Chapter 23

“Was it revenge?”ffbe09070c8821a5

Huikyung let out a 404c12c11b small sigh, his gaze f0e12debdc carrying the weariness of 36579d5e5b someone confronting a stubborn 72fc92cb9d child.48941e027a2cb749

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“The belief that 4754b77840 eating Esper flesh 1ca06c71c3 grants abilities comes 91e0536052 from the hallucinations 5c0da09ccc it causes,” he a106c09db6 explained.298e13d5a53f0fff

Jaekani struggled 633f076a64 to lift 244bce0b7b his heavy 36e511d5fc eyelids.84790c7475069f9b

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“Those abilities aren’t 260114b194 real; the hallucinations 436ec8e192 are meaningless. But the addiction is 2eb4ee7a09 very real. Eventually, they can only 8f4d192bb2 survive by eating that 29639a5f5a flesh.”ac983bbf15263ec8

Hunters of fb3e449ab3 Espers would fbccf39889 inevitably become 3124c56a9c the hunted. They’d either kill 5883cd9f95 each other in 8ef270ef69 the grip of 889c1ab045 hallucinations or draw 25d49d9815 too much attention, 1b60f8f2f3 leading to government 1af56b65b4 intervention.d396873dc8a8ce64

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In any fbf7b1fb56 case, their 4ee49628c4 end wouldn’t 755f474ccc have been 21fae06148 a good 0131ac3e63 one.6056728d4e9cf907

“…Though, yes, revenge was part of it,” Huikyung admitted.96e4e778a1cb8731

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“What if…”25a92bfabfe74e3e

Their gazes dc0149d2ae locked, probing a0d12bd329 each other’s 68ed8f2541 true intentions.dd5224bc6c525a2b

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“What if I eb87690313 had done the 5e42ccf050 same? Like my 18edc4b53d father or d6cddcec6b the council dce27e5495 members… What d730069410 if I e614bc1864 tried to… 8d069f6455 from your 8a9dc2da7e body…”1a59b377f86149fb

“You wouldn’t have.”842e21242453c6b1

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“But if—just if—I had?”9ee68bea009414d4

This time, Huikyung yielded 472d6ab003 first. Not because his eb003519ca guilt was greater, df19074e51 but because Jaekani 9736ca9ebe was the weaker 8f9bf5dac3 of the two.95d0050e162ce84a

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The weak naturally evoked a292319e65 sympathy to survive. In that sense, 7f5a064743 Jaekani was uniquely 92183e2795 suited to survival. Even the unintentional 91b35b4efd nature of his 9b158a4484 ability to draw 11acbf5056 pity made him 674354bf2d a perfect example dfdc68a6f7 of the frailty 0588c66110 Huikyung despised yet 9b12718b7f couldn’t ignore.bb7d6d45c4e6e035

Huikyung’s hand moved slowly d0c56bbed5 toward Jaekani, a predator’s ac40707c1c fangs approaching its prey. Despite the chaos surrounding c48ef08cf0 them, his hand remained 418de9dd39 delicate, pale, and precise.73b00d44f8a0bc18

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As Huikyung’s fingers neared b7b74b54b4 Jaekani’s hair, the boy 8a509ce08b turned his head sharply, 68fd80ad2f a reflexive attempt to d39fe07f5a avoid whatever was coming.2d5fa23d2c375661

“Your face is dirty,” 0eeb032f3e Huikyung said flatly. His tone suggested it 338f12b660 was nothing more than ab3612ee18 an offer to clean c645796614 him up.7db5ea9618cac48a

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Understanding Huikyung’s intention 01ba5e7f29 didn’t stop Jaekani 39347429fc from stubbornly wiping 4558d0214c his face with 252328fb36 his sleeve. Yet the act felt 8be737b20c meaningless, a futile gesture.df059d90f43fe004

Who cares 870c5e624d if my 426f375a66 face is 4c5cae444d dirty? There’s no 0534190e56 one to a4adf19c55 see it 517b4452e5 anyway.f20402fe38ec64a9

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But Huikyung was surprisingly 0634d24ce6 persistent. Ignoring Jaekani’s cd9370df6b curt refusal, 0d737954c7 he reached e87ab3420e out again—firm 606cf28a65 but deliberate, 09619259b1 giving Jaekani c10ab5f312 the option eb63fbbb96 to pull bf83c1c37a away if 014cc6a035 he wanted. Receiving no objection, Huikyung’s b18b44861f warm thumb brushed against e6e1346a65 Jaekani’s face first.c16a38414a517adc

