Chapter 260: This Can't Be Happening |
[Agh. Why is there no one around to properly stop him?]
Russell sighed in exasperation at Heint and Kran’s reactions.
He knew exactly why Lucion had to act—there was no way he could stop him.
How could anyone hold back someone desperately fighting to escape death?
[Even you, Russell, can’t stop Lord Lucion. Who else possibly could?]
Bethel remarked briefly, having observed Lucion without Russell. He was like a runaway colt.
Watching Russell, who unconsciously allowed Lucion to move forward because of his sheer determination, Bethel found it pointless to try to stop him.
—Ratta can stop Lucion!
Ratta chimed in cheerfully.
“All right, Lucion.”
Heint sighed, licking his lips.
Silently, he apologized to Carson.
Stopping Lucion now was going to be impossible.
“I agree that we need to eliminate the invisible eyes planted all over this place. But now you want to go somewhere else? Why? Is the one controlling them outside?”
“That’s what I don’t understand either.”
Kran immediately pressed Lucion for answers.
Lucion paused, thinking of the simplest way to explain.
“As you both pointed out, it’s impossible for me to remove all the invisible eyes in Nevast by myself. That’s why I need the darkness’s help. And to gain that help, I have to go somewhere else—to destroy the power acting as a barrier, blocking the darkness.”
His gaze briefly shifted toward the window.
He should have asked the darkness first.
[Lucion wants to know if you can drive away the ghosts once he deals with the anomaly,]
Russell relayed Lucion’s unspoken question while suppressing a sigh.
“If Lucion breaks that barrier, we’ll be able to move more freely instead of just standing by.”
“But we can’t send them into the cycle of life and death like warlocks can.”
“We don’t have that kind of power.”
“But with you there, Lucion, things will be different.”
The darkness approached Lucion, extending a small, childlike hand.
“Not now, of course. But soon. Soon, we’ll be able to do much more.”
It grasped Lucion’s clothing tightly, then beamed a bright smile.
Lucion couldn’t help but return a small smile of his own.
“So, you’re saying there’s something like a barrier here?” Kran asked.
Lucion licked his lips.
“There’s a bigger force controlling Ravid. Weakening it is the key to resolving this situation. That’s why I need to move.”
He rose from his seat.
“We can tell you where it is—for a moment, at least.”
[You guys… are saying you can reveal its location?]
Russell’s expression hardened in disbelief.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered it before.
If the darkness in nature could reveal its location, then using Shadow Movement would naturally become far more efficient.
But commanding the darkness in nature—making it obey as if it were Lucion’s own—was supposed to be impossible.
Because that darkness belonged to no one.
“Get ready, Ratta.”
—Ratta is always ready! Ahem.
Ratta placed her front paws on Lucion’s shoulder, straightened up, and locked eyes with the darkness.
As the hand of darkness clutching Lucion’s clothing twitched, a spark-like sensation jolted through his mind, making him flinch.
—Whoa!
‘What was that? It felt like I was possessed or something.’
Unlike the curious Ratta, Lucion was overwhelmed by the strange sensation, darting his eyes around in confusion.
[How do you feel…?]
[Lord Lucion! You have a nosebleed!]
Russell, who had been cautiously observing Lucion, froze in shock, while Bethel gasped in alarm.
“H-Hamel-nim!”
Kran shouted in surprise before quickly covering his mouth.
They were still in Nevast.
“Hey, hey. You… still… oh, right. You aren’t fully recovered yet.”
Heint clutched his head with both hands in frustration.
He knew Lucion wasn’t completely healed, but a sudden nosebleed like this? It made no sense.
“Young Master.”
Hume handed Lucion a handkerchief, his voice laced with concern.
“I think you should sit down for a moment. Just for a little while.”
Hume suspected that the darkness had affected Lucion in some way, but he still urged him to stop.
Lucion wiped his nose with the handkerchief and spoke firmly, “It won’t take long. Until then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“Lucion, how about I smack you on the head just once?” Heint asked irritably.
* * *
Lucion gazed at the slowly receding darkness.
