---

Chapter 1: A Journey of Confusion

“Someday, I wonder.”

Just like any other day, I pondered the question, “Is there a day when the night won’t come?”

That day was filled with pointless chatter and meaningless questions spilling out everywhere.

As I gazed at the stars that unfolded in the rising night, I suddenly found myself voicing thoughts that were difficult to understand, causing my face to scrunch up in confusion.

Every time I heard those words, a single thought echoed in my mind, “What a strange thing to say.”

It was nothing more than that. That’s how it always was.

A night when the stars vanished.

A sky where the sun disappeared.

A land where the forest no longer existed.

Everything that remained where the sea had vanished.

I occasionally asked these questions filled with meaninglessness, clueless about their significance.

But I shrugged today off just like any other day.

“A day when the night won’t come.”

The day fades, and the night arrives in its wake.

Some days, you might not see the stars, but…

“I don’t think that’s likely.”

Surely, there’s no day without a night. That’s what I thought as I replied.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

Did my answer please her? She smiled, her effort to suppress her laughter radiating a freshness that made my fingers instinctively curl to caress her cheek.

Feeling the soft touch, she glanced at me.

“That’s your answer, huh?”

“Do you think otherwise?”

She shook her head at my question.

“I’m not sure.”

It was an ambiguous response. What could it mean to not know either way?

A day without night made no sense, yet she uttered such vague words.

But I chose not to ask why.

I had given similar responses in the past a few times, and every time I asked, I wasn’t able to get a proper answer.

“Is that so?”

For now, that much was sufficient.

With that thought, I looked back up at the sky.

It was a night packed with stars and the moon.

The full moon had reached its peak, and the clear sky without clouds accentuated the gathering stars and moon.

What a beautiful night it was.

As I quietly observed such a night,

“Well then.”

The woman spoke up again. I turned my attention to her voice. What was she going to say this time?

Curiosity filled my gaze.

Surely, it couldn’t be anything too different. At least, that’s what I thought as I looked at her.

“If I were to disappear… what do you think would happen?”

“…….”

The moment I heard those words, my mouth closed shut. It was a question I had never encountered before.

About the sun, the sky, the moon, the stars, the forests…

I had heard what would happen if those disappeared a few times before.

But to ask what would happen if she vanished…

That was a question I had never heard from her.

The ripple created by those words led to silence.

“…….”

I stared at the woman without a word. What intention did she harbor in asking that? I tried to search for an answer, but nothing came to mind.

That made it all the more puzzling. I had no clue regarding the intention behind her words.

Finally, after gazing silently for a while, I opened my mouth.

“What does that mean?”

What on earth did she mean by asking that? Contrasting her calm demeanor, I released my grip on her cheek to grasp her wrist instead.

It was cold.

As I slowly touched her wrist, she smiled.

“What’s with the response? I was just asking.”

“If it’s just a question, then don’t ask it. It’s not something I want to hear.”

“Really? Got it.”

Hearing my words, she turned her head, seemingly satisfied.

After that, she never asked me such a question again.

That was enough.

At least, I thought it was satisfactory, but…

Why did she say such things to me?

It was only after quite some time that I became aware of it.

Yet, in the end, I forgot all about it.

There was nothing left for me.

*

I lifted my heavy eyelids. My blurry vision slowly returned, revealing a strange ceiling.

“……Cough.”

I coughed as I tried to sit up, forcing my creaky body into movement.

With difficulty, I managed to look around. It was a small room that smelled a bit musty.

“What is this?”

Where am I? As I tried to stand up to confirm it better,

Crack-!

“……!”

I clutched my heart and collapsed instead of getting up.

“It hurts….”

The pain was unbearable. The internal agony felt severe.

“Ugh….”

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

My heart was racing so violently it felt like it would burst. As I struggled to stand, my muscles protested in agony.

‘What’s going on?’

It felt like I was being torn apart. My regeneration ability seemed heightened, but my body was healing slower than expected.

Beyond that, my heart itself was the main problem. It felt as if the vessel inside had sustained some damage and couldn’t function properly.

“Ugh….”

I forced myself to bear the pain and move. I had to comprehend what was happening first.

‘Why am I here?’

Why did I wake up in a place like this? As I tried to remember what happened just before,

“Oh.”

It clicked. Yes.

“That guy… the crow.”

I had been fighting the crow. Suddenly, all the vitality had gathered and transformed its form. During the battle with it,

“…Yarang.”

Had she come to rescue me? Yarang had appeared, pierced the dimensions, and fought the crow.

