"Do it! Do it!" Voices echoed in Ji-ho's mind. The men exploded, threatening to wipe out a distant portion of the village. Everything felt like it had stopped, like time itself had frozen just for Ji-ho. His mind wavered, uncertain of what to do.
"You gave it your best," a voice grounded him again. It was Dae-chul, smiling despite the pain. In that instant, Ji-ho knew what he had to do. A world he knew nothing about just a month ago… powers he had desperately hidden, even from himself.
He smiled faintly. "Lets hope we get out of this alive" he said, turning to Dae-chul. "Black Vortex!" Ji-ho shouted. A black hole emerged like a floating sphere of darkness, it hung in the air and sucked in everything: the explosion, the surrounding debris, and the remaining goons. Ji-ho managed to stop it just before it consumed too much. Then he collapsed. His energy was nearly gone. It wasn't that he lacked Ethereal Flow, it simply couldn't be sensed.
Ji-ho smiled weakly, lying on the ground beside Dae-chul. He had just overcome his trauma. "Never knew I'd be this useful," he laughed. "I think you underestimate your powers," Dae-chul chuckled, trying not to wince. "Dae-chul… there's a lot of things I have to tell you. And also, things I can't say." Ji-ho gritted his teeth, probably expecting the worst response.
"Whether you're a demon or a human, it doesn't really matter, you see. What matters is your actions," Dae-chul said, smiling. Ji-ho gasped. The wind blew past his face, and he laughed. "Just when I think I understand you humans… you go on and surprise me even further." He tried to stand up. "Well, you see, I'm a Grim Reaper," he said with a crooked smile.
"Whatttttttt!!!" Dae-chul shouted, the shock making him forget the pain in his injured arm for a second. "And are you so surprised?!" Ji-ho shot back. "Well, I thought you were a demon, I guess. But a Grim Reaper? Never in hell did I think they were real. But now, with all these crazy things going on… I believe you," Dae-chul said, his usual calm demeanor returning.
Ji-ho looked at him with a tired grin. "But wait a minute… why are you human?" Dae-chul asked, pointing at him. "Well, we do share a similar human appearance. But we also possess another form, our true form. This is just a ruse. Though we differ from normal humans, there are characteristics that set us apart. And then there's me," he said, pointing at himself. "A defective."
Dae-chul went quiet. "Well, now I know other races exist and aren't just random fairytales," he said. "Dae-chul," Ji-ho spoke softly, "There are many things even I don't fully understand in this life. But let's do it together." He stretched his hand toward Dae-chul, who grabbed it as Ji-ho pulled him up. "Yeah," Dae-chul replied.
He looked at Ji-ho again, and for a brief moment, a voice echoed in his mind. Will you be a child protected by power and riches, or will you be a child who protects others? He wiped a tear from his eye. "You always had the worst timing, Dad," he whispered with a smile.
As they started heading up the hill, Ji-ho noticed Dae-chul struggling to move. He himself was exhausted and wounded, but unlike Dae-chul, his energy was beginning to return. His wounds were gradually healing. "If you can't move on, I can do it myself," Ji-ho said, looking at Dae-chul, who was barely staying upright.
"Well, as the only person who knows your secret and vows to keep it to the bitter end, I guess think of myself as a secret op now," Dae-chul smiled through the pain, feeling an odd sense of pride. Ji-ho glanced at him again. He knew he couldn't persuade him to go back. Besides, they didn't have their phones or any gadgets, they were lost to the black hole. "Well, that makes two people who know, actually," Ji-ho said, chuckling.
"What?! Who is it?" Dae-chul asked curiously. "After this… if we make it out alive, I'll tell you everything," Ji-ho said, placing one of Dae-chul's arms around his shoulder. They reached the top of the hill. A large valley stretched before them, fading into the misty horizon. Suddenly, Ji-ho felt a sharp pain in his chest. He had felt this before. He gripped his chest, gritting his teeth.
