FLIA 87

Grrrrr-

In that instant, Yohan heard a groan that no human ear could detect. The monsters couldn’t withstand the purifying energy that pierced through the core like a comet, and they fell away in droves. Sparks, like those from welding, crackled in Yohan’s blazing eyes.

Yohan’s energy and the core mingled and burst outward, sending nauseating black-and-white ripples in all directions. Each time Yohan’s light drove in like a wedge, black ichor of the Flood oozed endlessly from the core. Things grew more chaotic behind him, but the only sound reaching Yohan’s ears was the voiceless scream of the core. It pulsed erratically, writhing.

At that moment, Yohan instinctively understood that he was the disease of the Abyss, its poison, and its natural enemy.

“Nothing special, and yet…”

A cold voice flowed out, one he couldn’t even believe was his. Like the rage Seo Yakrin harbored, ferocious hostility surged toward the being before him. Overwhelmed by a near-euphoric sensation, he drove the light in his body into his enemy. He forced it in, no matter how narrow the opening. Something warm ran from his nose, but he didn’t even register it.

A crack tore through the massive core of the Abyss, followed by a twisting sound. A poison deadlier than anything seeped in, causing irreversible damage. Even though he’d already expended much protecting his teammates, an unbelievable amount of power surged from Yohan’s body again.

Suddenly, Yohan had a question. Where was all this energy coming from?

At that moment, a faint voice barely reached his ears.

“Yohan-gun… please, stop…”

Lee Chanha was clinging desperately to his ankle, as if he was trying to crush it. Only then did Yohan finally tear his gaze away and glance back. He was met with red eyes, glowing with greed. Crack! Crack! The sound of the core splintering echoed out. Blood surged from Yohan’s mouth as well. Reeling from vertigo, he could no longer keep himself upright, but he still clung stubbornly to the spear he’d driven into the core.

“Just… a little more…”

His breathing was ragged, and his complexion drained. No, blood was now pouring from his nose and mouth. Drunk on adrenaline, Yohan only now realized how far he’d pushed himself. The energy he’d been unleashing this whole time was his very life force. His hand, clutching the spear, trembled violently.

Just a little more. That was all he needed.

But a squirming mass of flesh shot up from the floor, wrapping around Yohan’s body. Centipedes, monstrous birds, and living ice lunged at the blood flowing from Yohan’s body to the ground. They licked it greedily, then bared their teeth.

A voiceless pulse rattled his brain.

This way. Deeper. Hunger… deeper, even deeper, endlessly. Hungry. Deeper. Deeper. Lonely. Down, down, down…

Someone’s fragmented thoughts flowed into his mind. Grrr! Thunder roared. But it wasn’t Lee Hyunmook’s thunder this time.

When Yohan lifted his head, the ceiling of the Abyss’s core was collapsing. The ancient, solidified nest of evil that had endured for what seemed like an eternity was crumbling apart. It was a desperate reaction to a lethal threat, taking action at any cost.

Determined to destroy the core before death could stop him, Yohan turned back again. But by then, Lee Chanha’s flesh, having climbed up his torso, was binding the hand gripping the spear.

“No…!”

With a shrill scream, Yohan’s fingers slipped from the spear. The moment the light vanished, the Abyss’ core seized the chance. Crunch! With a sharp snap, it fled between the swarming monsters and the falling debris of the collapsing ceiling.

While Yohan was frozen in despair, the ceiling completely collapsed, and something poured down in torrents.

It was starlight, everlasting and unchanging. A flood of Eternal Stones fell and filled the Abyss’ core. Yohan stared blankly, and a shadow cast over his head.

Only then did Yohan realize the presence of something familiar and terrifying. The companions who had crawled in, greedy for his blood, let out screams. It was fear strong enough to overwhelm even their deranged minds.

As Yohan looked up in shock, Lee Hyunmook’s pitch-black shadow engulfed them all.

***

Yohan hovered in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness, unable to tell if he’d passed out or remained aware. The first sense to notice something off was his sight.

