FLIA 59

***

When Yohan stirred with a contented sigh and slowly opened his eyes, what he saw was the obsidian cave. No–this wasn’t obsidian. It was… an Eternal Stone cavern, the hardest material in the world. Panic gripped him as he looked around, wide-eyed.

‘Hyunmook-hyung definitely rescued me… so why am I back here?’

Hadn’t he pierced through the ceiling and pulled him out? Then why was he here again? Had he been dragged back while sleeping? Terrified, Yohan desperately reminded himself: I can purify Eternal Stone. But no matter how much light he released, no matter how hard he tried, the black stone didn’t change, not into crystal, not into anything.

‘Why? Why isn’t it working? Why won’t it purify?’

When purification failed, he tried to break his way out. But his hands only became tattered and raw. A rumbling echoed all around as the walls and floor made of Eternal Stone began to close in. He searched frantically for a way out, screamed Hyunmook’s name over and over, but nothing helped.

In the end, he was trapped in a space as narrow as a coffin. He sobbed in terror, yet still, he was grateful for the light. That moment of relief didn’t last.

With a faint flick, the glowing specks in his hands went out. Darkness fell. Silence followed, tight and suffocating. He couldn’t breathe. Buried deep beneath the Black Mountain, Yohan screamed as the dark pressed in, eternally, without even a flicker of light.

“Ha!”

He jolted awake with a sharp gasp. Thankfully, this time, what he saw wasn’t the Eternal Stone cavern. It was the cozy hollow of the ancient tree, dimly glowing from the light particles he’d released in his sleep.

‘A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. Thank god…’

He’d had that awful dream because of what happened, trapped alone in the Black Mountain. Even knowing it was just a dream, Yohan still felt shaken and teary. He sniffled and rolled over, when–

“Hey! You can’t do it like that!”

“You’ve gotta upgrade your weapon first! Power’s everything!”

“I’m telling you, that’s not how you clear this stage!”

Confused, Yohan paused and listened. It was Yoon Seungryong and Ju Hoyoung bickering. Lifting his head a little, he saw them just outside, huddled over a game console. The peaceful scene eased his heart a little. He stared at them fondly, then turned his head, only to freeze.

Lying nearby, propped on an elbow, Lee Hyunmook was watching him.

The moment their eyes met, Hyunmook smiled and lifted a flap of his sleeping bag. A clear invitation to come inside.

Yohan glanced once more at Seungryong and Hoyoung, both were focused on their game. Crawling over slowly, he slid in next to Hyunmook. The warmth of the sleeping bag, already heated by another body, made him sigh involuntarily. Nothing comforted the heart like someone else’s warmth.

“Did you have a nightmare?”

Hyunmook pulled the bag over him, his voice impossibly gentle. That only made Yohan feel more emotional. He blinked back the tears and gave a small nod, then grumbled with a choked voice,

“I don’t want to be separated again. Ever.”

“I won’t let that happen. Not ever again. I promise.”

Hyunmook wrapped his arms around him, cocooning Yohan like a kimbap roll in the sleeping bag. As his large hand gently patted Yohan’s back, the tears he’d been holding in spilled out. But his panic and fear had eased a great deal compared to earlier. Breathing slowly, Yohan began to shake off the remnants of the dream.

“My scared little Yangyang.”

Hyunmook murmured with a soft chuckle.

Yangyang? Yohan’s head snapped up.

“Did you just call me Yangyang?”

“No.”

Hyunmook denied it so casually that Yohan wondered if he’d imagined it. He narrowed his eyes and stared into Hyunmook’s, but there was no trace of madness, no red glow, nothing suspicious.

“I definitely heard ‘Yangyang.’”

“Did I?”

Hyunmook kept a straight face. Yohan felt thrown off. Come to think of it, hadn’t all three of them gone without proper purification for days while in the Black Mountain? Worried that Hyunmook might be showing signs of madness, he quickly poured purifying light over him.

The tension melted from Hyunmook’s eyes, now relaxed and half-lidded. A peaceful silence lingered between them. Yohan, tucked in his arms, enjoyed the calm for a while before breaking it.

“Um… I have a question…”

“What are you curious about?”

Hyunmook’s voice was so gentle, Yohan’s heart thudded wildly.

“Is… is purification more effective when it’s with… bodily fluids? I mean, not blood, but…”

Blushing hard, Yohan mumbled an incoherent excuse. Hyunmook leaned in slightly, gazing quietly at Yohan’s face. Then, pressing his thumb gently to Yohan’s lips, he said:

“This method does wake you up more effectively.”

“Uh, r-right. I… I meant tears, actually,” Yohan squeaked, his face burning red as his voice grew smaller.

