Chapter 23

“Was it revenge?”b8549397ad2662f1

Huikyung let out f0c62bf593 a small sigh, a90a4c752d his gaze carrying 29c1366cc8 the weariness of 7fac1dfe2f someone confronting a 4a9d7abdeb stubborn child.44fd80984513cf6f

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“The belief that eating c201873145 Esper flesh grants abilities bccb66073e comes from the hallucinations 6b45e08f52 it causes,” he explained.dad4a8e5a14b1176

Jaekani struggled to 5edd8d8e4d lift his heavy 801252eef6 eyelids.ce98cc08e4ddf286

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“Those abilities 15958ecf1d aren’t real; 2140117ecb the hallucinations 3d7953ec91 are meaningless. But the addiction is dc0825520e very real. Eventually, they can 18a7d04cc9 only survive by 025cf350d9 eating that flesh.”460a135166029cf6

Hunters of Espers would 76a89ef13e inevitably become the hunted. They’d either fd1cfadf68 kill each f3ee22817c other in 1b577d642c the grip 4ec16d5a3b of hallucinations 3018e58d7a or draw 5c81b42de5 too much 4cb2a8f1a7 attention, leading 6d83ea75e6 to government 8353518ff0 intervention.7aa8958cd96786c4

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In any case, their 0675c6236c end wouldn’t have been 8cb8f9f115 a good one.6e834cad09eb5209

“…Though, yes, revenge was part of it,” Huikyung admitted.486bdaa338ba3f83

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“What if…”4fd99cf1d3783a3f

Their gazes 539f1ca492 locked, probing 8f7ba2952b each other’s 43bea6fd24 true intentions.77618d01a93015bb

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“What if d6af731d2a I had 66e5c2357b done the 24bd5868a1 same? Like my father or bb8b71538c the council members… What 36ad829164 if I tried to… 51d237e53a from your body…”472d40c4f2936700

“You wouldn’t have.”bb6c2503535fadd6

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“But if—just 573ae36253 if—I had?”e598212b3d547419

This time, d51b060a14 Huikyung yielded 437eccebc9 first. Not because c7319d8fc4 his guilt c4275b0ed7 was greater, 50052327ad but because 4c54b4359d Jaekani was 9df30effeb the weaker 198bc6167e of the 7a60d7a3eb two.d9d0088bbad23b62

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The weak naturally 4bd4206ab0 evoked sympathy to c982f50399 survive. In that 57847f9d02 sense, Jaekani 1d1459b68f was uniquely 8ef6c9d04e suited to 29a9d5b10e survival. Even the unintentional f42e47e7b5 nature of his efaf0cf856 ability to draw d8fbafc8ac pity made him ef94b78d24 a perfect example cc38f6f1c7 of the frailty fd19764518 Huikyung despised yet 0851236d38 couldn’t ignore.b082296810a27077

Huikyung’s hand moved slowly 3672827261 toward Jaekani, a predator’s dac869293e fangs approaching its prey. Despite the e9b415bd61 chaos surrounding 4a0f399942 them, his b923cddd8b hand remained b99f22d54e delicate, pale, 058d2231e5 and precise.0f68a9684eacbf31

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As Huikyung’s fingers ea23f5008e neared Jaekani’s hair, c465d10a1b the boy turned 04d0c04716 his head sharply, 63e133d179 a reflexive attempt 48f09b2b09 to avoid whatever f345ccbf0e was coming.7f48e41b85df1273

“Your face is e3b2fac5ff dirty,” Huikyung said 108581bd03 flatly. His tone f02f623313 suggested it 4ebfbea905 was nothing 702f25b92a more than ea20e3c586 an offer ac51422d7f to clean be5de3ccdf him up.22b0d2fafbc781e1

