1187 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A blurry vision. A world black and even blacker comes into view. Gu Yangcheon opened his murky eyes in that place. The world is a pile of ashes. Thick smoke fills every corner, and the smell of char fills his nostrils. He stands in that world, dazed, and surveys the scene. What's left? Here... what are they trying to leave behind? 'Ah.' He swallows back a voice that won't come out. What's this, again? 'I'm not even surprised anymore.' He has been through so much that things like this hardly stir him. 'What now?' What is it this time? He questions as He raises himself up. Nothing is visible. It's the opposite of a pure white world. The intense smell of burning makes him instinctively want to cover his nose. 'Hmm...' He glances around. With nothing to see, he wonders what to do. 'Ah.' In the distance. It's not visible, but it's felt. At the moment of sensing an unknown presence. Whoosh-!! A beam of light streams from his heart. It extends endlessly toward something far away. A line. Or perhaps a path. Whatever it may be, the meaning is the same. Come this way. That was the message. Realizing this, he slowly started to walk. There might be something if he goes there. Thinking so, he took a step forward. Swoosh-!! 'Oh.' The scenery changed. He wondered how far he had to go, but before he knew it, it was right there. 'What is this?' Upon arrival, it became even stranger. The connecting line was a magenta color. The subtly glowing hue wrapped around something. Something gradually built with threads. Seeing its shape, he frowned. That is. 'A prison?' It looked like a prison. Astonishingly, something was inside. "Grrrrr-!!!" Bang-!! Upon noticing him, the crouched creature rose and rushed at him. Sizzle-!!! "Keeyaaa!!!" As soon as it touched the prison, heat erupted and repelled it. 'What is this thing?' A creature he had never seen before. A monster? It did resemble one at a glance. Its size was about that of a blue monster. Much smaller than the red ones. It was covered in white fur. Its face resembled a wolf, and its eyes glowed the same magenta as the prison. The issue was. '……The aura.' The presence he felt from it. This was undoubtedly the aura of a master. The divine energy that Tae Cheon spoke of. That was what he sensed overwhelmingly in this creature. 'What is this thing?' What is it? "Grrr!!!" Whoosh!!! '……!' A tremendous hostility poured out toward her. The antagonism, mixed with a killing intent, was a level he had never felt before. Even the mere energy made his bones ache. What is it that radiates such a presence? "Ker……rrr!!!" Sharp claws and fangs. Standing on two legs. 'Six tails.' A monster bearing six giant tails. What on earth is this thing? What is it doing here, possessing divine energy like that? While she stood there, unable to comprehend, staring at the creature. "Release it." '……What?' The creature spoke, looking at him. "Release it. Do not flee from your karma." 'What did you say?' Karma? He frowned at those words. Whish-!! 'Ugh!?' The creature's tail slipped out, suddenly wrapping around him. His body twisted in the firm grip. Crack-! The strength that seemed to crush him was too strong to easily pry apart. What is with this crazy thing? 'Aren't you letting go!?' Why is it suddenly acting like a lunatic? He struggled desperately to break free, but it didn't loosen. The creature's clear gaze met his'. "Do not flee." "This is destiny." "Do not flee." With that, his body was dragged, unable to fight back. 'Damn it-.' Thinking he’d end up completely captured and helpless if it continued like this. "Do not escape-!" Slash-!!! A flash erupted. A dazzling blue light poured down, severing the tail that had ensnared him. "Kyaaaa--!!!" The creature screamed and, being released, he collapsed onto the ashen ground. 'What…?' Falling onto the ashen ground, he looked up. There stood the source of the flash that cut the tail. "What?" Startled, he clutched his throat. A voice that had not come out finally flowed free. There was no time to be surprised at the change. "……You?" The entity in front of her captured all of her attention. A figure wrapped in a thunderous aura, back turned to him. Somehow, it seemed different. Slowly, the figure began to turn around. Their eyes met. A blue jewel was there. Zing-! With an unknown pain, he opened his eyes that he had tightly closed. * * * "……Hah." With a gasp, he opened her eyes. He raised her upper body. His entire body was drenched in cold sweat. "What... was that?" What kind of dream did he just have? He flexed his tingling fingertips. The memory quickly blurred. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. It had truly been a vivid nightmare. 