It was a tree.

A tree stood before me.

It wasn’t particularly large, but its dense foliage was striking.

At first glance, it resembled a plum tree, yet the flowers blooming on it were different.

I reached out and caught a falling leaf.

It was shaped like a feather.

That meant... this was a tree I had never seen before.

A tree with soft, magenta hues.

I gazed at it in silence before shifting my focus elsewhere.

‘Where is this place?’

The space around me had changed.

I had been transported somewhere unfamiliar.

A pristine lake stretched out before me, with the tree standing at its center.

Leaves continued to fall, piling up on the ground, carpeting it in layers of magenta.

The air was thick with a subtle floral fragrance, tickling my nose.

Especially...

‘This scent.’

The aroma surrounding me felt familiar.

Where had I smelled this before?

As I pondered, I turned my head—

And met Yarang’s gaze.

Right.

This was the scent I had always noticed on her.

Breathing it in left a strange warmth curling in my chest.

Suppressing the odd sensation, I asked,

"Why did you bring me here?"

Why this place?

As always, Yarang remained silent.

"...When someone talks to you, you should at least answer."

My tone sharpened with irritation.

Then—

Srrrk.

Yarang moved.

I narrowed my eyes.

I had no way of knowing what her master—the current one—might do to me in her amnesia-stricken state.

The same could be said for Yarang.

I raised my guard immediately.

But she didn’t reach for me.

Instead, she lifted her hand—

And grasped her mask.

Then—

Click.

"...!"

Without warning, she removed it.

For the first time, Yarang’s face was exposed.

It was the same as before.

She still bore the features of the Divine Sword.

Brown hair.

Golden eyes.

The only difference was the color of her hair.

Or rather—

‘Now that I think about it... her hair was always brown.’

If anything, this was her original appearance.

I met her gaze and muttered,

"And?"

So what?

Why remove the mask?

I had expected her to do something after taking it off.

But she simply stood there, staring at me in silence.

The hell was this?

My frown deepened.

"If you have something to say, say it."

If she had a point to make, then make it.

If she was going to draw her sword, then draw it already.

This ridiculous silence was getting on my nerves.

Even after I snapped, Yarang remained motionless.

I’d had enough.

I took a step forward.

"Say something alrea—"

Fwoosh—!

A sudden gust of wind stopped me in my tracks.

Not physically—I had simply stopped moving on instinct.

Something felt off.

The petals were still swirling in the air.

Yet—

‘There’s no wind.’

There was no wind in this space.

Then why were the petals floating?

‘This place isn’t natural.’

Not that I had ever thought it was.

The real question was—

‘What’s the purpose of all this?’

Why bring me here?

That was what mattered.

I just hoped she wasn’t planning anything troublesome.

‘I’m already barely holding myself together.’

My internal injuries were severe.

If a fight broke out, I was screwed.

As I raised my vigilance, Yarang moved again.

This time—

She reached out and touched the tree trunk.

Thunk—!

Something suddenly fell right in front of me.

Startled, I took a step back.

I lowered my gaze.

‘What the hell is this?’

A round fruit.

It was the same magenta hue as the leaves.

Why had it fallen so suddenly?

I glanced up at Yarang in confusion.

"And what am I supposed to do with this?"

A fruit fell.

So what?

What was I supposed to do?

For once, Yarang reacted.

She pointed at the fruit and prodded at the air with her fingers.

...That gesture.

"You want me to pick it up?"

Nod.

Yarang nodded.

I looked down at the fruit again.

Was it safe to touch?

I hesitated.

Then—without thinking—my hand reached out and picked it up.

Srrrk.

The texture was smooth.

Nothing felt particularly unusual about it.

It was just like holding an apple or any other fruit.

"And now what? Am I supposed to eat it?"

"..."

"...You want me to eat it?"

She didn’t respond, but her expression made it clear.

That was exactly what she meant.

Except—

"Yeah, no. Not happening."

I wasn’t about to eat this thing.

"Why the hell would I eat something when I don’t even know what it is?"

It was bad enough that I’d been dragged here against my will.

Now she wanted me to eat some unknown fruit?

Was she insane?

I scoffed.

"As if I’d ever—"

Crunch.

"...Hm?"