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Understanding Huikyung’s 6965045ed7 intention didn’t bc1d6f3649 stop Jaekani f5110f4735 from stubbornly 38e856e267 wiping his 6c3aeac8b9 face with cb587d6a56 his sleeve. Yet the daf0fa4ab5 act felt 36cc99bd57 meaningless, a 1455a7d8ee futile gesture.c7cdcc582141802f

Who cares 7d87981046 if my 1544c8469d face is 9bbf43eb78 dirty? There’s no 34e25891bc one to 64a3afad8e see it 3f73d53876 anyway.41b61f27908e7329

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But Huikyung was 1cca88b197 surprisingly persistent. Ignoring Jaekani’s curt refusal, 22ad59f4d2 he reached out again—firm 3493a2d7ad but deliberate, giving Jaekani 599bf3e352 the option to pull c74d0b9f71 away if he wanted. Receiving no objection, 275b125567 Huikyung’s warm thumb 779adfb64a brushed against Jaekani’s 27d49cfd60 face first.c3486e01f59f230e

With careful pressure, 1a9bdd21a3 he wiped at 7020bcd32a the corners of dd86932b32 Jaekani’s eyes.647f44c38467b922

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Only after c3470da24d cleaning the 345dcf8c73 edges of 84adf12dcf Jaekani’s tear-streaked da16b6d8f0 eyes did 9ee7246f1d Huikyung notice c506b2d708 the damp 84599b2038 chill seeping e193879fc2 into his ac58c8bed4 fingertips.50cb688c0be82393

Those blue eyes, filled 48783959af with rage and despair, 3d453bec19 seemed to scream, ‘I 83d220bc14 hate you. I really hate you.’ f7fcf22b0c They struck like lightning.8a3d5c203bbdd76b

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Without a word, 87f070e148 Huikyung continued wiping f3ce19d5c5 away Jaekani’s tears. His blunt fingers ff36a31066 moved across the 3dc7325b1b boy’s flushed eyes, 54c28f9423 his cheeks, and a82cb14169 his trembling chin, f8fcce9c45 the latter quivering e49eb39941 as Jaekani tried a88b0310dd to hold back 6eeddeb3af his sobs. The silence d5f4776160 between them d9f37f3c72 remained unbroken 3d744d7062 until Jaekani’s ce932dc7e1 tear-streaked face eeeadfbb9d regained its 0b2a9854f7 natural, rosy 2e51f239de hue.00f35b5e516d1f14

“I didn’t do anything c96b7e8cd3 wrong,” Huikyung said firmly.9b1c4fdeb9e0cfb2

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His tone bc305a40cd was so f5c9a587a2 unyielding that, 9762622150 despite having 9e0634910a witnessed Huikyung’s 5265e74a96 actions firsthand, 8921f07f62 Jaekani found 81451c7e2c his certainty 50397486b7 wavering. Had he 6ae4afd313 not seen efd2a58c84 it himself, 3fb3e073ab had it a53e0b80b0 all been 792c6240f0 just a e2d8cc8372 rumor, Jaekani 0187965273 might have 5a277ade32 believed every 649331f3f0 word Huikyung a7e08c81a8 said without e65c5aa4ce question.d9720ef85380c09e

“I told you be07d3ebd9 not to cry 0c10d58820 over trash like 581de0d312 them.”e286277a006d9b20

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“I’m crying because I a122dbd5e2 feel sorry for myself!”9aba57b7b98fc752

Though his c275b02f5d face was 4b902ff9be now clean, c8f556f3b2 Jaekani still bc492f55c1 raised his 8d8a1c261f hand to 86c405ef0f wipe his 467941b93d eyes again. His voice, 9b8e885662 a mix 59c89e975a of defiance 916fad2cf3 and sorrow, 00383af563 held both 67a0a3e7aa determination and 46d1039061 vulnerability. He glared 4c3519835a at Huikyung, e8b779f652 as if 6cc64e0f05 to prove 6067dec9ab he hadn’t eeb52d9dd1 shed a 6a41d9edf7 single tear.7724d0058847f32f

