Chapter 46 :

Episode 11 : Mist of Deepest Fear (2)

"And that is all for my report, Emerald." Before Zircon bowed, she reported everything about the things that she encountered with her sisters.

Emerald lifted one of her paperworks to have a look at it before reverting her gaze at Zircon. "You all did great. Please tell this to your sisters as well."

Zircon nodded, asking. "Is there anything more you want from us, ‘December’ sisters?"

"There is no need for your assistance yet. You may leave." As Emerald gave her permission to leave for Zircon, she held her quill pen in an elegant manner, using it to write onto her paper.

Zircon didn't say a word and bowed. Before she could get near to the door though, a star appeared in front of her.

Zircon tapped the star to check what information or trouble that occurred in the world where the players were. "This is..?"

The panel projected a forest as it zoomed into the middle of the forest, showcasing two players and a mist in front of them.

"This can't be.." Zircon heard Emerald's voice and immediately turned around to see Emerald glancing at the same thing as her.

"What is it? Emerald?"

Despite how shocking this information was, Emerald remained composed.

"I see you don't understand what you're viewing." Emerald moved her star aside as she mentioned.

Zircon tilted her head to the right, perplexed as to why she needed to know anything about this mist.

Curiosity took a hold of Zircon, thus she looked over to the panel from her own star.

She observed the mist immensely, figuring what the mist does or why it is classified as dangerous shown by the stars.

Emerald interrupted Zircon with her statement. "You won't know anything just by looking, Zircon."

"I don't seem to find anything worth classified as dangerous."

"That is because you need to look closer." Emerald enlarged her star's panel with a flick of a finger.

"Enhance vision." With just two words from Emerald, both of her eyes and Zircon's eyes changed to glowing emerald green to enhance their visions.

Thanks to this, Zircon could finally see what Emerald saw.

Zircon quickly zoomed into the mist and discovered a man in the middle and a man wandering through the mist.

"Surprised?" Emerald asked, grinning at Zircon.

"I can not comprehend what you mean. Other than thanking you for letting me see the players, there is nothing considered as minacious from the mist."

"Of course, you won't understand it. The mist is a curse which can only be given by an archangel."

"A curse?"

"Do you perhaps remember the ‘Nightmare incident’?"

"Certainly I do. It was an incident caused by a..mist..?" After recalling the information given by the ‘Creators’, Zircon finally understood why the mist was extremely harmful.

Emerald said with a solemn expression on her face while removing the stars from her sight by doing a swaying motion to the stars. "Now you understand?"

"Aren't archangels the only one who could curse any kind of creatures?"

"Yes, and it seems an individual from the archangels race has come to trouble the process of the ‹System›."

"But aren't they presumed to be retired from doing any ‹System› work?"

"You are quite correct. However it doesn't mean they can't cause trouble for the ‹System›."

"Shall we report this to the ‘Creators’ then?"

"We don't have a direct line to the ‘Creators’ right now. Therefore, we could only spectape that archangel individual."

"I understand."

"Keep an eye on the players within the mist. I'll give the ‘December’ sisters permission to intervene if something out of the ordinary happens."

"As you wish." After Zircon spoke, she instantly left the study room to get back to her sisters.

When Emerald sighed, caressing her eyelids to remove her stress, a tea cup filled with relaxing tea was placed on her desk by Diamond.

"Mind having a tea break?" Diamond spoke, genuinely caring about Emerald's health.

Emerald smiled while emitting a pure gentle aura to her surrounding, knowing full well that Diamond was worried about her well-being. "Shall we?"

———

"Why does this always happen?" I faintly frowned at the angelic figure made by the illusion.

The archangel levitated toward me like the gentle wind blowing through me. She then laid her soft hands onto my cheeks, looking at me with her royal blue eyes.

As my eyes were faintly turning red, I glanced at her with mixed emotions of hatred and sorrow which caused me to be unable to express what kind of expression I should be having.

At that moment, I moved her hands away by grabbing them. "Why do you always make me feel so ambivalent?"

