By Zephyria 
Why was it? Had the ice dragon done something?
Because he was being carried by Cheon Mu-gyeong, Ho-yeon’s field of vision was higher than usual. He wrapped his arms around Mu-gyeong’s shoulders and buried his face against him. Every time Mu-gyeong moved his legs, Ho-yeon’s white hair rustled and swayed. Mu-gyeong inhaled more deeply, catching the clear, pure scent emanating from the quietly held Ho-yeon.
“Is it true that this is your first time here?”
Ho-yeon’s breath spread from his shoulder to the nape of his neck. Until they had shared their bodies, he hadn’t been much different from the usual Wi Ho-yeon. But since waking up from his sleep, he had been saying incomprehensible things like Baek-ah and Jong Jagi, and now he was asking such abrupt questions.
It didn’t matter what he did, but his despondent appearance was constantly grating. Of course, since this place likely didn’t hold good memories for Wi Ho-yeon, it was natural for his mood to sink.
Wi Ho-yeon was likely a survivor of the underground cave of the eternal snow mountains—something that hadn’t happened in his previous life. It didn’t matter whether Wi Ho-yeon’s name had been written on the Memorial Stele when he had invaded the North Sea. While the North Sea was being turned into a wasteland, Wi Ho-yeon had never once shown himself.
“It’s not your first time coming to the North Sea.”
“No… this cave.”
Ho-yeon slowly lifted his head and locked eyes with Cheon Mu-gyeong. Not only was he being carried, but he was daring to look down upon the heavenly demon; had the guardians seen this, they would have been beyond shocked—they likely would have grabbed him by the scruff of the neck. However, Mu-gyeong had no intention of putting Ho-yeon down, and Ho-yeon had no intention of leaving his warm embrace.
“It is my first time.”
Mu-gyeong, who had been meeting his gaze in silence for a while, answered. Ho-yeon’s tightly closed lips pressed together even harder, and the furrow in his brow deepened.
As Mu-gyeong reached out his hand, the heavy snow leopard pelt floated up from the ground and was tossed onto a flat stone suitable for sitting. The naturally worn stone was large enough for several people to sit on, much like the rock formations near the pond.
Before setting Ho-yeon down, Mu-gyeong infused the rock with fire energy, and the pelt quickly absorbed the heat, like a golden mattress placed on an ondol floor. When he placed Ho-yeon upon it, the warmth seemed to soothe his mood, as he began to fiddle with the fur with a look of curiosity.
“You.”
At Mu-gyeong’s voice, Ho-yeon looked up inquisitively.
“How did you get out of here?”
Mu-gyeong didn’t believe the excuse that the name on the Memorial Stele belonged to someone with the same name anyway. Ho-yeon was seized by an impulse to simply tell him everything honestly.
To tell this man, who remembered nothing, that they had already met here, and that he had promised to become the cult leader. He had even promised the position of a hall master of the demon sect.
It would be better if he found it absurd. Cheon Mu-gyeong might even treat him as if he were crazy—wondering why someone like him would be given such a promise.
Furthermore, he couldn’t say that he was actually the last legacy left by the ice dragon. The hand that shared body heat with him might turn into a blade that pierced through his belly.
But would Cheon Mu-gyeong really kill him? In truth, he had several opportunities to kill him already. While he had caused him pain, he had never threatened his life… well, actually, he had. If he hadn’t escaped the qi deviation that day, he would already be dead.
“I don’t remember.”
It wasn’t a lie. After waking from a sleep so long that he had forgotten who he was, there had been a path leading out of the cave. Ho-yeon, who had been wearing worn-out light armor, had changed into the beautiful clothes and shoes laid out before him, and then, as if possessed, he had left the cave and headed toward the ice palace.
Ho-yeon’s memories of that day weren’t very clear either. It was as if his consciousness had only returned from the moment he almost killed the palace master’s retainer.
“Just… there was a way out.”
Even though Mu-gyeong hadn’t pressed him on why he couldn’t remember, Ho-yeon added more words as if making an excuse.
