# Chapter 87
“Where are we going?”
Arzel walked for quite some time down an empty corridor. Eerie winds blew through each confusingly twisted path, and he and I were heading deeper and deeper.
“To where the drug is.”
“What? You knew about it?”
“After I tell you all my requirements, once the deal is made, I’ll give you the antidote right away.”
My mouth closed involuntarily. It was what I needed more than anything right now. Essentially, it was the best thing I could hope for today. If I could just obtain the drug, our operation would be complete. We could take revenge with perfect victory and peace of mind. I clenched my fist tightly to gather my senses.
After passing through several corridors, Arzel reached a thick door. Entering inside, a space with nothing placed in it appeared. I wondered if this too was once used as a storage room. When we stood in the center of the empty room, Arzel raised his hand and pointed to a door attached to one of the walls. It was a small door so similar to the wall’s color that I hadn’t noticed it was there.
“Behind that door is the antidote.”
I swallowed hard. All those paths I had been running until now. The only thing I wanted at each moment. That was right behind that small wooden door.
“Fine. Tell me what you want.”
Arzel smiled slightly at my resolute words. He took a few steps without rushing and asked in a slow tone.
“How much do you think Kadilen would cherish you?”
“I already told you everything. Is that still not enough?”
I was the impatient one. I still had the sword Kadilen gave me at my waist. I considered slashing him and forcibly taking the drug, but I wasn’t sure about the possibility. Arzel was a general, and though Ludin had certainly defeated him, I wasn’t the same Ludin now. Would I have a chance of winning even with a changed soul? While I was resisting temptation, Arzel moved close to me. His voice lowered and his neat tone soon changed to a whisper.
“Then if you were in a dangerous situation…”
“…”
“How desperate do you think Kadilen would become?”
It was instantaneous. A chilling feeling swept over my entire body. The longing filling Arzel’s eyes still emitted a distinct energy, but somehow it felt different from before.
Looking behind cautiously, I saw the thick door was silently closed. Perhaps it was just my imagination. The goosebumps on my neck, Arzel’s somehow suspicious expression. Should I call Devan? This time, I glanced at the wooden door behind him. If I called Devan, everything might be ruined, or if not… we might be able to grab that antidote together and harm Arzel. He could use magic, after all.
I looked at Arzel once more to gain certainty. His subtle face was still facing my direction. I couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling. Nothing had gone wrong yet, but I felt like I was facing a great threat. Eventually, I silently moved my hand, wet with tension, to my pocket. The touch of a solid gem was felt at my fingertips.
“No answer, I see.”
Arzel spoke calmly. The suspicious aura did not disappear but continued to linger in the air. I adjusted the stone’s position in my hand for easy handling while making one last demand.
“First, show me if the antidote really exists.”
“Fine. Come closer.”
He unexpectedly guided me to the door willingly. Not to the entrance of the room with its thick firewall-like door, but toward the old, faded wooden door. Then he stepped back so I could check. With a strange smile, he opened his palm as if to say I could verify all I wanted. But just before opening that door, I couldn’t shake the thought that this was all a trap.
In the suffocating atmosphere, the raw stone in my hand felt unfamiliar. Arzel was quietly watching me hesitate. Despite many concerns, I finally turned the stone over twice without a word. I thought that when Devan arrived, we would first check if the antidote really existed, and if necessary, escape together. The stone heated up in my hand. And after a moment of strange feeling, someone pounded heavily on the door.
* * *
“Ludin? Ludin!!”
Something was wrong. Devan didn’t appear before my eyes like last time. Instead, he stood where he couldn’t help me and kept shouting continuously. I couldn’t hide my confusion at the sudden shouts. Contrary to expectations, Devan couldn’t check my situation or provide help. Rough voices and dull impact sounds continued to echo in the room, but there wasn’t the slightest change in Arzel’s expression.
“This has become annoying.”
“Open the door.”
I said commandingly while glancing at the doorway. Would it be a sufficient distance to run at full speed and open the door myself? As I was positioning myself, Arzel grabbed my arm firmly.
“Let’s go.”
With a face tired of waiting, he pulled me toward the wall. With his light gesture, the wooden door opened with the sound of boards being torn off. What lay beyond was not a pile of antidotes, but the outdoors overgrown with bushes.
Belatedly, certainty struck me. Arzel never intended to make a deal with me from the beginning. This was all a trap. Whatever he intended to do to me, I wouldn’t fully survive in those bushes.
“Let go!”
I resisted strongly. I tried to use all my strength, but my feet dragged along following Arzel’s pull. I bit his hand that was gripping my arm fiercely. With a sharp scream, the constraint was released, and I immediately ran toward the door. Devan was still shouting my name loudly. But before I could reach the doorway, Arzel’s large hand grabbed my hair.
