Chapter 74
Nonmagical people have always existed. Throughout their short history, society treated them as either handicapped or sick. And as a result, the number of these people started to decrease drastically.
About 100 years ago, the 30 or so nonmagical people left in existence, realizing the difficulty of their situation, left to create their own city. That city beca Wonderland.
The governnt welcod this news because they had been unable to kill them for fear of the dia or to leave them within their cities when they were so useless. And so, the governnt restored the capital and gave them Wonderland. And after many years, Wonderland beca a refuge for outlaws. It had gained a strength that could very well beco a threat to the governnt.
Afterward, magic in humans slowly started to disappear to a point where, even in Outhouse, although it was kept hushed, many of the residents had no magical powers. Whether you had magical powers or not beca irrelevant.
Because the residents of Wonderland were able to create a world that didn’t require magical powers and were successful in becoming powerful in their own right, this city’s figures were a definite threat to the governnt.
The residents of Outhouse believed that Wonderland and the governnt had no relationship with each other whatsoever. In most respects, that was true.
From Heart’s perspective, however, things were different. To the governnt, Wonderland was just a trash can in which to throw their fugitives. Heart was the head of those fugitives.
And this was the reason invaders had co to find Heart. Unfortunately, these invaders had chosen the worst ti to ss with Heart as he was in the foulest of moods. Of course, they had no idea of this, but sotis stupidity can be seen as a sin. Heart’s n shrank nervously and gasped in fear the mont they saw Heart’s crooked smile.
With his elbow propped against the armchair and his head lying on his hand, he stared at the unwelco visitors with a tilted head. As his eyes burned with a mix of explosiveness and seduction, the mood beca a bit erotic. The only woman who had followed them to catch a glimpse of an actual nonmagical being watched him with unfocused eyes.
Heart glanced at the woman, who looked lazy but had a glimr of violence in her eyes. Although he had already been smiling, he looked at the woman like he was interested in her. When the woman blushed red, an old man coughed next to her.
“Eh hem! Our business is this. This matter has been taken up to the governnt, so we hope you will be accommodating.”
Heart’s n frowned as they heard them talk down to Heart. Heart didn’t pay much attention to them and instead started to count the days in his head again. Today had been exactly seven days.
That’s enough. I’ll have to get her. Right now. As he thought this, he heard soone cough. Heart looked up and stared at the man.
That man had hurt Whitey. No, to be more exact, all of them had hurt her, he thought. He laughed.
“What did you co here to get?”
He mocked them as if he hadn’t heard a single thing they’d said. Heart’s n who stood guard started to feel slightly sorry for the governnt researchers. Of all the people, they had co to Heart, and of all the people, they had co for that girl. None the wiser, the man yelled at him with a vein popping out his neck.
“The white-haired, brown-eyed girl. Our experint! We already know she is here, so don’t go pretending you don’t know!”
“Even if you say it like that, I still don’t...”
“If you make this more troubleso than it has to be, we will have no choice but to tell those on top! This one is important to the governnt as well!”
SoYoon was special even among the experints. The other nonmagical subjects and even the other dinsion jumpers had all died, unable to handle the experints. Not only had she survived, but now she had beco a monstrously powerful entity because of it. Her usefulness and her lack of resistance made them think that it would be safe to na her as an agent, but when she broke away from her leash and ran away, it put the governnt and the researchers in a tough spot.
There were three reasons the research facility and the governnt had an interest in her: first, her usefulness as a weapon; second, the danger of an unleashed animal; third, her mysterious ability to block the signal of the brand.
The most powerful magicians of their day had created the brand on her shoulder. The wizards of today only knew how to use it but didn’t know how it actually worked. But if that signal could sohow be blocked, the implications were huge. It would lead the way for a new generation of more powerful magicians, and they wanted to be the ones to harness that power.
Heart had no interest in any of this. Truthfully, Heart wanted nothing more than for all the magic in the world to collapse in on itself, and he would be the first to stand on the sidelines cheering about its demise.
“Hm, a threat?”
He placed his hands behind his back. He grasped the handle of the ax he’d hid under his jacket.
***
A few monts later, the drawing-room door opened. At the sa ti, the sll of blood filtered through the hallway.
“Get rid of the ones inside. The rest of you are dismissed.”
At Heart’s command, a couple of his guards ran inside the drawing room while the rest of them dispersed. Heart didn’t spare them another glance and stomped over to the front door.
The guard near him asked, “Are you going sowhere, sir?”
“To bring back what is mine.”
He answered curtly and stepped outside. With the sun shining blindingly, it was a beautiful day.
***
Twins’ house was quite far from Heart’s house. Heart walked many tis faster than normal and so arrived there earlier than expected. When he got to the front of Twins’ house, he ran into another person. The two n’s faces frowned simultaneously.
“Mad Hatter.”
“Oh, it’s you, Heart.”
Even the violently purple bonnet on Mad Hatter’s head couldn’t block his good looks. Heart glared at him as if he was chewing on bugs. Mad Hatter had the sa expression. Heart had a more masculine type of handsoness than Mad Hatter, and he wrinkled his brow grumpily at him.
The two n were able to call a truce because they had the sa motive for coming here. The enemy they had to fight against now was not each other. They headed to the door together, where they heard quiet voices in conversation. Mad Hatter concentrated hard to catch her voice. Wondering how he had survived this long without the sound of it, his body reacted to the evidence of her presence.
A different voice, one that he had phased out, never wanting to hear again, was now uttering words he could not tolerate.
“...you, I like you!”
The two n swallowed hard, then heard SoYoon respond with a sigh.
“All right.”
At that mont, the two n, no longer able to contain themselves, broke down the door.
***
SoYoon woke up early in the morning. She turned her head and saw Twins asleep. They looked extrely uncomfortable lying on the sofa with their long legs draped over the armrest, but they insisted on sleeping there even with the bed available.
Through the misty morning sunlight, their dark-blond hair glistened, and she saw their sculpted profile and strong jawline. SoYoon stared at their face until they flipped over, muttering in their sleep.
They had told her they liked her. Those words were enough to shake off the curtains that covered her eyes. Watching them without that barrier made her comprehend her reality. There was no escaping now.
Exactly one week had passed today from the ti she had arrived at this house. As ti passed, she could sense Twins’ anxiety growing.
She rubbed her neck. The place where they had bitten her previously bore a peach-colored teeth mark. If they were to see this, what would they say? She imagined the pitiful face of Twins forcefully smiling as they tried to suppress their anger.
Then, Twins started to stir and got up. They yawned and rubbed their eyes roughly. It must be Dee. He smiled when his eyes t SoYoon’s. Not yet fully awake, his smile was like a small child’s.
“I’m sleepy...” Dee mumbled as she approached the sofa where he was lying. His long arms wrapped around her.
“Get off,” she said, but he either didn’t hear her or pretended not to, because he yawned again and closed his eyes. Soon, his breathing changed to a rhythmic calm.
Unable to escape his long arms, she relaxed her arms and ended up falling asleep. The sweet and sour sll of li soap floated around them.
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