FLIA 93

<7> The Returnees

“Everyone, did you have a good holiday? On this last day of April, there was a report of a Grade 7 monster appearing in Gwangjin District… Awakener dispatched by the government’s Rift Management Bureau have successfully neutralized it and removed the corrupted matter… The number of victims has been confirmed as thirty-two in total…”

The sound of the news woke Yohan from sleep. He had dozed off while watching TV, but the nap had felt sweet. He slowly looked around. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, lighting up the bed, and everything around him was immaculate, with not a single worn or damaged object in sight. There was no eerie presence or bloodcurdling scream reminiscent of a ghost wail coming from anywhere. As he blankly stared out the window, a voice called out to him.

“Mr. Yang Yohan, it’s time for your examination.”

He turned his head and saw a familiar examiner standing behind the transparent glass door. Yohan greeted him and stood up. Wearing protective gear, the examiner asked in a rather blunt tone.

“Mr. Yang Yohan, are you experiencing any physical abnormalities such as rashes, itching, or numbness?”

“No.”

“Any mental abnormalities such as auditory hallucinations, visual hallucinations, ominous premonitions, depression, lethargy, or recurring nightmares?”

“No, none of those.”

After calmly answering the questions one by one, they checked his temperature, and the double isolation doors opened. Two mid-level awakener followed behind the examiner. As Yohan walked along with them, a sign caught his eye.

[Rift Management Bureau Special Safety Complex]

Yohan’s brightened. He had spotted a familiar face. The person drinking a beverage grinned and waved at him.

“Yohan-ah. How have you been?”

“Seungryong-hyung!”

As Yohan greeted Yoon Seungryong with a smile, he suddenly remembered the day they had escaped from the Abyss.

***

Not long after they had all escaped from the Abyss, multiple helicopters circled above. Yohan had been so thrilled to see a properly functioning machine besides a game console that he looked up at them in awe. That was when Lee Hyunmook called his name.

“Yohan-ah.”

“The Rift Management Bureau will arrive soon. For now, let’s hide the fact that you’re a purifier.”

“But they’ll definitely do all kinds of tests. There’s no way I can hide that I’ve awakened.”

He didn’t understand why he had to hide that he was a purifier, but since nothing bad had ever happened when he listened to Lee Hyunmook before, Yohan asked with confusion. It was his first time in this kind of situation, but he could more or less guess that the government would bombard them with inspections. And it was only natural that the fact he had awakened would come to light during that process.

Of course, the difference between an awakened and a non-awakened person was substantial. Strength, stamina, regeneration, they were all clearly different, and there was no real way to hide it. The most basic method for identifying an awakener was simply to damage the skin and observe how fast it healed.

“I’m not telling you to hide the fact that you awakened. For now, let’s say you’re a low-level strength-enhanced type. Say your auxiliary ability is high regeneration, like Chanha’s. Suppress your energy as much as possible. Can you do that?”

If that was all, then he thought he could manage. Fortunately, he had just finished purifying a city zone and was completely drained of energy, and as a purifier, Yohan’s strength wasn’t particularly high to begin with. On top of that, current technology could only detect whether someone had awakened, it couldn’t yet determine their exact attributes or classification.

“Yes, I can do that.”

No sooner had he answered than multiple figures descended from the helicopter overhead. Without parachutes or ropes, they landed with heavy thuds. Every one of them was an awakener, members of the Rift Management Bureau’s Special Corruption Suppression Unit.

The well-trained agents kept a distance with their guns raised in extreme caution. They were fully equipped from head to toe with gear designed to block corruption. Guns could still be highly dangerous even to awakeners, especially when loaded with bullets reforged using Eternal Stones and imbued with supernatural abilities. But among the group, Yohan seemed to be the only one visibly nervous. Lee Hyunmook pulled him behind his back. Amidst the tense atmosphere, the unit leader reported through his radio.

“First Special Suppression Unit on site. Suspected corrupted civilians located. Believed to be Lee Hyunmook, missing for three years, and four others. One additional unidentified person also present.”

“Three years?”

Yohan couldn’t understand and muttered to himself. He had entered the Abyss not long after the third-year memorial service for Lee Hyunmook had ended. And he had spent a full year inside the Abyss, so it should have been four years ago now. Something felt wrong, Yohan swallowed dryly. But with the agents watching them so warily, he couldn’t ask anything. The leader asked a question.

“Are you the Awakener Lee Hyunmook who went missing three years ago?”

It seemed they were wary in case he was either a monster with mimicry abilities or someone severely corrupted. That was reasonable. The monsters that emerged from rifts were never easy to handle.

“Answer me.”

As if daring him to try anything strange so they could riddle him with bullets, the agents aimed their guns with visible intensity. A wavering heat shimmered from their bodies. Their eyes were fixed on Lee Hyunmook’s white-streaked hair. Lee Hyunmook relaxed his body and let it go limp, then moved very slowly to avoid provoking them.

“Captain Jeong Siyoung, it’s been a while.”

