FLIA 79

<6> The Last

“Ugh…”

Through the pounding headache, Yohan regained consciousness. When he finally managed to lift his heavy eyelids, he saw the familiar sky of the Abyss.

“Hyunmook hyung…?”

Out of habit, Yohan called out for Lee Hyunmook first. But the one who always stayed by his side was nowhere to be seen. Jolted awake, Yohan shot up from where he lay. There was no one around. Not just Lee Hyunmook, but none of the others either.

“Seungryong hyung? Yakrin noona? Hoyoung-ah?”

His voice echoed, trembling with fear. He had been lying alone near the lake, and the surroundings bore traces of battle. He has grown familiar with the powers of his companions, Yohan could tell who had left which mark. The frozen lake was Ju Hoyoung’s doing, and the blackened earth was the result of Yoon Seungryong’s poison. The craters left by Seo Yakrin’s telekinesis and the charred electric burns of Lee Hyunmook’s thunderbolts were also visible. Countless monstrous corpses were strewn across the area.

“Where, where did everyone go?”

Even Lee Chanha’s enormous face, which had once floated on the lake, was gone. I’m alone again… Tears welled up in Yohan’s eyes from fear and anxiety. Hyunmook hyung had promised he would never leave him alone again. Yohan stared for a long time at the remnants of the battle, but he couldn’t even begin to guess what had happened that led to him being left alone.

Was it because of those monsters? Because Yohan had lost consciousness and couldn’t purify, had everyone else fallen into madness, and did Hyunmook have to leave him behind to stop them?

After thoroughly searching the area, Yohan found signs that seemed to support his ominous suspicions. Tracks like those of a giant centipede, scattered massive feathers, and a trail of ice across the lake.

“Ugh…”

Yohan panicked. The traces scattered in different directions made it impossible to choose a clear path to follow. And there was no sign of Hyunmook’s presence anywhere, making things worse. Just as he wiped away tears with his sleeve,

Blub blub blub… A bubbling noise came from the ground, and two eyes suddenly popped up. Another mudfish monster? But no. What crawled out next was a monster crab with massive pincers. Yohan screamed and narrowly dodged the claw aiming to slice him in two.

Clang! Clang! The snip of steel sounded like a pair of scissors forged in iron. Yohan stared in terror at the enormous hermit crab rising from the mud. A dark shadow loomed over his head.

Blub blub blub… With filthy foam spewing from its mouth, the hermit crab lunged at him, and Yohan turned and ran for his life. As he dashed across the squelching mud, his eyes caught sight of a cave in the black mountain. It was far too small for the crab to enter.

“Aaaaah!”

Screaming, Yohan sprinted desperately. Just as he slipped into the cave, the crab’s claw grazed his back. The sharp pincers jabbed into the cave’s entrance, knocking loose several Eternal Stones. Trembling, Yohan crawled deeper inside. The hermit crab eventually gave up and retreated when Yohan had gone so far in that he couldn’t be seen.

Finally able to catch his breath, Yohan collapsed onto the cave floor, dazed. Still clutching his backpack like a lifeline, he sat there in a stupor. Then he lifted his head.

Somehow, voices echoed faintly from the depths of the cave. Voices he thought he recognized.

“Hyunmook hyung…?”

He shot to his feet and ran inward. Could the monsters outside all have come from this cave? Is that why the others went in too? He sprinted to the very end of the cave with that expectation.

But what he found was an empty core of the Abyss. Not a single monster.

And in the place where the core used to be, there was a circular exit.

It looked like the opening of a sack or a pair of lips suspended in midair.

Beyond it, he could see the Earth he had longed for so desperately. Yohan staggered and leapt into the center of the Abyss. All those countless monsters were gone. He ran frantically and came to a halt in front of the exit, unable to believe his eyes.

“What… is this?”

As he reached out a trembling hand, his fingers touched the shimmering surface. The moment they did, he was sucked right in.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again, he was staring at a clear sky. The sunlight streaming down onto his face brought tears to his eyes with joy. White clouds, blue skies, and the fresh breeze.

