The night of death has turned its back on us
woodcarving
It's 1:50 a.m. It's already this late. I can't sleep, but I have nothing better to do, so I put my earphones in and listened to music. The last song on my playlist finished, and I checked my phone to choose another song. Only then did I realize how quickly time had flown by. Listening to music without any sense of time and clearing my mind felt good.
By the way, it's 1:50. It's almost here. That time is coming. The time when I lose myself.A time to live as someone other than myself for a moment. It's a dangerous yet free time, a time when I can breathe as a being that transcends humanity. These days, I don't have anything to do. Ultimately, my current daily life is boring and stifling. I don't feel like getting ready and going out, and I don't really have an excuse to go out. But if I transform into someone else, I don't have to go through the hassle of going out. To be honest, I like going out in the cool air of a deserted night. For some reason, I don't feel drawn to the daytime. Anyway, for various reasons, I prefer going out at this time.
My insides are seething. This is the beginning. My uncontrollable self is beginning to reveal itself. It swallows me up, transforming itself at will between solid and liquid. It spews forth from my throat. It felt like a black whirlwind was engulfing me. All I could see was the movement of a black object. The swarming wasn't pleasant to see. Honestly, it was disgusting. Even for me, I wondered if this was truly a living thing. Visually, it looked squishy. It felt as if it would burst limply if I grabbed it. It swept over me at incredible speed and began to devour my legs. When the blackness engulfed me, it felt like my body and this object were swapped. My body, for a moment, seemed to be lost in an unknown world.
In about ten seconds, everything was complete. I was no longer human. For a moment, I became the soul of another creature, imbuing it with my own. A creature with abilities far superior to those of a human. My movements were clumsy at first, but now they were quite fluid. More skillful than when I didn't know what to do. Manipulating this body takes up four hours of my day. This routine, repeated every day, inevitably became a habit.
Even though my body had grown larger, I felt lighter as I flew out the window. Cutting through the wind always felt refreshing. It felt like all my stress was disappearing. The air and I were intertwined. It felt like I was part of the air. Cutting through the cool night breeze always felt refreshing. I wish the cool nights could last forever. Night was too dangerous a time to last forever. It may not have been like that before, but it is now.
My head was spinning and dizzy. Today, I was following the same path. At some point during the night, my film cut out. My vision became hazy, and my mind became a jumbled mess. I tried my best to hold on to my senses, but it was ultimately meaningless. I've never had a clear memory of a night. I thought I was going crazy. The world blurred, two worlds overlapping. I clutched my head and screamed in pain. All I could hear were heavy breathing and muffled groans. My vision shook even more. I was completely out of my mind. I couldn't even come to my senses, struggling in the sky. I had resolved not to lose my senses tonight. But tonight, too, I failed.
I was on something fluffy. Something warm enveloped me. I opened my eyes slightly and, oh, as expected, I was home, in my room. As always, I fell asleep in the same bed. It's so strange. How could I find my own home when I'm not even fully awake? How could that be? Today, I greeted the morning without any memories. Another stifling day had begun. It hadn't even begun yet, but I was so bored. The morning opened with a heaviness and oppression. The sunlight shining through the window was unnecessarily warm. It might have been a cozy Saturday morning for others, but for me, it was just another unpleasant morning. Please, I want to escape from this world.
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"Here's the news. Another person has reportedly died tonight. Like the other victims, it's believed their soul and abilities have been absorbed. Researchers say this is something that normal and half-humans can't do. This ultimately suggests the devil's actions. It's a horrific situation, with about five deaths occurring every week. They're having trouble investigating the perpetrator, who disappears without a trace. The police say it will take quite a while to apprehend the perpetrator. Please be cautious, as this isn't just a local issue, but a nationwide one. See you next time—"
News with a tone devoid of emotion. I turned it off immediately after hearing the news that caught my attention. I didn't think it was worth the headache of listening to it all. Another death occurred today, but not a single trace or evidence was found. The death toll exceeded ten, so how are we supposed to find the culprit without a single piece of evidence?
This incident could potentially be a global crisis. For now, the culprit is assumed to be him. As previously mentioned, such acts cannot be committed with the power of a devil. This means that he, who is beyond the devil, must be the culprit. He is likely in human form now. He lost his body in the past, but doesn't his soul remain? The devil government claimed to have completely destroyed him, but there have been speculations that he may still be alive. Of course, thanks to the government's efforts, the rumors quickly died down. If these speculations are correct, the human world will face another great crisis.
Assuming he's alive, there's something that just doesn't make sense. If he had eternal life, why would he only show up now? He's been threatening the world for nearly a century. If he were given ten years, he could become the most powerful force in the world and still have time to spare. This simply means no one can defeat him.
