# Chapter 19
Ion returned to the tent house with an excited face and immediately shook awake Levi, who couldn’t resist falling asleep again.
“Levi, wake up. How many hours do you sleep in a day?”
It was already midday, and except for eating lunch together, he had been sleeping continuously. Anyone would think it was the dead of winter and Levi was a skinny black bear.
After shaking Levi vigorously, who seemed to be hibernating despite the weather not being particularly cold, he finally opened his eyes. But somehow his pupils were trembling unstably. Seeing this, Ion grew worried, wondering if Levi had a nightmare.
“Levi? Are you alright? Did you have a nightmare?”
Even though Ion was speaking right in front of him, Levi seemed unable to hear anything. He gradually began to breathe heavily, and his trembling eyes couldn’t even focus.
“Levi? Levi!”
Ion shook Levi’s shoulders more forcefully. His condition was beyond strange. Ion thought it might be the aftereffects of a nightmare, but it seemed more like he was in too much physical pain to speak or mentally confused. It was the first time this had happened, and Ion didn’t know what to do, holding his head in distress.
“Where does it hurt? Tell me, please?”
Ion laid Levi down properly and felt around his body. He thought there would be a strong reaction if there was a painful spot, but there was no particular response. Only his breathing grew rougher.
Ion’s face looked like he was about to cry. Even knowing it wouldn’t work, he placed his left hand on Levi’s body to use his ability. As expected, the golden light on his palm merely flickered for a moment, unable to be absorbed by Levi at all.
“Why are you like this…”
Ion removed his hand and caressed Levi’s face. His face, much colder than usual, was excessively pale like a corpse.
Ion crouched beside Levi, at a loss for what to do, when he thought of Hest. Since Hest seemed to know even about Levi’s past that he himself couldn’t remember, perhaps he could examine Levi’s condition.
“He-Hest… I’ll call Hest. How do I call him? Is there any way to call him? Please?”
If he had known this would happen, he should have found a way to contact Hest despite his unpleasantness.
Grinding his teeth with regret, Ion brightened when he saw Levi’s eyes suddenly looking straight at him.
“Levi! Can you recognize m—?!”
Before he could finish speaking, his vision whirled. Then he felt a dull pain in his back, making him close his eyes tightly, followed by the sensation of being firmly pressed down.
“Ugh!”
Opening his eyes with a short groan, Ion froze at the sight of Levi so close to his face.
Levi was clearly looking at him, but his trembling eyes reflected nothing.
“Le…vi?”
The beautiful brow of the one whose name was called wrinkled slightly.
And simultaneously.
“Guhk…?!”
Levi’s black hand, having thrown off his glove, wrapped around Ion’s neck without hesitation.
Ion looked up at Levi in confusion and struggled, but since Levi was pressing him down so firmly, there was no way to escape no matter how hard he tried.
Levi’s hand around his neck wasn’t applying much pressure. So while it was uncomfortable, it wasn’t to the point where he couldn’t breathe or speak.
“Wa-wait…! Ugh, Levi?!”
Levi’s brow furrowed. There was a vague question in his eyes.
Why isn’t he dying?
He should be dead.
Why isn’t he dying?
Ion, understanding the question that flashed across Levi’s eyes, felt his body tremble violently.
If he hadn’t been someone who could neutralize Levi’s ability, he would have died right then and there without being able to do anything.
Levi was trying to kill him.
That fact pushed Ion into tremendous fear.
More than the fact that Levi was trying to kill him without hesitation, the most shocking and frightening thing was that he was “trying to abandon” him.
Gradually, more force was applied to Levi’s hand gripping his neck. It seemed like he planned to strangle him to death since his ability wasn’t working.
Ion couldn’t do anything. He could only look up at Levi with teary eyes.
At that moment.
Levi’s aimlessly trembling eyes suddenly focused. Then, with a startled expression, he quickly moved away from Ion. It was the first time Levi had shown such a surprised expression.
