"And why should I?" Isaac shot back.
"Because you will definitely regret killing me," Evan said, smirking. "Nice demonic beast, by the way. Did you raise it yourself?"
"Who are you? And who sent you? Was it the church? Are they crawling back to me now, begging me to return?"
"The church? No, no, no. I’m merely a fellow who appreciates the same things as you. It’s quite rare to find another practitioner around here."
Isaac frowned at the claim.
"For what it's worth, sorry for attacking you. You were chasing me so aggressively that I didn't think you'd be willing to listen."
“How did you find me?” Isaac asked, still holding his flaming palm at the ready.
“Followed you. What else? You are not hiding yourself that well, you know. Not even bothering to conceal or cleanse those traces of demonic energy on you.” Evan silently hoped Isaac wouldn't call his bluff. Detecting that energy was beyond Evan's abilities, but Isaac didn't know that.
“You should thank me. I am only here out of curiosity, and I even gave you a helpful warning,” Evan added. “If you continue down this path, it is only a matter of time before a Demon Hunter finds you and kills you.”
“Demon Hunter?” Isaac repeated. “Those actually exist?”
“Oh, they do. They simply do not make themselves public and parade around like Awakeners. So, how about we put the hostility aside and talk this out like civilized people?”
Isaac stared at him for a long moment before finally lowering his arm.
Evan smiled. "Glad you made the right decision."
"I never imagined there would be someone like me," Isaac said, closing the distance with an easy stride.
"People like us are pretty rare. Though I wonder how exactly you learned this knowledge. I doubt you have a master."
"A master? No. I have been blessed." Isaac grinned.
Only a few steps separated them now. Without warning, Isaac's arm shot up. Evan jerked backward, but he was too slow. The blow landed against the back of his head, and the world immediately began to fade.
As consciousness slipped away, the last thing Evan saw was the System flashing a remark:
[(눈_눈)]
***
When Evan woke, he found his wrists bound in Suppression Cuffs and his ankles locked in heavy chains. The cuffs rested heavily against his skin, faint sealing glyphs pulsing across their surface as they suppressed every trace of mana. Great. He couldn’t use his abilities at all.
A dull pain throbbed at the back of his head as he lifted his gaze. Isaac was in the makeshift kitchen, busy preparing food. The aroma of instant ramen wafted over, drawing a rumble from Evan’s stomach.
"Are you hungry?" Isaac asked. "I can make some for you too."
“Thanks, but I would’ve appreciated it more if you hadn’t knocked me out and locked me in Suppression Cuffs afterward.”
“I’m sorry, but you have to understand, a man on the run like me has to be extremely careful,” Isaac said as he poured the freshly made ramen into a bowl. “Even if I’m dealing with a colleague.”
Despite offering to make Evan food, Isaac proceeded to eat his own bowl. Evan lowered his head and considered his situation. As annoying as this was, it was still within his expectations. Someone who dabbled in Demonic Arts or was corrupted by demonic energy would be highly paranoid. There was no way simple conversation would have convinced Isaac.
System, don't you think I've completed the mission? Evan thought.
The System remained silent.
I already investigated the Rift, figured out why it appeared, and even found the culprit. Don't I deserve the reward already?
[(ಠ_ಠ)]
Help a guy out, will you? Evan thought. If things continued like this, he would eventually end up dead. It would be easier if he had another trump card, anything useful.
The System remained silent for a moment, then another window appeared.
[Congratulations!]
[You have completed your mission!]
[You call that investigating? You didn’t even finish everything, but fine. A weakling like you can’t be expected to complete things properly anyway.]
[Reward: Skill - Cry Later]
[You’re no great warrior, but at least you’re not a pathetic wimp. Even if the world kicks you down and beats you into paste, you’ll keep standing. What else can you do?]
A survival skill? Evan frowned. He had been hoping for an offensive skill, something that would give him a fighting chance against Isaac. What was he supposed to do with this? He ran through every possibility he could think of, looking for some way to turn the situation around with the tools he had.
When Isaac finished his meal, Evan spoke up. "Those kids downstairs... you’re planning to use them for a sacrificial ritual, aren’t you?"
Isaac smacked his lips. "You know about that?"
“What else would you do after kidnapping them and keeping that beast upstairs? Surely you’re not planning to feed those scrawny children to the wyvern. They would barely fill its stomach,” Evan said, tilting his head. “No. For practitioners like us, it would be far wiser to use them as sacrifices to strengthen it.”
“It seems you really do know about Demonic Arts.”
“You think I’m lying? I might look young, but compared to you, I could be considered your senior. I’ve studied this subject far longer than you have. You don’t even have a proper master.”
“I don’t need one. I’ve been blessed,” Isaac hissed, pressing a hand against his chest, his eyes gleaming with a maddened light.
"Blessed?" Evan scoffed. "Let me guess. You came across a strange Artifact shaped like a book, and it poured knowledge into your head. Am I right?"
Isaac shot to his feet. "How did you know?!"
Evan clicked his tongue. "This is why masterless practitioners are so foolish. You don’t even know the basics. You weren’t blessed, you moron. You were cursed. You came into contact with a powerful Demonic Artifact, and it forced knowledge into your mind. If this keeps up, it’s only a matter of time before that knowledge twists you into nothing more than a raving madman."
Isaac’s expression darkened.
