663 - The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

Everything is burning. The once poverty-stricken but happy fishing village. People, homes, fields—everything was engulfed in flames. “Noth….” Nothing was alright. Collapsed buildings lay in ruins. Corpses strewn all about. Monsters feeding on someone’s tears and the blood of hapless victims roamed freely. A small child, terrified, was searching for someone. “Ok-bun.” From somewhere, she heard her mother's name. Yes, she was searching for her mother. The child sprinted towards home with all her strength. The closer she got, the more a strange smell enveloped her senses. A scent now too familiar. A fragrance that seemed paralyzing. The dreadful stench of blood wafted through the air. No. She shouldn't run forward. Going there would mean no turning back. Mom. Dad. Yoon-ho br.... “Ok-bun!!!” A voice filled with concern forcibly pulled her back to reality. “Huh?” “What's with that dazed look? Are you done clearing everything?” “This is…….” Cheon So-hee looked around, bewildered. It wasn't the scene from ten years ago. Corpses of monsters feeding on someone’s blood were sprawled around. It was the Baekho Clan. The beings staining the snowy fields with blood weren’t humans but monsters. Cheon So-hee barely managed to regain her composure. “Ok-bun. Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?” Ah, it was that voice. Cheon So-hee nodded towards that worried voice that had drawn her out. “I'm fine.” “You don't look alright at all. You appear pale. Have you overexerted yourself?” “I'm not injured. Is it over?” While handling the remnants of the Baekho Clan was easy, chasing the fleeing or hiding ones was tedious. Cheon So-hee had asked Yukiko to handle the aftermath. “It’s almost over! If there are no witnesses, it's an assassination! That's the way those weird folks like it, not exactly Yukiko's style! But it was a successful assassination.” “Weird folks?” “Met them when I visited Dongyeong. They say things like everything is allowed, or there's no truth, and they bring in assassins' blades from the West. They were saying bizarre things.” What kind of place was Dongyeong where Yukiko had been? Even Cheon So-hee found herself occasionally curious. —— “It's time to leave!” On the pristine white snowy mountains, red flowers bloomed. Under the silent moon, the cold winter wind carried the fresh scent of blood. The familiar smell of death drilled into the brain. “Go ahead.” Cheon So-hee of the Celestial Slayer wavered for a moment. “What do you mean by that?” “I need some time.” She had overestimated herself. Her instincts were drawn to the sweet scent, like ants drawn to honey. A struggling voice slipped out. “Gasp! Could it be a rampage?” “I don’t know. It feels different than usual. I feel… tempted.” The time had passed since she'd found the inner desire to kill, using the opportunity Yoon-ho had given her as a stepping stone. Thanks to that, she wasn't easily swayed by her frequent murderous instincts, but this time was slightly different. It felt as though the Celestial Slayer’s desire to kill was gently licking at her brain. Even Yukiko knew the dangers of the Celestial Slayer. If possible, she should be given time. She would flee right away. Cheon So-hee warned Yukiko, just in case. “What should I do? What can Yukiko do to help?!” “…….” Cheon So-hee was momentarily at a loss for words at the unexpected reaction. “Yukiko! Admittedly a pretty face, but staring too hard makes it burdensome.” “Run. As far away as possible.” She had committed too many killings at once. While she wouldn't be easily overtaken by the murderous will as before, precautions were necessary. “What are you saying! Run away! Is there no other way?” “Just go.” Cheon So-hee shook her head decisively. Did Yukiko realize there wasn't much time left? Or did she understand that Cheon So-hee was barely holding on? After a brief glance, as if she made up her mind, Yukiko nodded. “Got it! Please regain your senses and return to the village!” As soon as Yukiko vanished, Cheon So-hee entered a tent in the mountain with a faint scent of blood and immediately sat cross-legged. The murderous will was boiling. Although not her own, the intent to kill within her was in turmoil. The familiar scent of blood lingered at the tip of her nose. Where did it all lead to from here? The first time she sensed the dense smell of blood. That day's events. The memories of that day. Now, she had the power to stop what happened that day, but she could never return to it. [You can never go back to being that Cheon So-hee from that day.] It’s merely a brief self-satisfaction; you will continue to fight a lonely battle. “Cold.” Her consciousness began to sink. Why was she trying so hard to endure? “No.” It felt like something just whispered to her. Cheon So-hee shook her head violently. If she let herself be taken, she might never return. She didn’t want to become a monster. Amidst the oncoming torrent of murderous will, she barely clung to a lifeline. It was the gift Yoon-ho had given her. “Where did the murderous will……?” What was happening? The surging torrent within her suddenly weakened. Had she managed to control it? In a moment of inattention, her consciousness sank again. Drawn somewhere. Is this the end? At the end of her approaching despair, she saw someone. “Yoon-ho…?” It was an unexpected person. —— “Is this… a dream?” Yoon-ho, my brother. Is it a dream? Or perhaps an illusion by the Celestial Slayer? She didn’t know. Not knowing, she focused more on sensing Yoon-ho. Relishing in his taste and scent. It's strange. Z2dKbDJFSCtSbEo3WFlpUEN0eDQxVzRyME5yR0NsRG8wQnVSQlYxUit2NjI5ZlV5eHJkQkVMUHhVQlFJRW9aeg ‘A tangy taste of poison. The smell of morning hydrangeas. Slightly musky, but full of life with the scent of sweat.’ It isn’t Yoon-ho’s. Could it be a vision conjured by the Celestial Slayer's murderous instincts? There’s no way useless elements could be felt from Yoon-ho. Something bubbled up. It wasn't the intent to kill. What was it? Just as something dark was about to surge, a gentle touch held her. “Warm.” Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be within a hallucination. What she had just felt wasn’t murderous intent but her emotions. If she hadn’t lost herself, she wasn’t within an illusion. The warmth she missed melted away the emotions that had been boiling over. “Brother. Yoon-ho.” She called the name she longed for every day. "I'm doing my best." For the first time in a long time, she opened her mouth to confess to Yoon-ho. "I'm not giving up. I've got my fate firmly in my hands. As you said, I’m trying hard not to be defeated by destiny." I've found and grasped my own murderous will. Now, I’m not easily shaken by the Celestial Slayer's impulses. Good job. You've done well, my Soo-hee. As if understanding her very heart, a gentle hand patted her head. “But… But I'm a little scared.” Because of how reassuring that touch was, the fear she had been barely holding back began to spill out. “Even if I try my best to live, I’m afraid that day will come. That no matter how hard you and I try, that day might still come.” The thought of never seeing Yoon-ho’s face again was terrifying. “I'm not afraid of dying. I'm not scared of anything else. But someday… someday I might not remember you, Brother.” In the dream, she reached out to touch his face. The face of her brother that she thought of every day. The face she wanted to see again every day. “I'll run to you; I won’t be late.” “Yoon-ho, Brother…?” An unbelievable voice reached her ears. “I promise. I swear it.” It was the voice of her brother, who was fighting somewhere for her. “Soo-hee, you must stay strong.” A voice which seemed to say he would even overturn the heavens to save her. A voice that gave her a reason to continue this fight, to live without giving up. “Yes. I’ll wait.” The end of the dream was approaching. The time for farewell was drawing near again. Cheon So-hee responded to her brother's encouragement with a smile she had never shown to anyone else. —— “Ok-bun! Ok-bun!” A desperate voice awakened her. “Where is this…?” When had she lost consciousness? She was lying on the cold tent floor. “Get a hold of yourself! If you keep sitting here, your mouth will freeze!” “Yukiko.” Yukiko, having somehow procured firewood, lit a fire and checked her complexion. “Gasp! Calling me by my true name all of a sudden! It might feel a little odd, but fortunately, it seems you’re not under the influence of the Celestial Slayer!” Yukiko placed her hand over her small chest, exhaling a deep sigh of relief. “You didn't… run away?” “We did make a promise, didn’t we! I'm the guide for our journey! How could I flee when I’m supposed to lead?” Yukiko, seemingly perplexed by Soo-hee’s remark, responded with indignation. “Because you're the guide…?” But what if I had turned into the Celestial Slayer? When Cheon So-hee looked at her vacantly, Yukiko, covering her face with an embarrassed expression, exclaimed. “What, what is it! Are you looking at me as someone who doesn’t know the virtues of a rogue ninja?!” “……?” Did something hit a nerve? As Cheon So-hee continued to stare, Yukiko, as if conceding, shouted back at her. “Hmph! Yukiko doesn’t abandon her friends and run away!” “Friends……?” “Friends are meant to be by your side during tough times. Yukiko! If you keep making me say embarrassing things, I’ll really leave!” The rampage of murderous will, the dream of Yoon-ho, the Yukiko in front of her. Cheon So-hee couldn't entirely wrap her head around everything happening. But. [You can never go back to being that Cheon So-hee from that day.] “Ugh! Hurry and take my hand and get up!” The hand extended towards her. 一 I won’t be late. I’ll run to you. The words from her brother, who was fighting for her, seemed to answer the Celestial Slayer's murderous will. So. “Soo-hee.” Supported by her friend, the girl stood up and spoke. “What are you talking about?” “My name is Cheon So-hee.” Since that day, ten years ago, a name she found hard to share with anyone. She told her first friend. “Gasp……! Are you seriously telling this to me, Yukiko?!” Yukiko's eyes gradually widened in surprise. Cheon So-hee turned around as if it was no big deal. “Let’s go.” “Yukiko! At least give me time to process this heartfelt moment! Hmph! Soo-hee! I'm coming with you!” Though Cheon So-hee’s face remained expressionless as usual, for some reason, her ears had turned slightly red.