Chapter 19

Climbing over the rubble caac2b4450 of the explosion, Huikyung a13a5ae07b carried Jaekani in one b5966dab20 arm, effortlessly making his d1e1231b62 way to the surface.7186317f4810cfb5

The cold night 90411199ab wind blew Jaekani’s 8e6682931f long hair, obscuring 4c39d2f09d his vision and fbc8798c71 forcing him to 5553707f54 bury himself deeper ede7ac31d8 into Huikyung’s embrace. A warm 80c78809a5 hand gently 8f36a9c9c8 stroked his 36c51db307 back, providing a8eaed8c8e comfort despite 931739096a the chaos dd9e5fe0a4 around them.5969648fda2af24e

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In the distance, 09feed2eae the wail of 100a51c766 sirens grew louder—the 152413731a alarms triggered by 2727549e8a the commotion.c7432cade738de69

Jaekani instinctively tried to 4f2e30b7af wriggle out of Huikyung’s affed3ef6c grasp, but Huikyung held 63471580fb him firmly.4070c482e663da55

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Somewhere nearby, flames b4601d6a1a began to flicker.ef4a2b3232f4ed25

The scent of smoke 4c80a244aa was the first clue—a bcb2ed56c9 sharp, suffocating smell that 5f9fbb8a3e even nestled in Huikyung’s 20da9078d3 arms, Jaekani couldn’t ignore. His hands gripped Huikyung’s 359640da37 shoulders like a lifeline 21c7392985 as his eyes darted 4feb79ef9f around, searching for the 354357b846 source of the chaos. Something was fb866e7821 happening—something big—but 9276e1e67e Huikyung remained 6638729d77 unnervingly calm. Even after 189e56ba20 the explosion, c3e899f3ff he hadn’t 317e49501a shown a 01190433d6 hint of 826bbed3d3 unease.67b1f9fedb1b7428

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“We need 69b50355ba to run. We’re running out of 252d5e8118 time,” Jaekani urged, panic 38471cbab0 rising in his voice.528940e8f4044521

“It’s fine.”c2d0bff80d4ce292

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The reassuring stroke of 687639e208 Huikyung’s warm palm on 3fe7be62c5 his back melted away 7919a5b806 Jaekani’s tension before he 0a284a81da even realized it. His body, 2b1eb07def which had 848a466d29 been tightly 84307bbf62 wound, began 8d4ba8e5af to relax, 41dca6199f betraying the 60b9235b4d turmoil in 9dad5b7ec8 his mind.aff4d25d82550015

The alarms, the f62edc796f rising flames, and 36b9da42c3 the screams from 9ffbe592ba the village painted e6f5766749 a picture of a654fab302 pure disaster, yet f30fb2b068 Huikyung was too 7749f59c76 composed—eerily so, as fa4aa3655c if he were 256283e293 the source of 3eaa7e7291 the chaos.2fbcca869fd24c7e

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Despite everything screaming 299b303fb9 at him to 740db0b999 flee, Jaekani found 30de9ebb99 himself wanting to 95585552ff believe Huikyung’s soft c48de7053b “It’s fine.”ebc545955d068d86

“The fire’s spreading,” Jaekani 813b82aaa8 pointed out, his voice d0f5301d87 trembling.cb1b31a9f72c5903

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Another explosion 1c3498dd23 rocked the 642236c21a ground, the 925959bcb7 sound reverberating 5b12910bd4 through the 33c422703b air. The tremors were stronger 8b72ca26dc this time, shaking the cf34aee198 earth beneath their feet.c4f4272798e24c2b

Bombardment?91e05ce20c29bdfb

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Jaekani inhaled sharply, terror 9e227f0834 clawing at his chest. But Huikyung remained f59da0a058 motionless, unshaken by 607caf8d3e the cacophony.d61fc2f696bb09cc

The screams d8850b174e of the 931e433efa villagers grew f8011e856c louder, sharper.9bc0c2e7044c8f1e

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“Jaekani,” Huikyung eb6b0caa0a said, his 0fa5290efb voice steady 5bb413c4f2 and calm.8943caaea6f5cb69