And then…

“…….”

Yarang was attacked. After that, I couldn’t recall anything.

What on earth happened? I bore the pain and ventured out of the room. Once outside, I understood where I had been lying all this time.

“This is….”

It felt unfamiliar yet oddly familiar. The reason it felt familiar was that I had been here once before.

This was the realm where the Heavenly Demon had opened the Demonic Gate I’d seen last time.

Which means…

“Ugh.”

Enduring the pain, I stepped onto the floor. Confidence surged as I confirmed that the scenery I had seen remained intact.

A small pond. A garden that was beautifully arranged yet seemed a bit unrefined. The fields visible outside the residence.

Everything I had seen back then was still there. So, I gazed toward the field and made my way out.

As I walked, a moment passed, and finally stepping into the field, I spotted who I had been searching for near the valley.

Two small figures were crouched there.

“…….”

I approached them. As I made some noise while approaching, one of them, with bright brown hair, glanced in my direction.

Once our eyes met, they froze.

‘Indeed.’

The face without a mask was the girl I knew. And to top it off, those golden eyes were unmistakable.

“……Divine Sword.”

I whispered, but there was no change in the woman, Yarang’s expression. My mother had told me that she was created based on the soul of the Divine Sword.

However, I could see no emotions in her eyes directed toward me.

“……You.”

Is she okay? Back then, it seemed like she had taken the hit for me. Yet, Yarang appeared unscathed.

Just as I was relieved and about to exhale a sigh, the person beside her also turned to me.

It was the Heavenly Demon.

With her characteristic purple eyes, she gazed at me. Both their faces were identical.

The only differences were the colors of their eyes and hair; everything else was completely identical.

Seeing this made me momentarily bewildered. Even though I knew that fact, seeing it up close made it painfully clear.

‘No matter how I look at it.’

It shouldn’t just end with saying they resemble each other.

They had to be absolutely related.

The problem was…

‘Then what about the Blood Demon?’

The Blood Demon called the Heavenly Demon her daughter. If the Divine Sword and the Heavenly Demon are related…

‘Then Wi Seol-Ah too.’

Isn’t it correct to say that she is also connected to the Blood Demon?

I frowned.

‘But the Divine Sword killed the Heavenly Demon in a previous life.’

Sure, the hero who killed the Heavenly Demon and saved the world was indeed the Divine Sword.

But did that mean there was a correlation with the Blood Demon?

As I pondered this, I turned to the Heavenly Demon.

“What’s going on?”

Why are Yarang and I here? That was my question.

The Heavenly Demon stared at me intently before speaking.

“I brought you.”

“……How come?”

“Because it was dangerous.”

“…….”

I didn’t ask who was in danger; it was obvious. Having some recollection of the situation, it was all the more so.

‘So, you mean you rescued us.’

The Heavenly Demon must have brought Yarang and me here to save us.

Then…

“What is this place, exactly…?”

As I was about to repeat what I had asked last time,

“That’s not it.”

The Heavenly Demon interrupted my words. What?

“What do you mean…?”

Suddenly, “not that”? At her unexpected remark, I tilted my head, barely noticing the tiny furrow in her brow.

“You weren’t supposed to say that.”

“What kind of nonsense is—”

“Thank you.”

“……!”

“You should say it like that.”

“……Huh.”

I let out a breath. She wants me to say thank you?

To her?

That I should say thank you for saving me? I stared at her in disbelief, but her eyes were solemn.

“…….”

While I kept staring, I slightly turned my eyes away and said,

“……Thank you.”

“Yeah.”

Upon hearing my words, the Heavenly Demon nodded. I stifled a sigh. What am I doing?

I scratched the back of my neck. My heart still ached.

The pain wouldn’t go away. Holding back, I looked toward the Heavenly Demon again.

What should I ask?

Should I ask again what this place is, or should I ask something else entirely?

With the flow disrupted, my questions became vague.

As I deliberated, my gaze fell on Yarang and the Heavenly Demon next to me.

I thought about it. Perhaps the question I wanted to ask had already been predetermined.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

I asked the Heavenly Demon.

“……What’s your relation?”

What kind of relationship do they have?

Without hesitating, I asked directly.

“Sister.”

The Heavenly Demon answered without any pause.

Her white finger pointed to herself.

“I’m the older sister, and she’s the younger sister.”

“…….”

Upon hearing her response, I rubbed my face with my hand.

Damn it.

The fact I had hoped wasn’t true had become a reality.

 

---