I froze mid-sentence.

What ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) was that sound?

Crunch. Crunch.

I heard it again.

It was close.

What... the hell was making that noise?

Before I could figure it out—

A sweet flavor spread through my mouth.

Wait.

...What?

I hurriedly clamped my hand over my mouth and stared down at the fruit in my grasp.

There were exactly three bite marks on it.

Seeing that, my shock was immediate.

Gulp.

My throat moved on its own.

Something slid down.

"Shit."

There was no need to question what I had just swallowed.

I had eaten the fruit.

How the hell did this happen?

‘Why the fuck did my body just eat that on its own?’

I hadn’t even meant to take a bite, yet my body had moved on instinct, chewing and swallowing.

I was screwed.

Should I try to vomit it out?

What the hell had I just consumed?

As I stared at the fruit, eyes wide with disbelief—

Thump.

A pulse.

"...!"

I clutched my chest.

It wasn’t pain.

But—

Fwoooosh—!

A surge of energy exploded from my stomach, rushing through my entire body.

It felt like my heart was absorbing the energy generated in my abdomen.

The sheer amount of energy was overwhelming—

And my heart was devouring it all.

"Urgh...!!"

Even if I hadn’t been in pain before, this level of pressure created pain.

And considering my internal injuries, it was even worse.

"Ghh...!"

My whole body trembled as I dropped to my knees.

"Haa... haa..."

I couldn’t even exhale properly.

All the while, Yarang stood in front of me, watching in silence.

"You... what the hell did you make me eat?"

Why had she brought me here?

I wanted to ask—

But I couldn’t.

Gwooooooo—!

The energy kept building.

‘This is insane.’

What the fuck was this?

All I could do was grit my teeth and endure it.

But the real problem was—

‘...It’s Greed that’s activating.’

The force devouring the energy wasn’t my Cheonma Divine Art.

It was Greed—my Authority.

Why?

Greed only reacted to Authorities.

Why was it activating now?

‘Is this fruit... an Authority?’

That made no sense.

How could a mere fruit be an Authority?

And why was my body devouring it with such ferocity?

It felt different.

This wasn’t absorption.

This was devouring.

Greed continued to consume the energy.

Crack. Crunch.

Like a feast, Greed gnawed at the energy within my heart.

The more it consumed—

The harder it became to endure.

"Grgh...!"

I barely held on—

Until—

Crunch.

Greed devoured the last of the energy—

And then—

Burp.

It let out a satisfied response.

At that moment, my body lost all strength.

I slowly collapsed.

‘...Fucking hell.’

I was blacking out again.

******

Thud.

Gu Yangcheon’s body fell to the ground.

Shallow, ragged breaths escaped his lips.

The woman stood over him, gazing down in silence.

"..."

She said nothing.

Just like before.

She had never spoken a word—

But—

Srrrk.

Though her lips remained still, her actions changed.

For the first time, she moved toward him.

She knelt beside him, drawing closer.

Then—

Rustle.

A pale hand reached out—

And gently brushed against his hair.

"..."

Once.

Then again.

Her face remained expressionless.

But her touch was unbearably gentle.

She continued for a long while—

Until—

—I understand your heart.

A voice whispered in her ear.

Only then did she finally stop.

—But you must leave now.

"..."

At those words, she gave a faint nod.

Then, slowly, she rose to her feet.

A clear sense of reluctance weighed down her every movement. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

She stared at Gu Yangcheon for a long moment before turning away.

She walked forward, step by step—

Until her toes touched the surface of the lake.

Fwoooosh—!

Light erupted around her, shifting the space once more.

She had returned to the place where she and Gu Yangcheon had first arrived.

She lifted her head and gazed at the sky.

The sun was setting.

Night was approaching.

It was truly time to go.

—Do you wish to see him for a little longer?

The voice asked gently.

The woman shook her head.

She did want to see him longer.

But she knew that was selfish.

More importantly—

She knew that the true owner of this voice wanted it even more than she did.

There was little she could do.

The most she could allow herself—

Was to steal brief glances.

And so—

For a fleeting moment—just a few seconds—

She cast her gaze back to the collapsed Gu Yangcheon.

Then—

Tap.

With a light step, she leaped into the air—

And vanished into the void.