Chapter 149

The first direction Soram took as he stepped forward was towards the fallen Tae-un. Soram held an airplane in his hand and cut the ropes binding Tae-un's body. He also removed all the magic stones attached to various parts of his skin. Now Tae-un should have regained his 1st-grade recovery ability.

"..."

Beneath his palm, there was no heartbeat. The face leaning on the floor wore an expression Tae-un had never shown Soram before.

"Han Tae-un, if you die now."

His voice sounded very low and calm. So much so that if not for his intermittently trembling hands, one wouldn't know it was an urgent situation.

"I will give up on all future time. Even if I meet you again."

Tae-un didn't move despite Soram's threat.

"In the next life, I'll come to take revenge on you first. I'll show you exactly the same sight I'm seeing now, right before your eyes."

So open your eyes.

Soram picked up the magic stone that had bound Tae-un's ability.

Pak!

Without hesitation, he cut his own neck with it. The thin skin easily drew a large amount of blood. His consciousness became hazier, but he felt certain that this was the strongest moment as a hunter in all the time he had lived.

Blue mist poured out from his two hands placed on Tae-un's chest.

It would have been impossible with his original ability. But now, with the magic stone boosting his ability, he felt he could do it.

The blue mist completely enveloped Tae-un's body without a trace. Most of it bounced off, but some entered Tae-un's body. And it attached to his stopped heart.

Since when had he been able to control his ability to this extent?

Ah, right. It was definitely around the... round.

When he first awakened, there was a certain origin. When the number of regressions hadn't exceeded one hand, he used abilities related to that origin.

There were rounds where he could only move things like cars and elevators. After that, he gained experience and became able to float his own body, and finally could move other objects unrelated to vehicles.

After a very long time, when all his initial memories had completely eroded, he also lost the identity of his ability. As he grew stronger and his skills improved, his special ability became similar to the psychokinesis he had falsely fabricated.

Like now.

Kung.

Tae-un's heart was forcibly made to vibrate. The speed matched the pulse beating on the back of Soram's hand.

Kung, kung, kung, kung. The blue mist made the stopped heart move again as if it were alive. Blue mist poured endlessly from Soram's body. Like smoke emitted from a large fire.

After a while like that.

The regained 1st-grade recovery ability, receiving the forcibly continued heartbeat, brought Tae-un's breath back.

After confirming that color returned to Tae-un's face, Soram stood up. In the direction he faced, the man who had been pointing a gun, his relaxed smile gone and lips trembling as he forced them up, stood.

"Uh, Han Tae-un is alive?"

"..."

"That's good... Um, look. The situation has... become like this, but you're a hero and I'm just a citizen, so..."

As Soram took a step forward, the man took a step back.

"I'll turn myself in! And I know I've committed a mortal sin, so please..."

Tuk.

Soram appeared right in front of the man without even a leap. In his hand, instead of the sword he usually carried, he held an airplane.

Puuk!

"Aak! Uwaak!"

With that, one arm holding the gun was torn off. A chunk from hand to shoulder fell to the floor with a thud.

"Ha, shit, aak! Wait, wait, wait a moment. Fuck, I said I'm sorry! But if you kill this many people here, won't you, no, won't Chief Jin Soram be in big trouble too? Fuck, I'll go, so let's end this nicely...!"

Pak!

The next thing the airplane cut was his neck. Grabbing his throat that could no longer make sounds, the man stumbled backward. More blood flowed than Tae-un had shed. With the color of death rising to his face, the man hit the wall with his back and collapsed to the floor. From the hand gripping the airplane's blade, blood dripped steadily, though it was unclear whose it was.

As Soram scanned the faces of the people, his gaze stopped on one person. It was that soldier who had kicked Tae-un violently. His steps moved in that direction. With each step, Soram's head swayed as if he were a puppet being controlled.

His consciousness had been half-blurred since he started attempting something he had never done before to save Tae-un. The side effects of the magic stone he knew about were maximized, numbing all his senses. The last thread he had barely been holding onto was lost when Tae-un's breath returned.

Afterimages poured into his vision. His mind flickered in and out repeatedly. In between, his body moved forward erratically on its own. Still, he felt this movement wasn't too different from his wishes.

Screams burst out from all around. The terror-stricken faces of the soldier and the remaining gang appeared and disappeared one by one. And a lot of blood flowed. But both the successive screams and the scenes before his eyes were gradually obscured by the afterimages in his mind.

'Chief Jin.'

In the buzzing fantasy, Tae-un's figure was drawn. Tae-un with a stiff expression, holding out something and speaking. For some reason he didn't know, Soram had been truly surprised, which was very rare.

And other scenes passed by like a video playing dozens of times faster.