“I’ll… keep that in mind next time…”

Oh god! Keep it in mind?! Keep what in mind?! Even though he was the one who said it, Yohan squirmed from the embarrassment crawling over his skin. As he shifted, Hyunmook held him tighter, pulling him into a solid embrace like he wanted to tuck every part of him, except his face, into his arms. The sleeping bag grew even warmer. In his deep, smooth voice, perfect for reading bedtime stories, Hyunmook said,

“But it’s not just because it works better.”

“It’s… not?” Yohan swallowed hard. His heart had been pounding for a while now, but it felt like it might actually jump out of his chest.

“It’s because I liked it more that way.”

Yohan’s heart nearly went on strike before barely regaining composure. His blood rushed to his face so fiercely that his cheeks turned a deeper shade of red. Half-buried in the sleeping bag, Yohan mumbled in a tiny voice,

“I… I actually liked it more that way too…”

Hearing that, Hyunmook let out a long sigh. Yohan flinched and lifted his head in alarm. Hyunmook looked at him and said,

“Yohan-ah… what am I supposed to do when you’re this cute?”

What did I just hear?! Yohan screamed internally, bombarding Hyunmook with a flood of purification as he dove back into the sleeping bag. Hyunmook was clearly not in his right mind. Surrounded by light, Hyunmook chuckled softly and gently covered Yohan with his body. The weight was just right, soothing and comforting.

Thanks to that, Yohan slept soundly without any nightmares. When he finally woke up, he let out a sleepy groan and stretched. Opening his eyes, he found the hollow of the ancient tree empty. Rubbing his puffy, overslept eyes, he crawled outside to see Yoon Seungryong laying something out.

“Oh, Yohan. You woke up at the perfect time. Can you purify these?”

“Whoa. What are these?”

While Yohan was sleeping, his purifying energy must’ve continued to spread, now the grass around the tree glowed a vibrant green. Laid out on the fresh grass were about twenty grotesque creatures, many of which had disturbingly familiar forms.

“Wanna try roasted bird today?”

The birds varied in size and shape, but fell into two categories, some were shriveled up like mummies with nothing but bones, while others were so plump and round they looked more like balls than creatures that could fly.

Yohan squatted and purified the birds. Once his hands touched them, they looked mostly normal again, though he still couldn’t identify the species. Maybe they were foreign. As Seungryong started cleaning the birds, he blinked in surprise.

“These are practically boneless.”

The shriveled birds barely had any meat even after purification, but they gave off a savory aroma. The plump ones, were nearly all meat, soft, juicy, and fatty. As Yohan drooled over the sizzling birds, Hyunmook and Hoyoung returned, their arms full of fruits and vegetables.

“Did you sleep well?”

Hyunmook greeted him. Yohan tried to hide his racing heart and answered nonchalantly that he had. Honestly, it wasn’t difficult, Hyunmook had shaken down some corruption fruit right into his lap while cuddling. Yohan quickly purified one that had started flailing tentacles. It looked like a banana, but when he peeled it and took a bite, he tilted his head in confusion.

“What is this?”

“Hmm… maybe try cooking it first?” Seungryong scratched his cheek and put the strange fruit on the grill. They roasted several unidentified fruits and birds, even post-purification. The boneless birds were sparse but flavorful, while the meat-packed birds were, unsurprisingly, delicious.

After eating to their fill, Yohan looked around. While he slept, the others had cleaned the area neatly. The thigh-high grass had been cut, revealing dark red earth. Nearby trees had been chopped down and split for use. Despite the widespread corruption, a certain climate came to mind.

“Was this originally a savanna region?”

“Maybe. Somewhere in Africa, you think? Still… I haven’t found any water sources. The humidity’s low too,” said Hoyoung, now looking worried. Water was always a critical issue, especially for him, since his combat ability relied on freezing things. Fortunately, his concern was soon resolved.

That afternoon, just as a few raindrops began to fall from the sky, Hyunmook, who had been tending to his weapon, suddenly stood up.

“Yohan-ah, let’s head inside.”

A suggestion in name only, it was practically a command. Yohan obediently crawled into the ancient tree. The others followed, and soon after, a black downpour came roaring down.

It had rained a few times in the Japanese zone, but never this heavily. They quickly placed empty bowls outside to collect as much rainwater as they could. Unlike Earth, the rain here was reddish and reeked terribly. The bowls soon filled to the brim. Hoyoung, meanwhile, froze droplets midair and gathered up the ice shards. As Yohan purified the makeshift drinking water, he once again felt thankful for his awakened ability. Without purification, they’d be forced to drink this foul sludge.

Thus began their first full day in this new zone, starting with a short but heavy downpour.