Turning Point

Luna, who was desperately running away, lost her footing and fell forward because her legs gave out. She shook her head, trying to get up, but it was too much.

Keugeugeugeugeuk―――

Jamie approached Luna, scraping a dagger against the wall.

,Heuheut heueuheut. Your vision is blurring and your whole body feels like limp meat, right? I’ll quickly cut off your head before you die from excessive bleeding.”

Jamie grabbed Luna’s hair and lifted her head. Jamie hummed a tune at the sight of Luna’s face contorted in pain.

,Good, I’ll cut it off cleanly like this. If you move, it won’t be cut prettily, okay?”

As Jamie raised the dagger, Luna’s ring suddenly made a buzzing sound and emitted a pure white light.

Tuk―!

Jamie’s hand holding the dagger fell to the floor and rolled away. Jamie stared at it for a moment, then made a face as if about to cry.

,Heoeo, isn’t it too much to have an uninvited guest so suddenly? It’s like a ninja invasion!”

Luna, who had reflexively closed her eyes at the light emanating from the ring, cautiously opened her eyes and saw a passage where dozens of colors overlapped in the place where the wall had been cut away. It was somehow familiar yet unfamiliar.

,I know you guys play the game dirty.”

A voice that felt transparent. It was a delicate voice, but the will within it contained an unyielding power.

,I can’t let the Queen fall off the board again.”

As she said that, a female student wearing the Transcendence Academy uniform appeared from the passage. The female student, wearing a mask with runic letters engraved on it that covered the lower part of her face, carried a sword larger than her own height on her shoulder. There was no name tag on her uniform, so it was impossible to confirm her name.

Luna glanced at her without realizing it. It was a voice she had never heard before, and the small but unquenchable fire within it was something she had never seen before. But she instinctively knew that this person had appeared to save her now.

The girl, noticing Luna’s gaze, gave a playful smile and gently waved her hand.

,Nice to meet you. I wanted to meet you at least once. It was worth the long wait. I thought the boss lied, but you’re really pretty.”

While Luna was flustered, Jamie, whose hand had been cut off, chuckled and turned to look at the uninvited guest.

,Heuheut heueuheut. I’m sorry, but I have a guest who came first, so can I deal with you after I cut off this person’s head-“

Tuktuduk―.

Before he could finish speaking, Jamie’s head fell from his body and rolled on the floor. The girl, who had swung her sword to the side to shake off the blood on the blade, reached out her hand to Luna, who had fallen, but stopped.

,Ah, I’m sorry. My unni told me I absolutely can’t touch you.”

With that, she reached into her uniform and took out a small bead. Then, she carefully placed it on the floor.

,This is a bead to get out. Throw it, or step on it to break it, and you can get out of here. Escape with this. The enemy’s main body is still intact.”

Luna was flustered at the sight of her turning around and walking away. She couldn’t let her go without knowing the name of the person who had helped her, so Luna said urgently.

,Wait, just a moment…! F, first of all, thank you for saving me. But I’ve never seen you before, so I don’t even know your name yet. Are you a student? Then please tell me your name, and I will definitely repay you.”

At Luna’s words, she turned her head and looked at Luna over her shoulder. Then, she shrugged as if it were nothing.

,It’s okay to repay me. It was the last promise I made with the boss.”

Speaking in a playful voice, she turned her head forward again, took a step forward with her left foot, and held out her sword.

For some reason, Luna saw her back overlapping in various colors. The fire within her was slowly disappearing. As if she had done her job. Her entire body began to scatter like ashes.

Even so, she maintained her posture. Then, the sword she was holding resonated, and afterimages began to appear as if there were several of them.

Kwang―!

The ceiling shattered, and Jamie appeared above her head, slamming daggers down with both hands.

,If we ever meet, you’ll call me Danger next time.”

Before Danger’s words were finished, she raised her sword upwards. The multiple blades that had increased in number belatedly followed the sword like afterimages.

Jiiiiing―――!

The space around Danger and Jamie trembled like a heat haze.

,Eueoeoeong…?! Th, this is…!”

,Then see you in a few years.”

The moment she heard Danger’s words, Luna felt a strange emotion she couldn’t understand. A moment later, the space where Danger and Jamie were located was replaced with another space in the mansion. As the space where the positions of the walls did not match distorted and slowly collapsed, Luna raised her hand and struck the bead placed on the floor.

***

As the world turned upside down, Luna fell to the hard floor. Her head was buzzing, and she even wondered if she was still in a dream.

But the pain she felt all over her body kept telling her that this was reality.

Luna trembled all over from the cold. She desperately hoped that someone would come and help her. Suddenly, the surroundings became noisy, and someone screamed in a shrill voice.