“Aagh!!”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
My body fell backward with tearing pain. Arzel pulled me as I staggered, his eyes flashing fiercely. Blood was slowly leaking from his sleeve. Flesh seemed to have been torn off where I had ruthlessly bitten him.
“You must come with me, Ludin.”
However, he focused on dragging my body toward the exit leading to the forest rather than on his wound. When my neck twisted once more under his rough hands, I gritted my teeth and drew the sword I was wearing at my waist. As the blade cut through the air, blood flowed down from Arzel’s thigh, who was holding me like an embrace.
For a moment, an acute silence fell. As the same blood dripped from the sword blade, Arzel looked at me with even more flashing eyes.
“How dare you… in front of me…”
“…”
Before I could take a defensive stance, he lunged at me. What I thought was an empty hand now held a threatening blade. My eyes closed involuntarily as the dagger flew straight toward my neck. But instead of cutting my artery, the sharp sword sliced through the air. Unconsciously, I quickly bent my waist and rolled toward the left. Barely having time to be surprised at surviving, Arzel rushed in for a second attack. I firmly gripped the sword in my hand and took a short deep breath.
The sound of sharpened metal rang through the room several times. The small blade found vital points, not allowing me to breathe. If I barely deflected one, in the blink of an eye it aimed for the lifeline on the opposite side. It was overwhelming just to fend off the attacks. With each counterattack I made, Arzel’s face became increasingly distorted with hostility.
Finally, an opportunity arose. It was when his movements slightly slowed due to confusion. I could see his waist exposed vulnerably beneath the arm extended to maintain balance. Without hesitation, I stretched out the sword and slashed the flesh with all my might. With a low groan, bright red blood gushed from his side in an instant. But as Arzel fell, he didn’t forget to target my leg. Before his knee touched the ground, I swung my sword once more. The sword gripped in his hand flew helplessly into the air.
My heart pounded heavily. All the nerves in my body were on edge. All the movements were different from my own, but thanks to them, I survived. Without faltering at this amazing fact, I immediately ran toward the door. Just then, Devan, who had successfully broken through the thick door, was facing two soldiers.
“Devan!”
He spotted me as I ran shouting. A blue flame exploded from Devan’s hand, spreading and sending one soldier flying far away. After confirming Arzel half-sitting behind me, he reached out his hand urgently. And he approached me desperately, as if extending a lifeline.
“Keuheuk….”
But before I could grab him, my knees buckled. It was Arzel’s sword. My right shoulder burned as if on fire. His dagger, thrown desperately, was deeply embedded in my back. My hurried steps slackened, unable to bear the intense pain. Devan gritted his teeth.
I stretched out my arm, suppressing a scream. My body was stuck to the floor, but I extended my hand toward him with all my might. Finally, the two hands that were moving toward each other with desperate feelings touched. An anxious silence flowed, and I waited for the space to change with the familiar dizziness, but…
Nothing happened.
The blood drained from Devan’s face. His grip became stronger. But as if mocking our vain hope, the world remained unchanged. Into that constant world, Arzel walked closer. Soldiers approached Devan again. The two soldiers with miserable faces surrounded us with hostile glares. However, Devan couldn’t abandon hope and was still holding my hand. I shook his arm.
“Go. Hurry!”
With my shout, Arzel’s sword touched the back of my neck. I bit my lip until it bled and reached for my sword. But by the time I barely grabbed the handle, Devan’s body had collapsed helplessly. He had no way to block the soldier’s fist when he couldn’t use magic. Before I could assess the situation, Arzel raised his scabbard high. I backed away, holding my breath, before it struck my head. Arzel’s eyes widened like a madman after missing his swing.
I gripped the sword tightly for a final strike. The wound on my back opened, causing terrible pain. With scattered groans, the sword drew a large arc. Arzel defended, but the tip of the sword faintly grazed his forearm. His body swayed greatly after receiving a second injury. Not missing the opportunity, I approached the slumped Devan. The only thought in my mind was that I had to survive. While supporting him, the wound opened completely. Blood continued to flow, soaking my upper garment. Staggering outside, what I saw was not an escape route, but more soldiers.
Soldiers surrounding the corridor as far as the eye could see. One of them smiled. As if mocking us who had reached a dead end.
Upon confirming that the only hope had disappeared, the unnaturally rising heat in my body instantly subsided. Devan, who had been held by my weakened arm, soon collapsed to the ground. My vision began to shake terribly. The pain I had been fiercely blocking sensed the opportunity and completely dominated my brain. The sound of my heartbeat was now so loud it was completely engulfing my ears.
“Now will you come quietly?”
Just as I thought I heard Arzel’s suppressed voice, a dull impact struck my head. As I collapsed onto Devan’s body, I felt consciousness rapidly fading away. Everything was over. There was no way to survive. There was nowhere to request help. Rio would die, and I would never see everyone again.
The darkness that came was terribly desperate.
