The night of death has turned its back on us
A man muttered curses in a low voice. The corners of his mouth were straight and straight. Upturned eyes, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. His first impression was not so good. To be more precise, he had a very cold aura. He always carried a small flicker of anger in his eyes. He was always expressionless. Even in unexpected situations, even when he was told something quite unpleasant, you could never see a change in his face. Except, of course, when he smiled. Something was different then. The quiet anger was burning, spreading a considerable spark. Perhaps impatience was growing inside him as he chewed his lower lip and rested his chin. He stared at the empty floor, refusing to pierce through, and he remained unshaken by the various noises.
Even I, sitting across from him, couldn't speak freely. His actions, seeing me for the first time, felt like he was wary. The serious atmosphere left me unable to do anything but sit there, like a doll, unable to move. I simply waited for him to speak to me or get up first. A few minutes passed without any exchanges. "Only ten minutes have passed," I said, internally complaining of frustration. Exhausted by the situation, the feeling, and the waiting, I tilted my head back and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“Jisoo.”
Finally, he spoke. A sense of relief, if not complete relief, a little. I'd been waiting for this moment for ten short, suffocating minutes. At his call, I raised my head and turned my gaze to him. He was still staring at the floor.Jisoo?He called my name again, as if he didn't sense my gaze on him.
“Yeah. I’m listening, tell me.”
He was clearly hesitating. He was about to tell me something I couldn't quite bring myself to say. Something about his anxiety was making him lick his lips. Was he hiding something from me? My curiosity was growing, but he only kept teasing me. If that had continued a little longer, I might have become truly annoyed.
“Don’t bite your lip, you’ll bleed.”
ah, he let out a short sigh at my words. As if he hadn't realized he was doing that himself. Then, after saying "Okay," he relaxed his awkward posture and faced me. He rested his elbows on the table and picked at his fingers. What are you so anxious about? What on earth is it that you, who always speaks without hesitation about anything, are hesitating like this, huh? He covered the hand he was picking at with mine. Judging by his expression this time, it seemed like he only realized it then. What is it, Choi Seungcheol? This is really strange, today. His actions expressing his anxiety made me feel as if I was also being consumed by tension. For some reason, I felt like a big incident would explode with a bang in a few seconds.
“Speak comfortably. What on earth are you trying to say that makes you hesitate so much?”
Oh, that's right...,Again, again, again. It's happening again. But since I've already started talking, I thought I'd hear it soon. Please stop being so frustrating and just say it quickly, like always. I put my finger to my lips again.
“I think you’re next.”
What? I'm next. Twelve victims this month alone. And the thirteenth victim, that's me? The first and second victims were ordinary people, and people think he's after them.*NormalIt made me think so. But the third one*Half, the fourth is*DevilIt was. He'd killed three of the human forms currently existing in this world. And judging by the fact that he'd killed a devil, his powers must be as great as any devil. I was in a very difficult and dangerous situation. Seungcheol probably wouldn't lie, and there was no reason for him to, so I had no choice but to believe him.
*Normal: A normal human form. Possessing a complete body and soul, this is the most common type of human. They possess no special abilities.
*Half: A human form that resides between this world and the next. Their souls are the same as those of normal beings, but they lose their physical bodies for about a day a week (this is called Spirit Time). During this time, they become extremely vulnerable to sunlight. However, by taking medicine, they can live as normal during this time. They can use some special abilities that normal beings do not have.
*Devil: A human form from the underworld. Their soul is evil itself, and they can possess a body for a short period of time if they wish (minimum 5 hours, maximum 12 hours. The time can be controlled by the user). The second rarest of the four types. They have more abilities available and are stronger than the Half.
A blurry landscape, too vague to be real, made me realize I was dreaming. A lucid dream. I was standing in a dark alley in the dead of night. Why am I here? I questioned, taking each step forward. I was thrown into a cold air filled with chill, cruelty, and misery. Looking around, all I could see were narrow, labyrinthine streets. The size of the space was unexpected. So deeply buried in the silence, I unconsciously felt the need to move silently. I carefully advanced, treading slowly, starting from my heels. The alley looked quite old. The walls were significantly damaged, and the few streetlights were all out. Oh, my dear, I'm scared to death. Why on earth did I come to a place like this? Am I even near home?
I was walking as if I were dead, looking left and right. The air was getting colder. My mind was filled with the thought that I had to get out of here quickly. I barely managed to pull my body filled with fear and compose my confused mind. I tried to take the right path but ended up flinching. I had no choice. I had finally come face to face with the reason I was here.
I was trembling.
It's just scary.
I want to get out of here quickly.
I never wanted to see a scene like this again.
Why am I trapped in trauma again?