Dae-chul quickly pulled him into a corner. Footsteps echoed in the distance. They grew louder… then stopped. "My, my. Will you two come out already?" a voice rang out, sharp and mocking. Dae-chul and Ji-ho stepped from their hiding spot, keeping a safe distance. What stood in front of them was terrifying something that made both of them freeze.
The figure was nearly seven feet tall. A single horn jutted from his head, the other one seemingly stunted or broken. His pale skin was marked with blood-red patterns across his entire body. His eyes glowed crimson, radiating pure bloodlust. He wore an ancient black robe.
"Who are you?" Dae-chul asked, narrowing his eyes. The figure tilted his head. "I can sense mana from you," he said, pointing at Dae-chul. "And you… none." he asked curiously. The pair didn't respond. "If you're here, does that mean you defeated those insects? Well, no matter. Humans are disposable anyway."
Ji-ho gritted his teeth. "So you're the bastard who made those men blow themselves up. Just what gives you the right to dictate another person's life?" "Oh my, a feisty one," the figure said, eyeing Ji-ho with amusement. "I do have a questionbut first, what are your names?" He didn't seem to care about Ji-ho's rage. "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Khar-Zuun, a keeper, second-in-command to the High Sovereigns," he said. His voice dripped with spite.
"So you're a demon, I take it," Dae-chul spoke up. "Correct!" Khar-Zuun replied, baring his teeth in a grin. "Now, before I kill you, do you know about the Power Stone?" he asked, voice now deadly serious. "What are those?. And even if we did, why should we tell you?" Dae-chul snapped back. "Well, I suppose you're right," Khar-Zuun said with a smirk. "Then I'll just have to kill you." And with that, he lunged forward, Ji-ho barely managed to dodge.
The wind pressure from the strike slashing his cheek. He stumbled back, chest heaving, arms shaking. His wounds hadn't healed completely. His legs were heavy, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You're slow," Khar-Zuun sneered. "Already falling apart?" Ji-ho gritted his teeth, his body screaming in pain. Ji-ho barely had time to react before a clawed fist rammed into his stomach, sending him flying backward. He hit the ground hard, tumbling like a ragdoll. Coughing violently, he tried to stand, but his knees gave out.
Suddenly the demon's chest began to split open horizontally, revealing a writhing mass of black, shadowy hands. Dozens of them. They reached out with jerky, unnatural movements, each one exuding a foul, smoky aura that made the air difficult to breathe. "Let me show you my gift," the demon said. "Decay."
The hands launched forward. Ji-ho dodged the first few, rolling aside, but one brushed against his left hand. The flesh immediately sizzled. A scream escaped his throat. The skin where the hand touched turned gray, then black,rotting away. Ji-ho bit down hard to stop himself from losing it. Another hand came, grabbing his ankle. More pain. More rot. The decay was spreading fast.
"Dammit!" Ji-ho growled, Gripping a blade, he clenched his teeth, and with one swift motion, severed it. He sliced off his left hand, with his remaining strength. Narrowly avoiding another barrage. The ground where the hands touched was withering into ash. His breath was shallow. His heart pounded. He looked up at the demon, who laughed, cold and cruel.
"You're no different from the others," Khar-Zuun said. "You're weak." Ji-ho struggled to stand, body shaking. He laughed low, broken, bitter. "I'd be dead if I keep holding back," he said, wiping blood from his lip. He reached behind him, his hand glowing faintly. The air cracked as a long black scythe formed, twisting, shifting. It morphed into something new.
A long chain-like whip, sharp and spiked, humming with power. Khar-Zuun narrowed his eyes. "A Reaper's weapon... that form..."
Khar-Zuun approached slowly. " A Grim Reaper in a human shell? Just what are You? A monster. Ji-ho spun the chain once, letting it slice through the air. His hand gripped the end tightly despite the blood dripping down his fingers.
"You called me a monster," Ji-ho said, smiling weakly. "We're all monsters. I just chose not to run from what I am anymore. With a flick of his wrist, the whip shot forward. It slammed into Khar-Zuun's side, slicing deep into his ribcage. The demon staggered. Then Ji-ho was on him, eyes blazing.
