# Chapter 6
“Huh?!”
Ion opened his eyes wide, looking back and forth between the young man and the pond. Then he looked down at his right hand and his left hand.
‘Could it be…’
After hesitating for a moment, Ion dipped his right hand into the water like the young man had done. This time, nothing changed.
When he subsequently put his left hand in the water, just like before, the water instantly became clear. However, this time, although it became clear, there was no effect of it containing brilliant light particles.
The young man who had been staring at Ion’s left hand grabbed his wrist and pulled it. Startled by the sudden force, Ion was shocked by the young man’s next action.
The young man put Ion’s wet left fingertips in his mouth and sucked. Ion’s shoulders trembled at the feeling of a soft red tongue wrapping around his fingertips.
“What are you doing…! Don’t eat it!”
With his finger being bitten, he became truly frightened that he might be eaten.
He quickly pulled his hand away and glared, but the young man once again dipped his black hand into the water. The young man, with water that had turned black like ink on his hand, pulled out a withered potato from his clothes that he must have kept somewhere.
It was an amazing sight. As soon as he touched the withered potato with his wet hand, it shriveled up completely as if even what little moisture it had was stolen.
Ion was stunned by the unbelievable magic he had witnessed, and then realized something. He put his left hand in the water to change it and with that hand, picked up the shriveled potato from the young man’s hand.
Like time reversing itself, a new magic unfolded, and what remained in Ion’s hand was a potato restored beyond its original state—now plump and healthy.
Only then did Ion understand why the young man couldn’t wash and eat anything with water. Although it didn’t seem to affect him personally, the crops lost their vitality completely and dried up as soon as the black water touched them.
He looked at the young man’s black hand with concern.
‘That black hand must be the cause.’
It seemed it wasn’t just about taking human lives. Perhaps it affects anything with life force.
Ion realized that his left hand’s ability and the young man’s were mirror opposites of each other.
The left hand his mother called the “Hand of Life” maximizes the self-healing power of any living thing it touches and regenerates damaged parts. This was the first time he’d seen contaminated water become clear, but he could be certain this was also a change caused by his ability.
On the other hand, the young man’s hand takes away life and disperses vitality with just a touch. That energy must have flowed into the pond, changing its color, and possibly turning the forest into a dead one. Although it might be a stretch to think it affected the entire forest, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
‘The reason I’m fine is probably…’
The fact that he didn’t die and remained fine despite being touched by the young man’s hand was probably because their abilities “canceled each other out.” As evidence, when they both put their hands in the water together, it definitely became clear, but the dramatic effect like reviving the potato couldn’t be expected.
There was no sparkle to it.
Ion thought of his caring mother.
‘Mom knew all along.’
The “Black Hand” his mother mentioned, the one that would protect him, referred to this young man.
She had said that before giving birth, which caused her ability to be passed on, she too had possessed the “Hand of Life.” Perhaps mother had met this young man before losing her ability and also knew their abilities canceled each other out. The young man’s ability was truly terrifying for living beings, but it could not harm those who possessed the “Hand of Life.”
‘Of course, if he were to stab my heart or cut my throat with that dagger, it would be different.’
That would be beyond the level of self-healing power. I would die before I could use my ability.
Ion briefly eyed the dagger at the young man’s waist with caution, then carefully mentioned his mother’s name to the young man who was still looking at him with sparkling eyes as if seeing something fascinating.
“Do you know someone named… Iellin?”
“Iellin…”
After rolling the name in his mouth as if reciting it, the young man shook his head.
“Don’t know.”
Ion’s shoulders slumped. He had clearly thought the young man would know his mother, but it seemed he didn’t.
“But I know the name.”
Ion’s head, which had been hanging low, suddenly jerked up. The young man, who had somehow approached a thorny tree beside the pond, stroked one area.
<Don’t forget me.>
<—Iellin—>
Ion held his breath when he saw the short message written where the young man touched. Those letters, which looked like they had been carved with a stone piece, were definitely his mother’s.
Until now, whenever he thought of his mother while on the run, he had somehow managed to hold back, but he didn’t know why tears suddenly welled up upon seeing that writing. Tears fell drop by drop before he could even raise his hand to wipe them away.
“She said not to forget, but I forgot.”
A voice devoid of any emotion.
But Ion felt a loneliness in him that was worse than any pain. If he were just a little taller, he would have wanted to hug those shoulders that looked more fragile than they appeared.
Ion wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his hand. After taking a deep breath, the sudden surge of emotion calmed down.
He didn’t understand why the young man had forgotten despite his mother carving the message into the tree, but just the fact that there was a connection between the young man and his mother made him feel greatly relieved, unlike before. The last words left by his mother, who had been cautious and wary of everyone throughout her life. The only person mentioned in those words.
“What’s your name, hyung?”
For the first time, he became curious about the young man’s name.
The young man, who had been unable to take his eyes off the name carved into the tree, turned to look at Ion.
“Levi.”
It’s the same name as the person from a story his mother once told him.
“If it weren’t for Levi, mom would have died long ago. Meeting you, my son, like this would have been impossible too.”
“Who is that person? Is he my father?”
“No, your father was just an ordinary merchant. That person is…”
Recalling the conversation with his mother, Ion flinched and hunched his shoulders.
“Already dead.”
His mother had clearly said that the person named “Levi”… was dead?
It only took a day for Ion to figure out Levi.
At first, he was cautious of Levi and confused because his mother had said he was “dead.” He doubted whether Levi was really the “Black Hand” his mother had mentioned.
But Levi said he only had memories from two years ago. He claimed that when he opened his eyes, he knew nothing but his name, the ability of his right hand, and how to speak and write—not even basic common sense—which made Ion nod in understanding.
What kind of person would be crazy enough to calmly chew on a potato that’s no different from a clump of dirt in front of a child they just met?
Part of the reason Levi ate such things might have been because of the pond that had turned black, but he seemed to lack even basic knowledge, like knowing that if something has dirt on it, you should brush it off before eating. Fortunately, at least he knew how to wear clothes—someone must have taught him that—so he wasn’t walking around naked.
Also, whenever Ion looked into Levi’s pitch-black eyes, he often couldn’t feel any emotion or understand what he was thinking. It made sense given how little Levi expressed with words.
But that was exactly how it was. Though his comprehension suggested he wasn’t unintelligent, Levi went beyond being dull—he really had no thoughts at all. There was nothing to figure out about what was on his mind; his mind was just a blank slate. It was to the point where Ion wondered how he had survived in this state.
That’s why he felt no guilt about killing people.
Levi didn’t kill those men to save Ion. He killed them simply because they threatened him.
Moreover, he had tried to kill Ion for making him drop the potato he was eating, and the second time, he had touched him again with his black hand out of curiosity. Ion grimaced when he heard Levi say this without any emotion.
‘He doesn’t even have any sense!’
In summary, Levi was simple in his actions and lacked much in terms of common sense. Sometimes when he became fixated on something, he showed childlike curiosity, even more innocent than Ion. Perhaps that’s why his eyes lit up when looking at Ion’s left hand, and he would often place it side by side with his own black hand or fiddle with it. Just as Ion was fascinated by Levi’s black hand, it seemed Levi felt the same way about his.
Once Ion understood this man who seemed too innocent to be the same person who had killed all those attackers with just a touch of his fingertip, every bit of tension completely vanished.
With all wariness toward Levi gone, Ion started to worry.
Thanks to Levi, he had survived, and he understood that Levi was the person his mother said would protect him, though he didn’t know how it all fit together. He had no idea how Levi could be alive with amnesia when his mother had said he was dead.
