In the blink of an eye, Zion caught up with the knights and raised a wall of light to block their path. The four knights, backs to each other in confusion, looked around frantically before raising their voices in alarm.
“It’s an ambush! Hostages are escaping from the underground prison!”
“Have you all lost your minds? Royal knights are supposed to protect the people—what the hell are you doing?!”
Zion, furious, struck light down at their feet. Boom! A thunderous shockwave cracked the floor, scorching it halfway through. The white light, which appeared harmless, carried a destructive force that painted fear across the knights’ faces.
‘As expected—only the ones who joined willingly remain.’
Ressas, who had followed behind, reached a conclusion. If they had sided with him of their own free will, then killing them posed no problem. With that thought, he unsheathed his sword and approached, but Zion grabbed his arm in alarm.
“Ressas, these people aren’t monsters!”
“They’re enemies all the same if they chose to side with my brother. Killing them ensures no loose ends.”
“But they haven’t attacked us! We should just knock them out and let them face judgment later!”
“That delay will cost us.”
It was better to reduce the number of threats now. Even if they seemed sane at the moment, they were brainwashed—they’d end up attacking eventually. Sparing each one individually was a luxury they couldn’t afford.
“You weren’t like this before.”
“No. I’ve always been like this.”
He had only hoped that his moon, seeing his outer shell, would remember what he once valued. But he wasn’t kind or innocent—just as others had always assumed.
With a detached tone, he continued toward the knights, who stiffened and raised their blades in response. Just as Zion had said, they didn’t initiate the attack. That slight hesitation tugged at Ressas’s conscience. After all, Seiyad hated killing people—something about that gnawed at him.
“We came in here to save lives. That’s what the Duke wanted too. With your and my power, these knights won’t even be able to resist—they’ll just die.”
Desperate not to see more blood spilled, Zion pressed on, seizing the moment as Ressas faltered slightly. He shouted to the knights.
“No matter how strong your lord is, he can’t defeat me. If you don’t want to die a pointless death, cooperate with us! Go back underground right now and lead the people out!”
“…Either way, if we don’t serve the monster, we’re all dead men.”
The resignation in the knights’ voices made it clear what they truly feared. Zion shook his head and shouted again, firm and unwavering.
“No. This is a battle we’re guaranteed to win. Can’t you see we came all the way into the castle for the sole purpose of saving lives?”
His voice carried such conviction that the knights flinched, visibly wavering. One of the four finally lowered his sword and turned to the others.
“The Duke of Shildras is right. We should just—”
His plea never reached the end. His head was severed mid-sentence, rolling across the floor. Beyond the shimmering barrier of light, a long, blood-soaked sword gleamed as it was drawn back.
The decapitated head, eyes open and mouth agape, rolled to a stop at Zion’s feet. Zion, who had never witnessed anything so horrifying, trembled violently in shock. The wall of light that had split the corridor disappeared.
“I sent out patrols, and here you are, scurrying like rats.”
With the light gone, Adena stepped into view, knights behind him. Wearing a contemptuous sneer, he nudged the fallen knight’s limp body with his foot. As the corpse tumbled forward, he crushed it beneath his boot, then swept his gaze over the surviving knights.
“Well, look at that. Planning a mass escape, were you?”
“N-No, Captain, it’s not what it looks like—!”
As the knight tried to stammer out an excuse, Adena mercilessly thrust his sword into his chest. The blade, now dripping red, gleamed with a wicked shine as Zion screamed and lunged at him.
“You crazy bastard! Stop right now!”
No matter how skilled, even the best knight couldn’t best a Tither. Adena hastily dragged the dying knight’s body forward to block Zion’s attack. The sword of light Zion swung cut through the already dying knight. Taking advantage of that opening, Adena barked a command.
“Kill them. Or die trying!”
Zion summoned searing light to fill the space, preventing the knights from making any sudden moves. The blinding brilliance paralyzed them for a moment—but only a moment. Darkness suddenly swept over the light like a net, and the two forces clashed, canceling each other out. The corridor dimmed as shadow spread like ink, and from the far end emerged the one they’d been looking for.
“I knew this would happen.”
It had been a while since they’d last seen Aster. He looked more haggard than Ressas remembered. That frailty reminded him too vividly of his brother, dying in a castle overtaken by a snake. Ressas grit his teeth. Guilt rose in his throat like bile—guilt over this half-blood sibling whose mind and soul had been stolen by a devil.
“So you came here with your pitiful sense of justice to rescue some worthless lives. I’ll make sure you’re the ones who end up doing the killing.”
With a bitter sneer, Aster turned and vanished back the way he came. Zion tried to activate his powers to follow—but then the very thing Ressas feared most happened.
The knights, all except Adena, suddenly rolled their eyes back and their irises turned pitch black. Without fear or hesitation, they drew their weapons and charged.
“If you don’t want to die—get back!”
Blocking their vision with light was useless. The knights, devoid of even the instinctive fear of unseen enemies, rejected their survival instincts and launched a blind assault. The sight of those who had just moments ago responded to reason now rushing in under some spell was utterly chilling.
“Zion, there’s no other way—we have to kill them.”
