“Besides, you’ve already used your dark power once.” Daeseong releases her throat and steps around her. “What’s the harm in doing it again?”
“You’re not him,” I rasp, my blood pounding in my ears. “I killed him.”
“You did, didn’t you?” The fake Daeseong tuts his tongue as dark blood soaks through his graydopofrom a gaping wound in his chest. “You killed your own father.Twice.How could you redeem yourself from that?”
“With every choice I make.” I stand tall and face my demons. “I will choose to do better.”
“You will fail.” My fake mother’s voice sounds sibilant.
“Then I will try to do better the next time.” My Yeoiju hums with pride. “I will try and try again until my last breath.”
My fake mother rakes her fingers down her cheeks, and her skin slides down like melted wax, exposing a layer of raw flesh. She tugs and pulls at her face until I can see her eyes bulge and swivel in their sockets, the muscles pulsing and twitching.
Daeseong’s replica mimics her grotesque performance, peeling away the skin of his head like a hood. I gag on the bile rising to my throat. Then he emits a piercing screech, stretching his jaw open past his chest.
I clap my hands over my ears and watch in horror as their limbs elongate and bend like gangly spider legs. The monstrosities launch themselves at me, their movements jerky and freakishly fast. I duck my head under my arms, a silent scream tearing out of me. Scared out of my mind, I don’t even think about fighting them off.
My Yeoiju, however, is made of sterner stuff than that.
It sings inside me, and warmth spreads through my body. My fear recedes by a fraction, clearing my mind. But before I can gather myself and figure out a plan, a stream of white light bursts from my chest, arching my back.
The demons’ screeches hit a fever pitch, and I press my palms harder against my ears.
My limbs begin to quake, and panic slices through me. If I don’t stop the Yeoiju, it will deplete my magic, then draw power from my very life force. With a roar, I call back the white light before I lose control and raise my Shin’gwangdo to fight off the demons.
But they’re ... gone. The Yeoiju defeated them.
My arm falls limply to my side, with my sword dangling by my thigh. Panting into the heavy silence, I finally look around me. In the fading white light, I see a wall of fire surrounding me in a mile-wide radius.
It should be sweltering where I stand, but I don’t feel any heat emanating from the towering inferno. Unfortunately, the countless naked bodies floating and writhing in its depths certainly do.
Dear gods.
We’re not walking through the abyss. I fall to my knees. We are walking through the depths of hell.
Chapter Thirteen
Sunny
“M-Minju,” I shout, whipping my head left and right. “Captain, where are you?”
My teeth clack together from the force of my tremors. I can’t stop shaking, and a whimper slips from my mouth.
I can’t hear the screams of the tortured people floating in the wall of fire surrounding me. But their eyes roll back in agony as their mouths gape wide, their bodies thrashing. I canfeeltheir screams.
“Ch-Cheyun!” I shout from the top of my lungs, my body curling in on itself. “Minju! Where are you?”
Then someone whimpers, “Please.”
I run down the silver road, toward the fractured voice, and skid to a halt in front of Captain Seo.
“Please.” She sobs on her knees and buries her face in her hands. “Let me just stay by your side.”
I crouch down in front of her. “Who are you talking to?”
“You don’t need to return my love,” the captain continues as though I haven’t spoken.
“Cheyun.” I put my hand on her trembling shoulder, but she doesn’t seem to notice. “It’s me. Sunny.”
