#137

At Ulli’s words, Cullen stopped moving. Arne, startled, jumped up. He pushed through the fog and stammered.

“Th-this?”

As Arne flailed, the fog reacted. The more Arne moved, the visibly thicker the fog became. Air movement was natural, but visible movement? That was definitely strange.

“Stay still, Arne. You’ll get eaten.”

Ulli made a joke to calm him down, but it had the opposite effect. Arne, thoroughly frightened, clung tightly to Lasano’s side.

“Does it seem like Magic?”

Cullen asked Lasano, looking at him. Lasano’s red eyes, which stood out in the fog, scanned the surroundings before turning to Cullen. He shook his head.

“I’m not sure. If it were Magic, it wouldn’t work on you, Cullen. I’ve never seen anything like this either.”

Ulli cried out.

“Oh, it’s worse! I’m not the only one seeing this, am I?”

The fog instantly became so thick that only the shapes of those right in front of them could be discerned. It was like entering a cloud; everything around was hazy and grim. Even the buildings were obscured, making it impossible to see anything.

“Isn’t it just heavy fog?”

Arne seemed to ask with his wish, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem like a natural phenomenon. Even on Mount Tesnia, such thick fog was hard to find. And it didn’t consume the surroundings so quickly. Something artificial had clearly intervened.

“Let’s all hold hands for now. And how about we get out of here?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to stay put than to move?”

Arne objected, seemingly terrified of Ulli’s suggestion, but she persuaded him.

“Perhaps the place with the two Dragons would be better. Kiyen would know what this phenomenon is.”

“But how will we find…”

As soon as Arne’s words fell, a glint of gold appeared at Cullen’s feet. Though its shape was blurry, the light was sufficient. It was the magical trace Kiyen always left behind.

“They seem to have noticed from over there too. As Ulli said, let’s get out of here.”

When even Cullen insisted on moving, Arne reluctantly nodded. Lasano glanced up at Arne, who was clinging to him, and said one thing.

“If you stay this close, you probably won’t die.”

“Yes, I’ll stay right by you!”

It might have been sarcastic, but Arne answered energetically. That eased the tension slightly. Cullen checked the group once and extended his hand.

“It would be best to move closely together so as not to separate. Arne, you stay close to Lasano, and you two, hold my hand.”

Ulli took his hand without hesitation.

“Don’t let go!”

“You can break it if you want.”

Cullen then extended his right hand to Lasano as if to take his hand.

“As a pure High Priest, I find it difficult to touch you carelessly, Cullen. It’s out of shyness.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Ulli pointed out with a laugh. Lasano’s red eyes seemed to curve beyond the hazy air, and he grabbed Cullen’s sword hilt.

“I will hold this. It seems reckless to hold both your hands, as you must be prepared for any potential attacks.”

“Understood.”

Cullen nodded at the sensible remark. Only after feeling Lasano grip the sword hilt did Cullen take a deep breath.

A warning he had long forgotten resurfaced. Before entering this place, the nobles of the South had spoken of a dangerous area in the East. At the time, he had thought it was a place with Demonic Beasts, but perhaps this was that situation.

Having finished their preparations, they slowly began to move, following the golden light shimmering at their feet.

The surroundings were silent. The fog had become so dense that one could only discern the presence of the person next to them by their body heat and touch. Walking in hushed silence, they finally spoke after what felt like over twenty minutes.

“Can you see anything around?”

At Ulli’s question, Cullen shook his head. Then, realizing she couldn’t see his expression, he spoke.

“It’s white.”

“Me too. Still, Kiyen’s light shines through. That’s fortunate.”

As if reacting to Arne’s words, the bouncing golden light paused for a moment, then began to move again. It moved slowly, matching the group’s pace.

“It doesn’t seem like we’ve entered a forest.”

Lasano added. As he said, the ground his boot soles touched was hard, not feeling like forest soil. The occasional sound of falling stones suggested they were walking through ruins.

“Where could this be?”

Arne asked as a moment of silence threatened to descend. No one answered.

“Hey, Cullen? Ulli? Lasano?”

“I am here.”

Following Lasano’s reply, Cullen also spoke.

“Me too…”

Cullen said up to that point, then suddenly realized his left hand felt empty. Ulli’s warmth, which he had felt just moments before, was gone.

“Ulli?”

There was no answer. Cullen stopped and frantically looked around.

“Ulli!”

Despite his loud shout, Ulli did not reply. Knowing she wouldn’t play a prank in this situation, Cullen drew his sword. Lasano spoke.

“I didn’t hear Ulli move…”

As he said that, Cullen felt him move.

“Arne.”

Lasano’s call echoed only in the empty air.

