Eat The World Tree-Chapter 339: Hongyeon (4)

“Hooh, you’re awake?”

An old woman’s voice brought me back to consciousness.

“Your condition was a mess. Seems like the ones who tried to assassinate you were quite a headache, huh? Well, judging by the fact that you’re alive, you must’ve managed to overcome it somehow.”

The ground felt damp. My vision was blurry, making it hard to see.

The fragile thread of my consciousness snapped and reconnected repeatedly.

From my mouth escaped faint groans,

“Gkk, gkk.”

‘…Baekdo. Hwangdo.’

The faces of two children flashed before my eyes.

The two, smiling brightly, clinging to me during their early years. They were the ones I needed to care for.

Unconsciously, as their faces crossed my mind, I reached out my hand.

But I couldn’t reach them. They drifted further and further away.

“Gup, kahak!”

Snap!

I tried to push myself off the ground, but my body wouldn’t obey.

I slid down the sloped ground, getting closer to something nearby.

-Bang!

“Gkk, gup, ugh.”

My entire body ached, and sorrow overwhelmed me.

I didn’t want to come back to my senses. There was no one left waiting for me when I opened my eyes.

The dull weight in my chest confirmed that this despairing situation wasn’t a dream.

My younger siblings had been killed by the hands of the World Tree.

I hadn’t even been able to give them a proper funeral.

“Oh right, you’ve lost your sight. I worked hard to fix that. It’ll take some time for your vision to return. You’ll need to rehabilitate gradually.”

“…Gup.”

“Don’t try to get up. Your legs are the same—there’s nothing left intact.”

My legs felt as if they’d been severed—completely numb.

A strange foreign sensation lingered in my lower body.

My left arm wouldn’t move either. Everything appeared blurred as if painted over.

Each breath brought immense pain that nearly made me scream.

“Gup, gup.”

I was speechless. It seemed like none of my bodily functions were working properly.

The old woman’s kind voice whispered near my ear from somewhere unseen.

“You must have a lot of questions—why you’re alive, why you’re here. I’ll explain it all, one thing at a time.”

-Bubble, bubble.

The sound of something thick boiling filled the air.

“This place is Flower. You probably know of it.”

“…”

“We may call it Flower, but it’s beyond their reach. The internal conflict among the executives has left the forces entirely fragmented, and those of us left are merely… impoverished humans.”

A colossal organization aiming to topple the existing powers by opposing the World Tree.

Despite its intimidating name, the surrounding environment was barren.

The old woman spoke as she stirred something in a cauldron.

“Dowon is aware of us. We’ve traded goods with them many times. Bonds don’t disappear that easily, right? It just so happened that I had a chance to help, and the followers brought you here.”

“…”

Followers.

It wasn’t common for Flower’s army to come to the villages where civilians hid.

They must have anticipated Dowon’s downfall and stationed troops in advance.

It was likely an attempt to absorb displaced warriors into their ranks.

“They saved you while you were on the brink of death and left you to your own devices. They said they wouldn’t interfere with whatever you decide to do from now on.”

“…Gup.”

“Getting old is strange. Who would’ve thought wars like this would still happen in this day and age?”

The old woman muttered in a candid voice.

“I only hope fewer people die.”

-Rustle.

Something was in my grasp.

A soft fabric filled my palm, though parts were stiff with dried blood, and others frayed and rough—a man’s martial robe.

The cherished object I thought I had let go of when I lost consciousness.

I held it tightly, afraid to lose it again.

It was still here.

The faint, lingering scent brought tears to my eyes.

-Drop, drop.

“It seemed important, so I picked it up.”

“…”

“…Tsk tsk.”

A click of the tongue echoed, filled with pity.

Soon, the sound of footsteps and the creak of a door signaled that the old woman had left the room.

-Rustle.

My body felt cold.

I unfolded the crumpled black dragon robe and covered myself with it.

“Huff… huff.”

My trembling breaths escaped with emotions of indignation.

Wrapped in Dowon’s last remnant, I barely calmed my breaking heart.

Countless thoughts crossed my mind, and they didn’t stop the next day.

Days passed, seasons changed, but my condition remained dire.

It took two months before my eyes could see properly again.

I quelled my rage, finding solace only in the fabric clutched to my chest.

“Looks like you’re ready to start rehabilitation soon. But to do that… you’ll have to enter the heart of Flower.”

Time moved sluggishly.

Every day was filled with pain.

‘If by any chance, there is a will in the heavens.’

My father, who took me in during my worthless childhood when I had lost everything.

Dowon, the place which first taught me about life.

My younger siblings, who adored me despite my inadequacies.

My colleagues at work.

The children at the orphanage.

And… my first love.

Each one was precious to me, equally loved.

‘If there’s still a reason for me to be alive in this world.’

So many people had accepted me despite my insignificance.

But I couldn’t hold on to what I needed to protect. All my treasures slipped away like sand through my fingers.

Because I wasn’t capable enough.

“…”

Now, there’s not a single person left by my side.

The man was standing before me.

His face hadn’t changed at all.

Even his awkward smile and his unbearably arrogant muttering sounded just as they did in my memory.

How could his appearance remain unchanged after all these years?

Why was he standing before me now, just as I remembered him?

Did he really think I looked that pitiful?

“How far… exactly…”

The hand gripping my sword trembled violently.

-Shake-

“How far do you intend to humiliate me?”

Just looking at him made my heart sink.