“How long were you alone?”
Despite the calm tone, a surge of emotion welled up inside Ho-yeon. That he had been alone for a very long time, and that you had broken that solitude, only for him to be alone once again.
“I slept a lot, so it was okay. As you know, I sleep a great deal.”
With that, Ho-yeon slid over and lay down. He set aside the fasting pill he was still holding and curled his body. Thanks to Mu-gyeong heating the stone, the North Sea felt as warm as the south.
“Eat and fill your stomach.”
“I hate fasting pills.”
“Still, ice fish are out of the question.”
“Why, are you worried I’ll eat them and get sick?”
“…”
Mu-gyeong was uncharacteristically lost for words. Both then and now, no matter how many signals of hunger came from Wi Ho-yeon’s stomach, he had absolutely no intention of catching ice fish for him.
Ho-yeon looked at him with expectant eyes.
‘It’s not normal that the water here isn’t frozen, so would the things living in there be normal?’
He was being extremely rational. Ho-yeon grumbled inwardly and pouted his lips.
“I said it’s fine if you grill them…”
“Who said that?”
There was an air of intimidation in Mu-gyeong’s voice. Ho-yeon used his arm as a pillow and looked up at Mu-gyeong, saying “I don’t know,” before closing his eyes.
“Wi Ho-yeon.”
“I’m going to sleep.”
Even though he heard the sound of a short click of the tongue, Ho-yeon did not open his eyes. It was just as a darkness deeper than his own closed vision seemed to cast over him. Mu-gyeong’s hand brushed his hair aside.
Since he was a man who acted so tenderly, perhaps it would be okay to tell him that he was no different from the ice dragon. His heart kept wavering.
“However, you must never reveal that the origin of your power is me. If you do, you will truly become a human elixir. You are the only child I have chosen, so I do not wish for you to fall into the hands of another. That is my last and only request.”
The old memory left by the ice dragon firmly shut the mouth that was about to open. The ice dragon had saved him even at the cost of its own sacrifice.
Was it really right to tell him? Could he trust Cheon Mu-gyeong completely? If he seized his inner core, he would be able to reach a realm even higher than he is now. The demon sect was a place that revered power above all else, and he was its leader.
“You know.”
Mu-gyeong was sitting beside the lying Ho-yeon, with one leg folded up. Since he was in a position looking down at Ho-yeon, Ho-yeon could see him immediately upon glancing open his eyes.
“Do you… want to reach a realm higher than now, I mean, higher than transcending demonicity?”
Ho-yeon knew that achieving one realm was not the end. Palace Master Wi Yeon-gang was also in the Transcendence Realm, but he was only at the beginning. The walls the Palace Master had to overcome were the middle stage, late stage, and the ultimate stage—three more steps in total.
If transcending demonicity also had divided stages, where would he be now?
“Are you telling me to become a Demonic Immortal?”
Just as the orthodox sects had ascension to immortality, did the demon sect have something called a Demonic Immortal?
“Are you saying you’ve already reached the ultimate stage of transcending demonicity?”
Mu-gyeong neither affirmed nor denied, simply gazing at Ho-yeon.
Anyone else might have dismissed it as an exaggeration, but the opponent was Cheon Mu-gyeong. Ho-yeon had already felt awe toward the profound martial arts of the heavenly demon during the Blood Cult’s intrusion on his birthday. He seemed less like a human and more like a divine being, as the cultists described him.
Though it was surprising, Ho-yeon could glimpse a hope. Then, instead of killing him to take the inner core, wouldn’t it be possible to keep him by his side so they could be helpful to one another?
It was a truly naive and simple thought. Ho-yeon decided to first gauge whether his proposal would work on Mu-gyeong.
“Can you grant me one request? Then I can tell you everything truthfully.”
“Why not just say openly that you’re hiding a secret?”
Ho-yeon didn’t argue back but gave him a desperate look. Then, he conveyed his intention very seriously. He was so nervous that his palms were sweating.
