holding an apple or another similar fruit. "What am I supposed to do now? Eat it?" "…" "…Ah, you want me to eat it?" It seemed as though the intention was indeed to consume it. However— "I'm not so sure about that." Eating it was another matter entirely. "Why would I eat something without knowing what it is?" Getting dragged here had been strange enough, and now this mysterious fruit was to be eaten? The notion was absurd. Naturally, he asserted, "There's no way I'm going to eat thi—." Crunch-! "…Hm?" Mid-sentence, he froze at the sound he heard. A crunch? Where did that come from? Crunch. Crunch. It echoed again, closer this time. What was this sound? As he pondered, a sweet flavor suddenly filled his mouth. What... is this? Hastily he clamped a hand over his mouth, inspecting the fruit again. Clearly, three bites had been taken from the fruit. As he processed this revelation, in shock, Gulp-! His throat involuntarily moved. He had swallowed something. "Dammit." No need to guess what he'd swallowed. Somehow, it seemed he'd eaten part of the fruit. How had this happened? 'How could you eat it without realizing.' His body had acted on its own, biting into and ingesting the fruit. This was bad. Should he try to rid his stomach of it? Realizing the unexpected situation had him wide-eyed when— Thump-! His heart surged with a reaction. "…!" He clutched his chest with his hand. It wasn't excruciating pain, exactly. Rather... Whhhhhhhoooosh---!!!! Energy surged from his stomach, coursing up to his heart, as if the heart was absorbing it. The amount of energy being generated was immense, and his heart consumed it all ravenously. "Urk……!!" Such pressure would create pain even where there wasn’t any. Given his condition from existing internal injuries, it was more so. "Ugh……." His body trembled as he fell to his knees. "Haa… haa." He couldn't even swallow his saliva properly. Yeon Ah stood before him, silently gazing down at him. “You… what did you…?” What had she fed him? Why had she brought him here? He wanted to ask, but even that was beyond him. Grrrrrrrrrooo---!!!! The amount of energy kept increasing. 'Are you kidding me? Really?' What in the world was this? All he could do was grit his teeth and endure. To make things worse... '...The devour has been triggered.' It wasn't the Ma Do Cheon Heup Gong consuming the energy, but his ability, the Devour. Why? Why did the Devour, which only responded to abilities, activate now? 'Could this fruit be an ability...?' How could a fruit be an ability? Moreover, why was it being consumed so ferociously? It was fundamentally different. This wasn't absorption, it was pure devouring. The Devour was voraciously consuming the energy. Crunch, crunch! Like eating a meal, the Devour within his heart incessantly indulged in the energy. The more it did, the harder it was to endure. "Ugh...!" His body, which he was barely managing to support, Crunch. crumpled as the Devour ingested all the energy. Gulp. Once satisfied, his strength immediately waned. And thus, his body began to collapse. '...Damn it.' He realized he was losing consciousness once more. * * * Thud-!! Gu Yangcheon collapsed to the ground, his breath shallow. The woman observed him quietly. "......" She remained silent. As always, she uttered not a word. Skkrt. Her silence stood, yet her actions shifted. Until now, she hadn't moved, but as Gu Yangcheon fell, she cautiously approached him. Kneeling down more closely, swish. She extended her hand, white and delicate, and stroked his hair. "..." Once, then twice. Her touch was endlessly gentle, despite her expressionless face. As she continued to touch him for a while, - I understand your feelings, but... A voice whispered softly into her ear, causing her hand to pause. - It's time to go now. "……." The woman nodded lightly at the words. She rose to her feet. Her movements carried a tinge of regret. After a lingering look at the fallen Gu Yangcheon, she turned and walked away. After a few steps, her toes reached the lake. Whoosh---!!!! Light poured forth, altering the space. They returned to the place where Gu Yangcheon had originally arrived with her. The woman lifted her head to gaze at the sky. Time passed, gently hinting at the oncoming night. Indeed, it was time to return. - Do you wish to stay longer? The voice inquired. She shook her head in response. Although she wished to stay longer, she knew that was just being indulgent. Above all, she understood that the current owner of the voice wanted it more than she did, and knowing this, there wasn't much she could do. Just briefly gazing at him—that was all she could manage. At present, it was all that she was able to do. In that fleeting moment, the woman glanced at Gu Yangcheon, lying sprawled on the ground. Thud. With a gentle leap, she soared into the air.