When Shin Keir arrived at the night market, the entire place looked like a warzone.
Stalls were overturned, debris scattered everywhere, people running and crying in panic, some covered in blood. Yet Shin had no time to take it all in. His eyes searched frantically, he was only looking for one person.
He spotted Pablo in the chaos, but the latter only gave him an apologetic shake of the head. "I haven't found her yet. Too many people. Everyone's scattered."
Shin's heart sank, but he didn't stop. He pushed past the crowd, following the direction most people were fleeing from. He ran toward the danger. His instincts screamed at him, she had to be there.
And then, he saw her.
But it was already too late.
From a distance, he caught sight of Yeri. Jj was carrying her, trying to run with her in his arms, while also dragging another woman and shielding the child. But they weren't fast enough.
The madman, grinning like a devil, had already unlocked the bomb.
Shin's heart dropped to his stomach. Despite all his efforts, despite all the money, power, and influence he had accumulated over the years… none of it could protect her at that very moment and stop what was about to happen.
She would die right in front of him and there was nothing he could do.
No wealth, no authority, no title could overpower death.
But Shin Keir refused to accept it.
No.
A voice deep in his mind screamed at him—he couldn't lose her. Not again.
His eyes sharpened, glowing with a piercing light like unsheathed swords. His hands clenched into fists. And within him, something stirred—a deep, terrifying force that had long been chained in the shadows of his soul.
The black mist around him, which always lingered in the background of his senses, suddenly surged to life. It roared in fury, violently thrashing around him like a storm desperate to break free.
In his head, the sound of chains echoed, loud and terrifying. From deep within the mist, a voice cried out—agonized, wrathful, begging to be released.
Shin felt a strange tearing sensation, like his consciousness was splitting in two. Yet even as that terrifying force fought to consume him, his eyes never left Yeri. He ran toward her with everything he had.
And just as the bomb exploded—everything stopped.
Time itself seemed to freeze.
The moment of the blast, frozen mid-detonation, collided with the unleashed black mist.
The eerie shockwave of the bomb clashed against the dense dark mist, creating a surreal, ghostly scene.
Pablo, who had been running beside Shin, was stuck mid-stride. The tiger-faced man still had his gun raised, locked in the moment after shooting the madman. Jj, cradling Yeri and dragging Venice, looked frozen in motion. The child clung to him, eyes shut tight. The child's father, lying in a pool of blood, was still breathing but barely.
Even the madman, moments before the explosion, had a crooked grin on his face, as if convinced the bomb wouldn't harm him.
Everything was still.
Everything—except Shin.
His eyes had turned blood-red, the mist swirling around him now multiplied, thick as a storm cloud. Unconsciously, his rage and hatred focused on the madman—the one who caused it all.
And the mist responded.
Like a swarm of starving vultures, it launched itself toward the madman, tearing him apart. No blood. No scream. Just a silent, terrifying erasure.
In seconds, the man was gone, devoured by the mist until not even dust remained.
He had become part of it.
The bomb's energy was still there but the black mist, somehow, reduced its intensity. It spread outward, protecting those nearby like an invisible barrier.
As time ticked. Yeri's ears buzzed. Her vision dimmed.
Then, hands. Strong, familiar hands gripped her shoulders.
"Yeri!" Shin's voice cracked with fear as he knelt beside her. "Yeri, stay with me!"
He checked her pulse, it was faint but steady. Her breathing was shallow, but present. She had only passed out.
A wave of relief hit him like a punch to the chest.
He gathered her into his arms and stood up.
"Boss?" The tiger-faced man finally spoke, blinking in shock. When did Shin Keir even arrive?
"Don't waste time! Get the others to the ambulance!" Pablo barked, coughing slightly but otherwise uninjured.
Hexion people were trained for extreme conditions. It wasn't surprising they held up better than the average citizen.
The tiger-faced man nodded and moved to carry the unconscious child. But when he glanced toward the spot where the madman had stood, he paused.
There was nothing there. No body. Not even remnants.
Had he escaped?
That made no sense.
Even if the explosion had torn him apart, there should've been blood. Pieces of flesh. But there was nothing at all.
When Rig and Lilo arrived, they quickly assisted in evacuating survivors.
"This guy's alive!" Rig called out, kneeling by the injured man with a gunshot wound, the child's father.
The tiger-faced man froze again. That man had been near the madman, just a meter away...how was he still in one piece?
Could he have survived by lying down?
"What's up with you?" Lilo asked, noticing his dazed expression.