“Cullen, Arne is gone.”

“Wasn’t he holding onto you?”

“He disappeared in a matter of seconds.”

As he heard Lasano’s reply, Cullen felt something cold brush against the back of his neck. It wasn’t a touch on his skin, but a chilling, creepy sensation that felt like it was piercing his insides.

Cullen quickly turned and swung his sword. Swoosh, the sensation of formless air scattering was transmitted along the blade.

You carry their belongings.

As soon as he realized he had cut something intangible, a voice echoed in his mind. The humming sound was like an echo in an unclear cave.

“Who is it?”

“What do you mean?”

Fortunately, he hadn’t disappeared yet, Lasano asked from beside him. At Cullen’s cry, the voice spoke again.

Then, are you a person of destiny?

“There is a being, Lasano. Do not let go of the sword hilt!”

Cullen focused on the formless words. More precisely, he tried to find its shape, which was faintly coalescing, with his eyes. It circled around Cullen and Lasano.

“What do you want? What did you do to my companions?”

You have been tested. If you do not pass it, you too will be trapped in an illusion and die, like the humans who have passed through here.

“Cullen.”

Lasano’s voice, now grave, held Cullen. Following his direction, Cullen turned his head.

“This is not Magic. This is divine…”

Lasano couldn’t finish his sentence. He watched as his body crumbled. Cullen frantically reached out to the blurry doll who let go of the sword hilt.

Grabbing his robe, Cullen embraced Lasano. Then, his vision turned black. The moment he touched Lasano’s body, Cullen felt a splitting headache.

“Kch!”

Along with a bizarre pain he had never experienced, a sensation like his eyeballs burning red spread through him. His vision, which had repeatedly turned white and black, flipped and began to spin. Nausea rose. Lying on the ground, holding Lasano, a voice whispered to him.

It would be best not to hold him. You will experience the weight of his memories as well.

With that seemingly kind warning, Cullen felt his body and mind separate. His balance was completely inverted, and he couldn’t tell up from down. Soon, his eyes closed.

Wake up, you demon bastard!

Cullen came to his senses at a stranger’s voice. A young-sounding voice was followed by a deep, adult one.

Drag him.

His body ached. It stung as if he had been beaten all over, and his joints throbbed. It had been a long time since he had experienced such pain.

Cullen pushed himself up, resting on his hands. He was lying on the dirt ground. Dark red stains were smeared on the ground. He recognized the shape at a glance. The blood pooled on the ground looked just like this.

Cullen realized his hands, resting on the ground, were small and white. Before he could examine himself in his confusion, he was covered by a black shadow. A long shadow that approached swiftly lifted Cullen. Instinctively, he tried to swing his hand, but his body didn’t respond. Something was wrong.

The boy, with freckles and no older than sixteen, was laughing, as if he found something very amusing. As he was dragged out, flailing, a man blocking the doorway grabbed Cullen by the hair. At the same time, he opened the door. The gloomy sky appeared, and the smell of rain rushed in.

It’s raining again today.

At those words, Cullen’s body trembled. That was not the emotion he wanted to feel. Suffocating fear gripped him.

Please, please…

His mouth opened, independent of Cullen’s will. A thin voice echoed. It sounded like a child, perhaps no older than ten.

It was a sensation he had experienced before. The feeling he had when he first grasped a sword in the Exion Territory, but far more intense than that.

Everyone is waiting, so what are you talking about.

The man let out a deep laugh and began dragging Cullen along. His body, seized by fear, struggled, but it was no match for the man.

Cullen was dragged away and thrown into a clearing surrounded by people. His small body rolled several times in a puddle of rainwater.

A sour, musty, fishy smell lingered in his mouth. His mouth tasted bitter, as if he had swallowed dirt.

He managed to stop himself and pushed himself up. He looked around to grasp the situation. There, a crowd of people watched him with eyes filled with contempt and hatred.

‘Ever since that demon brat was born here, nothing has gone right. The river has been flooding for how many years now? It’s your fault the sun doesn’t shine.’

‘No, no…….’

A frightened voice pleaded. But the people stared at Cullen with impassive faces, unswayed.

He realized what was happening a few seconds later. The man who had dragged Cullen earlier came beside him and pressed a blade against his arm. His eyes widened.

‘Do as you must until the goddess is satisfied.’

As the commanding voice fell, the blade dug into his bare skin. A burning, sharp pain spread through his entire body. He curled up, unable to even scream. Cullen collapsed into the puddle and thrashed. Before the clear water turned murky, Cullen saw his reflection on its surface.

There was a boy with red eyes.

Cullen knew that boy.

More precisely, he knew the face of the man he grew into.