The place was silent, save for the ragged sobs that came from Min-ji's throat. She clutched her knees, shaking violently. Her face buried in her arms. Her staff laying forgotten on the mud, its embers flickering slowly as if it too, mourned, for Kyungsoo's death.
"Uhh..uhhh.."
Taeyang stood next to her, his presence almost comforting. His fists were clenched so tightly, blood had dripped down his palm, mingling with the dirt. His hallow eyes stayed on Min-ji, as if debating whether or not to hug her. But in the end, he placed a hand on her shoulder.
I bit down on my lip until the metallic blood filled my mouth. Kyungsoo's face barely looked human anymore, blood seeping from his wounds. I choked, how could such a person be gone in an instant? My stomach twisted, bile threatening to rise, but I swallowed it down. 'I can't disgrace his death.'
"We…we have to take him back.." Min-ji whispered hoarsely, lifting her tear-stricken face. Her voice cracked with desperation. "His family..they have to see him one more time.."
"We can't." Taeyang's voice coming out harsh.
Her head snapped towards him, eyes blazing with disbelief and grief. "What do you mean we can't?!"
"Look around." Taeyang growled, his voice rough. He gestured at the trees, their branches twisting in unnatural ways. "We're deep inside the gate. We won't even last an hour if we drag a body out with us."
"But-"
"Min-ji." Sungjae's voice cut in, his voice quiet but gentle. He had been silent for some time, crouching beside Kyungsoo with his bow resting loosely in his grip. "If we don't move, more mirebeast will find us. And when they do, his death will mean nothing."
Min-ji shook her head violently, her tears running down her cheeks. "We.. we can't leave him here. Like he was nothing."
"He wasn't nothing." Taeyang said softly, almost like a prayer. "He wouldn't want us to waste his death." He looked at the sky,.
"Besides, he'd be here in our hearts, right?"
The silence after that was unbearable. Only Min-ji's quiet sobs and the faint sounds of the wind filled the air. Finally, after what seemed like hours, she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeves, though her shoulders still trembled.
"Fine," she choked out. "But when we get out..we will find his family ourselves. We will tell everyone his heroic deeds..we must not let anyone forget." With that, she stood up.
I swallowed hard, my heart heavy as I forced myself to let go of Kyungsoo's body. My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palm. "We'll remember," I said quietly, "I swear it."
Taeyang bent down and picked up Kyungsoo's battered shield. It was cracked, blackened and soaked in blood but somehow, it stayed together. He strapped it onto his back without a word.
With nothing else to say, we left him there, in the place where he had reached his end.
It was hard to walk away, every step I took felt like betrayal, as if I was deliberately leaving him there. What if he was alive? What if he was calling for help but we had ignored it?
I walked on quicker.
.
.
.
.
None of us spoke. The atmosphere was too heavy to speak. Even Min-ji, who usually couldn't keep quiet for even a minute, stayed silent. Her face was pale, eyes swollen from crying. Taeyang walked closely behind her, at a distance where he could easily protect her but also far enough to give her space.
The mist thickened, swallowing u the place around us. Every sound, every snap of the branch, made us tense.
We were exhausted. Min-ji didn't look like she could raise her staff again and Sungjae's quiver was empty, his bow nothing more than dead weight at his side. That left only Taeyang and me.
But I haven't revealed my strength. My staff, to be exact. I kept silent, carrying my secret like a curse. It was a wonder that they haven't asked me about what happened.
I once thought I was prepared for death. I thought I knew what to expect inside a gate. Yet, seeing Kyungsoo's dead body, it had changed me in ways I didn't think was possible.
And then-
Ruuuummbleeee
The ground shook.
My stomach dropped. The vibrations weren't faint, they felt heavy. Min-ji froze, her face draining of what little colour she had left.
From the mist, dark shapes emerged. Dozens of them.
"Mirebeasts…" Sungjae whispered, his voice strained. His eyes flickering from one after another. His hand twitched towards his quiver before falling uselessly to his side.