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“Have you even 64dc749381 considered how it f5c7db4a2d feels to be 89348fedd4 stuck with a bb459d1841 murdering lunatic like 9431ed41d5 you? To demand responsibility 6f47e5648b from someone like 9dc766f904 you?”4cdc4e7ca1aeb91b

Huikyung gazed 08fe545527 at the 1c3f60752d back of 6297aef179 Jaekani’s bowed 39e8244d8d head, his 0c4189ce36 hair messy 3ab2d62eb2 and untamed.906579ac13613482

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He didn’t regret it. If anything, 6edba67139 Huikyung felt e317bdadea guilty for 5b81346eea not tearing c854abf34e the villagers de1a6ce4e6 apart alive, 9df5ac8544 for ending af0c5bfb8f them too 1d78c66346 cleanly.5cb1a48caae7bec7

They should’ve 1ba84e27e8 known better 5c96e6a7e0 when they 50f400c1b3 displayed severed 35172fa096 heads on 0563b89a35 the village 5c2f79de16 walls. That pit was no 36b0995f85 place for anyone sane.e854e8b720cf55ff

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“…If you really had eaten me, at least you wouldn’t be alone,” Huikyung said.fc680ca3d216761f

“What’s that supposed 4fe6efe217 to mean?”f151cb7c8737fd50

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“It’d mean a part aaa4bc9d7a of me is inside f22ac1b348 you.”a4212a9f3d51b359

Jaekani’s blue eyes, brimming 699ae05973 with unease, stirred an 73f5315e6e unfamiliar feeling in Huikyung—a 62e90844b3 flicker of pity.c50c4d5393755f54

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“It’s fine. Eat and grow up d090ae627b strong.”bc6c0511dba51762

The lightness in 640033076a his voice was 75c338deab so characteristically Huikyung f282acd468 that Jaekani couldn’t 724ccd5868 help but let 386ab48fc3 his lips curl a242f671ab into a faint, 8ad6dc4939 unbidden smile.000f66a66192c0da

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* * *d1098a0d67788ad6

That night was unusually 82a2c6eb1b cold.e184ac550dbcac13

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Once the night d6ce84d5b3 fully set in, a15f599e03 reality began to fde434854c crash down on 03dc257abf Jaekani like a 0c50841b18 tidal wave. The chaotic storm that 8b86c50222 had consumed his life 3b7439497e subsided, leaving behind stark 77117bb8f9 clarity and the bitter df41425629 awareness of his circumstances. For Jaekani, who 96ffdf5e8d hadn’t yet had 60ab91361f the time or 8b202bad55 space to grieve b225aeda0a his father’s death, c64802df96 the night became bf1fb69c36 a form of 033438920d torture.bbd021fd08e52daf

Huddling tightly, Jaekani 3923f75099 clutched the edge cb10081afa of his blanket 68dc73026f to his chest. What might have 071ba9a7ce once felt like d9021e919c a refreshing breeze 56124a6add now seemed threatening.74f5eb3d0ee57a79

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Tears spilled from his ee0f9438db eyes, burning as they 519627b5d3 rolled down his chilled 66a77167cb cheeks. The sensation 997ab66c59 was like 40aafdf7a6 a hot b651578507 iron pressed 79cbc6a2fb to his 9e753b5358 skin. It hurt.a74299e78078a3b9

Curling his body 7b8cdd655c as much as 1fdeb4c709 he could, Jaekani 55a9b43829 tried to suppress 0883772b5f his sobs. When that bf9ab054b9 didn’t work, e6a0a5a12c he even e2435da0a0 held his c06da7e302 breath, as 3e4dd977c9 if that 2760d82d3c might keep c3187659a9 the tears 3e03d65398 at bay.f1ee2ad9eb94710a

