1184 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

I was left speechless by Hyun So Yeon’s words. Who did what? “Missing?” “That’s right.” “...Who?” “Lady Gu Seon.” “...?” It didn’t make sense. No matter how many times I heard it. “...Lady Gu Seon is missing?” “That’s right. Ah, is my voice too quiet?” “No, I just don’t understand even after hearing it.” Missing all of a sudden? What was she talking about? It was after dinner. After returning alone from the Hyun, I was immersed in training. Jin Yeon Ryeong mentioned it would be nice to have dinner together, but today, I just wanted to be alone if possible. So, after being deeply absorbed in training, I came out to find this chaos. ‘No wonder the Gu household seemed so disorderly.’ In an unusually noisy atmosphere, I wondered what was going on. Hyun So Yeon, passing by, offered this information. ‘Gu Seon disappeared?’ Narrowing my eyes at the unexpected news. “When did Lady Gu go missing...?” “I’m not sure, but it just seemed that way.” “No...really?” It was absurd. ‘It’s not like she’s gone for days.’ Half a day. Not even fully past. Hardly any time had passed since I last saw her, and suddenly she’s missing? What nonsense is this? It didn’t make any sense. Something was fishy. ‘Strange.’ The conclusion that she was missing, the current atmosphere—all of it. Something was definitely off. ‘...I need to verify this.’ What could it be? I needed to investigate further. “Miss Hyun, sorry but I must leave quickly.” “What? Ah, yes, go ahead.” Hyun So Yeon replied nonchalantly. I moved away, leaving her behind. The destination was where Gu Sung Yeol was. I moved somewhat hastily. So I didn’t see it. “.....” The eyes of Hyun So Yeon, glowing with a blue light as she watched me from behind. * * * Upon reaching the residence of the Gu family head, I felt it distinctly. ‘It’s heavy.’ The aura in the air was dense and heavy. It was clearly not ordinary. The air itself was different, which meant something was amiss. Thud. I purposefully made noise as I moved, so that Gu Sung Yeol inside could hear me. I opened the door and paused as soon as I stepped inside. Gu Sung Yeol was standing there, but his appearance was unusual. ‘...The energy.’ There was an obvious fierceness in his demeanor. That was it—the very thing that was weighing down the air now. His eyes glowed red, sending chills down my spine. The air was so cold compared to the hot atmosphere, it was chilling. “Family head.” “.....” Gu Sung Yeol’s gaze turned to me at my call. As our eyes met, goosebumps spread across my skin. Was it killing intent? A chilling sensation swept over me. “What’s the matter?” “I heard something while passing by.” There was a rush of flames felt in the air. Nowhere was there an actual fire burning, yet it felt that way oddly. ‘The fire you lost to my great-grandfather is back, it seems.’ It seemed he had regained the power he lost. Whether my great-grandfather returned it or he reclaimed it, I didn’t know. “I heard that Lady Gu is missing. Is that true?” “.....” There was no response. It was fine; answers could come later. “The last I saw her was at Hyun. That was roughly half a day ago. It hardly seems enough time for her to be missing, so I came to ask.” “....Hyun?” His eyes pierced sharply at my words. “Yes. I was the last person to be with her, I believe.” “And you were with her?” “She asked to go to Hyun together, so we went—” Whoosh—!! Gu Sung Yeol lunged at me, grabbing my collar. “When did you part ways?” “.....” Under the intense energy, I grimaced. “...As I said before, half a day ago. Before the sun set.” I grabbed and released Gu Sung Yeol’s hand. “Which is why I find it curious. What’s going on?” Barely half a day, and in such a short time, what led to this? “It hasn’t even been a day; such little time, so what’s the problem...” “I cannot sense her flame.” “Pardon?” “I cannot feel the child’s flame at all.” “Her flame...?” What flame? It was an unexpected topic. Flame, really? It was baffling, but I could interpret it. Could it be... “...Do you, as the head, have the ability to sense the location of others who wield the Gu Flame Wheel Technique?” “......” Gu Sung Yeol did not reply. His silence was affirmation. Unbelievable. ‘What is this? You can tell?’ I widened my eyes. This was a serious issue. “...Is it your ability as the family head?” “I won’t answer.” “So, it’s true, damn it.” The family head could sense the location of others with the Gu Flame Wheel Technique. Ridiculous. This is... ‘Equivalent to a power of authority.’ A superhuman ability known as power of authority. It resembled that. Truly something I had no idea of. Could that even be possible? ‘...Then could Father?’ I thought about Father. Could it be that Father could always locate my position? ‘No way.’ Was that why during the disaster at Sichuan...? Did he come running so swiftly for that reason? But then... ‘In the previous life?’ Is it that he also knew my location when I disappeared? And chose not to find me despite knowing? ‘Why?’ I wondered but didn’t bring it up now. The important thing was that right now, Gu Sung Yeol could usually sense Gu Seon’s location but couldn’t feel it now. ‘He plans to act, perceiving it as a disappearance.’ He couldn’t sense Gu Seon’s location. ‘Moreover...he recognized me right away too.’ He could feel the presence of those with the Gu Flame Wheel Technique even from afar. ‘What on earth?’ If what he said was true. ‘Where did she go?’ Where could Gu Seon have disappeared to? It seemed like she was truly missing. ‘In such a short time?’ From the moment I parted with her to now. What could be the reason for her disappearance? ‘Kidnapping?’ Who in Shanxi would bother kidnapping someone of the Gu lineage? ‘I have no idea.’ If her presence has vanished, does that mean she’s dead? There was no way to know. ‘That’s why this guy.’ That's why he was in such a bad state. ‘He’s different from my father.’ Unlike my father, who probably wouldn’t care if his child went missing… This man was visibly shaken. Even as the head of the household, he was so unsteady. “Calm down for now.” Though he didn’t seem like he would heed the advice, I said it anyway. “If the presence is truly gone… moving the Gu family members won’t be of much help. You’re aware of that.” Who or what was involved remained unknown. If it turned out to be a human, it would be fortunate, but considering if it could be anything else? ‘I’m not sure.’ This world was full of so many ominous threats. Knowing there are beings that are not human, I couldn’t be certain about anything. Thus. “I’ll try to find her.” “…What?” Gu Sung Yeol’s eyes widened at my words. “Why would you?” “Indeed.” An involuntary wry smile escaped me. “Technically, I don’t really have to, but… something feels unsettling.” Was it our conversation earlier that lingered with me? Or was it because I saw Gu Yeon Seo in her? If not that... ‘If whatever I do leads me in the right direction.’ I had a feeling this too might have some meaning. “May I?” “….” Could I involve myself? Silence followed. But the stillness didn’t last long. He knew well that there was no time to waste. “Is there any method you have?” “Well.” I figured something would come up if I got to work. That was all I thought. I didn’t have any concrete solutions either. Perhaps... ‘It was destined for her to die here.’ In my memory. A presence unknown in the world I lived in. I didn’t know my father had a sister. Maybe her disappearing at this time was the right course of events. “But I’ll give it a shot.” I had to try something. My instincts demanded it. “.....” Listening to my words, Gu Sung Yeol briefly lowered his gaze. “…Please.” “Mm.” An unexpected statement from him. I scratched the back of my head upon hearing it. Now it was impossible to do things half-heartedly. “Alright.” * * * I left the residence and headed outside at once. I rose into the sky to survey the surroundings. The location was where Gu Seon and I were last seen together. ‘Hmm.’ There were too many presences. Where could Gu Seon have gone from here? I didn’t know. Of course, I couldn’t possibly know with so many people around. ‘Huuu.’ I extended my senses. They immediately stretched out and enveloped the entire Hyun. Strengthened senses thanks to obtaining the status of a master. It reached far, even beyond the Hyun. An onslaught of information bombarded me. From the wildlife to all the human details, all gathered. Could I find Gu Seon’s information in this? ‘No.’ I doubted it. With so many, how would I locate Gu Seon’s trace? It seemed impossible for anyone. Therefore, this wasn’t about finding traces. ‘Precisely not the trace but.’ I aimed to find Gu Seon’s very presence. Although Gu Sung Yeol said the flame had vanished, for me, I couldn’t sense such things. I just tried to find Gu Seon herself first. Sshhhh---!!! As my senses expanded further to locate Gu Seon’s presence, Tap. “Huh?” I sensed something. “What?” I focused my eyes. It was Gu Seon’s presence. Could I have found it so easily just like that? Bewildered by the ease of it all. “Found.” “I did.” ‘……!’ A voice I shouldn’t have heard drilled itself into my ears.