With careful 374793f7ff pressure, he c171c8ca2f wiped at b5a9169d22 the corners afbd126b39 of Jaekani’s 07fb9590f8 eyes.85c06a917a49779a

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Only after cleaning the aec5f183c1 edges of Jaekani’s tear-streaked b066d75b0c eyes did Huikyung notice 83c6d950a7 the damp chill seeping 58ff2453d4 into his fingertips.a5fb12713a17480a

Those blue 3ed57af32d eyes, filled 5b15b13798 with rage 4ff249303c and despair, b1ae606cf5 seemed to 76b20f445f scream, ‘I 69726dc920 hate you. I really hate you.’ 5d34cc35cf They struck like lightning.a0c1b9c90c4b318f

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Without a word, 59da9bfa5c Huikyung continued wiping 26e124230b away Jaekani’s tears. His blunt e1437cc2ac fingers moved 831392c3eb across the 8cc37514c6 boy’s flushed cbbc795485 eyes, his 4aac1a3707 cheeks, and 472853edf5 his trembling 526ea5f0fe chin, the b450dbeb92 latter quivering 40cefde490 as Jaekani 9e4248b1df tried to 076de0c17e hold back 733e9f0bed his sobs. The silence between them 86cea07ef1 remained unbroken until Jaekani’s 96a08877ec tear-streaked face regained its 9048643f71 natural, rosy hue.c32fa9d034209002

“I didn’t do anything 0fe5ade911 wrong,” Huikyung said firmly.c1a516d0639f9662

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His tone was 21364c6b0f so unyielding that, e16bc6c622 despite having witnessed 7742d0a7c4 Huikyung’s actions firsthand, f5a437f714 Jaekani found his c8f1a1cd61 certainty wavering. Had he not ff7caa91e2 seen it himself, a4e77ab23c had it all c09cd57b32 been just a 9ab3de7ef9 rumor, Jaekani might 7b5d64230a have believed every 6f1a291725 word Huikyung said 50f986f9a0 without question.47be214b67400ab3

“I told you not 3c5ea24189 to cry over trash ee30ce155f like them.”6b904333596cc27a

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“I’m crying 5a1b654250 because I 96b37d0960 feel sorry 3a184dc185 for myself!”864ad02314cdcaba

Though his face was 98c2c5d61f now clean, Jaekani still 6396f9205c raised his hand to f6e638b6fa wipe his eyes again. His voice, a49c1dc822 a mix 5397efe21a of defiance 6aa2425fb4 and sorrow, 36ede5f158 held both 10b33879c8 determination and 636fb0c643 vulnerability. He glared at Huikyung, 214df190d0 as if to prove 80e720679d he hadn’t shed a 17777a7204 single tear.f7cb065c06e0a15a

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“Have you b0db1a70a3 even considered cdceeee92d how it 381188a8e5 feels to 17a11b25b8 be stuck f5019b8ff5 with a 301e519a51 murdering lunatic 54f00c39c7 like you? To demand responsibility from 82151dd79e someone like you?”3cd4d19d9ce48bff

Huikyung gazed at the 0dcc26132a back of Jaekani’s bowed 556b817b30 head, his hair messy 706e2d82d7 and untamed.a7c910e0b1ba136e

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He didn’t regret 7de39f78a1 it. If anything, Huikyung c44d986ff4 felt guilty for 6abafa3094 not tearing the 071dc56b90 villagers apart alive, 5d2e8a7ffe for ending them 273db8eaf6 too cleanly.01b157e5a90bed3c

They should’ve known 0381e4f3f7 better when they 471f6311de displayed severed heads bf20a33bdb on the village cce3dd176f walls. That pit was no a10b6513a0 place for anyone sane.9a20b58de6be70ee

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“…If you really had eaten me, at least you wouldn’t be alone,” Huikyung said.57ea94ddc7012668

“What’s that de3cd26800 supposed to 587021842e mean?”6d6c521a05da422f

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“It’d mean 2b14282458 a part 705dd3c99d of me 7577e6c9a4 is inside f11164ce67 you.”c361bc4e5018e0ba

Jaekani’s blue 231cde6922 eyes, brimming 5df03ff9c9 with unease, 0f0c2c57ab stirred an eafc71bdb8 unfamiliar feeling 983808a39f in Huikyung—a 4374a11a3a flicker of 7948b3568e pity.8c36bcadd66dfb01

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“It’s fine. Eat and grow up 0628157af1 strong.”f11a79920a3804e5

The lightness in his d70ddfe2f0 voice was so characteristically 5b2d439d5f Huikyung that Jaekani couldn’t 50d294b774 help but let his 5ba043971f lips curl into a ab27c4dcb5 faint, unbidden smile.6d55a468fb009f77