I witnessed a terrifying silhouette of a man wearing a long black coat absorbing both the soul and abilities of someone. He killed them. Only beings of a level higher than a Devil can use the ability to absorb. Of course, a Devil might be able to do it. However, the possibility of a Devil having the ability to absorb others in their body is close to zero. The Devil being alive means, oh, was he alive or was he resurrected? What the hell. Why are you still alive? Why aren't you dead?
As soon as I saw him disappear from that place, I tried to approach the fallen person. That was my limit. Because the dying person was someone I knew, someone precious to me, Hong Ji-soo. My heart felt like it couldn't handle seeing him turn into a cold corpse right in front of me. My voice wouldn't come out. The words I wanted to spit out suddenly welled up like tears. I felt like I was barely able to spit them out.
"Jisoo... Hong Jisoo? Why are you there? This kind of joke is boring, so get up quickly. It's all planned out. Hong Jisoo, I told you to get up quickly? Jisoo... Jisoo, that's not right, is it? That's not what I think, is it? You're not dying. You said you'd be my lifelong friend. You said I'm not alone. Please, deny it."
“Seungcheol, this is it...”
A voice that barely manages to come out in a clear, raspy voice. After barely speaking, he snickers. That idiot. Is it funny in this situation? Don't die, don't. You know I can't do without you, right? You know perfectly well that you're the last thing I have left, right?
Tears welling up in my eyes suddenly poured out, and I tilted my head back to hide them. I closed my eyes, letting the tears drain away. I grabbed his limp hand. I wrapped it tightly with both hands. It was my last desperate attempt to hold onto him. I cried out in sorrow. There was nothing I could do.
"Jisoo, just hold on a little longer. I'll call an ambulance right away. Okay?"
I felt so anxious I was going crazy. Did he know how I felt, how much I wanted to save him? He silently took my hand, which was holding my phone, and put it down. He looked at me with eyes that seemed ready to close, and shook his head slightly.
“Jisoo?””
It was silence. From that moment on, what he insisted on wasn't life, but silence. He yearned for life, for survival, even just once. You bastard. Jisoo's warmth gradually faded. It cooled very slowly. The only warmth that spread was in the hand that held mine. It felt like he was holding me tightly. Perhaps this was Jisoo's farewell message to me. I pleaded with my sorrow. And yet again, I was left devastated, having lost someone precious to me.
Oh, right. This is a dream. I knew it was a dream. A horrible nightmare. When will I wake up?
White ceiling.
Morning sunlight.
Alarm sound.
A subtle echo.
Ah, it was a dream. I realized again. This was just a dream. Yes, just a dream. A virtual world, nothing more. Surely, nothing will happen to Jisoo. It shouldn't. I kept telling myself, as if brainwashing myself, that it was a dream, but I still felt uneasy. Could it be some kind of precognitive dream? Fear and anxiety were a jumbled mess.
The faint echo of the worst nightmare lingered in my ears. Nothing else came to mind. I dabbed the tears forming at the corners of my eyes with my sleeve. Sweat dripped down my face, tears streaming down my face without my knowledge. Even in my dreams, I was aware that it was a dream, but it remained as a fragment of memory, as if it were my own experience. I was overcome by the strange sensation of my memories being manipulated. I was dominated by the emotions brought on by that horrific nightmare.
and The nightmare kept repeating itself and growing in size.
***
My reflection in the mirror was already a reflection of myself, a reflection that had lost its original form. Reddened eyes, tears welling up in my eyes. My body was losing its form. My whole being was burning hot. Something enormous, deep within me, was trying to escape. I suppressed it, feeling like I shouldn't vomit it out. It was overwhelming. It was tiring. It was growing in size, but I had no power to stop it. It was rising up to my throat. No, go back in. Don't come out. Please, don't move. I squeezed my eyes shut, holding my breath as I tried. It was swarming. It felt like it would burst through my mouth at any moment. To think such a cruel creature was sleeping inside me. And I must seal it away for the rest of my life, preventing it from emerging. To become one more victim. It was simply a sacrifice to keep the world from falling into chaos.
Something hot wrapped around my tongue. It struggled to get out of me. It squirmed wildly, trying to force my mouth open. Stop. Stop. Just sleep. Please, please, please.
ah-.
It poured out in a torrent.
The shapeless darkness dragged my enormous body away and I finally escaped.
My throat felt like it was being ripped apart. Its power was too strong for me to suppress. Weak as I am, incompetent as I am, I ended up letting out what shouldn't be let out. The world was on his side. Something mixed with people's fears dispersed into the air. The air it permeated grew chilly. I had reached my limit. There was nothing I could do here. I was already dominated. He, the evil one, the one who brought the worst pain to everyone, had awakened. Within me, of all places.
________
I've reuploaded it after editing. More characters will be added gradually.
The last one was intentionally left out of context!
Have a nice day everyone😊