CHAPTER 38
Yuhyun moved a step forward, breath catching in his throat.
"Sihyun, I—"
But Sihyun cut him off.
"I know what you did,"
he said slowly, glowing eyes fixed on him.
"You… made me forget."
The words stung like a slap.
Vanyul's smile widened, his gaze shifting eagerly between them.
"So, he remembers now… how delightful."
Yuhyun's eyes welled with guilt, his hands shaking.
"I didn't want to lose you. I didn't want Vanyul filling your head with hatred—"
"It wasn't your decision to make!"
Sihyun's voice thundered.
Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet quaked, a pulse of uncontrolled magic erupting from Sihyun's body like a shockwave. The cave's walls cracked in places. Dust fell. The fire in the cave's center exploded upward as rocks trembled.
Everyone froze—stunned. Even Vanyul's confident smirk faltered.
"Even when weak…"
one of the shapeshifters whispered, wide-eyed.
"He still has that much power?"
But before Sihyun could unleash more, his knees buckled.
"Sihyun!"
Yuhyun cried out.
Both Vanyul and Yuhyun moved at the same time—but Vanyul got to him first, catching him just before he hit the ground. He pulled Sihyun into his arms, holding him tightly.
Yuhyun reached forward, but Vanyul snapped, his hand glowing with red energy as he pushed Yuhyun back with a burst of magic, sending him stumbling.
"Stay away!"
Vanyul hissed, clutching Sihyun protectively.
"He came to me. And he's not leaving."
Yuhyun hit the stone wall hard but caught himself before falling. He stared at them both, chest heaving—heart breaking.
The first rays of dawn streaked across the sky, casting a pale light over the palace roofs. A thick, tense air hung over the royal quarters as guards hurried through the corridors. The news had already spread—Sihyun and Yuhyun were missing.
Inside Muwon's chamber, the crown prince stood fully dressed, commanding yet restless, sharp eyes trained on the entrance.
Before the guards could report further, the palace doors suddenly swung open.
Yuhyun burst in, panting, his clothes dirtied from the forest, eyes wide with panic. The guards rushed toward him, grabbing his arms to subdue him—but before they could speak, Yuhyun dropped to his knees, his head bowed low.
"Yuhyun?"
Muwon's voice was calm but cold.
"Where is Sihyun?"
That was when tears spilled from Yuhyun's eyes—silent at first, then trembling sobs began to shake his shoulders.
The room fell silent.
Muwon's stern expression faltered. His eyes narrowed in concern as he stepped forward.
"Did something happen to him?"
His tone was sharper now—more anxious.
Still kneeling, Yuhyun choked out,
"Please… I need to speak with you alone, Your Highness."
The guards hesitated, looking to Muwon for orders.
Muwon stared at Yuhyun for a moment longer, gaze scanning the desperation in his posture, the wetness on his cheeks.
"…Leave us,"
Muwon finally said.
The guards bowed and stepped out swiftly, shutting the door behind them.
Once alone, Muwon knelt down slightly to Yuhyun's level, voice lower but urgent.
"Tell me everything. Where is he?"
Yuhyun's voice was quiet, but heavy with the weight of buried memories.
"It didn't start with us…"
he began.
"It started with our mother."
The room faded—a soft golden hue overtaking the cold palace as Yuhyun's words brought the past alive.
[FLASHBACK – YEARS AGO]
In the calm heart of a valley hidden by ancient trees, a young Angel Sorcerer stood by the river, her golden eyes shining under the sun. Her name was Euna—graceful, wise, and wild-hearted.
She wasn't supposed to go near the edge of the human village.
But she did.
And that's where she met a young man, a human warrior who didn't flinch at her glowing eyes or the faint, holy markings on her arms. He'd caught her once trying to sneak through their borders, but instead of turning her in, he spoke to her.
Time passed.
And what began as quiet glances turned into smiles, then shared stories, and eventually—love.
They would meet in secret. He'd bring her dried herbs and meat; she taught him how to light candles without a spark. Their connection was forbidden, but they never cared.
Until one night—she told him she was pregnant.
The royals found out.
They stormed the human village. They captured the father—he fought to the last breath, refusing to betray Euna's location. He was killed protecting her.
Euna barely escaped—vanishing in a burst of light, with her unborn children still safe in her womb.
Euna sought the guidance of a shaman. The shaman placed her hands on her womb and whispered with wonder,
"Two children. Both human."
Euna had smiled with relief.
"Then they won't be hunted… like me."
She fled to the deep mountains and gave birth under the moonlight, alone.
Yuhyun and Sihyun.
They looked the same. Cried the same. Loved her the same.
But as they grew, she began to notice… Sihyun could do things no human child should.
Things that were… dangerous. Things even she—an Angel Sorcerer—couldn't explain.
[MOUNTAIN HUT, WINTER]
The wind howled outside their modest shelter, but inside, warmth flickered from the fireplace as Euna wrapped her twin boys in blankets. Her golden eyes often drifted between them—Yuhyun, calm and quiet… and Sihyun, the one whose gaze already held a strange, knowing light.
They grew quickly, and so did the signs.
It started with faint sparks dancing on Sihyun's fingertips when he was just four years old. Then, at age five, the third tattoo appeared—black, small, horn-shaped and vivid against his back.
Euna stared at it in disbelief.
"…These aren't angel markings,"
she whispered in fear.
"These… belong to a demon sorcerer."
She clutched the little boy in her arms, trying to stop her hands from trembling.
Sihyun looked up at her.
"Did I do something wrong…?"
His voice was soft—so small.
Euna kissed his forehead, hiding the dread behind her smile.
"No, my star. You didn't."
But that night, she went to the village shaman again—desperate for clarity.
The shaman examined the markings, her old fingers trailing lightly over them.
She looked at Euna and said gently:
"He's not cursed. He's blessed. A special child… beyond anything we've seen."