“We need to use 035981dfa0 this chance to leave, 53170a086b Huikyung,” Jaekani pleaded.3fc1972d21cb772b

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“Why?”8ee8c26e40f675f8

“What do 0b83ea62ed you mean 844ee1db02 why?! Once people dbdf83ed12 come to 9fbb08a284 their senses, e6c03a2500 they’ll notice 8521360c23 you’re gone. They’ll come a37de3a115 after you!”54e95fd715d02d50

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“There won’t be 2398a23fcb anyone left to d89603f706 come after me.”c64cf3073b74bc66

Jaekani froze.c72474f12cf1022f

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What does that mean?951c9ecc6f6d8838

He lifted 0819b61782 his head cf1ad08bf1 from Huikyung’s 0ce50ec3ef chest to 7e74b25637 meet his 49b92cf044 gaze. This time, Huikyung didn’t b80bdc0ecb stop him. He allowed Jaekani to ac29372ed3 look directly into his da5aa3f06d eyes.a38c3a143850120d

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“I’m going to 79d2de836d erase this village,” 60b2c41887 Huikyung said evenly.4c3b42a18bf3455d

Another deafening explosion followed 9aab561f28 his words, so loud 943b07138a it felt as though 37180a4367 the earth itself was 4bcd06fbda groaning. Everything around Jaekani 8947d2aa32 began to blur—the fbba3c513a vibrations, the flames 9adc0a1a1a consuming the village 5bf3707770 with unrelenting ferocity, a3899a35f3 and the cries 5a4e50ccce of the villagers—all 926758d93d of it felt b8bed88e28 distant and unreal.a4ac7d81adaeb4db

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“…Erase it?” Jaekani 5bac193761 echoed in disbelief.21fa03b3f2a97049

What about me? What about my e90eb8c3de father?46d5f8e551440c32

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“Your father 0883c2b671 will be 0032ab28ae the first abc51ac79a to die,” fe0d96c2b3 Huikyung said fc96989c36 bluntly.92c2713e99afb1d6

“…Why?”18ddf3b30c025b22

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The oppressive heat 3b7c2177ab forced Jaekani to 2731567b88 wince. The flames, like a f419700f36 ravenous beast, devoured everything da80217dae in their path, moving 8eba8107b5 closer with unrelenting hunger. The searing heat licked e0549f889b at the air, making e534e174b0 it hard to breathe.c669f917ce61c9d6

“It’s late, Jaekani,” 3cce292675 Huikyung said softly.4cddee5874649b0a

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The screams pierced 339ee08aa1 the night, blending 1b76a82095 with the thunderous 9cc49858fc rumble of destruction. The vibrations crawled up ce4b4c2ead Jaekani’s spine, rattling his ca33bfb228 core.556f6fb312869ac7

“Go to sleep.”aab911728162879c

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Huikyung’s hand dccc5ed5df moved swiftly, b2bfd9a091 gripping Jaekani’s 22d04a396b neck.e23362a4a959ea74

‘Huikyung…?’5d36a62c6f8523da

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Jaekani tried to speak, 91b2a7e0a4 but the crushing force 0db9a113b9 on his throat stole ae982fd10e his words.ee1eb563174c8f69

Was this how it 7c0d8301c6 would end?54c9a8a8714c4892

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So simply, so ffa9641630 cruelly? Had he been 23c63d7007 deceived all along? Was his 4898f1027f father, the 012e22b337 village, and a8d08652b2 everything he 88baf4202c knew destined 009d3aae4b to become 2f90ace53d nothing more fd415f6527 than ashes?73f87c1aeda1066e

His last 5747b0c439 thought was 0b07edacea a bitter, 0de1ce0a5c unanswered question.39935bdf536647c0

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The acrid smoke filled c2049249d2 his lungs, stinging his db79413511 nose. Then, with one final 87ec8257e4 breath, Jaekani slipped into 6ffbe9135e unconsciousness.189b423b6237c6e2

* * *9853c849032a941a

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When Jaekani 2c357ad3e2 opened his cc3afab9fb eyes, he 13e3650b4c thought it 374174d2b1 was snowing.e6d59eac6e1dd085