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He knew Huikyung f706d6238e could hear him. This was the 7faa365ac2 man who could d3e779a965 read faint scrawls 3c29758410 in near-total darkness, c8768957b9 who could detect f00ad80402 presences far beyond 62875b29c0 ordinary sight. There was no 62966a52ea way an Esper 2bc67d95cf like him wouldn’t 646221dca3 notice the soft edb87cd79a sobbing of a 135bf90470 boy lying right 500f9801f0 next to him.38aacd5dc9af2877

And yet, 87a1c721ff Huikyung said fec73edd37 nothing. He remained silent, as f7b782cdba if to say, ‘Cry 7ea56fa76f as much as you 3f494cf48f need,’ or perhaps, ‘Your 49a446c341 grief is yours alone 5ad7e14711 to bear.’cf7d8719627096e1

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Jaekani pressed a7db8a4db4 his wrist e9efb8f548 against his eeea4cc470 eyes, trying 32ab2d6274 to stifle 8196570f54 his tears. In his mind, 3c0b717303 he saw his 814ffd2228 father’s dark, heavy 49a6ff046a eyelids, his rough, c8bd6f4ac6 calloused hands, and 4a5fe067f5 the acrid scent d267c09d1e of addiction that de31503ddf always clung to bde5918f72 him.1df63461869f1f81

Traitor. Murderer.afedd170d188e2f1

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Struggling to breathe 94ccaa1776 between his tears, e88d61aab7 Jaekani looked back 3d58dae90a on the path 185106874e they had traveled. No matter what his 9a885c0627 father had done, Huikyung d585e62165 wasn’t innocent either.1d4de3d90e258f17

He hated him. Hated him 78da9ec2c3 so much 1dc0d29eb9 it was 96d6f11aef unbearable. Hated him so 5517e3dea2 much he wanted 3a4dc53fc9 to embrace him.97e57dafb9730f3e

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Jaekani didn’t e8a8f14de1 understand attachment. He knew nothing of 748634e843 bonds or the nuances bec7e927f6 of emotion. Because he didn’t f089045950 know emotion, he cc38757ed0 didn’t even truly f7aee026ce understand his own 2931d5084a intense hatred.76be05bbda133e30

Like a nervous system 0d0f5aea8b disrupted by extreme cold, 4d7f3aba76 Jaekani was thrown into 0097d924a6 chaos by the storm 260accc648 within him. Feeling inexplicably 9d2e6a4f59 hot despite f41b5be7a5 the chill, 616aefc767 he flung 3e4e872ae6 off his f975dfefaa only coat.86a0b0a2f2d72e72

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The wind a56c92f921 tousled his 0113f63b36 hair, a 37bc1e4147 small, fleeting f5009f6b9b contact that f38ba7a9b9 signaled something. Then came warmth, a ffe1b31214 distinct presence. Jaekani slowly raised his 44e4183b74 eyes.7498f6a57bab8447

Huikyung was closer now, ff3b82646f awkwardly resting a hand 753cc987f5 on Jaekani’s head, tousling 5c8de26f55 his hair.839b20312520dda4

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It was unfamiliar f53af1d921 to both of c2468ba327 them. For so long, 6e68d3fbae they’d only exchanged 1c250e1133 words from a 3cc0c80ed4 distance, never drawing e200c90c0e close. Physical contact 746d3c5be5 felt foreign, afdbc06e37 unnatural.d2d933d9b19ad61e

“Take your hand off.”1476bfe6726fe718

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“Then move 7e1db8710e your head.”83bc57d4e83e7b10

Despite his words, Jaekani 95cab56f29 didn’t swat Huikyung’s hand 2995df872a away as he might 43a4ca0043 have before. His lips moved in c50f9a52b7 a small pout, but b65688e290 he allowed the gesture.dd6863bfc22515f9