My hands now gripping shortswords, I thrusted it into her chest. "Till we meet again, I'll not show you mercy."

I pulled my shortsword back, prompting the archangel to dissipate back into the mist.

Afterwards, I exhaled a sigh and went back to search for HwanGi.

I thought while being frustrated from my incompetence. "If only I use Raiden's skill, ‘Connection’, to put a link on HwanGi-ssi, I wouldn't be wandering so much."

Lucifer spoke while morphing himself into a katana. ‘Because you thought you wouldn't help HwanGi.’

"Did you really have to point it out every time?"

‘Honestly, it's quite odd why you are helping him.’

"..." This time, Lucifer pointed out something that I hadn't considered. ‘Why am I helping him?’ I thought to myself.

Lucifer 's voice had a tone of curiosity mixed in as he talked to me. ‘Usually, you would pay no attention to anyone who isn't useful.’

"We don't have much time to be chit-chatting right this moment."

‘You're right, Master. We must find HwanGi.’

I glanced over to the right side of the mist, then the left, in front and back.

From what my unsolved memories remembered, the ‘Mist of Deepest Fear’ always appears once in my past lives.

And what Lucifer has said, I neglected anyone who is useless. So in the past, whenever I see players approaching the mist, I always pity them, witnessing them heading to their own demise.

Like mice trying to get its cheese, the players went into the mist to save their so-called friend.

But what they didn't know was when there are mice, there is always the cat.

The mist toyed with the players, enclosing them inside a nightmare full of infinite despair until they got devoured by the mist to the core.

"And now, it looks like I stupidly went in just like the mi- I mean the players." I mumbled before glaring at the sky.

"Not only that, the goddamn angels are watching me." I scowled while clenching my fists tensely, wishing I could slam those angels down to the ground.

After that, I ignored them as I ran through the mist. I blasted out yelling. "Where are you, HwanGi-ssi?!"

———

The collapsing cliff showed no mercy and descended upon the car which include HwanGi's parent and HwanGi, himself.

"Get our son outta here!!" His father shouted while turning the car in reverse and swiftly moving the car backwards.

On the other hand, it wasn't enough to get away from the cliff.

HwanGi's mother had a smart-witted brain, so she thought of a plan, grabbing HwanGi before staring at her husband.

HwanGi's father quickly nodded after getting his wife's message through just having eye contact with her.

He kicked the car door which was on his wife's side with all of his might to open it.

When the door opened, HwanGi's mother sadly looked at her husband before jumping out of the car, shielding HwanGi.

At this timing, HwanGi reached his hand out to his father, yelling out. "DAD!!!!!"

His father smiled at HwanGi genuinely, expressing extreme despair through that smile while waving his hand to say goodbye to his son.

With a slam, the car crashed to the brim underneath the still collapsing cliff, giving rise to an explosive outburst.

Blood splashed, dying the dirt and stone to bloody red when the cliff was slowly falling down.

HwanGi, who was saved by his mother's quick-witted thinking, laid on the road with minor injuries thanks to his mother protecting him by hugging him tightly.

And that was when HwanGi looked at his mother's dying face, her beautiful face carried scratches, blood and bones which were unveiling itself through the wounds.

"...No.. this can't happen again!" HwanGi held his mother's cheeks, staining his small hands with her blood.

He stared at his bloody hands which were already trembling to an extreme degree, along with his irides shaking insanely.

"AAAAAAAAAAHH!!!!!" HwanGi let out a deafening scream of sorrow to the sky with his tears accompanying him, dripping down his cheeks nonstop.

Upon blinking his eyes, HwanGi suddenly found himself in a park, wearing his backpack.

At that moment, HwanGi had no knowledge of what was happening to him after finding himself in a new environment and place. "What is..? !!!"

He gasped when he became fully aware what area he was in. It was the place where he first met his childhood friend..

His childhood friend who he didn't get to see after such a long time apart from each other, was sitting on the seesaw.

"This.. can't be..?!" HwanGi took a step back, glancing at his childhood friend.

He called it desperately. "Sans!"