The Mirebeasts came into view, their massive bodies oozing with slime and swamp water emerging from the mist. Some had eyes that glowed and others carried remnants of bones- hunters who had gone missing.
I swallowed hard, unable to tear my gaze away. More were coming, stepping out of the mist. Dozens turned to hundreds.
My blood ran cold. We were surrounded.
"Shit." Taeyang cursed under his breath, sliding into battle stance. His dagger gleamed in the dim light, pitifully small against these writhing monsters before us. My hands shook at the thought of fighting them. How?
"There's.. there's way too many," Min-ji whispered. "No, no, no.." She stumbled back, "We can't fight them again. We-"
"We run," Sungjae cut in sharply, his voice suddenly full of steel. "We don't stop, got it?"
None of us argued. None of us wanted to. There was simply no time.
The moment the Mirebeasts let out a chilling roar, we turned and bolted.
Branches whipped against my arms as we tore through the forest. My lungs burned, my legs screamed, but fear and adrenaline pushed me forward. I could hear the thunderous steps behind us. Vines lashed out, ripping through trees like paper as it rushed towards us. A vine slashed across Taeyang's arm, but he barely flinched, cutting through it with the dagger.
"Left!" Taeyang shouted, deflecting another vine that lunged at Min-ji. Sungjae's arrows were long gone, but he still fired, the string snapping with a sharp twang. For a moment, the beats slowed down, startled by the phantom shots. It gave us precious time.
But it wasn't enough.
A vine shot out, striking Min-ji square in the back. She cried out, tumbling forward.
"Min-ji!" I skidded to a stop, my heart racing.
The vines coiled around her legs, dragging her back towards the horde of monsters. She clawed at the dirt, eyes wide with terror. "Help! Please help me!"
I couldn't get to her fast enough, my legs felt like lead, my arms frozen in terror. Yet as if my wish had been answered, Sungjae sprinted past me. He slammed his bow down like a blade, slicing the vines just enough to free her. And before anyone could react, he placed himself between Min-ji and the mirebeasts.
"Sungjae, what are you-?!" I shouted, panic clawing at my throat.
He glanced back, and for the first time since Kyungsoo's death, he smiled. It was brief, but it carried a weight I'd never seen before. "Take her and run."
Min-ji's eye widened with the realisation, tears quickly welling up. "No! Don't you dare! Not after Kyungsoo-"
"Min-ji." His voice was soft. "You have to live. For him. For all of us."
He glanced at me, then Taeyang, before turning back towards the Mirebeasts. He drawed his bowstring back with trembling hands. No arrow rested there, just pure, white mana. It pulsed faintly, illuminating the dark forest around us.
The Mirebeasts roared, charging at us.
"GO!" Sungjae let go of the arrow. The arrow of pure light exploded, engulfing the nearby beasts. Their screams shook the earth, their vines thrashing widely.
But the recoil knocked Sungjae to his knees. He had no mana left. No more strength. And yet, he stood back up, drawing his bowstring back as the remaining Mirebeasts surged forward.
The last thing I saw before Taeyang yanked Min-ji and me away was Sungjae's figure being swallowed up by the tides of monsters. Despite the vines that had lashed at him, and the claws slashing at his body, he continued to fire his arrows, even if he had little to no more mana. His blood painted the mud, and his screams echoed in the forest as he fought with his remaining strength.
He kept going until one of the Mirebeast devoured him.
And then-
Silence.
We didn't stop running. We couldn't. Not when Min-ji's cries tore though the night, not when the ground shook again from the Mirebeasts' pursuit. We had to keep going. Taeyang led us through the forest, clearing the path with quick swings of his dagger, cleaving through vines and low-rank creatures.
"Keep moving!" He yelled.
The Mirebeasts thundered after us, their bodies smashing though the trees like they were nothing. The vibrations shook the ground, almost knocking me off balance. I didn't know how long I could keep going.
Two. Two of our friends were gone. Both Kyungsoo and Sungjae.
And yet, all we could do was run.