“Promise me that no matter what happens, you will not kill me.”
“I promise.”
“…”
Ho-yeon was a bit stunned that he accepted the proposal so easily. Mu-gyeong had promised without a moment’s hesitation.
He thought Mu-gyeong would say that he would be the one to decide whether to take his life or not… Perhaps he had grown fond of him to some extent.
‘I… I am the incarnation of the ice dragon…!’
Before speaking to Mu-gyeong, Ho-yeon practiced repeatedly in his head. However, the words simply would not come out.
He wondered if the ice dragon had cast a sulgub spell to prevent him from telling the truth. And perhaps the ice dragon had erased both his and Mu-gyeong’s memories because Mu-gyeong had known his identity. The ice dragon had always wanted to protect him.
Ho-yeon let out a deep sigh and gave Mu-gyeong a look of sincere apology.
“For now, let’s sleep… and I’ll tell you the rest when I wake up.”
He thought Mu-gyeong would press him this time, telling him not to make useless excuses and to speak properly, but Mu-gyeong simply let out a scoff as if it were absurd. Ho-yeon felt inwardly embarrassed that Mu-gyeong must find him ridiculous, but he liked his laughter very much.
“You know. I sleep a great deal.”
The excuse was made in a voice that was practically a whisper.
When Ho-yeon opened his eyes, a hot wind was blowing from somewhere.
It was certain that Mu-gyeong was suffering from fire energy again. If so, he had to soothe him.
Ho-yeon bolted upright and looked around for Mu-gyeong. However, the man with jet-black hair and red eyes was nowhere to be found, and only an unbelievable sight unfolded before him.
“…Flame Mountain.”
Ho-yeon stepped down from the rock covered in the snow leopard pelt and stared blankly at the torn space in front of him. One step, two steps, as he walked forward as if possessed, the dry and hot wind wrapped around his body once again.
The barrier connecting the North Sea and the hundred thousand great mountains had opened again.
Had Mu-gyeong found it?
Ho-yeon turned around and looked at his surroundings again. Mu-gyeong was still not visible. It sounded absurd, but he wondered if he had dove into the pond, so he ran quickly to check the water, but only ice fish were swimming there.
Ho-yeon turned his steps back toward where Flame Mountain was visible.
‘If you were going, you shouldn’t have gone alone; you should have woken me up so we could go together… If the barrier closes again, I’ll be left here alone again.’
Ho-yeon swallowed hard and looked back once more. Thinking that he was alone in the cavern where only silence stretched out, a void resembling fear surged over him, threatening to stifle his breath.
As if being pushed from behind, or like someone fleeing from terror, Ho-yeon crossed the red barrier and set foot on Flame Mountain.
Whoosh—a wind filled with steam engulfed his entire body, and Ho-yeon instinctively raised his hand to cover his face.
“Che… Cheon Mu-gyeong.”
Then, he tried calling Mu-gyeong’s name. Thinking his voice was too small, he gradually raised his volume: “Mu-gyeong! Cheon Mu-gyeong!”
In the distance, lava was cutting across the waist of the mountain range, a grotesque sight as if the mountain were bleeding. At the pungent smell of sulfur piercing his nose, Ho-yeon blocked his nose with his sleeve.
Since Mu-gyeong’s lightfoot technique was so superb, he thought he might have moved far away to another location. Had he gone to the heavenly demon hall? Since he was the one responsible for the demon sect, he might have gone to meet his subordinates while he was at it.
However, Ho-yeon, who did not know the way, could not chase after him. Just as he turned his body to head back to the underground cave, the hand covering his nose and mouth dropped.
Everything around him was dark red. Not a single trace of the North Sea’s blue light remained.
The barrier he had crossed had vanished without a trace. Pale with shock, Ho-yeon screamed at the top of his lungs.
“Cheon, Cheon Mu-gyeong…!”
The cries of “gyeong, gyeong, gyeong” became an echo in the mountains, but they were quickly buried by the sound of Flame Mountain erupting lava.