991 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

What on earth is happening? His back was exposed—that was the least of his concerns now. It was the unexpected voice and situation that caught him off guard. 'Why...' How did his mother, no, his master end up here? He didn't need to see her face; just hearing her voice confirmed it. Immediately, his senses sharpened and his body tensed up involuntarily. What should he do? 'Why.' Why was she here, of all places? 'At the abode of the Black Leader.' This was the dwelling of the Black Leader, whom he had corrupted into a demon. He couldn't hide his surprise at his master appearing in such a place. What was his current state? 'What do you mean, it's a mess.' He had donned black clothes to mimic a Heavenly Demon and had altered his physique. “Hey? Can you hear me?” “……” Her voice made him swallow dryly. “Hmmm.” Her low voice made him instinctively realize staying silent wasn’t an option. “...Why aren't you responding—?” Before she could say more, he turned his body. "…Who are you?" “Oh my.” Her reaction was a mix of surprise as he turned to face her. Her eyes widened, and he could confirm it was his master, just as he had suspected. ‘Oh no.’ Even though she was veiled as she had been last time, he couldn't fail to recognize her. Under the guise of calmness, he was fiddling with the mask he held in his hands. His master, observing him closely, tilted her head slightly. Did she notice the strangeness? Just as his tension was rising, "Are you planning to go inside?" “……” She pointed at the door with her hand. Staring at it for a moment, he finally spoke. “…I was planning to.” “Oh, in that case, could you perhaps let me go ahead? As I mentioned earlier, it’s quite urgent for me.” She smiled sweetly as she requested, which made him frown slightly. Her gentle smile was reminiscent of the past, making him clamp his mouth shut instinctively. However, “That might be difficult.” Despite everything, words had to be spoken. If he couldn't act with expressions, then he would maintain a stoic face. It was a behavior adopted from past experiences. His face hardened as he gazed at his master. Her expression was strikingly peculiar to his refusal. What face was that? Displeasure from being refused? Or did she sense something? All sorts of thoughts passed through his mind. “Um.” She spoke again. "Have we met somewhere before?" “……” That question almost made him grimace. Could she not recognize him? Even though he used a disguise technique to alter his face, failing to recognize him... ‘Is even a master’s presence this oblivious?’ Was she pretending not to recognize him despite knowing? He contemplated this idea. ‘But who knows?’ From her demeanor, it didn't seem so. He wasn't entirely certain, but the feeling he got was just that. “I don't believe so. This is my first time seeing you.” “Hmm… Is that so?” She tilted her head again, then slowly reached out towards him. As her hand extended, he hesitated. Should he push it away? It was slow enough for him to do so, but for now, he stayed still. He wanted to decipher her intention. She reached her hand out but halted it near his cheek. What was that? Was she intending to touch him? As he fixed his gaze on her hand, wondering what she was trying to do, “Oh, I apologize. That was automatic.” “……” Her face turned sheepish as she withdrew her hand. "Strange. I feel like I've seen you somewhere." "…If you have no further business, may I go inside first?" “Ah.” Just as she nodded, “But you know.” Before he could feel relieved, she grabbed his arm again. "Are you working here by any chance?" The question made him pause. Was she asking if he worked here? After a brief thought, he answered. There couldn’t be a delay in the response. “No, I am not.” “Hm, I see. Are you a guest then?” “Something like that.” With a satisfied nod from his master, he questioned internally if he had sufficed her curiosity. Perhaps it had worked? “But why don't you find me suspicious?” Her sharp inquiry startled him. “...!” His breath almost fell apart. Though her voice retained its gentleness, the air around them seemed to shift slightly. Until recently, he wouldn’t have sensed it. Perhaps it went unnoticed during the day, only presenting itself now under the night’s veil. His heightened senses were suddenly on high alert. Warning him. A wrong move here could lead to dire consequences. Stay vigilant. Be cautious, his instincts frantically warned. With adrenaline coursing through him, his brain whirred to assess every possibility. "There must be someone important here. Yet, you didn’t react when I approached?" Why hadn’t he questioned her identity when she said she would enter? Cold perspiration trickled down his back. If he said something wrong here, it might lead to disaster. Thus, he carefully phrased his next words after a brief consideration. “I merely came as a guest and seeing someone wandering so peacefully, I judged you to be a guest as well. Was I mistaken?” “Hmmm.” His explanation made her eyes narrow slightly. He had desperately crafted a hastily spun tale. Would it work? What if it didn’t? Should he fight? '...With my mother?' Even if she couldn’t remember and had become a threat, Would he really need to fight his own mother? Winning or losing held no appeal to him. A rejection welled up deep within him. Yet. He slowly tightened his grip on his out-of-sight clenched hands. If it had to be done, he couldn’t retreat. Even if victory seemed impossible, dying without lifting a finger wasn’t