Chapter 19

Climbing over the rubble of the explosion, Huikyung carried Jaekani in one arm, effortlessly making his way to the surface.

The cold night wind blew Jaekani’s long hair, obscuring his vision and forcing him to bury himself deeper into Huikyung’s embrace. A warm hand gently stroked his back, providing comfort despite the chaos around them.

In the distance, the wail of sirens grew louder—the alarms triggered by the commotion.

Jaekani instinctively tried to wriggle out of Huikyung’s grasp, but Huikyung held him firmly.

Somewhere nearby, flames began to flicker.

The scent of smoke was the first clue—a sharp, suffocating smell that even nestled in Huikyung’s arms, Jaekani couldn’t ignore. His hands gripped Huikyung’s shoulders like a lifeline as his eyes darted around, searching for the source of the chaos. Something was happening—something big—but Huikyung remained unnervingly calm. Even after the explosion, he hadn’t shown a hint of unease.

“We need to run. We’re running out of time,” Jaekani urged, panic rising in his voice.

“It’s fine.”

The reassuring stroke of Huikyung’s warm palm on his back melted away Jaekani’s tension before he even realized it. His body, which had been tightly wound, began to relax, betraying the turmoil in his mind.

The alarms, the rising flames, and the screams from the village painted a picture of pure disaster, yet Huikyung was too composed—eerily so, as if he were the source of the chaos.

Despite everything screaming at him to flee, Jaekani found himself wanting to believe Huikyung’s soft “It’s fine.”

“The fire’s spreading,” Jaekani pointed out, his voice trembling.

Another explosion rocked the ground, the sound reverberating through the air. The tremors were stronger this time, shaking the earth beneath their feet.

Bombardment?

Jaekani inhaled sharply, terror clawing at his chest. But Huikyung remained motionless, unshaken by the cacophony.

The screams of the villagers grew louder, sharper.

“Jaekani,” Huikyung said, his voice steady and calm.

“We need to use this chance to leave, Huikyung,” Jaekani pleaded.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?! Once people come to their senses, they’ll notice you’re gone. They’ll come after you!”

“There won’t be anyone left to come after me.”

Jaekani froze.

What does that mean?

He lifted his head from Huikyung’s chest to meet his gaze. This time, Huikyung didn’t stop him. He allowed Jaekani to look directly into his eyes.

“I’m going to erase this village,” Huikyung said evenly.

Another deafening explosion followed his words, so loud it felt as though the earth itself was groaning. Everything around Jaekani began to blur—the vibrations, the flames consuming the village with unrelenting ferocity, and the cries of the villagers—all of it felt distant and unreal.

“…Erase it?” Jaekani echoed in disbelief.

What about me? What about my father?

“Your father will be the first to die,” Huikyung said bluntly.

“…Why?”

The oppressive heat forced Jaekani to wince. The flames, like a ravenous beast, devoured everything in their path, moving closer with unrelenting hunger. The searing heat licked at the air, making it hard to breathe.

“It’s late, Jaekani,” Huikyung said softly.

The screams pierced the night, blending with the thunderous rumble of destruction. The vibrations crawled up Jaekani’s spine, rattling his core.

“Go to sleep.”

Huikyung’s hand moved swiftly, gripping Jaekani’s neck.

‘Huikyung…?’

Jaekani tried to speak, but the crushing force on his throat stole his words.

Was this how it would end?

So simply, so cruelly? Had he been deceived all along? Was his father, the village, and everything he knew destined to become nothing more than ashes?

His last thought was a bitter, unanswered question.

The acrid smoke filled his lungs, stinging his nose. Then, with one final breath, Jaekani slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

When Jaekani opened his eyes, he thought it was snowing.

Dazed, he stared at what appeared to be a blizzard unfolding before him. The gray sky, the chill in the wind, and the soft touches brushing against his cheeks and forehead all felt like a surreal winter morning.

But as he sat up, the reality hit him: it wasn’t snow, but ash.

The flakes didn’t melt when they touched his skin. They crumbled to dust under his fingertips.

Slowly, Jaekani rose to his feet. Dawn was breaking. Unlike the obscuring light of the moon, the sunlight unveiled every bit of the destruction.

“A… Father! Father!”

Bodies lay in rows before him. Some were burned beyond recognition, but Jaekani’s eyes immediately recognized the familiar shoes, the frail shoulders, and the emaciated legs of one figure.