So it was Jeong Siyoung after all. Yohan’s eyes widened. One of the people had felt especially dangerous, so he had wondered if they might be a high-level awakener. Jeong Siyoung had once worked as a government officer at the Disease Control Bureau, and after Lee Hyunmook, she had been the second person in Korea to become a high-level awakener.

“Is your arm still the same after that injury in Andong? No, of course it is. You were corrupted, after all.”

At Lee Hyunmook’s words, Yohan sensed a shift in the other’s mood. Years ago, near Andong, a Grade 9 threat-level monster had appeared, prompting Hyunmook and Jeong Siyoung to form a joint strike team. Jeong Siyoung quickly looked Hyunmook up and down. His tone and appearance were fairly composed, and there were no obvious signs of corruption. Easing up slightly, Jeong Siyoung asked.

“…Are you really Lee Hyunmook?”

“Yes, that’s right. I’ve just returned from the Abyss.”

“Huh. Am I dreaming right now?”

Still pointing her gun, Jeong Siyoung muttered in disbelief. It was understandable. Globally, there had not been a single documented case of anyone returning from the Abyss. Just then, one of the agents listening through his earpiece spoke.

“Captain, a news helicopter is approaching. What should we do?”

Jeong Siyoung looked troubled. Depending on how corrupted the returnees were, this could turn into a terrible incident. On top of that, Lee Hyunmook was a high-level awakener. As Jeong Siyoung opened her mouth to respond, Lee Hyunmook suddenly pulled Yohan close behind his back. The sound of helicopter rotors thundered as the aircraft appeared overhead. It bore the logo of a familiar news agency.

“No, those bastards actually showed up.”

Jeong Siyoung snapped and signaled to one of her subordinates. While Yohan unconsciously pressed his face to Hyunmook’s back to hide it, an agent pulled a loudspeaker from his belt and shouted.

You in the helicopter. Don’t you know a restricted airspace order was issued? Turn back now or we will open fire.

Only after Jeong Siyoung fired a warning shot did the helicopter finally veer away, its engines whining as it retreated. Realizing that the media had definitely captured the faces of Lee Hyunmook and the others, excluding Yohan, Jeong Siyoung clenched her teeth in frustration.

“You’ll need to put this on first.”

What she tossed over was a pair of handcuffs used to restrain corrupted awakener. They were made from Eternal Stones and had powerful debuff properties that suppressed abilities. The government bought up all the Eternal Stones it could and crafted tools like this. It was no exaggeration to say that one of the government’s main roles now was the capture and containment of corrupted awakeners.

While Yohan flinched, Lee Hyunmook quietly let them cuff him. The others followed suit. Knowing how powerful they were, Yohan couldn’t help but wonder if those cuffs would even work. Jeong Siyoung gave Yohan a strange look.

“And that one…”

“He’s a low-level awakener. He’s not much of a threat. Right, Yohan-ah?”

“Yes, yes! That’s right…”

Awakeners usually relied on instinct when assessing one another. Yohan’s heart pounded in fear of being found out as high-level. But maybe because he was a healer-type support or maybe because he was trembling so much from fear and tension, Jeong Siyoung gave a small nod. Her gaze swept over him, assessing him as not particularly dangerous, and then she said,

“But you’ll need to wear this.”

This time, it wasn’t cuffs but a metallic ring-shaped bracelet. As soon as he put it on, he felt his strength drain, but it was bearable. After confirming that everyone was properly restrained, Jeong Siyoung nodded.

“Let’s go. We’ll conduct a full interrogation in a secure location.”

“Understood.”

Despite their compliance, the Special Suppression Unit remained on high alert. They acted like people standing next to a wild beast. Distracted by their tension, Yohan trailed behind Hyunmook and accidentally bumped his forehead into the man’s back. Embarrassed, he cleared his throat. Jeong Siyoung glanced back at the sound. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke.

“If you really are Lee Hyunmook…”

She paused, then continued in a quiet voice.

“I sincerely welcome you back. You’ve all been through so much.”

Lee Hyunmook smiled in response. And not just him. Even with the restraints on their wrists, everyone looked genuinely relieved. Yohan felt the same. Just escaping that nightmare of an Abyss was enough to breathe again. In fact, it really did feel like he could breathe freely. The air was so light and fresh, as if he had finally emerged from wading through filthy water with heavy sandbags tied to his limbs.

He took a moment to look around. The city he had purified was now fully exposed under the sunlight, pristine and clean. It seemed to have reappeared right on top of the area the Abyss had devoured. Though parts of it were scorched, broken, and cracked, it gave off an aura of solemn dignity, like an ancient ruin. That was likely because of the energy Yohan had left behind. Apparently, Jeong Siyoung felt it too. She unconsciously murmured.

“That’s strange. My arm aches less than usual today.”

All awakener who fought against a rift suffered varying degrees of corruption. They either managed to live with it or eventually deteriorated to the point of needing containment. Yohan could sense traces of corruption in Jeong Siyoung. Especially her left arm, which moved awkwardly and looked slightly off.

I want to purify her…

The instinct of a purifier urged him to cleanse him immediately, but he held back. Lee Hyunmook had told him to hide that he was a purifier. He felt sorry but had no choice but to ignore it. But he made a mental note to purify her himself one day.