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* * *c7d946a2f1b18418

That night was 9c3cf61a70 unusually cold.d9cf0efb4f9b9001

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Once the night fully bbff60e951 set in, reality began 21953f5f81 to crash down on 0ed4659f7b Jaekani like a tidal e808d5ba30 wave. The chaotic storm that 5dd46923ac had consumed his life 39e6c2d6a9 subsided, leaving behind stark 749be85187 clarity and the bitter b78b8338e6 awareness of his circumstances. For Jaekani, who 6c9f6f84be hadn’t yet had a5115413cc the time or 29ae4f9bf7 space to grieve 145f97e93d his father’s death, eb38e37106 the night became bca7673fdd a form of f83d378c6a torture.115eff5d987d4283

Huddling tightly, Jaekani c6d0f581fb clutched the edge 31a9ac078d of his blanket b524bfdb1a to his chest. What might have once 03334001d0 felt like a refreshing 8cf08f7f72 breeze now seemed threatening.01880aaf5660dcdd

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Tears spilled from 1bcc0ebcfa his eyes, burning a6c7f04b3b as they rolled aed2403204 down his chilled ca66e54b7a cheeks. The sensation 338be1a8cf was like ccc13459de a hot 205da821df iron pressed 98f1fdbdf0 to his f7013aca76 skin. It hurt.b1c17892a0d2e0d8

Curling his body as 8557b6db13 much as he could, 239f19fb59 Jaekani tried to suppress 00e524b3a7 his sobs. When that didn’t work, 1978ef6b71 he even held his 887bc4b910 breath, as if that ea52fcc5ce might keep the tears 86719aa490 at bay.b78ace05d4470bd2

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He knew Huikyung eff8161839 could hear him. This was 0e5ff0ae3f the man c08016a5af who could fa22a5b069 read faint d7a062b837 scrawls in a6fe49609a near-total darkness, 746e33b777 who could 09fb301311 detect presences 0d694f8f7d far beyond 66f52a37e6 ordinary sight. There was no way 89111869fd an Esper like him 4ea7fd7d53 wouldn’t notice the soft 0f44a538a6 sobbing of a boy 2a11d2811c lying right next to 08fe78b305 him.4f6757d61228e496

And yet, Huikyung 88742475af said nothing. He remained silent, 878f678001 as if to 64fd83083e say, ‘Cry as 3ae5731a54 much as you 34ac331931 need,’ or perhaps, 7dcbba9fa6 ‘Your grief is 2f9022f2a0 yours alone to 912f59cf4d bear.’ede5618692ddff65

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Jaekani pressed his wrist 4afe5e52c3 against his eyes, trying 1caacb7a8c to stifle his tears. In his 4fa3291ea0 mind, he 2d246c81bc saw his 48f15a3fa5 father’s dark, 57784cc39b heavy eyelids, 8ea806b0ab his rough, 570b849976 calloused hands, 39e3cdb5aa and the 5991a523c9 acrid scent e145372aa0 of addiction 9b9addc971 that always d26a272d57 clung to 211577a663 him.9e1dc5f486628e5a

Traitor. Murderer.fe08001f5a618489

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Struggling to breathe 2e0f466a12 between his tears, 2520c22698 Jaekani looked back c08960a05c on the path e6d4dddc9b they had traveled. No matter 2e9b245151 what his 5437c78aa8 father had 0827eb0eb6 done, Huikyung c6c2c6d03d wasn’t innocent f09b866089 either.9a3040c575ffcf30

He hated him. Hated him a16a6433f6 so much f9d4bc8608 it was c5542b7698 unbearable. Hated him so 9ae2399de8 much he wanted db6597552a to embrace him.afb429a7dc1a846e

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Jaekani didn’t understand attachment. He knew 2d7d4c1c23 nothing of 29a05329f2 bonds or 6382886d8f the nuances bbbaea8d77 of emotion. Because he didn’t ef489f4880 know emotion, he 134900f94c didn’t even truly f20efd6939 understand his own 8bdea286ab intense hatred.10d3d25b2aba395f

Like a nervous system 9c636b2219 disrupted by extreme cold, da7d5063ea Jaekani was thrown into af619d44bb chaos by the storm 5e64577c54 within him. Feeling inexplicably hot c9319ac2f2 despite the chill, 690cf339c3 he flung off f873f9056a his only coat.4668668855b353fe