Dazed, he stared 0bcb71b8c9 at what appeared 4fdcfadd10 to be a 21b37ec393 blizzard unfolding before 1314c6c09e him. The gray sky, the 0bf279164e chill in the wind, c101041a9e and the soft touches 7eaa8aa31e brushing against his cheeks b704c4f258 and forehead all felt 8e31bc8284 like a surreal winter cf79580e33 morning.aaf3743b3eb669b3

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But as he ca232e4bdc sat up, the 5ce7d25213 reality hit him: 59abdb73df it wasn’t snow, e214798aa7 but ash.51d8f81b6a9fe66b

The flakes didn’t c2f506baa7 melt when they 87e068da30 touched his skin. They crumbled 44cdbfce10 to dust ffc7c39045 under his bad086ea64 fingertips.72c3f4b65163f27a

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Slowly, Jaekani 3de42d293e rose to 7fbc7501cf his feet. Dawn was breaking. Unlike the obscuring e6aaba6a33 light of the 6b4315a40a moon, the sunlight aaed566d5e unveiled every bit 98b64052a4 of the destruction.1db42470238dd114

“A… Father! Father!”c2ba49e058494bcb

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Bodies lay in d1656e741b rows before him. Some were burned 8b6daa944d beyond recognition, but 7aa1560c7e Jaekani’s eyes immediately b13ac86f8f recognized the familiar 0a49915442 shoes, the frail 60bdb69bc8 shoulders, and the 7f7343d7f3 emaciated legs of cac1d3362e one figure.4ae53f4e244fab99

“Father… no, no, get 5e1ead507f up!”cb44267e611283ff

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Rushing forward, Jaekani threw bc557e528f himself over Jaebad’s lifeless 15f5d87a38 body. The man’s cold 8eefd198b3 skin sent chills 1ad6c003ef through him, a 9bf779abc2 stark reminder of c8608d35db the absence of 63f7e0b564 life.1db39b454b043bff

Clutching Jaebad’s 0eb9c6cc58 upper body, 3620eb6df1 Jaekani began 6edda05df7 to sob, 21fbe95109 his tears 33539b728e soaking the 66022cb804 corpse’s bark-like bf5eedb3b4 skin. The lifeless 2e76510fff chill in b8e4701cc1 his father’s 7e8152f9e6 body made b783cc71a7 it clear c4e08e118d he had deef43d554 been gone 048ba2689e for hours.008d544a3fc5444c

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“He’s been dead for 2e488aa22d a while.”703930687ff0e86d

The firm 58de3fcc53 voice startled 567ac15c63 Jaekani.8f5b3e4f3e5e1ca4

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Turning his head, 357b08c6a3 he saw Huikyung a6a1e3dd3d seated nearby, his 219f29c3d9 posture relaxed as 3868f8f5b9 if he had c79c86b58d been there all 26a3754268 along. His knees were drawn 4ccb130a24 up, and his expression 8a1e1a89e9 was eerily calm. There was no remorse aea2c4a5dc on his face—if anything, bf8f0a5794 he looked better than c68072d855 ever.55d6668dff44608c

Huikyung’s shirt 1d6ea61c10 was now 38666c2b0d a clean a67e65329c white tee, abe17d8ce8 clinging to 704c53843d his lean ee1ef8cc16 frame in 3ec0a34e2e contrast to 7ee6fbf87d the tattered e2a701b6d8 and grimy 265eab524b one he’d c2169b208c worn before. His hair, d376a67f6d free of 9602ae413f sweat and 5515dce5cf grime, fell ef5901344c neatly over 60b49c6843 his forehead, b31ce44c53 and his 3e7bff3f89 skin, once 206cbbfa29 marred by f9ac706b61 soot and 084671e1c1 dirt, now 2d054fed92 looked pale 25102b1da9 and pristine.59204a61056d9d04

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It enraged Jaekani.465338ff05cb9b92