'What was that…?' A series of inexplicable, subtle emotions. Was it unease? He rubbed his stomach, blaming the churning within. It was as he was trying to calm it down. Swoosh-! "……!" At the unexpected touch, he grabbed the other person's wrist. "Ouch." A sharp intake of breath was heard. He looked at the person, and it was Gu Sun. "……What is it?" He looked at Gu Sun and asked. Gu Sun gestured toward her own wrist, signaling for him to release it. Only then did he let go. "You seemed out of it. I thought you might have a fever." Gu Sun spoke, brushing off her wrist as if it hurt. "Are you alright?" "I just had a bizarre dream… Are you okay?" It should have been her asking if Gu Sun was alright. "Me? Well, I'm just... a bit stiff." "……." Just stiff. Thankfully, it seemed there were no major injuries. Her energy didn't seem too badly hurt, either. A few days of rest should suffice. "But how did I get here…?" Hearing Gu Sun's puzzled words, she asked. "Don't you remember?" "Um… I remember parting with my sibling at the county… and then…." Zing-! "Ouch." Gu Sun winced and clutched her forehead, seemingly feeling a headache. Perhaps Tae Cheon had intervened at that point. "Ugh, my head… What is this?" "If it hurts, just stop. I doubt you'll remember anyway." "What do you know?" He lightly ignored the curt words. 'How could it come back?' It was the master's interference. No matter how he looked, there was nothing to remember. The issue was. 'What happened?' The fact that he, too, had no memory of it. '...Certainly.' He had attempted to focus his energy, with flames wrapping around his body, and then— 'No memories after that.' He didn’t remember anything after that. Judging by him being alive like this, did he defeat Tae Cheon? 'Hmm.' The location appeared to be inside the safe zone. Fortunately, it seemed he had managed to save Gu Sun and return. 'Did I do all of this alone?' Without memories, it was difficult to make any judgments. While he was racking his brain over this. Zing. “......” Something flashed through his memory. A blue flash. And electricity. Lightning energy. It came to mind. He shot up. “Hmm? Why are you like that? If you exert your body like that, it’ll become a big problem—” Ignoring Gu Sun's words, he walked out. He opened the door and stepped out. As soon as he opened the door, the attendant outside was startled. “Oh my goodness...!” Leaving the surprised person behind, he continued out. He planned to leap using lightfoot but— Crack-! “...Ugh!?” A sharp pain struck his head, the upper and middle energy centers throbbing. In agony, he fell to his knees. “Ow...” What was this? He thought his head was about to split open. Curious, he checked his internal state. “Ha.” He let out a small gasp. His energy was blocked. Even the minuscule amount he had was gone, leaving his vessel utterly empty. So that's it. 'The reason I couldn’t sense Gu Sun’s touch.' With his body so devoid of energy, his sensory abilities had naturally dulled. What is this? Why has the energy that was there suddenly vanished? '...Could it be.' The effect of focusing inwards, like a master? Did that one incident leave his vessel like this? Will the energy return? He couldn’t remain in this state. Given the circumstances, this was quite troubling. Yet, despite the worrying situation, his legs began to move again. As if there was a destination. “Please wait-!” The attendant tried to stop him, but he didn’t listen this time either. He continued running towards somewhere. Without the ability to use lightfoot, he was terribly slow, but his cultivation level was high enough that he had no difficulty running. He rushed as fast as he could and arrived at his destination. It was one of the places where guests were housed. Having visited before, he knew the layout. There were no guards. He entered, seeking someone. By the lotus pond, someone stood. “Oh my?” The woman who noticed him looked at him in surprise. “Baek Gongja. What brings you here?” Tipping her head as she looked at him was Hyun Soyoung. “......” He looked at her. She met his gaze with a face full of questions. The expression wondering why he came. “Hey.” “Hey?” Hyun Soyoung’s delicate brow creased at the sudden informal address. “Come out.” “What’s with the informal speech... No, where to? What are you suddenly talking about?” Hyun Soyoung reacted as if baffled by what he was saying, but his words weren't directed toward her. In truth, he was looking at her, but his words were meant for someone else within her. “You’re there. Come out.” “What are you going on about?” “Ha.” His frustration mixed in. Was it due to irritation, or impatience? He wasn’t sure. It was a blend of emotions. He summoned her with that feeling. Not Hyun Soyoung but— “Namgoong Bia.” Referring to the person within her. At that moment. “......” Hyun Soyoung's expression vanished. In an instant, her expressionless face remained. Ziinnn-! Her pupils began to glow blue. “Ah.” The same voice. The same appearance. But it was different. In response to his call, she spoke. “Hello.” “......” It was the greeting he had longed to hear.