As if to prove Ressas’s point, the knights closed the distance in an instant, unleashing deadly strikes. Each swing of their weapons, now free of fear and hesitation, was lethal. Zion, unable to attack first, took a cut to the shoulder. Ultimately, Ressas stepped in. Though his sword felt heavy for a moment, once he swung it, his senses dulled quickly.
He’d done this too many times before. It was exhausting—monotonously, endlessly so.
Over the course of his repetitive and bloodstained life, Ressas had killed more people than he could count. With practiced movements that never faltered, he struck only at vital points, felling multiple knights before they could reach them. His swordplay, honed by Seiyad, resembled that of the mightiest Tither—and so it was devastating.
Even seeing their comrades fall one by one, the knights didn’t hesitate. Zion finally shut his eyes tight. Clenching his teeth, he poured all his power into the light that filled the corridor. Like the blazing sun, the searing heat began to scorch the knights alive. The corridor, tranquil just moments ago, became a living hell—flesh burning, metal armor glowing red-hot.
“Tither, my ass—this power’s worse than a devil’s!”
Adena shoved his subordinates into the advancing light to buy time, then turned and fled in the direction Aster had disappeared. Zion, tears streaking down his face, shook as he shouted at Ressas.
“Go, Ressas. I’ll… I’ll take care of this.”
Seeing him in such anguish made Ressas hesitate. The torment of having to kill others mirrored the turmoil Seiyad used to show. Zion had the power to kill everyone here—and if that left him with side effects, Ressas could purify them. So nothing terrible would happen this time. He should just go.
But the sight of him crying in silence—it was just like Seiyad that day.
In that forest where Seiyad had lost control and killed countless knights, he hadn’t tried to flee. He just dropped to his knees, blankly staring at the corpses, his delicate face dazed. No soul that had slaughtered hundreds of its kin could remain at peace.
At this rate, more would die than be saved. Ressas’s hand trembled as he hesitated. There was a way. He had even petitioned the Sun for this day.
“Did your moon not warn you? Not to use your power anymore? He’s sharp—he seemed to know what price you’re gambling with. You should listen to him.”
The Sun’s voice rang in his head, trying to stop him from clenching his fist for power. Ironic, that the very one who wanted him to die to turn back time was now lecturing him.
“Does it even matter if I die? Isn’t your goal to protect the Moon’s soul and save the world?”
“I gave the command because I knew you would return—not because I wanted you truly dead. Don’t you understand why I never granted you this power before? The more of it you take, the weaker the bond between your body and soul becomes. Eventually, they’ll separate. You’ll die for good.”
Hearing the Sun utter the words “true death” gave Ressas pause. He had grown numb to dying repeatedly, no longer assigning value to his own life—but the finality of this end sparked hesitation. Dying didn’t scare him. What gnawed at him was the thought of Seiyad grieving. Not being able to see him again was a selfish fear, and so he dismissed it.
Ressas carefully weighed the value of his life. Would it be better to live and let many die, leaving Seiyad in sorrow—or to die and let many live? Knowing Seiyad, ever so gentle and kind, he would grieve—but even so, the latter was right.
The numbers didn’t lie. Thinking of all the people who could live on, their families, their futures—this was the only choice.
He wanted to follow Seiyad’s words. But this time, he knew Seiyad was wrong. He once said all lives held equal value—but that wasn’t true.
No life was as pitiful or worthless as his own.
He had always believed he’d eventually pay the price for surviving alone when everyone else had died. He had wanted to stay at Seiyad’s side. Every little thing Seiyad did had filled him with wonder. Every time he touched him, it brought indescribable joy, and it made him want to live—but…
More than his own happiness, what mattered was sparing Seiyad from grief.
“It doesn’t matter. This way will be better for my moon, too.”
With his decision made, Ressas slowly accepted the power. The Sun, silent until now, finally whispered in a low, ominous voice as it reluctantly lent him strength.
“You still don’t understand love. No one in this world can be happy after losing the one they love. And that child, who has loved you so dearly… how could he ever rejoice in your death, you pitiful soul?”
But Ressas didn’t need sympathy. What he needed was the perfect peace and rest that would come today. With a strange sense of relief, he felt the intense power surge through his body. As the searing energy seemed to melt his soul, he let go and spread his power outward.
The air grew so pure it was hard to breathe. A gust swept through the corridor, purging the darkness that had possessed the knights’ souls. Light returned to their eyes. Zion, mid-kill, flinched and looked toward Ressas.
Ressas, having pushed his power across a vast distance, slowly turned and looked down at Zion. His golden eyes—no longer human—smiled as he spoke.
“Now go. Subdue them and get as many people out as you can. I’ll handle the rest.”
The pressure from Ressas, unlike anything before, weighed heavy on Zion. Sensing something instinctively, he moved to stop him, but the die had already been cast. Ressas turned away and stepped toward the direction where Adena had fled.
His body, now lacking even a human shadow, began its slow hunt.
Introducing: the Blame Game
Wherein you and your loved ones take turns blaming yourselves for things largely outside of your control
Of course he doesn’t understand love. He’s barely sane after what this godsdamned world put him through.