,Kyaaaak…! Pr, Professor! Someone, someone is hurt!”

Along with the sound of clattering, she heard the sound of someone approaching.

With a gasp, Pavenel’s voice was heard.

,D, immediately to the infirmary!!!”

Someone’s careful touch lifted Luna up. At the same time, her body tilted and she felt a warm body temperature.

Luna, who was carried on someone’s back, was grateful that the cold she had been feeling was disappearing and lost consciousness.

,What, is she dead?”

,Dead?”

,Th, that’s her, isn’t it?”

Whether it was because everyone who passed by said a word, noisy sounds were heard from around her. But little by little, even that sound became muffled and she couldn’t hear it.

In her hazy, scattered mind, a small murmur brushed past Luna’s ears.

,…How did she survive.”

***

,…Ross, Ross!!!”

I was able to come to my senses at the sound of someone calling me. I endured the pain in my neck and raised my head to look around. The place I was in was in front of the Messiah club room.

Aria, who was crouching in the hallway and looking down at me with worried eyes, asked.

,Are you okay? Why aren’t you going into the club room and camping out here?”

,What…?”

I frowned for a moment, then belatedly came to my senses and got up.

,Luna! Is Luna okay?”

At my urgent question, Aria tilted her head with a flustered face.

,What are you talking about? Why Luna? Wasn’t she going to take the exam? I just finished my practical exam.”

So much time has already passed. Ignoring the bewildered Aria, I was about to run back to the underground auditorium, which was the exam venue, when someone ran from the end of the hallway.

Kane, who found me and Aria, shouted, panting.

,Club president…! Luna, Luna… is hurt and in the infirmary!!!”

My heart sank in that moment. My legs moved on their own. When I came to my senses, I was in front of the infirmary door.

When I knocked on the infirmary door, the door opened and a familiar face appeared. It was Professor Joy, who was in charge of the infirmary. I asked urgently without even greeting her.

,Luna, is Luna okay!”

Professor Joy, who frowned as if I was being noisy at my shout, put her finger to her lips and came out, closing the door.

,Fortunately, the measures were quick. And there was a good potion in the infirmary. But she lost a lot of blood, so she’ll have to be in the infirmary for a few days to fully recover. Today is especially a day for absolute rest! If you make a fuss, I’ll kick you out so you can’t even come to visit next time!”

Professor Joy was threatening me, saying that visits were not possible today, but I was relieved just knowing that Luna was safe. I felt like my legs were giving out, so I leaned against the wall and sat down.

Professor Joy sighed and patted my shoulder before going back into the infirmary.

I almost lost Luna. Forever. Because of my carelessness, my actions became a variable and hurt her.

I swallowed my breath. A groan that leaked out between my teeth echoed through the hallway. I pressed my eyes with my palms, but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing.

If I….

If I hadn’t loved Luna, she wouldn’t have been hurt.

I selfishly loved Luna in a situation where I didn’t even know what would happen to me in the future. If I really loved Luna, I should have told her to stay away from me, who was full of dangers that could disappear at any time. I should have pushed away her feelings and run away as usual.

My ugly greed, my desire for warmth that I had never had, put Luna in danger. My lips were sore from biting them too hard, and blood was flowing.

I wiped away the tears and blood flowing down my chin and slowly got up. It was a path I had already chosen. I felt anger at my own stupidity for regretting it again after giving Luna a ring, promising not to regret it.

I punched the wall with my fist. Even though my hand was broken and bleeding, I kept hitting the wall. I only wanted to shed more blood than Luna had shed.

,Stop it.”

Roel’s voice was heard from behind. But I couldn’t stop. I wanted to bleed like a beast, losing my mind to the hatred for the cult that had attacked Luna and the anger at Roel, who had stopped me at a crucial moment.

My clenched fist hurt. But it couldn’t even be compared to the pain I felt in my chest. If I didn’t want to lose Luna, I had to not forget today’s pain. I had to leave indelible scars on my mind and body so that I would not forget this pain.

Roel grabbed my arm as I was about to hit the wall again. I turned around. I looked at Roel with hateful eyes.

,Why… why did you do that to me.”

The root cause is the cult. I know that it’s not Roel’s fault. But I can’t understand the act of knocking me out without permission.

When I demanded an answer, biting my lip, Roel gave a self-deprecating, dry laugh.

,If you want to blame me, you can. You deserve it enough.”

,…Tell me the reason, the reason! Why did you stop me! Why!”

,Because you’re weak!!!”

Roel bit his lip with a bewildered face, as if he was embarrassed by the words he had blurted out in a fit of anger, and his true feelings were revealed. Roel, who wiped his face once with a tired expression, sighed.

,I’m your hyung, you know. I couldn’t let you die. That’s, that’s the reason.”