"I… I saw him get shot. He's the kid's father," the man muttered.
"So?"
"I don't know… I just… never mind." He shook his head, brushing it off. Maybe he was just overthinking it.
---
Shin followed the ambulance all the way to the hospital.
There, chaos continued. Stretchers rushed in from every direction. Families and loved ones flooded the entrance, crying and calling out names. Doctors and nurses moved urgently to treat the wounded.
The night market explosion quickly became the worst tragedy of the year.
What made it even more terrifying was that it had happened in a "safe" area—an upscale, well-patrolled district where police were frequently seen.
It was close to SC University, and many students, like Yeri and her cousins, had been there for a simple night out.
Secretary Yun finally found Shin in the commotion. After seeing the unconscious state of the three Zhi cousins, he hesitated before asking, "Boss, should we inform the Zhi family?"
"Let's wait," Shin said, staring at the emergency room doors.
Secretary Yun was taken aback. This was the first time he'd seen Shin Keir look genuinely unwell. His shirt was stained and slightly disheveled, and his usual obsessive cleanliness had vanished.
A short while later, Pablo arrived, quietly reporting, "Surveillance cameras in the area… all destroyed. The blast must've wiped out the feeds."
Shin simply nodded.
Hours passed.
Eventually, the doctor came out with an update.
"Her condition is stable. No internal injuries. She's just exhausted and needs rest."
Shin let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Only then did he turn to Secretary Yun and say, "Tell someone from the hospital to contact the Zhi family."
A short while later, blending in with the crowd, Shin spotted them—Mr. and Madam Zhi, rushing into the ER with panic on their faces.
He watched them from a distance, then quietly turned around and left.
Now that Yeri was safe and her parents were there to take care of her, he could finally disappear from the scene, his heart still trembling, but relieved.
---
After instructing Secretary Yun to discreetly place some of their people within the police to follow the investigation, Shin Keir finally headed home.
In truth, he was far from alright.
All this time, he had been suppressing the overwhelming pain and disorientation gnawing at him since the night market. His head felt like it would burst open, every vein in his body throbbed painfully, and yet he stayed calm, composed. He had to. Yeri's safety had taken priority over everything else.
Only now that he was alone did his body begin to show signs of collapse.
Back in his room, Shin changed his clothes with trembling fingers, his breathing uneven. Moving to the bathroom, he turned on the lights and stared at the mirror. His reflection looked like a stranger—bloodshot eyes, pale face, and... something else.
He stilled.
There, right in front of his eyes, swirling faintly like dark smoke in water...was the black mist.
It drifted around him, almost like vapor, only thicker, heavier. It pulsed in time with his breath. Visible. Tangible. Not a hallucination. Not a delusion.
Shin's fingers twitched at his side. A chill settled deep in his bones.
He hadn't imagined anything. Everything that happened at the market—the way time froze, the way the mist had reacted to his rage and swallowed that madman whole, it was all real.
The mist followed his intent. His emotions. His will.
The more he thought about it, the more a terrible truth crept in.
Those strange memories—no, dreams, flashed in his mind, surging like tidal waves: the crimson forest, a voice whispering in a forgotten tongue, a woman's silhouette, soft and radiant, yet otherworldly, resembling Yeri's face. Her presence was magnetic. Dangerous. Unforgettable.
He remembered everything.
And for the first time, Shin asked himself the question he had tried so hard to ignore:
Was he even human?
A low rumble of thunder echoed outside despite the clear night and warm summer breeze. The sky glowed faint red, like a setting sun painted across a midnight canvas, unnerving and surreal deep in the night. The air grew thick, heavy with something unnatural.
Something had changed.
Something within him had awakened.
After some thought, Shin recalled the old priest. Back then, the encounter had ended in a strange fit that left the old priest unconscious and bleeding from his orifices. He was told the old priest couldn't remember what had happened but maybe, just maybe, the man had been lying?
If anyone could give him answers, it would be him.
He, a man who trusted logic, science, and reason above all else, could no longer deny what he had witnessed with his own eyes. The eerie existence wasn't just real. It was inside him.
Eventually, Shin lay down, sinking into his mattress with a deep, exhausted sigh. The black mist that had surrounded him began to fade from view, but he still felt it...lurking beneath the surface of his skin. Like an obedient dog, watching, waiting.
His eyes drifted shut.
But as sleep took him, he did not fall into rest.
Instead, he awoke somewhere else.
No, he was dreaming.