HEO 36

Part 2

[GATE] /sigterm:ego

bio.scan/hell.confirmed

Darkness.

When he opened his eyes, darkness blocked his vision. He heard sounds. Weeping and screams. Wails.

Wolf raised his upper body and looked around. His body was overwhelmed with exhaustion. It felt like he’d had a soul-shaking nightmare, but he couldn’t remember it. The first thought that came to mind was a simple, fundamental question, the kind a newborn baby might have.

Where am I…

It was hard to grasp at first glance. Light existed. Its brightness was like ink diluted with a little water, yet vague human shapes appeared here and there. Some convulsed while screaming. Others staggered. That was all. Other than people who had lost their minds, he saw nothing. No houses, trees, rivers, animals, nothing.

After looking around for a long time, Wolf finally spotted the light source. A faint beam of light was seeping in from the distant void. It looked like someone had poked holes in black paper with a needle.

Only one thought came to mind at this bizarre, desolate, and chaotic sight.… Could this be hell…?

Hell.

A shiver ran through Wolf’s entire body. Memories followed him in a rush. Black Weasel’s head that had suddenly fell off. His body spewing blood. And… his own body, broken in two.

It wasn’t a dream. He was dead, and this was hell.

“Hmm…”

A low groan sounded nearby. Wolf turned around without thinking and froze in shock. Red Eagle was lying there, tossing and turning. What? The prince is dead too?

The next moment, Wolf’s mind went blank. Black Weasel, Red Eagle, and now himself were dead. Then…

Silver!

Wolf jumped up and surveyed his surroundings. Even in the thick darkness, Silver and Black Weasel were immediately visible. They were only a few steps away, but Wolf couldn’t move toward them. It was as if shackles were chained to his ankles, rendering him completely immobile.

Silver, curled up and crying. Black Weasel, holding Silver and whispering something. That was how the two appeared to Wolf’s eyes.

[Calm down.]

Black Weasel spoke.

[I don’t know if this shitty place is hell or some dog-like demon’s lair, but you don’t need to be scared. The Valiant Black Weasel is right here beside you. After all, I am your biological father.]

What are you talking about? Dammit, speak Atanian! Speak Atanian!

Wolf clenched both fists. His nails dug into his flesh.

Suddenly, a cold touch brushed his left shoulder. He flinched and turned to see Red Eagle standing there. His lips were purple.

“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”

Red Eagle bent over and vomited. A yellow liquid mixed with bread crumbs spread out like spilled soup. It was the bread and alcohol he’d consumed at the inn tavern just before they died. Wolf’s gaze flickered. A sudden, ridiculous idea occurred to him. Is this hell?

Hell… It must be.

Wolf looked up at the void. There was light. Not sunlight, but light seeping from an unknown realm whose origin humans couldn’t fathom. Just seeing that proved this place was hell. Yet the question remained. Why is the prince vomiting? We’re dead, so we’re souls now. But vomiting is a bodily function.

Wolf placed a hand on his chest. He could feel a heartbeat. Taking a deep breath made his chest tighten. His palm felt warm too. Could a soul be like this? The reality of a soul might differ from people’s imaginations, but this was strange.

Just as the question threatened to advance further, Red Eagle released Wolf’s arm and slowly slumped down.

“Wo… wo… Wolf. Wolf.”

“Your Highness! Are you all right?”

Wolf hurriedly supported Red Eagle. His entire body was trembling. He resembled someone buried alive, howling and clawing at the coffin with their fingernails.

“Wolf, this is hell. I saw it. You and the old man dying… You were… your waist was torn in half…”

“Calm down, Your Highness. Even if this is hell, we won’t receive severe punishment. We never committed any great sins while alive…”

Wolf’s voice gradually grew quieter. A chill ran down the back of his neck.

“We… haven’t committed any great sins. At worst, it’s just lies or petty theft. Ah, you grew up in the palace, Your Highness, so you probably didn’t even steal. Even if we’re punished, it’ll end with a few strikes with a rod.”

Wolf barely finished speaking before taking a breath. Close by, he saw the assassin hugging his slave and patting his back. The Valiant Black Weasel. The man who had killed at least a hundred. And Silver.

The moment Wolf first met Silver flashed before his eyes. Silver bent down. He pulled out the daggers one by one from the men’s necks with the hand movements of someone pulling carrots from a garden. Blood dripped down the blades.

Back then, Silver had killed four people right in front of Wolf. A murderer. He probably killed quite a few people, though not as many as his master, Black Weasel. Compared to him, who’d get off with a few strikes of the rod, Silver’s crimes were incomparably greater.

Wolf’s breathing grew rough. Silver… that murderous bastard is my age. Had he not grown up under an assassin, he’d have turned out like me, a fool who occasionally steals biscuits from the bakery. Damn Black Weasel…

Huh?

The raging fury vanished as suddenly as it had flared. Wolf closed his eyes, then opened them. Once more. But nothing changed.

“Wolf? What’s wrong?”

Red Eagle followed Wolf’s gaze, turned around, and yelped. He landed on his butt. Silver and Black Weasel, who had also spotted ‘it’ like them, were speechless.

Tap, tap. A girl approached from afar. Her shoulder-length blonde hair cast a faint glow into the darkness. Her face was expressionless. The only clothing on her body was a black skirt embroidered with purple flowers. At first glance, she looked like a child who had died young, someone anyone would pity.

What was visible beneath the skirt was not a human body. Everything except her face was bone. Ribs and spine instead of a torso. Femurs extended down beneath the skirt. Phalanges so tiny they were almost cute, like strawberry seeds…

Wolf couldn’t tear his gaze away from ‘it’. It felt like the day after a funeral when a grave was found dug up, leaving only an empty coffin, the same feeling he’d had upon hearing the rumor that the culprit was the fiancé of the desecrated corpse. It was frightening and absurd, yet at the same time, his curiosity was piqued.

What is that thing?

***

“Over there. The prince and his servant.”

Wolf came back to his senses at the sound of a voice. Black Weasel was beckoning him over. In the meantime, ‘it’ had vanished into the darkness.

“Come this way. Hurry. Hurry!”

At Black Weasel’s urging, Wolf hesitated for a moment. He wanted nothing more than to ignore him completely and turn his back without a second thought. If only Silver weren’t beside that damned killer.

Wolf suppressed his rage and helped Red Eagle to his feet.

“Your Highness. Can you stand?”

Red Eagle only mumbled incomprehensible mutterings to himself. Wolf supported him as they approached Black Weasel.

“Silver, are you alright?”

“Hmph. Stop worrying about useless things. Keep your wits about you. From now on, we must stick together no matter what.”

“…Huh?”

His forehead instantly grew cold. The command to “stick together” felt out of place, but more than that, the assassin’s voice was unnervingly low. It felt like he was being cautious, afraid someone might be eavesdropping…?

Something was wrong He didn’t know what it was, but something was definitely wrong.

“Wh-wh-what do you mean, stick together? What for? We’re dead…”

Wolf deliberately asked back in a defiant voice. Black Weasel glared at him for a moment.

“Yes. We’re dead. But who knows?”

The assassin lowered his voice even further. He sounded like a general summoning his closest aids in the dead of night to issue operational instructions before a decisive battle. Wolf swallowed dryly. Could it be…?