After separating from Ion, Levi retreated to the most secluded corner of the tent house. Sitting on the floor, unable to hide his confused eyes, Levi called Ion’s name.
“I…on…”
Still lying on his back as he had been pinned down, Ion touched his neck and slowly sat up.
Ion was just as confused.
The person he trusted most had tried to kill him. Without a hint of hesitation, he used his ability, and when that didn’t work, he even strangled him. Although he wasn’t strangled to the point of feeling his life threatened, Levi’s action itself was too shocking.
“…I’m sorry.”
It was the first apology he had ever heard.
Ion bit his lower lip firmly and then let out a short, hollow laugh.
“If I were a normal person, I would have been dead by now.”
Stroking his now-reddened neck, Ion glared at Levi with furious eyes.
“Do you dislike me that much? Am I a nuisance? If so, why didn’t you just tell me to leave?”
“No… No…”
Levi shook his head with a pale face. Nevertheless, Ion didn’t stop. Emotional from the considerable shock, Ion snapped with reddened eyes.
“They say habits can be scary, and that’s exactly right. How can you strangle someone as soon as you wake up? Does Levi kill people in his sleep-talking too?”
Increasingly intense emotions etched themselves on Levi’s face.
Confusion and fear, regret, and self-loathing.
Only after engraving the clear emotions appearing on his face into his eyes did Ion realize what he had said. Hiding his black hand behind his back and trembling violently, Levi looked like he was in a state of panic by anyone’s standards.
‘How can I be so stupid.’
Ion blamed himself, recalling the words he had said.
He was being too foolish. Even though he knew Levi wasn’t in his right mind as soon as he saw him, why had he thoughtlessly lashed out at him?
Realizing that he was the one who had created the negative emotions on Levi’s face, he felt terribly sorry towards him.
“I’m sorry. I spoke too harshly… I’m really sorry.”
Ion apologized first and carefully approached Levi.
“I didn’t mean it. Don’t worry about it; it was just me saying things out of anger.”
Though one couldn’t simply not worry after hearing such words, Ion hoped that Levi would please forget his harsh words.
Levi’s eyes, looking at Ion approaching him, were clearly different from before. His focus was sharp, not missing Ion for even a moment, and while they were still shaking in confusion, he could properly hear Ion’s words.
“Sorry… Sorry…”
Ion stroked Levi’s pale cheeks with both hands as he repeatedly apologized, telling him it was okay.
“I’m fine. Your ability doesn’t work on me anyway.”
“But…”
“I said I’m fine. Sometimes when I have nightmares too, I can’t distinguish between reality and dreams.”
Although it’s not common for someone to strangle a person just because they had a nightmare, Ion thought the standard might be different for Levi. For him, self-defense against those who threatened him, or euthanasia to relieve others’ suffering, were necessary for surviving alone in this place.
Ion embraced Levi’s face to his small chest and stroked his back. He felt terrible for Levi, who was still trembling as if he hadn’t recovered from the shock. Fortunately, Levi, in Ion’s embrace, gradually regained his composure.
Feeling Levi’s trembling subside, Ion exhaled in relief and casually asked.
“By the way, what kind of nightmare did you have to make you act like that?”
Levi, with his eyes downcast in Ion’s arms, couldn’t answer.
Because it wasn’t just a nightmare, as Ion thought.
❖ ❖ ❖
The desolate shantytown, which until recently still showed traces of human habitation.
For some reason, outsiders had entered this place, famous for its terrible infectious disease.
“Lord Turuan, there doesn’t seem to be any trace of anyone visiting separately after they left.”
A man wearing a mask made of old cloth reported, bowing to a large man named Turuan. Turuan, also wearing a mask, surveyed the surroundings with his eyes.
It was a poor village in such disrepair that it wouldn’t be surprising if any house suddenly collapsed. This also meant it was fragile enough that if someone other than the original inhabitants had entered, there would inevitably be traces left behind.