Troy had stayed behind in Nevast, fearing that his presence might provoke Veronia.
Bethel, realizing Lucion’s nosebleed was caused by his interaction with the darkness, chose to remain behind for when they returned.
And Hume, worried that his presence might draw Veronia’s attention, also stayed.
—Hop!
Ratta’s eyes widened like full moons as she stared at the unfolding scene. Her tail stood stiff.
‘Veronia is…’
Ruined buildings vanished. Trees emerged. Weeds disappeared.
The sight of objects appearing and disappearing at will resembled the Kingdom of Keortia.
‘He’s not here.’
Lucion exhaled lightly and searched for the wisp of smoke that resembled a palm.
He knew that placing his hand there would break a part of this twisted world.
[It seems… he’s not here.]
Russell spoke cautiously, remaining on high alert. That ominous presence—he couldn’t sense it.
“Yes. He’s not here,” Lucion confirmed. “But just in case, we should finish quickly and leave.”
Before taking a step forward, he carefully surveyed his surroundings.
Noticing the mist-like smoke rising to his left, he moved toward it without hesitation.
“Teacher.”
In Nevast, there were many eyes watching. The conditions weren’t ideal for a comfortable conversation, but since he had the chance, he spoke up as he walked.
[What is it?]
“Once this matter is settled, I’ll go to your hideout. That should be fine, right?”
Russell had already explained how to unseal the many doors locked with black magic at his hideout.
Since he had shared that knowledge for Lucion’s sake, Lucion needed to confirm it when the opportunity arose.
[Lucion.]
“Yes?”
[No matter what happens, it’s not your fault.]
“What do you mean by that?”
Lucion stopped in his tracks, turning to Russell, puzzled by his words.
[You’re sharp. You might already have an idea… or maybe I’m just overthinking.]
Russell was relieved that Lucion’s face remained hidden behind his mask.
If he had seen the sorrow in Lucion’s expression, he wouldn’t have been able to say what needed to be said.
[If something happens—]
“That won’t happen! Never.” Lucion cut him off sharply.
Why was he bringing this up again?
The black thread was still intact.
It hadn’t been severed.
[Still, just in case—]
“I don’t want to hear ‘just in case.’ I hate that assumption! Why are you bringing this up again? You promised me… didn’t you?”
Lucion’s voice wavered, emotion threatening to drown it.
—Don’t fight! Don’t fight! Ratta doesn’t like fighting!
Ratta’s urgent voice cut through the tension as she shook her head between Lucion and Russell.
[We’re not fighting, Ratta.]
—But Russell looks sad, and Lucion sounds sad too!
Ratta pouted, her ears drooping.
[I’m at fault. I’m saying things Lucion doesn’t want to hear. But I have to say them.]
—Why? Ratta doesn’t understand.
[Because I might not get another chance.]
Now was the time.
Veronia had sensed his presence.
If Veronia had noticed that the repeating world had changed, then he had likely already been marked.
And if Veronia was aware of his interference, he might have already set traps.
If Veronia caused his disappearance—
No.
If something went wrong when they reached the hideout and opened that door…
Russell might never get the chance to say these words.
This wasn’t something he had just thought of on the spot.
He had thought about it every day—every single morning.
Russell placed a firm hand on Lucion’s shoulder, pressing down slightly.
[Tell Bethel that I wasn’t trying to deceive her… and that I’m sorry.]
“I have… the power to sense predetermined fate.”
Summoning his courage, Lucion finally voiced the words he had buried deep within himself.
But the words wouldn’t come out properly. His thoughts were tangled, making it hard to articulate what he truly wanted to say.
“That power manifests as threads… showing the end of my fate. In other words…”
He stopped abruptly.
His eyes met Ratta’s.
How could he say, in front of Ratta, that he could see the thread that signified his own death?
Just imagining the tears that would fill those round eyes made his heart ache.
Lucion swallowed hard, adjusting his mask.
“…I can see the thread that marks the end. That bastard and I are connected by a black thread. And you, Teacher… you’re bound to a thread alone. Do you understand what that means?”
His teacher could die.
Even now, he hadn’t escaped that fate.
