[Lee-kyung-ah.]
The chill from Dawon's absolute-zero cold expression gradually faded as he called out my na. The imposing presence of the unnad entity surrounding him also beca placid.
Only then did so of my courage return, so, in a cracked voice, I called out his na. "Dawon-ah."
Then, as if guided by my voice, Dawon-ie slowly landed on the ground.
His movents were silent, like a feather settling down; but for , the fact that the Mage had planted his feet on the ground brought a strangely strong sense of relief. Because, just a mont ago, he felt otherworldly.
It was a feeling similar to encountering a monster in a dungeon. A completely different system or existencesothing belonging to a different world Sothing incomprehensible, unreachable
I was worried that Dawon-ie might turn into so inexplicable beinglike those monsters. I was keenly aware of this unease.
"Are you alright?" I inhaled a sharp breath as I approached the Mage. I wanted to touch him. The re touch of his skin beneath my fingertips might reject that ominous feeling.
But, Dawon-ie just stared at as I approached. His cold eyes were fixed on my wrist.
[He touched you again.]
"Huh?"
His words were not accompanied by a frown or any other change in expression. Unable to predict what would follow, I walked another half-step closer.
Plop!
At the sa ti, blood began to flow from both of Moon Issak's eyes.
"Arrghh!" Moon Issak scread at the terrible pain of losing his eyes. I froze imdiately; Dawon looked at my rigid self and quietly whispered
[How do you want to kill him?]
Though he phrased it as a question, it was rely symbolic. He wasn't actually asking for my opinion. Eventually, he turned his head away when I remained silent.
anwhile, I saw Moon Issak's wrecked face with bloody tear tracks crossing his cheeks. The mont Dawon turned to look at the investigator, I could clearly see fear and horror on Moon Issak's face.
"G-Go away!" Using his mouththe only intact feature or appendage Moon Issak had, I heard a tremor in his voice that he couldn't hide.
[]
Dawon-ie silently glided to a stop in front of Moon Issakmirroring his movents from when he first landed on the ground. Then, the Mage raised his skeletal handbleached white bone after his skin had all been scorched awayand grabbed Moon Issak's neck. The investigator's face quickly turned purple even though it didn't seem like the Mage's grip was particularly strong. Moon Issak's blackened lips and eyes opened almost automatically.
"Choi Lee-kyung-ssi, sothing feels off. You should try to stop or dissuade Guildmaster-nim."
""
At that mont, Choi Kyung-sik approached and quietly insinuated that I should intervene. I also felt the situation was strange, so I tried to step closer to Dawon-ie. However, just before my feet lifted off the ground, Moon Issak's scream echoed out; my nostrils slled the tallic scent of blood.
"Knnngh.!" Moon Issak struggled and trembled in the Mage's hold. Dawon lifted his neck higher and higher until he suddenly bit the man in the nape of his neck.
I've seen Lackey bite the dead or near dead to turn them into Ghouls. However, Moon Issak was still alive, and Dawon-ie wasn't necessarily in his summoned form. Nevertheless, Moon Issak's neck swelled, expanding from the bite mark; soon, purple veins protruded from his skin.
"Gurgle!"
White bubbles began to form around the corners of Moon Issak's mouth. His eyes were rolled over into the back of his head, and only the whites were showing.
Dawon-ie continued to drink Moon Issak's blood, paying no attention to any changes. Gulp by gulp, the audible sound of blood flowing down the Mage's esophagus filled the space.
Are servants able to drink the blood of people other than their master, the Necromancer?'
I was frozen, unable to look away from the shocking scene. It felt as if my feet were nailed to the ground. Suddenly, Dawon's body began to react strangely.
His hair'
Dawon's lengthened hair began to ripple, as if a strong wind was sweeping through the room; a faint golden light started to spread along the lines of his body.
And, when Dawon turned to , my eyes opened wide, startled. His left eye's pupil turned golden.
"Dawon-ah, wait a minute!"
As soon as I noticed this ominous change, I ran to stop Dawon. However, just as I took a step forward, the seams of the handcuffs that had tightly bound my wrists rapidly corroded and broke apart.
Clang!
At the sa ti, Moon Isaak's head, which had been making a grinding sound due to the pressure Dawon-ie exerted, suddenly tilted completely backward. Dawon finally let him go as if he was discarding a piece of dirty trash.
With a thud, Moon Issak collapsed, and an odious, rotten sll began to seep out from where he fell.
Dawon-ie then spat out the blood that remained in his mouth. The intangible sothing' surrounding the Mage was plenty agitated. So, I hurriedly reached out to grasp Seo Dawon, but
Bounce!
My fingertips, hurriedly reaching out, were blocked and bounced off of sothing unknown.
