CHAPTER 42
"VANYUL!"
The voice sliced through the still air like lightning. Vanyul halted, his head lifting slowly. Yuhyun.
Leaves rustled and the underbrush parted as Muwon, Yuhyun, and several guards burst into view, weapons drawn and sorcerer chains at the ready. Torches lit the area in a golden glow, casting sharp shadows around them.
Vanyul's lips curled into a grin. He turned, walking slowly to a tree and gently laid Sihyun down behind it, shielding him from the direct line of fire.
He then stepped forward, his stance casual—but the glint in his eyes betrayed his readiness.
"Yuhyun,"
Vanyul said, mockingly smooth,
"you brought company."
His gaze slid to Muwon.
"And the prince himself. What an honor. You've grown more handsome than I imagined."
Muwon didn't flinch.
"Stand down, Vanyul. Hand over Sihyun and surrender. You won't be harmed."
Vanyul raised a brow, amused.
"Charming offer, really. But no."
He flexed his fingers, his nails darkening, his pupils narrowing, and the air around him flickered with energy.
"You're forgetting something, Prince,"
he said, stepping closer.
"You're not just dealing with a sorcerer."
"You're dealing with me."
Muwon's expression hardened.
"Guards—chains ready. He's a demon sorcerer. Treat this as a high-level threat."
Steel rang out as sorcerer chains glowed faintly in the hands of several guards, crackling with binding spells.
Yuhyun moved to the side, keeping his eyes on Sihyun's unconscious body, his fingers twitching to run to him—but he knew better. One wrong move and Vanyul might explode.
Vanyul's eyes lit crimson.
"You want a fight?"
he hissed,
"Then come take him from me."
[FOREST CLEARING – NIGHT – THE STANDOFF DEEPENS]
The air thickened with magic and fear.
Vanyul's eyes glowed bright red, the demonic tattoos around his collarbone beginning to shimmer faintly beneath his robes. His aura surged—a pressure so heavy even the trees seemed to lean back.
The guards didn't charge.
They knew better.
Their formation shifted subtly, spreading out, inching in slowly, coordinated—their focus razor-sharp on getting the sorcerer's chain on him. That was the only way to bind him, stop his magic.
One guard flicked his wrist, activating the enchantment—chains glowed blue in his hands, swirling mid-air, ready to strike like a viper.
"Don't go head-on,"
one of them whispered under breath.
"Aim for his blind spots. Get the chain on. That's the only way."
Meanwhile—
Muwon and Yuhyun stayed at a distance, crouched behind a thicket of brambles. From there, they could see Sihyun's motionless body propped gently against the tree, half-shielded by the trunk, the soft rise and fall of his chest still visible.
Yuhyun clutched a branch, knuckles pale.
"Sihyun…"
he whispered, voice cracking.
"Just hold on…"
Muwon rested a hand on his shoulder.
"We'll get to him. But if we rush now, we'll blow the chance. Vanyul can't risk a full battle and protect Sihyun at the same time. He'll get desperate."
Back in the clearing—
Vanyul stood like a shadow born from fire, his grin gone now. He tracked the movement of the guards like a wolf watching circling hunters.
"So predictable,"
he muttered darkly.
Suddenly—
He raised his hand, and with a twist of his fingers, a burst of crimson energy exploded, knocking one of the guards into a tree with a crack. But even then, the others didn't stop—they advanced like a net tightening, chains glowing brighter.
One chain flew toward him—he dodged, barely, the chain grazing his sleeve and hissing smoke where it made contact.
"Tch…"
he cursed, backing toward Sihyun without looking away.
He couldn't leave Sihyun behind.
He couldn't let them take him.
But the longer he stayed, the narrower his options became.
[FOREST CLEARING – CHAOS IN MOTION]
The air trembled with tension, the clash of magic and metal echoing under the moonlight. Guards circled tighter, launching enchanted chains like vipers while Vanyul parried them with bursts of crimson fire. Each strike aimed to bind him—not kill—but even that was dangerous enough.
And then—
A flicker.
Sihyun's eyes opened.
Still leaning against the tree, his black lashes lifted slowly, revealing eyes aglow with deep red light. His gaze scanned the chaos—the swirling magic, the guards, the man standing defiantly between him and the enemy.
And then—
He saw Yuhyun.
"Sihyun!"
Yuhyun gasped, eyes wide with relief. He took a shaky step forward, voice breaking.
"You're awake!"
Sihyun just… stared. Quiet. Distant. His eyes moved—landing next on Muwon, whose heart surged the moment their gazes met.
"Sihyun…"
Muwon breathed, lips parting in disbelief and hope.
And in that instant—
Vanyul turned.
His eyes locked on Sihyun's.
A flicker of panic.
But that split second of distraction—
was all the guards needed.
Three chains surged through the air—two striking his arms, the third winding swiftly around his chest.
Zzzzztt!
The glow of the magic hissed against his skin.
Vanyul's body arched in resistance, red energy flaring as he roared—but the chains tightened.
Boom—!
He was thrown to the ground, pinned, writhing in agony as the enchantments bound his magic.
"NOW!"
one of the guards yelled.
The others moved in, reinforcing the chains, until Vanyul's powers were sealed, his tattoos fading dim under the glow.
[FOREST CLEARING – TENSE SILENCE]
The sound of crackling magic echoed faintly from where Vanyul lay chained, groaning, powerless for the first time. But all eyes turned—not to him—but to the one who had just stood up remotely without a word.
Sihyun.
His glowing red eyes stared blankly ahead, unfocused yet burning with raw energy. Magic radiated around him like a storm, unnatural for someone just waking up from a weakened state.
Muwon's eyes narrowed. He stepped forward instinctively, his voice low and tense.
"Everyone... fall back."
The guards paused, stunned.
Even before they could move—
"Sihyun!"
Yuhyun's voice cracked as he sprinted forward, desperate to reach him.
"It's me—Sihyun, it's me!"
But the moment his hand almost touched his twin—
BOOM—!
A sudden pulse of magic exploded from Sihyun's body, throwing Yuhyun back like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, rolling over with a gasp as dust clouded around him.