“Still don’t believe me?” Evan continued, ignoring the murderous look on the man’s face. “Let me tell you something else. The knowledge you received was probably incomplete, considering your brain is already half-fried. You can’t even comprehend it properly. How about you show me the ritual circle you’re using? I’m sure I can point out numerous flaws.”
Isaac blinked. His twitching fingers, which Evan suspected were ready to unleash dark flames, stilled.
“Why? Scared? It’s not as if I can do much with my limbs bound like this,” Evan said. “Go on. Show me. Or are you ashamed to let a teenager see your work?”
That finally got to Isaac. He walked over to his desk, sifted through several documents, and pulled out a single sheet of paper. It was covered in barely legible scribbles, but the circle drawn across the page stood out clearly. Evan examined it for a few moments before clicking his tongue several times.
“What did I tell you? This is amateur work. Look at these outer rings. They’re uneven. You’re already losing energy before the ritual even starts. And these anchor symbols are facing inward instead of outward. They’re choking the flow instead of letting it circulate.”
He pointed with his chin toward the center of the diagram. “And that core sigil... what were you thinking? It’s off-center by nearly a finger’s width. The sacrificial energy won’t spread properly. Your wyvern could come out twisted, or the whole thing could blow apart from the backlash.
“And this part is a disaster waiting to happen. You mixed a corruption glyph with a domination glyph. Those two don’t belong together. Unless you’re hoping your own creation decides to tear you apart. Honestly, I’ve seen children draw cleaner circles than this.”
“Liar! I’ve used it before, and it worked!” Isaac shouted.
“Yeah, because your beast was small! You performed the ritual when it had just hatched, right? When it was a hatchling, those mistakes weren't enough to ruin it. Wyverns are more resilient than most creatures, too. But yours isn't a hatchling anymore. It's a juvenile. The same mistakes that barely mattered before could kill it now. You'll be lucky if only one of you dies. More likely, both of you will.”
Isaac growled, baring his yellowing teeth.
"Oh, stop with the dramatics. I’m trying to help you here," Evan said. "You can go ahead and use that ritual if you want, or you can let me draw the correct one. After that, use whichever you like. If either you or your beast dies, it won’t matter to me. I’ll simply pack up and leave."
The two locked eyes, neither willing to back down. Several long minutes passed before Isaac finally looked away.
"...Alright." He grabbed Evan by the scruff, dragged him over to the desk, and shoved him into the chair. Then he placed a fresh sheet of paper in front of him and stuffed a pencil into his hand.
"Are you going to take these cuffs off?" Evan asked.
"What do you think?"
“Whatever. Just don’t complain when I draw slowly. I can barely move my wrists like this.” Evan lowered the pencil onto the paper and began drawing a new sacrificial circle, recalling everything he had learned from Chronicles of a Demon Hunter. Unlike Isaac’s design, which was filled with shaky lines and smudges, Evan’s strokes were clean and deliberate.
“The beast goes here. Give the containment glyphs more room, or the demonic energy will bottleneck around the heart.” He moved to the upper section of the circle, where the sacrificial array connected to the main circle. “This transfer path is where you really messed up. You want the sacrificial energy to spiral into the core, not slam straight into it.”
He continued drawing. “And these stabilization glyphs? Get rid of them. They’re outdated.” His pencil glided across the page, reshaping the glyphs into a more refined pattern. He finished the outer rings and set the pencil down. “There. That’s how you draw a proper sacrificial circle.”
Isaac grabbed the paper and ran his eyes over it from top to bottom. After a long silence, he lowered the page. “I’ve... greatly underestimated you, Senior. It seems there are many things that I’ve yet to learn.”
Evan only nodded before lifting his bound wrists. “Now, can you release me?”
"I'm sorry, Senior. You know I can't do that."
This bastard. Calling me "Senior" while still treating me like a prisoner. Evan seethed inwardly, but kept his expression neutral. "Fine. I understand your wariness, but could you at least spare me some bread? I'm quite hungry."
"Of course." Isaac handed him a large melon bread.
Evan opened the package and took a bite. He silently vowed to make the man pay for this.
***
Aboard a train traveling from District 1 to District 20, Reid sat by the window, watching the city blur past. The spacious carriage was brightly lit, with rows of cushioned seats lining either side of the central aisle. Luggage racks ran overhead, while digital displays above the doors cycled through the upcoming stations.
A smile spread across Reid’s face as he imagined Evan’s shocked expression when he unexpectedly returned home. A month had passed since he left District 20 to study at Central Awakener Academy. When he learned that a public holiday would extend the regular weekend break, he decided to use the opportunity to pay Evan a visit.
So far, Evan had proven himself capable of living alone and taking care of himself. It left Reid with mixed feelings. He was glad his little brother had become so self-sufficient and independent, yet he couldn't shake the wistful feeling that came with it. He had spent so long looking after Evan that not having those daily responsibilities felt strangely unfamiliar.
He was not blind to how much he doted on Evan. Had his brothers and sisters from the Order still been alive, they would never have believed the sight. The cold, distant man they had known as Reuel would never have fussed over another person like this. But time had a way of changing people, even someone as aloof as he had once been. Besides, Reuel had spent enough of his life pushing others away.
Reid's train of thought was interrupted when his phone suddenly rang. He unlocked it and saw Hye-jin's name on the screen.
"Hello?" Reid answered.
There was a brief pause before Hye-jin spoke.
"Reid... you're really not going to like this." Her voice was tight. "Your brother... he's gone missing."
Reid's grip tightened around the phone.