[ TWATF ]

Chapter 16: Witch of Massacre (6)

“…Wh…what are you?”

As his eyes filled with despair, a light was fired out from the blade, a powerful and vicious energy that seemed to be aimed at the world itself. Klant, who was running away in distance, looked back in shock but it was too late.

“I can’t believe…”

Klant fell to the ground with a hole in his chest. Similar sounds came from throughout the forest.

That was the last thing Kanghun was able to see.

During the dark night, a bonfire was started. Mino looked up to the dark skies and reminisced about the old days.

‘Mino, you’re not fit to be an assassin.’

That was what she heard from the leader after her first failure. No, it was what she always heard each time she failed. The leader always spoke to her that her soft spot would be her doom.

She wanted to deny it.

Thus, she took the personal request even when it was forbidden. She intentionally took the hard jobs such as wiping out bandits and criminals, hoping to learn about being cold-hearted from them. After half year of hunting down various criminals, she even acquired the title, ‘Witch of Massacre.’ However, she wanted to ask today,

‘Hey Leader, do you know that I’m alive because I’m not acting like an assassin?’

She then turned to Jaehwan who was feeding the equipment he picked up to his weapon. He was mysterious.

‘Who is he?’

The fight was still lingering in her eyes. She had never seen such a fight before. It was shame that she offered to let him run.

“Hey.”

Mino hesitated but soon decided to call Jaehwan.

“What are you really?”

Jaehwan glanced at her and looked back down on his sword.

“Can you tell me? Please?”

“About me? Hmph.”

Jaehwan then looked at Mino and grinned. He then began to speak.

“You know about me already.”

“…What?”

“Did you forget?”

He looked as if he was disappointed and Mino became confused. She could not remember him talking about himself or anything. As she was thinking, Jaehwan shook his head.

“Sadly, you seem to have lost your memory also.”

“Huh?”

“At least I’m not the only one who lost the memory.”

Mino then realized something and answered in dumbfounded voice.

“Whoa… you… you really…”

She didn’t imagine he would return what she did today at this moment. Mino laughed.

“Shame on you.”

Jaehwan didn’t answer.

“Give me back my stone.”

“I don’t have it.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Because I lost it.”

“What? It’s expensive! How did you lose it?”

Jaehwan did not answer as Mino began speaking to him. The sounds of his sword eating away the equipment and Mino talking from his side were somehow very peaceful. It seemed Jaehwan had traveled back to the time that he had lost. A cool breeze brushed his hair and Jaewan looked up to the sky.

It was interesting. There were skies and stars. Jaehwan thought what he had been looking for was maybe like the night sky. Something that might prove that he was human in this unrealistic world.

“Do you really want to know about me?”

Mino stopped speaking all of a sudden.

“Then listen carefully.”

Mino nodded eagerly and Jaehwan spoke.

“I’m human.”

“…Are you kidding me?”

Mino tried to shout but Jaehwan asked.

“Are YOU human?”

“Of course, I’m human! I mean-”

Jaehwan grinned.

“Then that’s enough.”

“What?”

“It’s enough.”

“What do you mean…”

Mino tried to ask more but forgot what she was going to ask as she looked at Jaehwan. She had never seen a man that looked this lonely. As she looked at him for a while, she understood. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was enough.

Jaehwan reached to his pocket. There was a small stone at the end of his fingers. It was small, but well-crafted. Cold, but dense realism. The stone that only takes you to the present, the stone that tells you that the place you should return to is only the present.

Jaehwan then dreamed of the old days, before the Tower of Nightmares appeared. Before nobody tried to return to the past. It was harsh and sometimes full of despair, but nobody returned to the past.

One month after escaping from the Tower.

Jaehwan had met a human for the first time.