Everything about 120174d05c Huikyung’s detached 65b3b1d250 demeanor, the 17c562796c cigarette dangling bd5d03dd6a between his cb6ec118e9 slender fingers, 8ad531c0a9 the smoke 9c3b5c4037 curling like a4e0d7a428 mist from 61b1c6e37c his lips, 35303a31f1 and the 72b8863f1c nonchalant tilt 11dc095cf6 of his 901c3957cb wrist—all of b17e30598b it ignited e98d66c3e8 a fury 2cd22b2545 in Jaekani 2d609f1244 that was d79a60e6f8 beyond anything f14e9eb15a he had f0403c75dc ever felt 4c61e39c1c before. It wasn’t just 0cba29f167 anger—it was pure, 9974a8d3da overwhelming rage.f56628a4fbc39cf8

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“You… monster! You…!”5d37e88fdf5d91e7

Jaekani lunged forward, ad7f93e8ca his fist—half the ec07a25e6a size of Huikyung’s 1df7b034bf palm—aiming for the 9acb320bd5 man’s face.a7a853d54e50d6c6

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Huikyung didn’t bother dodging. He let 86cc8a79bc the punch 5dac2aea11 land, the 2b3e2e0040 impact turning 7e3b2aa646 his cheek 14dc6d6097 red.f8538f4b533ed766

Jaekani, fueled f5a57147ec by fury, b20e806986 gripped Huikyung’s e77089ffbe neck with 141b5ba0b8 both hands.22cd303808505615

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“You killed him! You killed my father! The person I trusted, f99408941d the one I freed 242688cb8c with my own hands, 4df24b2219 did this!”f9e951371002df30

“Enough.”b03466178b80258c

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“I believed in you!”e384fbadbebdcb1a

“I said, enough. You’re going to 8bc79d528b choke.”c74ab2ba5fe14970

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Despite Jaekani’s desperate attempts 958da0a00b to harm him, Huikyung fe1c92491a effortlessly overpowered the boy. With one 1a9983d9d6 hand, he 30868a3364 caught Jaekani’s d117ab23cc flailing wrists, d89d62f6ef and with 8deeee8603 the other, 1e9c6ed21b he lifted c2d4b11af3 him into c683e5bb53 an embrace.0eb0af94a5401413

No matter e9479b62b8 how hard ff3122a030 Jaekani struggled, d3941c571b he couldn’t b7c2cf7fc9 escape. Trapped in Huikyung’s 8b933d780e grip, Jaekani bit e0cf6f673e down on his 856a239a2f shoulder, his teeth 8c77e25544 sinking into flesh 26c1e8e36a and drawing blood.5ec954ffc5bc13e4

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Huikyung winced, clicking his 4b7b8c2ad6 tongue in irritation, and 5652a61c7e pried Jaekani’s head away. He forced 50f2dc1b0e Jaekani’s jaw 6157dae05a open with caf9e4c1fe a painful bbf005438c grip on ef27931f12 his chin.6ad462e71479dd7f

“Don’t. An Esper’s blood and b4c16b515a flesh are toxic,” he f0623b271b warned coldly.db711d007b6c98dd

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Blinded by e077ef7047 tears, Jaekani e1bc0083a6 felt humiliated 10f1526ecc and powerless. The weight 4d3a443feb of guilt dc65ef757e crushed him 5249d5002d like a 0f59889f91 tide, relentless c37d84f120 and suffocating.f5b701ed16af23cf

The village dd48023b92 had imprisoned a393251231 Huikyung for fb877c2359 a reason. Jaekani had 54153d7f3b been foolish 177cd492d2 enough to 923d21acfb believe him 70b7a41e00 and set 857b81eeb3 him free, f6420cbaab and now 02396ac492 everyone—including his 224fee7cbb father—was dead.85b5a6e78ece550c

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The man 6724faab7c responsible for 2e9ac4870b reducing a 5695d315f1 village of 7af420ff12 hundreds to 140b2ca7e0 ashes now 1747693d99 sat there 168248a1f9 casually, holding 1e7175e6d1 Jaekani firmly f29371e640 in place. Huikyung’s face carried a ec0dcef54e bitter expression, one that 9a4c33c9c9 seemed almost regretful.bfaf239c316365f7