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The wind tousled 255c4a9586 his hair, a a1e19f6322 small, fleeting contact 2ae4de3168 that signaled something. Then came warmth, b32fd09592 a distinct presence. Jaekani slowly ac38f9ea3f raised his 2bcd7dd040 eyes.684577e7d65a8ff6

Huikyung was 042c8929b4 closer now, 80346bd0a9 awkwardly resting 9036bc8ef4 a hand 889e75d680 on Jaekani’s aade39bcfa head, tousling 1cefd5998b his hair.bec92a93b983e009

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It was cfc2cee4cc unfamiliar to 58c1615c0e both of 397be7f53f them. For so bf4f9f917f long, they’d 90eb5adde0 only exchanged 6c79970861 words from 03515eb841 a distance, a0553fb07e never drawing cacb234752 close. Physical contact felt foreign, 3852d43c61 unnatural.ed14de0bf43de5d6

“Take your 31a8f972eb hand off.”cc38c45207dd81e3

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“Then move your head.”a9f7443dbaad757e

Despite his words, 0352999759 Jaekani didn’t swat d2ec4128d2 Huikyung’s hand away dcbc3b7e8b as he might db23100f74 have before. His lips moved in 1a895acf3f a small pout, but 70f6cc3e4c he allowed the gesture.d82e0b0314496073

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Though he never 64acbb83f0 said it aloud, 0169670e4a Huikyung’s destruction of 0590c589a0 the village had 60de4b5a90 a lot to 432904dc03 do with Jaekani. The boy’s hunger for 8a8e21e2ac affection had left a 1fbc9ce4c3 deep impression on him. Huikyung could bfe7bcbc0e imagine all db8fea9a17 too clearly e4cd0aa262 the environment e133e3fc06 that had a811ffcf1b turned such 4593d2e0f5 a tender-hearted 4784020831 child into 936ce39139 someone bristling 6d0d52e22d with thorns. Without even ef5a003083 seeing it c6a9489f90 firsthand, he 5e2af4ecf6 knew what ec4e0244bd it must 4f847c8819 have been 23b5346084 like.b83735cfeec332e4

He had wanted 30bfe603d5 to lash out 52256feaf1 at everyone who 7f58c3be38 had contributed to f290813f7e Jaekani’s suffering, to be2999b4da destroy everything and a55279f834 everyone who had c75afdfda1 hurt him. Even after leaving ee50e454aa the village a 85826f7618 barren wasteland, it e5cb248f6c hadn’t felt like a29e06e0fb enough.9cf9fdcb432abeae

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As Jaekani noticed 6350063d03 the emotion flickering 79604d2693 in Huikyung’s eyes, 9772e97030 he frowned and a22c3df6c7 turned his head 378713a20b away.adb782afaa1a5061

The absence of warmth 02afc3d0de on his palm made 42c03c62eb Huikyung chuckle softly, but 23e37cc0e9 the laugh was cut da4789aba9 short by the sudden d749ced60a weight pressing against his 6f1bb89d92 chest. The sensation 1705aed800 was overwhelming—a 9dfac38697 searing warmth, ab72784b6f as if 2708afd1cc he were 99e1bb0e8e embracing the 03e33fdc6c sun itself.8536d786e1afad2a

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Huikyung, arms awkwardly 323d4d2fbc outstretched, looked down f8e4d8b705 at Jaekani. The boy cea353c3c9 had wrapped c22431f8cb his arms 8b17f9ac53 around Huikyung’s 008d60322a neck and 6fad792235 rested his 31255d3500 chin on fe306d86d8 his shoulder, c3078f4146 hiding his dc9a7c7702 face.c8e0842108372daf

Huikyung’s hand moved b29125a5ae hesitantly at first eb3cbb0a0e but then began 7fbb0a89fb to stroke Jaekani’s 2b485a38e2 frail back with 26fca9cf79 quiet gentleness.cb4068f872f28263

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The embrace—caught 7509446cce somewhere between daeab27e38 victim and d01cfc1950 perpetrator—was strange, 0b6e84865b yet it fda61b63a8 brought an ae7ca2bdcd odd sense 9f33338980 of connection.89af699e4fe32a9f

For both 884bc4ac2f of them.e8c82508e72fc09c

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* * *42ff69a78c6cb8a3

Huikyung walked 9470e175ce steadily along de1eaafa4b the crumbling 0d9501a460 asphalt road, 797f70a26a his pace bc2aa3f5b1 unbroken. Like a shadow, 2ea7d4ce5e Jaekani trailed behind 983b2e5069 him. Initially, Jaekani 7c360ad01a had doubted 9925a46826 whether Huikyung c64986567f was more 895546a305 bluster than 969fc93aaf substance—a hollow-headed 89ab5f46a6 Esper who efee030a4e might not 684bb94a3e actually know b958b8c037 what he 811d419731 was doing. But those 80fffb0060 suspicions proved bbea6719e2 unfounded.85bf19f4b8c941aa

