983 (edited) - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

A tree. There was a tree. Not particularly large, but its lush leaves left an impression. At first glance, it looked like a plum tree, yet the blossoms were different. Catching one of the falling leaves, I saw it resembled a feather in shape. A tree I had never seen before. Its hue was a soft crimson-violet. I stared at it quietly, then shifted my gaze. ‘Where is this now?’ The space had suddenly shifted. A place I’d never seen before. A clear lake stretched out, and at its center stood the tree. Perhaps because the leaves kept falling, the ground was carpeted with them. The faint fragrance of blossoms tickled at my nose. Especially— ‘This scent.’ The fragrance around me was familiar. Where had I smelled this before? As I wondered, I turned my head. My eyes met Yarang’s, who stood beside me. Of course. This was the fragrance I had always smelled from her. The more I breathed it in, the warmer my chest felt. Suppressing that strange comfort, I asked, “Why did you bring me here?” What was the reason for bringing me to this place? When I asked, Yarang, as always, gave no reaction. “…When someone speaks to you, at least answer.” My tone sharpened with irritation. At that moment— Sssk. Yarang, who had been still, moved. My eyes narrowed as I watched. One could never know. Just as the master, with her memories gone, might have done something to me, this Yarang was no different. My guard went up immediately. But instead of doing anything to me, she acted upon herself. Her hand rose to grip her mask. And then— Click—! “…!” She suddenly removed it. Yarang’s hidden face was revealed. It was the same as before. She still bore the exact face of the Divine Sword. Brown hair and golden eyes. The only difference from the woman I remembered was her hair color. No— ‘Come to think of it, her hair had been brown from the start.’ This must be her true form. Recalling that, I looked at her and said, “So what.” What was the reason for taking off the mask? To do it so abruptly, I thought she might take some action. But she only stared blankly at me, showing no particular reaction. Seriously, what does she want from me? My furrowed brow did not ease. I spoke, voice edged with frustration, “If you’ve got something to say, then say it.” If you want to speak, spit it out. If you want to draw your sword, then draw it. Her silence, her indecisiveness—it was infuriating. Yet even as I spat the words, Yarang stayed still. Unable to stand it any longer, I took a step forward. “At least say somethi—” Fwaaah—! A gust of wind bound my feet. It didn’t physically bind me. My instincts simply froze me in place. A strange feeling washed over me. The petals kept scattering through the air, yet— ‘There’s no wind.’ No breeze stirred in this place. So what did it mean that the petals still flew? ‘This space is artificial.’ Not that I had ever believed it was natural. The real issue was— ‘What’s the purpose?’ Why had she brought me here? That was the important question. Hopefully, it wasn’t to pull something on me. ‘Damn it, my body’s a wreck.’ I was in no state to respond. My grave internal injuries were the biggest problem. If anything happened now, I would be in serious trouble. As I glared at Yarang with sharpened wariness, she moved again. This time, her hand reached out to touch the trunk of the tree. And then— Thunk—! Something suddenly dropped in front of me. Startled, I instinctively stepped back. My eyes lowered to the ground to see what had fallen. ‘What is this?’ It was a round fruit, the same crimson-violet shade as the leaves. Why did it suddenly appear? I looked at the fruit, then at Yarang with a questioning glance. “And what… exactly am I supposed to do with this?” A fruit fell. So what. Her intentions were impossible to read. But this time, at least, Yarang responded. She poked at the fruit in the air with her finger. That gesture… could it mean— “You want me to pick it up?” Nod. Yarang dipped her head in affirmation. At that, I turned my gaze back to the fruit. Was it really okay to touch it? I hesitated for a moment. But my arm moved anyway, without resistance, to pick it up. Sssk. Its texture felt ordinary. Nothing special. No different from holding an