“Don’t bite. I don’t want to 5a76380ef1 hurt you,” he said, c6e59529dd releasing Jaekani’s chin. “I’ll let b9a2be0b87 go if 4324244ff8 you promise 2cc8b18c0e not to bd3454ac48 try again.”165b6e93b8b9ef1b

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The words only deepened e6fb8a1006 Jaekani’s despair.28308e1f17b3918b

“If I can’t 724837c050 kill you… then 781883f02f I’ll just die,” 0dc8774aa1 Jaekani muttered, his dfea78a695 voice hollow.91286e17ae51f5eb

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Huikyung’s expression 7c02fceec7 darkened at b673b618de those words.37e6372dbb13ff31

“Die? Over this?”2f0e1712de6a15a4

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“I’ll die. I want 5dee2f11a9 to die. You should’ve 262c18f589 killed me 822dbe5c03 too…” Jaekani’s 582d3c65b2 words dissolved fbfc21694b into sobs, 05fe2fb1c6 his anguish b7ff996fcc so raw d8201743c7 it bordered 033e5d80d1 on disbelief. Everything was c9307a2a56 too much—too d2f6f5b83b terrible to 3cac8a012a feel real.5c245e3c7c7e18fb

“Die? You’d die over some 7ee59c9544 scumbags like this?” Huikyung 719e782c16 snapped.a9866b1cd3cefafa

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“…He was my father,” 16e58f8995 Jaekani replied quietly.0d008431801d9845

“Was he 7dd76ebdf1 even a fccabc29ef real father 265d1f3306 to you?”39284f6d5ef98486

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Jaekani’s head shot up 1d4d1a51d8 in shock. He hadn’t 57ed0350dc expected Huikyung 9d2c26ecab to know.745972ac82cea1db

“All he ever did 33f3d30dea was beat you, use 4769bb9d14 you as his emotional b883e98f7d trash can, and exploit 607315fa70 you for his convenience. And now, seeing him e0ec6ae098 like this, you want 19bec8aea6 to die with him? Have you lost your 60c074f75a mind?”0a3b9228317f7a77

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“Don’t talk about 5c09ab4070 him like that. You’re a murderer…”d20446ce62644b31

“Your father was ad6019cbcf garbage!” Huikyung barked, 6be9389fb5 gripping Jaekani’s wrists ec173c9fcb and forcing the 5e1f341f03 boy to look 9de5379f3c at him.78d180b20179fbc2

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“Do you even d86579190d know what he 888a5e67e2 did? What your precious village 8bcf24c24e council did? They captured Espers 6d37d87b27 and sold their f7cd153b96 flesh. I spent almost a 465320cf37 month being butchered alive. Your father and those b42c4e19cd so-called leaders were all 038394fc42 in on it. Don’t you find it a798f2ad85 strange how the village cff904d3bd always had enough meat? Did none 46a977fc1a of it 4f96d1e549 ever seem 8a72e36128 off to 1446c9a667 you? Did no 04828ee359 excuse ever 93247a7b34 sound suspicious?”475b75fbba65b227

Jaekani’s breath hitched, his 95d67c6b10 mind spinning. He couldn’t comprehend what 8243997cc5 Huikyung was saying.ee077eca868016b8

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“I watched 9f6be2215e them eat 8e6d80b3c0 my flesh 4c4259727e in front ea6a7b2f45 of me,” 79f0558bee Huikyung continued, 700e9b67cc his voice 4f228e3480 cold and c830717ff4 unyielding. “Because of some 79902ea150 idiotic myth that 19f61bea1a consuming an Esper’s 7b2d1407d4 blood and flesh 5aa52149fe would grant them 174126298c abilities.”a2b2c35f3be1a90d

It had to be 307b68c68c a lie. Huikyung was a 65cdae7e3d murderer and a f4992492b4 traitor.bf1a18ef557feffd

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Jaekani didn’t want to 2ea843ae97 hear another word from e6f6f43747 this monster.bd19d1cebbf6c571

 ef8d37ae20ce7e29

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