He spun, the whip wrapping around Khar-Zuun's neck. Before the demon could react, two dagger flew into the demons hand, it was no other than Dae-chul, he had been struggling to stand up for a while. Khar-Zunn's screamed in pain, trying to break free, "Catch!" Dae-chul scream tossing the last dagger he had. Ji-ho jumped to reach it, " You fool" Khar-Zunn laughed trying to break free, one of his hand broke free and tried to touch Ji-ho but was turned to ice, Dae-chul laughed.
"Don't You dare, ignore me!" The angered the demon diverted his attention towards Dae-chul, temporarily losing sight of Ji-ho, just a second was enough for Ji-ho, as he drove the dagger straight into the demon's chest. "You're not the first nightmare I've faced," Ji-ho growled.
With a final twist, he sliced across Khar-Zuun's throat. The demon's eyes widened. Then silence. His head fell, rolling across the dirt. His body stood frozen for a second, then collapsed. Ji-ho dropped to his knees, gasping. Blood poured from the wound on his shoulder. He looked at it grimly.
But then light. Khar-Zuun's body began to glow. "No... no no no, we've seen this before!" Ji-ho shouted. The demon's corpse shimmered, then cracked like glass. Ji-ho turned immediately, grabbing Dae-chul by the collar. "We have to move now!" Before Dae-chul could ask, Ji-ho shoved him hard along with himself, right off the cliff. Then the body exploded. A blinding shockwave tore through the sky.
The heat burned. Ji-ho reached out, trying to pull Dae-chul close. But his strength was gone. He tried to channel his mana, but it flickered and failed. He was too weak. Too drained. Still, he reached. Still, he tried. And then everything went dark. There was no sound, no light. Just… nothing. Ji-ho floated in a dark, endless space, surrounded by what looked like stars, an infinite amount of them, scattered across a vast, still sky.
He couldn't move. Couldn't feel his body. Then, a voice echoed faintly in the distance.
"Hello… Hello!" The sound felt far away, like it was bouncing off the stars themselves. Then suddenly, it grew louder, closer. Ji-ho's eyes shot open. Pain. It slammed into him all at once, his chest, his limbs, his missing arm. He looked down. His right arm… was back. Whole. Not burned. Not decayed. Not gone.
He sat up with a sharp gasp, but the pain forced him to fall back down. His breath was shaky. His heart pounded. "…The hell?"
A calm hand touched his shoulder. "Relax," a voice said. "You're safe." Ji-ho turned his head and saw a tall man sitting beside the bed. He had a sharp, chiseled face, strands of beard lining his jaw, and deep red hair slicked back.
Glasses perched neatly on his nose, "You should be grateful to my little panda," the man said with a slight smirk. "That arm didn't heal itself." Ji-ho scowled. "Who the hell are you?" The man adjusted his glasses and smiled. "Lee Tae-jun." Then, before he could say more...Crack! A small fist punched Tae-jun's face sideways, snapping his glasses and making his nose bleed. "Don't call me that," the girl snapped, her voice sharp.
Ji-ho's eyes shifted to her. She had two long black horns curling from her head, glowing red eyes, and a cold, silent presence. The moment he saw her, his instincts kicked in she was a demon. He tensed, trying to sit up and summon his scythes, but pain shot through his body like lightning. He fell back, breathing heavily, his eyes locked on her.
Tae-jun calmly placed a hand on Ji-ho's shoulder. "Relax," he said, voice still light but steady. "She means no harm. She's the one who healed you." The girl frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but Tae-jun covered it with his hand. "Slow down veyra. Let the man recover first," he teased. Ji-ho didn't look away from her. His breath was rough, heart pounding. A demon... saved him?
Then Tae-jun stood up slowly, adjusting his broken glasses. His voice dropped a little, less playful now. "But tell me this…" His eyes locked with Ji-ho's, sharp and steady. "Why is a Grim Reaper helping humans?"