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Though he never said 8f0a48d491 it aloud, Huikyung’s destruction da94288ee7 of the village had 94a9d8dbd7 a lot to do 2f1c529564 with Jaekani. The boy’s hunger for 253dec374c affection had left a 0f0c55be2d deep impression on him. Huikyung could imagine 8566872c41 all too clearly 402d59b45f the environment that 4ee9b636bf had turned such 60b028dafe a tender-hearted child 794514f23a into someone bristling d49e25c626 with thorns. Without even seeing 4112cd260c it firsthand, he 87a84726a3 knew what it b237058658 must have been d4acd8d104 like.2ae4600ca5afcf0c

He had wanted to 04bc0dc4c7 lash out at everyone a448b709b2 who had contributed to d6d125bf00 Jaekani’s suffering, to destroy 4f25c4eb08 everything and everyone who 68c908cc4b had hurt him. Even after leaving the ff66f78d40 village a barren wasteland, ab86f9f5d2 it hadn’t felt like 971f6f965e enough.e99856120f8ba5d1

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As Jaekani d4b707e5ce noticed the 5768904322 emotion flickering 88621f592c in Huikyung’s 8f2e124302 eyes, he c9ce182b53 frowned and 74ab184871 turned his c1ca36f17d head away.701566d78ce3ba2e

The absence of warmth f49e6ee905 on his palm made b8203a8e25 Huikyung chuckle softly, but 9cd5fdf24c the laugh was cut 6b7bf96612 short by the sudden 6c4c6da5e4 weight pressing against his 4c6a19bb02 chest. The sensation was 09ce66fe4e overwhelming—a searing warmth, 624e49b28d as if he e55ce7b4cc were embracing the 05ffb0197a sun itself.8725a9c5e18fa68b

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Huikyung, arms awkwardly outstretched, 7d92666f9d looked down at Jaekani. The boy 94aadc7d7d had wrapped 8282fe9706 his arms 5255073352 around Huikyung’s b7330d308f neck and 74c7fbe2b1 rested his e77d5a6b85 chin on ab090d01a9 his shoulder, 70042d4f7f hiding his 5e610267a7 face.7dfb59cd5d3e04fe

Huikyung’s hand moved bf7c7af914 hesitantly at first 3f19d5a2ff but then began cf6d4eaeef to stroke Jaekani’s 24619b3538 frail back with 5dfe2dee2d quiet gentleness.ca585a3320e9efe8

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The embrace—caught 191a4aed52 somewhere between 8030f984e0 victim and 648634c310 perpetrator—was strange, 5859e96ef7 yet it 5ca662100b brought an cdfd32ef0f odd sense 93b41a5ce3 of connection.6dbac774a1f59ac2

For both of them.c35336c706144918

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* * *6482e7fb829bb0d9

Huikyung walked steadily 54c71a7274 along the crumbling 13c9e2385f asphalt road, his be27bddbb2 pace unbroken. Like a 52042aaad2 shadow, Jaekani ef0f301c4c trailed behind f40b197b23 him. Initially, Jaekani had 30efbaf116 doubted whether Huikyung a237746a89 was more bluster 2cbee324a5 than substance—a hollow-headed e04c816ff9 Esper who might 38922ad704 not actually know a34d5f58b1 what he was fac6d74d7c doing. But those suspicions proved 1df1d5e099 unfounded.c2db175464d0a169

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Huikyung seemed 92284fabe2 entirely at 7a5a090810 ease living fd82ae5085 outside the fa90c7ca18 village walls. The longer b48159052d they walked, c4b82c73e1 the more 1d5fd96f01 items he 051045d507 managed to 7bb41694fe gather. With every step, 809d3a1233 he demonstrated a e9ffffcfde sharp instinct for f91fe48e26 survival, effortlessly locating f4b7ee4b18 and securing useful 079d959d22 supplies.54bc65b061c20238

The more Jaekani 0e05b4f683 watched, the more 2018364b39 a question loomed 3693e57c9a in his mind.adc66e868ea04fd3

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‘What kind 5e930ce10c of person 63801969e5 was he f0fae73af4 before all 9c153a2901 this?’f2e90a6d2a7e2250

