FLIA 88

“Y-you’re giving me water… right? Thank you…”

Yohan looked around in a panic, then awkwardly leaned forward. Holding the unknown object in his hand, he carefully licked it. Something like mineral water trickled down, cooling his lips and the base of his neck.

“Mm, nng…”

Yohan gulped the water down as if his life depended on it. The tormenting thirst finally eased, and he felt a bit more alive. In this case, not seeing anything might have been a blessing. A fully grown adult sucking down water like this must’ve looked ridiculous.

Now that the thirst was gone, his mind had some room for other thoughts. He called out his teammates’ names, but no one responded. He couldn’t sense a single presence. Growing anxious, Yohan started poking and rubbing at the thing wrapped loosely but securely around him.

“When can I get out? You’ll let me out when it’s safe, right?”

Still no answer. Yohan guessed how much power Lee Hyunmook must have used, and how high his corruption level had risen. He was probably already far gone. Just like how Yoon Seungryong, after overusing his powers, started showing signs of madness before turning into a centipede-like monster, Lee Hyunmook must have reached a similar state. Yohan tried to stay positive, forcing himself to believe that the others were safe too.

Thud. Something tumbled into his arms. Startled, he felt it carefully and sniffed, it smelled sweet. It was fruit, like apples and bananas. Yohan was starving, he peeled it by touch and began eating. As he devoured it, a sudden worry made him ask the empty air,

“Did this come from Seungryong-hyung?”

No reply.

“You did get it from him, right? You didn’t steal it or anything…?”

Yohan decided to believe the banana peel in his hand was proof that Yoon Seungryong was still okay.

After eating, the hunger eased and some strength returned. He wanted to sleep, but he was alone in an unfamiliar place. He couldn’t let his guard down. He gathered his courage and decided to explore, but navigating a pitch-dark place with only his senses turned out to be harder than he imagined.

Yohan dragged his feet, he eventually sighed and sat back down. A terrible silence settled in, deep and lonely. In some ways, it was worse than when he was buried alive in the Black Mountain. Just a few days here and he’d probably lose his sanity. Even though he believed Lee Hyunmook was nearby, he was still scared.

Yohan slowly lay down. His fingers brushed against something with a different texture. He raised his head. A tear that had fallen from his cheek faintly lit the ground.

“This is…”

Under the soft, mushy surface was something solid. When he pressed lightly, the soft layer gave way to reveal something smooth and hard beneath. Entranced, Yohan traced it with his fingertips and muttered,

“An Eternal Stone…?”

But this big? Could it really be an Eternal Stone? And there was a deep dent in the otherwise smooth surface, as if a piece had been taken out. Feeling a strange sense of déjà vu, Yohan touched the hollow.

“What was that just now?”

Was it a hallucination? It felt like he was reading someone’s memories. An indescribable sensation. His heart pounded. Yohan hesitated before he crawled forward and slid his trembling finger into the dent…

A jolt ran through him, and someone else’s memories surged into his mind.

… …

…

I felt a deep despair. This cursed place made the body rot from the moment you took a breath. No, it was worse than just falling ill…

If only I had fallen here alone. As a high-level awakened, I could sense the fear, despair, and rage the others tried to hide. The burden was crushing, but I didn’t show it. If I broke, they’d never survive…

… …

…

All the food was gone. I found something edible, or thought I did. Everything was rotten and spoiled. But we had to eat to live. I got hurt fighting the first monster. My regeneration had slowed. I couldn’t even tell if what I felt was normal anymore.

Isn’t it natural to feel depressed and bitter in a place like this?

… …

…

I butchered the monster we killed. The stench was vile, the taste even worse. Roasting it made it more disgusting. The others refused to eat it, but Seungryong-ah devoured it all. He gagged, but he seemed pleased…

… …

…

Hoyoung-ah kept trying to run away instead of fighting. Covering for him wasn’t the issue. But Yakrin-ah and Seungryong-ah were arguing more and more. Fists flying, bruises and blood.

The biggest problem was Chanha-ah. He suffered more than anyone here, stopped sleeping. Yesterday, he started scratching himself. I barely stopped him from peeling off all his skin. It was grim. Horrifying. But at least no one had died, yet.

Until someone finally did. Torn apart. Eaten. We stopped recognizing each other. Became beasts.

… …

…

The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood. The Flood.

Is this satisfying now? Maybe this is what we all wanted, deep down.

… …

…

Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe… maybe this place is hell.

Maybe we’ve all already died. Is that a good thing? Should I be happy? But we didn’t die because we weren’t allowed to…

I tore my precious ones apart and scattered them evenly.

Don’t grow. Stay nailed here. Rot as slowly as possible.

Endless pain and despair are the only things keeping us alive…

Forever. Forever. Never able to fade completely…

I buried the last bit of flesh deep today and still can’t rest.

Sanity and thought are shattered, but I couldn’t give up, so I couldn’t escape fully into madness either.

Countless wandering… relentless loneliness.

Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness! Loneliness!

Corruption and malice fill everything.

Grief served endlessly… despair… the bottom beneath the bottom…

But, Yohan-ah

You don’t need to know all this.

… …

…

Ha, Yohan gasped and sucked in a breath. Even though only fragments of memory had been shared, the emotions were overwhelming. His face was soaked with tears, contorted with sorrow, and he sobbed in ragged gasps.

He had guessed, but not like this. He hadn’t imagined it would be this terrible…

Three years. Yet what he had just witnessed made that time feel meaningless. The immense pain and despair crushed him. He thrashed, unable to endure the grief that had only barely been passed on to him. He hugged the Eternal Stone like he was collapsing into it, and Yohan broke down sobbing. Tears fell one by one into the void and darkness surrounding him.

Enough now.

Something strong, gentle, and warm embraced Yohan. A tongue gently licked the tears off his cheek, then sucked them up. Yohan clung to the invisible form of his beloved as he cried. Sweat and tears were quietly drawn away by the unseen presence, and all he could feel was pity and sorrow.

Maybe it was to keep him from collapsing, something damp brushed against his lips again. As he opened his mouth to drink, something other than a tongue or hand touched his lips. Then it traced the inside. Yohan’s eyes snapped open in surprise. His crying stopped.

The thing holding him, the gentle lapping at his lips, it was all soft, affectionate. Frozen in place, Yohan timidly responded, lightly sucking on the part that was touching only his lips.

“Mmh…”

At his response, the moist tip pushed in a bit deeper. It slowly filled his mouth, carefully sweeping over the salty inside. It pulled and stroked his tongue as if kissing it. Before he realized it, Yohan’s nerves were fully focused there.

“Nng, uh, …hah…”

It was a good thing it was dark. If he had seen the actual shape of what was touching him, he might have screamed and run away. But in this near total darkness, all Yohan could do was give himself over. Deep inside Lee Hyunmook’s darkest place, Yohan finally understood, all of this was an expression of love.

More tips brushed his body. They slowly swept over his flushed ear and the nape of his neck, raising goosebumps. Bit by bit, the sorrow he’d felt before was forgotten, as he focused on this strange, unsettling, and slightly frightening act.