“Father… no, no, get up!”

Rushing forward, Jaekani threw himself over Jaebad’s lifeless body. The man’s cold skin sent chills through him, a stark reminder of the absence of life.

Clutching Jaebad’s upper body, Jaekani began to sob, his tears soaking the corpse’s bark-like skin. The lifeless chill in his father’s body made it clear he had been gone for hours.

“He’s been dead for a while.”

The firm voice startled Jaekani.

Turning his head, he saw Huikyung seated nearby, his posture relaxed as if he had been there all along. His knees were drawn up, and his expression was eerily calm. There was no remorse on his face—if anything, he looked better than ever.

Huikyung’s shirt was now a clean white tee, clinging to his lean frame in contrast to the tattered and grimy one he’d worn before. His hair, free of sweat and grime, fell neatly over his forehead, and his skin, once marred by soot and dirt, now looked pale and pristine.

It enraged Jaekani.

Everything about Huikyung’s detached demeanor, the cigarette dangling between his slender fingers, the smoke curling like mist from his lips, and the nonchalant tilt of his wrist—all of it ignited a fury in Jaekani that was beyond anything he had ever felt before. It wasn’t just anger—it was pure, overwhelming rage.

“You… monster! You…!”

Jaekani lunged forward, his fist—half the size of Huikyung’s palm—aiming for the man’s face.

Huikyung didn’t bother dodging. He let the punch land, the impact turning his cheek red.

Jaekani, fueled by fury, gripped Huikyung’s neck with both hands.

“You killed him! You killed my father! The person I trusted, the one I freed with my own hands, did this!”

“Enough.”

“I believed in you!”

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

Despite Jaekani’s desperate attempts to harm him, Huikyung effortlessly overpowered the boy. With one hand, he caught Jaekani’s flailing wrists, and with the other, he lifted him into an embrace.

No matter how hard Jaekani struggled, he couldn’t escape. Trapped in Huikyung’s grip, Jaekani bit down on his shoulder, his teeth sinking into flesh and drawing blood.

Huikyung winced, clicking his tongue in irritation, and pried Jaekani’s head away. He forced Jaekani’s jaw open with a painful grip on his chin.

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

Blinded by tears, Jaekani felt humiliated and powerless. The weight of guilt crushed him like a tide, relentless and suffocating.

The village had imprisoned Huikyung for a reason. Jaekani had been foolish enough to believe him and set him free, and now everyone—including his father—was dead.

The man responsible for reducing a village of hundreds to ashes now sat there casually, holding Jaekani firmly in place. Huikyung’s face carried a bitter expression, one that seemed almost regretful.

“Don’t bite. I don’t want to hurt you,” he said, releasing Jaekani’s chin. “I’ll let go if you promise not to try again.”

The words only deepened Jaekani’s despair.

“If I can’t kill you… then I’ll just die,” Jaekani muttered, his voice hollow.

Huikyung’s expression darkened at those words.

“Die? Over this?”

“I’ll die. I want to die. You should’ve killed me too…” Jaekani’s words dissolved into sobs, his anguish so raw it bordered on disbelief. Everything was too much—too terrible to feel real.

“Die? You’d die over some scumbags like this?” Huikyung snapped.

“…He was my father,” Jaekani replied quietly.

“Was he even a real father to you?”

Jaekani’s head shot up in shock. He hadn’t expected Huikyung to know.

“All he ever did was beat you, use you as his emotional trash can, and exploit you for his convenience. And now, seeing him like this, you want to die with him? Have you lost your mind?”

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

“Your father was garbage!” Huikyung barked, gripping Jaekani’s wrists and forcing the boy to look at him.

“Do you even know what he did? What your precious village council did? They captured Espers and sold their flesh. I spent almost a month being butchered alive. Your father and those so-called leaders were all in on it. Don’t you find it strange how the village always had enough meat? Did none of it ever seem off to you? Did no excuse ever sound suspicious?”

Jaekani’s breath hitched, his mind spinning. He couldn’t comprehend what Huikyung was saying.

“I watched them eat my flesh in front of me,” Huikyung continued, his voice cold and unyielding. “Because of some idiotic myth that consuming an Esper’s blood and flesh would grant them abilities.”

It had to be a lie. Huikyung was a murderer and a traitor.

Jaekani didn’t want to hear another word from this monster.