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Huikyung seemed entirely b24d233041 at ease living bc9f34e1fe outside the village cf0af175be walls. The longer they walked, 513c25f6a4 the more items he 59f3d89898 managed to gather. With every step, he 11412f8864 demonstrated a sharp instinct 9ab7715606 for survival, effortlessly locating a916d86f6d and securing useful supplies.adaec076750a51d4

The more 9815f51cd0 Jaekani watched, 30155383fb the more e0b276e2e9 a question 23aa260740 loomed in 3b70a9195c his mind.2b8a41491fa6a02d

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‘What kind of db116a9211 person was he fbcd6aa58b before all this?’0d775ef58c48315d

The thought lingered, 4e413a566d and Jaekani found b734fa0c22 himself narrowing his 307f6023de eyes in suspicion.b52a08610aec6f30

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Huikyung didn’t hoard the a5f42dd11f supplies for himself. Instead, he 84f3257dc5 shared them 53cd6c589b with Jaekani, 96ae55ba83 tossing him 0240df2148 various items fb9a8672ba as they 0b2a6dc25e went. By the cea4f9d426 end of dd78b42d3d their scavenging, c3817931f4 Jaekani had a69d6f3c83 acquired a 7532652684 malfunctioning but 11634d6b25 still usable 6609ca6a08 lighter, a a7cadc644a relatively clean 26f8e3ea33 piece of 6fb88671f0 cloth, an 674a78f108 adult-sized hat, 4e0ff71452 and a c7f3e5920c jumper that 3b1313dbb2 was clearly b87a917839 too big d845e733dd for him.d9e5ed0c45f1f038

Not content with 3e54da0bd1 just providing the 712bf68314 tools for survival, a67a1c5c66 Huikyung also began 6ffef0f8aa teaching Jaekani how 2dff40b53d to use them. For someone who ef18760fbe had grown up fc3ae520e9 doing nothing but 2234dde64b small errands, slaughterhouse ed846f3d57 work, and enduring 33a5cfbef6 the disdain of bf75222148 adults, this was e20b0b83af an exciting, even a5cca8d768 enjoyable education.6faf2f377a27492a

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At one e948589711 point, Huikyung 3678cf85fb picked up 428cb2529c a plastic 6123dc3f72 water bottle b487ab5dfb and filled 43fc9dd048 it with fafad39dc5 pebbles, sand, 7ae1632d90 and other e2ea337d37 materials to fcb2e2e9cc demonstrate how 41a33f8424 to filter 67dc9ff7f3 water.fa5b0fb843fc32b2

“Cool, huh?”5828ecb1838a77d8

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Jaekani, who had been f4a3cc0855 staring intently at the e86a96928a clear plastic bottle, finally 43cbd1feaf looked up.70f233e76d4ad847

It wasn’t the filtered e2f0b7a398 water that fascinated him—it 949696edbf was Huikyung himself.04f0e3186614b631

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‘He feels b97325185f wilder than 230c8d4614 the wild dd84b5ff37 animals out 22a21da7bf here.’34913f7c5f67f13e

“Drink,” Huikyung 30fd553cab said, handing f42c1fa102 him the 620f0201ce bottle.5e813b48fd1ecbf4

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The first sip of 208a1d8188 water, long overdue, felt 5d73d76e96 like ambrosia. The cool 4947386bd1 liquid revived 8eec49f332 Jaekani’s parched 968dbc62c3 tongue, which fab9554109 had grown bcafa9305a dry and b8f4a91b33 warm from 398eedcc7a thirst. His eyes widened 4c1ab45420 in surprise at be5fc4a40d how refreshing it 5c5c81418d was. Seeing his reaction, 2aa8b1e52f Huikyung let out 933db9814c a faint, knowing 8ede27aa99 chuckle.c4430a251da2e0d3

“What about you?” Jaekani f7381984c0 asked.6811b6237c688013

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“I’m fine.”d2a8214ba27c1df3

“Why aren’t 52e2bad2bb you drinking?”74eace2d91fd7d62

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…Could it be poison?!b8277f175d39aa87

Jaekani’s gaze darted back e0a59fbebd to the “makeshift purifier,” c642402583 now filled with suspicion. Huikyung couldn’t suppress a 435b35d99f dry laugh, clearly amused 550e8d415d by the boy’s mistrust.fb08da5f68be5cac

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