Ayoung giving up on going to university, Ayoung quitting being a hunter after losing Aila, Ayoung moving to Team 1, Ayoung taking over as Team 7's leader.

Ga-eul always glaring at him disapprovingly, Ga-eul giving worried advice asking why he lived like that, a listless Ga-eul.

Among them, there were overlapping images and ones that weren't. The character with the least change was Director Park Jae-seon. In most images, he warmly embraced Soram.

Conversely, the one with the biggest changes was Han Tae-un. He treated Soram coldly at times, laughed together at others, sometimes scolded him fiercely, and sometimes embraced him like a lover.

All of them, not in his memory.

No, they were memories.

Taeng-eong―

Taeng, taetaeng...

The airplane hovering in the air fell down. Those cornered in the edges finally found their voices seeing Soram suddenly stop moving.

"Why isn't he moving?"

"Is, is it that overload thing?"

"Seems like it...!"

"Let's run now. Open the door! Let's escape!"

Even when they ran right in front of him to escape, the airplanes didn't pounce. Just as they miraculously reached the door and were about to go outside.

Kung.

Something pressed them down, making them collapse to the floor. Above their heads, blue mist that had gathered thickly in front of the door was now swirling.

The blue mist moved like a weapon with form according to Soram's will.

Which round was it? He no longer needed to hold a sword, no longer needed to float something for attacks. Soram looked down at his palm. His vision became clear again. A crumpled metal airplane was in it.

"..."

After staring at his palm for a moment, Soram threw it to the floor as if discarding trash.

Kang, kakang.

"Was I playing with such a toy?"

It was a sound that came from Soram's lips. But it was completely different, as if it were another person. Even Soram himself was surprised to hear the voice. This wasn't what he had thought to say.

No, it was what he had said. It was a thought one might have seeing himself throwing around such airplanes as an attack technique.

Because already long ago...

...Since when?

Udeuk, ududeuk―...

"Kuk...!"

Soram clutched his head with both hands. The spaces between memories began to forcibly widen. Between the first and second lives, and between the second and third, and even before this life began, gaps like pitch-black cracks appeared.

A small bookshelf that could only hold four books was forcibly stretched. An overwhelming number of scenes wedged into those spaces. It was like standing in front of dozens of screens playing different videos.

In the screens, Soram himself was moving in ways he didn't know at all.

Ah.

...

I see. Once again, I...

This wasn't the fourth life. In the lost memories, Soram had been repeating for much longer than that.

"..."

In contrast to the turmoil in his mind, Soram stood in the guard post with a calm face.

"Soram-ah."

However, as soon as he heard the call, cracks appeared in his cool expression.

His head slowly turned back. Tae-un was standing, holding his wound, looking at Soram. For some reason he didn't know, something welled up inside him. The more he saw Han Tae-un unable to approach him, the greater the sadness grew.

It was a chance created by giving you up.

Once again, his lips moved on their own.

"It was a life you entrusted to me."

"..."

"I seem to have failed again. I'm sorry."

Ududeuk―!!!

Finally, the bookshelf couldn't withstand it and its screws came out. The boards rolled around, and on top of them, piles of memories that should have originally been there poured out.

From the bookshelf that had been forcibly holding only four memories, a white light cluster fell. Its traces disappeared, mixing with the blood-stained red magic stone.

The most largely rippling memory among the rounds that had been sleeping deep inside rushed into his mind.

2. Magic Castle

The only pleasure for Soram in his mid-teens was the time he could watch the news, if only for a moment. Entertainment, dramas, and such were never allowed, and he could only watch the news on TV for the reason that he needed to know current affairs.

And at that time, the news had higher ratings than any other broadcast. This was because urgent scenes and crises no less intense than movies were reported daily.

The whole country was under attack by terrifying monsters that appeared through black rifts. The few awakeners dispatched to stop this became citizens' heroes, struggling desperately. Only when watching this broadcast did his brothers not bother Soram, so he too could comfortably watch the screen, even if from a corner seat.

Watching the brilliant heroes' activities, he might have harbored some wish while holding his racing heart.

A few days later, Jin Soram became a 1st-grade awakener.

2014. 02. 07

Republic of Korea, 2nd Great Rift Prevention. (1st round)

.

.

.

2014. 02. 07

Republic of Korea, 2nd Great Rift Prevention. (4th round)

.

.

.

2014. 02. 07

Republic of Korea, 2nd Great Rift Prevention. (...th round)

.

.

.

.

.

.

2014. 02. 07

Republic of Korea, 2nd Great Rift Prevention. (20th round)

"..."

Soram, opening his eyes in the hospital room, thought.

He had failed again.