My voice was choked by rising indignation, and I could barely speak.

-Bang!

I thrust my sword forward into the hazy space.

The faint energy of the blade shot straight ahead, piercing just beside the man’s neck.

My chest ached.

The clear wound on his face drew my attention, making it impossible to look forward.

-Drip, drip.

Sweat and tears mixed as they fell.

With the commander’s space collapsing, the battlefield turned into utter chaos, and any semblance of structure was lost.

-Screech!

Shrieks and dying screams echoed all around.

-Clang! Clang!

Blades and poles crossed, sending blood and sparks flying.

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I needed to give orders, but my hands wouldn’t move.

Frustration, hatred… saliva dripped from my tightly clenched teeth.

“You.”

The man spoke.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something—”

-Bang!

“Stop, stop…!”

I wished he would just shut his mouth.

With trembling emotions and a pounding heart, I wildly swung the sword in my hands.

-Whoosh!

There was no form or stance—just reckless movements.

-Swish!

The curved blade missed its mark entirely.

I glared at the man’s direction through my bloodshot eyes.

My movements, controlled by raw emotion, were clumsy.

The man dodged effortlessly and grabbed my downward-slashing blade with ease.

The distance between us became alarmingly close.

“…Why do you always…”

I had lost everything.

“Take everything from me… and even now, you…”

-Crunch.

From behind, two figures of Cistus suddenly appeared.

The man’s face showed his first signs of distress at the ambush by her clones.

“This was… the last. You were supposed to be my last. And yet… are you planning to take even that from me?”

I didn’t even know what I was saying anymore.

“Why… why… now, of all times?”

“W-what?”

I didn’t want my memories to be defiled any further.

With all my might, I summoned my magical power.

I released the sword and focused on gathering energy.

Every blade scattered across the battlefield rose from the ground, their points directed at him.

“Wait… hey. Don’t you recognize me? Really?”

“…”

The two clones of Cistus drew closer, their presence oppressive. If they exploded, hundreds of people in this area would be annihilated.

As a commander, it was a choice I could never make.

But all I could think was how much I wanted the man before me to disappear.

-Sizzle.

A smile appeared on the lips of Cistus, who had approached just behind the man.

The tattoo on its face turned a vivid crimson, and its features split into five segments as blood streamed down.

It was going to explode.

“…”

The heat enveloping my entire body signaled death.

I swallowed hard, looking at the man in front of me.

Ah.

-Rumble.

Even in the moment of my death, I wouldn’t be granted peace.

By his side, the presence I missed most, I would have to watch him vanish into dust—only then would this torment…

“…Ah, damn.”

The man moved.

His arms suddenly reached forward and embraced me, ignoring the incoming swords piercing into him.

-Grab!

His calves, thighs, and shoulders—all were struck as blades rained down. His expression twisted in pain and frustration.

“…?”

The man moved rapidly in the opposite direction of the explosion.

The unexpected action made my chest grow cold with dread.

The explosion of Cistus didn’t stop.

-Flash!

It happened faster than the eye could follow.

There was a shock, but no pain. Instead, soft fabric brushed against my skin. I thought my limbs would melt, yet not a single burn marked my body.

My vision blinked, and the ceiling and floor switched places.

-Crash! Boom!

The altar was half-destroyed, and I tumbled down. I still couldn’t comprehend what had just happened.

“…Why.”

Why did this man shield me?

A fleeting moment burned into my eyes—he had frantically pulled me into his arms and fled backward to avoid the explosion.

His body was riddled with long blades, mercilessly drawing blood.

“…Guh.”

The man, his face contorted in pain, coughed up blood.

-Drip, drip.

My eyes widened. Blood splattered onto my cheek.

Could a construct like this exist so realistically?

The World Trees possessed the ability to create illusions and constructs. I had seen it many times and was fully aware of it.

I had prepared accordingly.

So why hadn’t this man vanished? Why had he shielded me instead?

“…This crazy woman… always doing exactly what no one asked for.”

“…Uh, what?”

Green energy flared around his body like fire.

It seemed to be healing him, but it wasn’t nearly enough.

A direct hit from Cistus’s explosion was fatal to anyone, no matter who they were.

“Hongyeon.”

My name was called.

Despite the overwhelming pain, his hand gripping my shoulder tightened painfully.

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

His persuasion continued. It was impossible—absolutely impossible—but why was my heart racing?

Could it be…? No. That couldn’t be.

That person was undoubtedly dead.

Nothing of him remained except a single garment, so devastated was his end. Even my father had acknowledged his death.

So the person standing before me now must be a fake.

As much as I wanted to believe otherwise, my mind ruthlessly assessed the situation with brutal clarity.

“…Why did you shield me? Isn’t your blood spilling?”

But the words that escaped my lips were strange.

“Please, don’t bleed… with that face. Why… why did you do that?”

“You’re the one who half-killed me, and that’s what you’re saying now?”

The man frowned as if about to lose consciousness, nearly collapsing forward.

His head dropped, and his cheek brushed against my chest.

Warmth. A familiar scent.

A fleeting, precious sensation on the verge of being forgotten.

It was as if something had struck me hard.

“…Ah. Ah.”

-Whack!

“Snap out of it, you idiot.”

My head was struck hard enough to wonder if it might bruise. My mind cleared instantly.

“…Is it really… Dowon?”

With a hoarse voice, I uttered an unbelievable truth.

The man sighed heavily, as if exhausted.

“Then what did you think I was until now?”