It was 2 p.m., the sunniest hour of the day. Perhaps because it was the weekend, there were quite a few people outside, enjoying the moment of relaxation. The deep, high sky was embraced by a few clouds. I thought it was the perfect scene for the word “holiday.” The cool clothes and the sweltering heat of August. It was an endlessly warm scene. I wish everyone could stay in that moment forever. The time that had been filled with happiness and joy soon turned into fear. As if trying to ruin the most beautiful day, darkness swallowed everything from the sky.
The once-pristine sky became as dark as night, and even the white clouds were tinged with black. The sun that once illuminated the world was gone, replaced by flashes of lightning and thunder filled with a sense of dread. Children playing on the lawn, people leisurely strolling, everyone trembled with fear. They hurried into their homes, stamping their feet in anxiety. Unsure of what to do in this new situation, all they could do was let out tears.
According to news reports, the cause of this incident was not Normal, Half, or Devil. It was simply someone with abilities surpassing Devil. His identity was unknown. The headlines in the newspaper articles were almost identical: "An Evil Beyond the Devil and His Followers," "The Unidentified Strongest Evil," "The Nameless Evil, What Is He Doing?"
I barely got any impressive information from the newspapers. All I could find was information about what was happening and what the government was doing in response. My main question now was why this was happening. No matter what I read, I was stuck in the same place. The time I invested in this case wasn't worth the effort. In fact, as an ordinary, unrelated person with a job, I had no choice but to do nothing.
Two weeks later, I finally found the person who started this. The newspaper was full of front-page articles about him, but I remember finding little. All I could find were two facts: that around a hundred evils were plotting this, centered around him. And that the central figure possessed powers beyond that of the Devil. This was quite astonishing. In a long history that could never be fully grasped, no matter how much I studied, this was the first time a human with powers beyond that of the Devil had appeared. This shocked everyone, gripping them with fear. The government must have been quite flustered, too. It was the first such event in history, and they had no idea how to handle it.
First, the government requested that citizens refrain from going out as much as possible. This was because there were occasional cases of people going out and disappearing after being swallowed by an unknown darkness. This was only a guideline before the cause was known. After discovering his existence, the government gathered devils with advanced abilities and ordered them to confront him. Even if they were not devils, they accepted without hesitation any half-human who would be a good opponent when fighting a devil. This was because they did not know the extent of his power, and thought it would be safer to secure as many people as possible for now.
November 23, 1813.
It could have been a world tragedy, but thankfully, he was executed by the Devil's government. He had come to the capital, a densely populated region. It was 4 a.m., still dark. People began to wake one by one from their sleep at the sound of a loud explosion. The sky outside the window was covered in large black clouds. The continued attacks only increased people's anxiety, feeling helpless. Green and blue rays of light pierced the black sky. The number of destroyed buildings increased. Following government instructions that came a little later, people evacuated the buildings and moved to shelters. Perhaps because the area was tucked away in a remote area and thus less visible, there were no injuries or deaths. However, most of those who failed to reach the shelters suffered serious injuries or even death on the spot. Only two people survived the peril. It was a truly horrific story. As someone who lived through that time, I felt intense fear. I had to keep in mind that something like this could happen again at any moment.
I was walking down the street, searching for the address written in a text message. Since we were in the same neighborhood, I didn't really feel like taking public transportation. It would be nice to take a leisurely walk, even for exercise. Honestly, I wasn't in a position to take a leisurely walk. Of all the buildings nearby, which one could I possibly be? I concentrated all my attention on the address written on the building's front, and walked slowly forward. It was definitely in this area... Ah, I found it. It was a building that seemed to be about seven stories tall, housing a hospital, an academy, and even a store of unknown identity. With a "First time here" written on my forehead, I slowly entered. I checked the sign next to the elevator and pressed the button. I was on the first floor, so I could board right away. I pressed the button for the fourth floor, just as I'd confirmed earlier. It had been a while since I'd done something like this, and I felt a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
I checked the name on the door and entered the office. Inside, Wonwoo, an old acquaintance, was engrossed in his work. Judging by the way he didn't look up, I guessed he didn't notice me. He must have been so focused. I quietly approached him and tapped his finger on the desk a couple of times. Only then did he turn to me and say hello.
“Oh, hyung, hi. I didn’t even know you were here, sorry.”
He smiled slightly and shook his head.What were you doing?In response to my question, he handed me the title of the file he was looking at.Summary of the 1813 incidentWe must avert this crisis. It's truly dangerous for something like this to happen again. This time, the world of true coexistence will collapse.
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As long as Half and Devil live, no one's identity can be known.
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It took a week... Sorry😥
It's not that long, but the uploads are slow.
Sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to upload very often in the future...😭
Still, I will write it as quickly as possible!!
In the next episode, I'll also bring you some simple character relationships and traits.
I think there might be some parts that you don't understand after reading the content...
Then good night❤