“Aaah, haah, I-I’m back… I came back! This isn’t the Abyss!”

It was such an absurdly easy return. And yet, he was overwhelmed with joy. As he shouted like a madman, staring up at the sky,

“Wait! A person, it’s a person!”

“Hey! Over here!”

Voices called out to him, and Yohan blinked. Nearby Rift Management Bureau officials, startled, were rushing toward him.

“You just came out of there, right?”

“My God, someone actually made it out of the Abyss!”

“We need to confirm your identity. Please tell us your name. …Yes, Mr. Yang Yohan, is that right?”

The cleanly dressed officials surrounded him. They wrapped a warm blanket around his shoulders and handed him a clear plastic bottle of fresh water, something he could never have imagined seeing in the Abyss. As they guided him toward safety, Yohan started to follow unconsciously, but then came to his senses.

He had momentarily forgotten because he was too happy escaping the Abyss, but now he urgently asked,

“What about the Sunrise Team? The others who returned, where are they?”

“What are you talking about? Sunrise… Team?”

“You’re the first person to escape from the Abyss.”

At those words, Yohan blinked. If anyone else from the Sunrise Team had returned, these people would know.

Which meant he had escaped the Abyss alone. His gaze turned back instinctively.

To the portal he had just come out of.

Beyond that exit, the dark, sickening Abyss shimmered.

He didn’t want to go back. More than anything, he wanted to go with these people, return to his long-lost home, see his family’s faces again. He wanted to lie on a familiar bed and eat something warm and delicious.

But, but…

“…There’s no way they’d leave me behind. They wouldn’t. That means… they’re still inside.”

Muttering to himself, Yohan abruptly turned and shook off the hands of the Rift Management officials.

“Hey! What are you doing? Stop him!”

“You can’t go back in there!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yohan ran and threw himself into the portal.

But this time, instead of the core of the Abyss, he was met with a dizzying freefall. And something was tightening around his waist…

As he barely managed to lift his head, he saw the officials standing tall beyond the exit.

One of them lifted the brim of his hat and smiled.

Yohan’s eyes widened.

He… had Lee Chanha’s face.

A flawless and beautiful face. His lips didn’t move, but a strange voice echoed in Yohan’s head.

Ah, not this?

So bold and fearless… Or is it that you love this place? Couldn’t leave it, could you?

This place is so lovely, it makes you want to die, die again, die forever.

But it’s not an easy love. It hurts. It’s agony. You want to stop loving it. But you must love it.

…Then, if not that, how about this instead…?

…….

…..

“Ha!”

Yohan jolted awake, drenched in cold sweat. What… What was that? It felt like a terrible nightmare. His head throbbed with a pounding headache. Groaning, he reached behind him, trying to find the source of that strange sensation. Nothing was there.

“Where… am I?”

He slowly lifted his head and looked around. The bed he was lying in was soft and plush. The sheets were clean, and the fabric felt smooth to the touch. It all felt strangely wrong, and Yohan kept touching it, unsettled by how flawless it was.

He looked away from the white, spotless bedding and surveyed the room. Sunlight poured in through a large window, illuminating the white room. Aside from the bed, there was no furniture. Not a single speck of dust or stain. Just pure white.

When he tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. As he aimlessly wandered around the room,

Knock knock.

A knock came from the door. He jumped in surprise and stared as someone entered.

The familiar figure made Yohan’s eyes go wide, and he ran over without thinking.

“Yang Yohan-ssi, good morning…”

“Hyunmook hyung!”

He threw his arms around him tightly, afraid he might disappear again. Resting his cheek on that broad chest, he let out a relieved breath.

“Oh my.”

A mildly amused voice with a touch of laughter rang out, followed by a gentle hand stroking his back.

Something felt strange. Yohan looked up. A handsome, charming face looked down at him with a smile. And yet, something felt wrong and it prickled at Yohan’s skin. He still didn’t understand anything. Nothing at all.