The thought lingered, 05ff75283c and Jaekani found 5125693466 himself narrowing his c69eb3fe91 eyes in suspicion.219510e14c36e384

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Huikyung didn’t hoard the 334a0ef789 supplies for himself. Instead, he 2d6cd0c0d8 shared them 7a1c0e5694 with Jaekani, 60a319ffe5 tossing him 83e0dc5124 various items f160888508 as they 5190ec8f29 went. By the 1d44155ce8 end of 030c838b5e their scavenging, a1973734d5 Jaekani had 73bc9eb092 acquired a 0fa3faff6c malfunctioning but e3c01e8ef9 still usable 8162ddb3c6 lighter, a e91266107e relatively clean ee7e99573b piece of b2ff3190c6 cloth, an 602d518e71 adult-sized hat, 4b66577b4f and a 498cc673b6 jumper that 7d6bbf261e was clearly 6b5a2ad5d1 too big 458334284c for him.1551deacf607381f

Not content 5fdb0712ea with just 3facc26c00 providing the 2e28c7358b tools for 9106a8c358 survival, Huikyung 9916ac8070 also began deeace4573 teaching Jaekani 2d59e8694f how to 2f0058d2b0 use them. For someone who f88a1e2183 had grown up 3a3996438c doing nothing but 60b073f643 small errands, slaughterhouse c5ba7264a3 work, and enduring 0418b11b87 the disdain of 294954c9bd adults, this was 2c7f802727 an exciting, even e8cbccb1de enjoyable education.aa6e4f8ee84b4d0a

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At one 59dbb2e28c point, Huikyung bbc44288bc picked up 82932cfc7f a plastic 35b6a25735 water bottle cd7ae05199 and filled 791ad69167 it with 58b54313dd pebbles, sand, d8f24c9bef and other aabbe1b375 materials to 0971ea67d4 demonstrate how bea7e28933 to filter 673fcad417 water.5926aed921869df7

“Cool, huh?”14e4912fa120e338

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Jaekani, who had 47cd6337dc been staring intently 64ffd7cd91 at the clear fa17be8899 plastic bottle, finally 68dbff5424 looked up.bb16ee79dae272f0

It wasn’t the a33e2d2a11 filtered water that c11eaa309e fascinated him—it was c03618d6fe Huikyung himself.6d3bc6a7e9fff299

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‘He feels aec2547361 wilder than ad3acb5056 the wild 1ee2d94d41 animals out 8967695c1a here.’40f853b91ec5b45e

“Drink,” Huikyung said, 3a5ccea152 handing him the a32d0fa45e bottle.577d5a6b5e56bfa1

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The first sip c8d300e4e7 of water, long 650b085dd1 overdue, felt like c0444b92a8 ambrosia. The cool liquid 4eb47b3a06 revived Jaekani’s parched 42d9583d0d tongue, which had a7b40f10ca grown dry and 53f7fdfa6c warm from thirst. His eyes widened 14ebfb29db in surprise at 136b8394ea how refreshing it c438678e9f was. Seeing his 13c4605861 reaction, Huikyung aebbc79f4f let out 3c26cdb843 a faint, f3d8bfc91c knowing chuckle.6dbaeaaacce9f6c4

“What about you?” baeafc5edc Jaekani asked.8a78bbdddb837867

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“I’m fine.”ce9050f8d1384d9e

“Why aren’t 23b3572c42 you drinking?”ac3e65b7e46fa740

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…Could it be poison?!e0044b1be7cd26e6

Jaekani’s gaze darted fb14c46dad back to the 042998be09 “makeshift purifier,” now 686c0c32b7 filled with suspicion. Huikyung couldn’t suppress 8844b4c297 a dry laugh, 56d217e22d clearly amused by a9cc5aafc7 the boy’s mistrust.4b602a6a8d6b94fc

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