apple or any other fruit. “…So now what? Am I supposed to eat it?” “……” “…Oh, you want me to eat it?” It seemed picking it up wasn’t enough. She wanted me to eat it. But still— “That’s a bit much.” No way I was doing that. “Eat something when I don’t even know what it is?” Being dragged here was absurd enough. And now she wanted me to eat some unknown fruit? Ridiculous. Obviously, “There’s no way I’m going to eat—” Crunch—! “…Huh?” I froze at the sound. Crunch? Where had that come from? Crunch. Crunch. Again, and very close. What was that? Then suddenly, a sweet taste spread through my mouth. What the—? Panicked, I clamped a hand over my mouth and looked down at the fruit. There were three distinct bite marks. Seeing that, my eyes widened in shock. Gulp—! My throat moved on its own. Something slid down. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” No need to guess. I had eaten the fruit. How the hell did this happen? ‘Why the hell is my body eating on its own?’ Without my will, my body had bitten and swallowed it. Damn it. Should I try to vomit it back out? What had I just eaten? As I gaped in disbelief— Thump—! A reaction flared in my heart. “…!” I clutched my chest. It wasn’t pain. But— Fwoooosh—! A torrent of energy erupted from my abdomen. It surged upward, and my heart devoured it greedily. The energy being produced was enormous. And my heart was swallowing every last bit. “Kh…!!” The pressure alone birthed pain where there was none before. And with my injuries, it was even worse. “Ghh…!” Shaking, I dropped to my knees. “Haah… huff.” I couldn’t even form a proper groan. Yarang only stood above me, staring down silently. “You… what the hell…” What did you feed me? Why bring me here? I wanted to ask—but couldn’t. Rumble—! The energy only grew fiercer. ‘Damn it all…’ What the hell was this? There was nothing I could do but grit my teeth and endure. The real problem was— ‘…It’s Greed.’ The one consuming the energy wasn’t my martial art, the Demonic Qi Absorption Technique. It was my Authority: Greed. Why? Greed only reacts to Authorities. Why was it activating now? ‘Does this fruit count as an Authority…?’ But how could a fruit be an Authority? And why was Greed devouring it so insanely? This wasn’t absorption. It was devouring. Greed was endlessly eating away at the energy. Crunch. Crunch. Like a feast, it gorged itself within my heart. The more it devoured, the harder it became to endure. “Kh…!” Finally, my strained body reached its limit. Crunch. When Greed finished eating everything— Urp. It gave a satisfied reaction, and my strength drained away. My body collapsed. ‘…Damn it.’ Once again, I was losing consciousness. Thud—!! Gu Yangcheon’s body crumpled to the ground. The woman looked down at him, his breaths shallow and ragged. “……” She said nothing. Just as at the beginning, she gave no words. But— Sssk. Though silent, her actions changed. When Gu Yangcheon fell, she carefully stepped toward him. Kneeling, she drew closer. Rustle. Her hand reached out, pale fingers gently stroking his hair. “……” Once. Then twice. Though her face was expressionless, her touch was endlessly tender. For a long while, she simply caressed him. -I understand your heart. A voice whispered in her ear. Only then did her hand stop. -But it’s time to go. “……” At the words, she lowered her head faintly. Then she rose to her feet. There was clear regret in her movements. Staring at Gu Yangcheon’s form one last time, she finally turned away. She took a few steps forward, her toes brushing the lake’s surface. Fwoooosh—! Light burst forth, and the space shifted. They were back where she and Gu Yangcheon had first arrived. The woman lifted her head, gazing at the sky. The day was fading. Night was falling. It was truly time to leave. -Do you wish to see him a little longer? The voice asked. At that, the woman shook her head. Of course she wished for it. But she knew that would be greed. More than that, she knew the true owner of the voice desired it even more. She didn’t have much of a choice. Only look at him for a brief moment more. That was all she could do now. For the span of a heartbeat. In that fleeting time, she gazed once more at the fallen Gu Yangcheon. Then— Step. She lightly leapt, soaring into the sky.