‘I can’t see anything…!’

Though his eyes were open, everything around him was pitch black. Like he’d gone blind, not a single thing came into view. The next thing he realized was the absence of touch. As he flailed, he understood he wasn’t standing on anything. Then came the lack of weight. With gravity gone, he couldn’t even tell which way was up or down. Nothing touched his fingertips.

Finally, he noticed the absence of sound.

Overcome with panic, Yohan screamed.

But no sound came out.

It felt like he’d been thrown into a completely empty void where nothing existed. Terrified, he kept screaming until suddenly, he stopped. A faintly glowing bead floated in front of him.

Only belatedly did Yohan realize it was a tear, his own.

Slowly regaining composure, Yohan brought his flailing hands to his face. He touched his damp skin, then groped his body. All his limbs were intact. That confirmation grounded him, allowing his thoughts to slowly return.

‘What happened?’

He had gone into the heart of the Abyss and attacked the unidentified core. He’d managed to drive his spear in, but before it could be destroyed, everything collapsed, his teammates’ minds and wills, the Abyss’ core, and Yohan himself.

And finally, the last thing he remembered: something black, immense, and terrifying; Lee Hyunmook, swallowing them all into shadow.

‘Then… is this inside Mr. Hyunmook?’

Could this really be the inside of a living person? Yohan slowly looked around, but saw nothing. The space felt infinitely empty. That such a place could belong to someone was beyond belief.

And yet, that alone wouldn’t have been so terrifying. Somewhere, he could feel a gaze. A strange gaze, as if someone was watching with great satisfaction.

‘I’m scared…’

He was so afraid, he couldn’t even feel disappointment or frustration over the failed attempt. His whole body trembled. He cried, but with no sound of his own sobs, the fear only grew. He wanted to unleash purifying power, but he had already wrung himself dry back in the Abyss’ core. The only thing he had left to hold onto was the tiny bead-like tear that had fallen from his eye. Under its faint glow, he could just barely make out the tips of his fingers.

Hyunmook hyung… Yohan called out desperately. Hoping the presence watching him was Lee Hyunmook, he cried and cried, sobbing until he thought he might wither and die.

While the tears he shed sparkled around him like fireflies, something touched Yohan’s back.

It felt like the tip of a massive finger, or a gentle breath, or the softest flesh. It wrapped around his waist and shoulders. Though the presence was human, it felt so unnatural that Yohan froze up completely.

Still, he heard nothing. But he felt something warm and gentle calling his name, soothing him. It was unfamiliar, yet somehow comforting, physically stroking his body. Like a lost child adrift in space, he finally began to feel weight again as he slowly sank downward.

Something touched his feet. It wasn’t earth or soil but just standing made him feel secure. Yohan took a few steps before collapsing to his knees, he was shaking.

He remembered how the monsters swallowed by Hyunmook’s shadow had never returned. Perhaps it was by Hyunmook’s will, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. Then Yohan realized he could hear himself breathing.

He tried making sounds, “Ah, ah” and it worked.

“Hyunmook hyung… thank you… for saving me…”

Yohan murmured with a trembling voice, his hands groping at what was wrapping around him. What was this? It was smooth and soft, like skin or maybe even organs, but no matter how much he felt around, he couldn’t guess what part of the body it belonged to.

His body trembled, and it wasn’t just fear. His mind had been foggy for a while now, his limbs sluggish and drained of strength. Like he had sprinted at full force all day and now collapsed from exhaustion.

“I’m… thirsty…”

Yohan muttered as he leaned heavily on the soft thing encasing him. As he sank lower, thirst and hunger surged up, things he hadn’t noticed before. His eyelids kept drooping, and his body went limp. Suddenly, cold sweat broke out for no reason.

“Huh?”

Something damp touched his lips. Startled by the moist sensation softening his cracked, parched lips, Yohan flinched. He reached out, fumbling, and felt something wet slowly trace along his mouth.