Dawon looked at with an indifferent gaze; I groped at the air with widened eyes. I instinctively realized that I had to stop him imdiately. "[Seo Dawon]! Sto Cough!"
However, before I could finish my command, sothing invisible wrapped around my neck.
A severe chill ran through the mont that unidentified sothing' wrapped around my neck. My whole body felt as if it were trapped in iceI couldn't move a single muscle. As that sothing' revealed its true formmy expression naturally showcased my sheer shock.
What on earth'
That sothing' was Dawon's shadow.
This shadow was sothing that should not be able to appear in his spiritual state, but what else could I call this dark shape that resembled Dawon and extended from his feet?
Soon, it' strangled , pressing down on my tongue with fingers to completely subdue and stop from uttering a command.' Its eyes were red.
"Da. Nngh" Despite everything, I persisted in trying to call out to Seo Dawon. However, I could no longer resist when the shadow threateningly pressed down on the root of my tongue.
This isn't Dawon'
It was impossible for him to treat like this, so this shadow couldn't be Seo Dawon. With that in mind, I exerted so force in my chin to try to bite off the shadow with my teeth.
[Lee-kyung-ah.]
It was then
When he saw thrashing, Dawon-ie called out my na. Reflexively, the shadow stopped moving and released its hold slightly.
"Cough, C-Cough"
The shadow then poured into my throat.
I felt sothing strangeneither liquid nor solidfilling my body. I bent over to spit or vomit it out, but whatever it was had already dug inside my stomach.
"Blergh!"
"Choi Lee-kyung-ssi!" A beat late, Choi Kyung-sik rushed to my side. However, the Alchemist also bounced off an invisible barrier. The shadow had peeled away from and stood in front of Choi Kyung-sik, blocking his way. Unable to see the shadow, the young alchemist seed flustered, "Damn it! What's in front of ?!"
"!"
I tried to inform Choi Kyungsik of the shadow's presence, but my voice would not co out; it felt like my neck and tongue had hardened.
When my eyes opened wide and I grabbed my throat, Choi Kyung-sik furrowed his brow, "Stay still for now, Choi Lee-kyung-ssi"
Fortunately, he imdiately realized that sothing was wrong with .
[Choi Kyung-sik.]
However, at that mont, my voice spilled out of the shadow's mouth. Choi Kyung-sik's eyes opened wide as he made eye contact with Dawon's shadow that had materialized in front of him.
The distorted surface of the shadow looked like bulging magmabubbles rising. The shadow, which looked like Seo Dawon until now, had changed to look like in the blink of an eye.
Of course, from my point of view, the shadow didn't really have any substance and wasn't a solid presence, but.
"Choi Lee-kyung-ssi?" Choi Kyung-sik said, surprised. Perhaps to him, the shadow was a perfect clone of .
Then, as soon as the shadow heard Choi Kyung-sik's words, it adopted a chilling smileeach corner of its mouth stretched wide, as if the smile was in danger of tearing apart the face. Then, it opened its gaping lips and gave a command' in my voice.
[The servant, Choi Kyung-sik,' will be exempt from summoning for 24 hours.]
"Wait!" Bewildered, Choi Kyung-sik tried to resist, but he vanished after the exemption was activated.
The shadow soon dribbled back beneath Dawon's feet, as if it were flowing water. I was both shocked and left cowering at such an unbelievable sight.
Thud!
However, Seo Dawon was also the one who quickly caught my stumbling self. He stared down at silent from shockwith an affable yet forlorn expression.
Though that expression was probably ant to deceive , I still really wanted to rely on and trust him. I thought Perhaps there was an underlying reason for all thisOr perhaps the Mage wasn't in full control or he was acting against his will. But
"!"
My skin began to turn black from where Dawon was holding my body, and my body began to feel incredibly heavy.
I slowly sank towards the floor; at the sa ti, the shadow at Dawon's feet began to rise. The shape and color gradually began to take form, completing itselfas if it had absorbed my color.
[Dawon-ah.]
Finally, it,' which now looked exactly like , stood by Dawon and spoke with my stolen voice. Astonished, I reached out; but, at that mont, I completely sank underground, as if I had been subrged in a lake.
However, as if I were standing at the opposite side of a transparent, glass wall, I could still observe Dawon and that shadow. The Mage nodded after coldly looking at my clone; the shadow then obediently opened its mouth.
[Summon all standby servants to my side.]
The Shadow used a command that even I was unfamiliar with. Every servant, except for the ones that had been exempted or reverse-summoned due to damagewas summoned to our location. I could only look on at the scene, eyes wide open.
TL: The chills
Sorry this is late guys, it's getting to conference season >.
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