an option. With this thought, he began focusing energy towards his heart. "Alright then." With those words, she turned on her heel, moving smoothly, almost like a gentle breeze suited to the word "graceful." "It's urgent for me too, but seeing as it's urgent for you as well, I'll let you go ahead. Besides, I'm late anyway." “……” She walked away, her steps dainty and light, embodying the very essence of grace. “Take care. Whoever you are… ah.” She paused and looked back at him. “If you can, could you pass on a message?” Her face beamed with a smile as delicate as a beautiful flower, reminiscent of the mother he remembered. “When the next full moon rises, tell them to come up the hill.” * * * He stood there for a long time after she left, his heart still pounding ceaselessly, sweat pouring down his brow. “Phewwww…” Letting out the breath he had been holding, it was a sigh that had been knotted and bottled inside his chest. Even after exhaling, the tension gripped him tightly, unrelenting, as he stroked his chest incredulously. 'What was that?' What exactly was that? Despite failing to feel anything specific, he was paradoxically flooded with vast information. His senses, previously so keen, had been numbed by the shock of his master’s immense and daunting presence. Was this, too, due to the enhancement of his abilities after becoming a member of the Moon Tribe? Invisible things became visible. While he couldn’t sense anything particularly threatening from her essence, there was something immense and bound—shrouded like a faint aura surrounding her. ‘Something vast is bound.’ It was faint, almost transparent. The subtle yet intense aura emanating from her presence was both discomforting and overwhelmingly powerful. How could something so vague seem so immense? It was beyond comprehension. 'This is... not just strength.' It wasn’t simply a measure of strength. This was... ‘Elevation.’ Not merely strong, but elevated. An overwhelming presence so grand it was difficult to even lift one's head to face it. He had to recognize that from his master. “……” He wiped away his cold sweat. Had she truly left? Despite thinking of her as the same as before, seeing her like that made him doubt if she was indeed his mother. “Phew…” Exhaling deeply once more, he reached for the doorknob. He hesitated, unsure whether to enter or keep away. Creak--! In the end, he chose to enter. The door opened, and he stepped inside. Immediately, a presence inside turned to look at him, eyes widening, body tensing. "You..." The Black Leader regarded him warily. He had his mask back on. Observing the Leader’s physique, he confirmed, ‘The demonic energy is present.’ The demonic energy he had implanted remained intact. Confirming this, he addressed the Black Leader. “How have you been?” “……” “From the looks of it, not well.” This was the first face-to-face encounter since he had corrupted the Black Leader into a demon. His face was filled with wariness and hostility. The look on his face provided all the information he needed. ‘As I suspected, complete corruption seems impossible.’ Although he infused the Leader with demonic energy to transform him, it seemed making him completely obedient was unattainable. Was this a trait of the Moon Tribe? He didn’t know for sure. While this was something to ponder on, he set it aside for the moment and said to him, “Besides myself, it seems you had another visitor?” He referred to the master he had just met. “What…?” “When the next full moon rises, climb the hill. That’s the message she wanted passed on.” He mentioned the master’s words to observe their reaction. It sounded like a passphrase, so he expected some kind of reaction. “What does that mean...? The full moon, the hill… what are those?” “Hm?” The Black Leader’s reaction was unexpected. He wondered if he was trying to feign ignorance. He put pressure on his heart and questioned him again. “Answer me properly.” Wuuuung--!! “Ugh…” As the demonic energy activated, the Black Leader, straining from the pain, spoke again. “I truly… don't know what that means…” ‘What?’ The answer was the same again. Hearing it, his eyes widened. Not knowing? Then what was the point of passing such a message… ‘Huh?’ He stopped thinking and quickly turned his head. The direction in which the master had disappeared lingered in his mind. A chilling thought began to creep into his thoughts. ‘...That message.’ ‘When the next full moon rises, come up the hill.’ The words she had asked him to pass on. ‘Was it not for the Black Leader…?’ ‘…Was it meant for me?’ Did she somehow realize he wasn’t merely a guest? ‘Did she deliver those words with me in mind?’ A cold shiver ran through his mind. Turning his creaking neck toward the Black Leader, he looked past him through the window in the room. There, two moons were hanging in the sky. One was almost a crescent already. The remaining one would soon become a full moon. New 아우야 Sometimes... I just enter these modes... Maybe age has finally caught up with me... Vegetable Beauty +4 11.11 Perfect omega romaine lettuce on display. +20 11.11 Sharing revisions! 11.11 Request for the Night Series by Peng Yu-Jung +1 11.11 Don't pretend you're in pain, even if it's a lie. +6 11.11 Suddenly curious before bed... a sudden whim... +32 11.11 How many of you received it through pages by mistake? +3 11.11 Please, just read it already. +9 11.11 Kimchi!!! +5 11.11 The much smaller lettuce~~ +13 11.11 A rare taste of a short story The Best in the World’s Childhood Friend Chapter 991 (991/1059)