Lucion clenched his fingers tightly, expressing his emotions.
[Lucion.]
At Russell’s heavy voice, Lucion shook his head vigorously.
“…I don’t want to hear it. It feels like fate is swallowing me whole, and I hate it. Teacher… please don’t do this. I can’t bear it.”
Lucion’s voice seemed to be consumed by overwhelming sorrow.
[I won’t disappear. I can’t.]
“What do you mean… you can’t?”
[That’s my price.]
For the first time, Russell looked at him with mournful eyes.
It was as if he were swallowing his own grief, forcing a smile through his pain.
[So it’s not your fault. Don’t blame yourself. Do you understand?]
“…Teacher.”
[Are you in a hurry? Is this the time for this conversation?]
Russell placed the still-confused Ratta in Lucion’s arms.
Then, he pointed toward the direction Lucion needed to go.
[Go.]
Lucion bit his lip and turned away.
‘Teacher won’t disappear? Was I wrong all along? Then…what exactly is the price?’
His heart felt as if it were sinking, like he was wading through a swamp.
He recalled the question he had planned to ask Tella after obtaining the fourth orb—the one that had been lingering in his mind for so long.
The earring that detected deception… and the broken mask… Were they truly received through proxy acceptance?
Was it even possible to obtain items from the dead in such a way?
Could mistakes sometimes occur in the process?
That was the question Lucion had wanted to ask.
So.
Lucion exhaled and came to a halt.
He pressed his palm against the swirling mass of smoke.
The violet darkness he wielded flared up like a rising tide, spreading along the area where the abnormal phenomenon had occurred and burning it quietly.
A network of cracks formed, accompanied by the sharp sound of shattering glass.
Crash.
In an instant, the world fractured like broken shards.
Sunlight streamed through the ruptured space, reflecting off Lucion’s mask in a dazzling display.
Ratta’s eyes sparkled in awe.
‘It’s morning.’
Lucion stared blankly at the exposed space where the phenomenon had occurred.
The world beyond the shattered space was bathed in morning light, and a cold breeze swept through.
The white flakes drifting down were unmistakably snow.
—Whoa! Look at all that white stuff falling! Oh! Ratta knows what that is—it’s snow!
As Ratta’s delighted voice filled the air, Lucion unconsciously reached out his hand.
Darkness surged forward, constraining him.
“No.”
“He’ll notice.”
“You don’t want that, do you, Lucion?”
“What exactly… is that place? Is it really the same world?”
Lucion’s voice trembled.
“Correct. All I know is that this world is currently covered by something—and that something was created by Veronia.”
That ‘covered by something’—the situation the black figure had mentioned.
What exactly was it?
And more importantly, what was this world he stood in?
Lucion couldn’t suppress the rising fear.
‘That side is the real one.’
Why had he instinctively reached out?
“That place… was real.”
“That was the true world.”
“Both here and there are the same world.”
“It was simply a world that had been trapped. So don’t be afraid, Lucion.”
[Yes, Lucion. You just broke it. That’s all. You’re here, I’m here, and Ratta is here too.]
Russell remained calm, fully understanding Lucion’s fear.
If there had been nothing beyond the trapped world…
Then wouldn’t that make Lucion—the one who shattered it—truly evil?
[This place was never normal to begin with. That’s why I respect your choice. If I had your power, I would have done the same.]
If this trapped world hadn’t been created by Veronia’s influence, then the entire premise of the repeating cycle would have been impossible.
Lucion knew this. But still, it felt unfair.
“Has it ever shattered like this before?”
“No… This is the first time.”
The darkness gazed at Lucion with sorrowful eyes.
Memories had surfaced.
It knew—how many times Lucion had died.
Ha.
Lucion let out a sigh, heavy with grief and frustration.
How much time had passed to reach this point?
How many sacrifices had been made?
He could no longer avoid the truth.
All of those sacrifices had been for himself.
‘I have to live. This time, for sure.’
Clenching his fists, Lucion turned away from the sunlight streaming through the fractured world.
“Let’s go back.”
Now was not the time to hesitate.
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