The wizard finally achieved his lifelong wish.
Yet, he felt no joy. In fact, he was consumed by a deep despair.
He was alone in the tower with the princess he adored, but she had returned as a cold, lifeless body.
The once-beautiful flower that had captivated the entire continent was now nothing more than a memory.
Drowning in his despair, the wizard made a monumental decision.
Yes, he decided on “resurrection.” Being both a renowned wizard and a skilled alchemist, he resolved to use all his powers to bring the princess back to life, stepping into forbidden territory.
What happened after that?
No one knows. After that day, the wizard cast a spell of “eternity” over the forest, and all news of him ceased. That’s all the legend tells us.
But sometimes, from the forest, you can hear…
Just as Song Seung-gyu had said.
Despite being a historical site, the tower was empty. All that greeted us were the chilling glow of ice and an eerie atmosphere.
It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, and we climbed the stairs without any hindrance.
The higher we climbed, the darker the tower became.
Visibility wasn’t an issue, but from the first floor up, I hadn’t seen a single window. As a result, despite it being broad daylight, the tower felt inexplicably dark.
How long had we been climbing this dark tower?
Whoosh… Whoosh…
Suddenly, a cold wind blew from above the stairs.
Being inside the tower didn’t mean the cold had vanished. Ice clung to the interior, and the occasional gust of wind seemed to intensify the chill.
As I shivered from the biting cold, I heard a voice.
“We’re almost at the eighth floor.”
A chilling metallic voice carried on the wind.
The ice-covered stairs twisted like a spiral shell, slippery enough to make a misstep easy. Carefully maintaining my balance, I looked ahead.
“Once we pass that door, we’ll enter the ice maze. The caravan encountered problems starting from there, so we need to be extra cautious.”
Song Seung-gyu’s voice was still grating, but his tone was relaxed. Perhaps he thought he had us in the bag, given how far we’d followed him without question.
“So, after the maze, we’ll reach the dark room in question.”
“That’s right.”
“Then the maze is the key… Do you remember the way?”
It was more of a probing question than anything else.
Song Seung-gyu didn’t answer immediately. He stood still for a moment, then nodded slightly and began to walk.
”…”
”…”
The sound of footsteps echoed in the quiet tower.
Since entering the tower, Song Seung-gyu had moved with confidence. But we, the clan members, said nothing, quietly observing his every move and following him.
Soon, we reached the door to the eighth floor and watched Song Seung-gyu’s actions closely.
He felt along the wall beside him, found something like a handle, and pulled it down. With a grating sound, the ice door began to rise.
I tilted my head in thought.
‘Is he still not ready to reveal his intentions…?’
As the ice door rose about four-fifths of the way, a blast of cold air erupted, revealing the dark interior.
“I remember the way to some extent. Let’s go in.”
With that, Song Seung-gyu quietly slipped inside.
We had been in the maze on the eighth floor for quite some time.
As Song Seung-gyu had said, the eighth floor was a tangled web of paths, appearing incredibly complex at first glance.
Yet, it didn’t feel like we were lost. Or rather, it didn’t feel like a maze at all.
Because…
“I think it’s left from here.”
In a maze this complex, you’d expect at least a moment’s hesitation, but Song Seung-gyu chose the path at the eleventh fork without a second thought. He walked with such familiarity that it seemed odd for someone supposedly here for only the second time.
Seeing him stride confidently ahead, Ha-yeon sidled up to me and asked quietly.
“Soo-hyun, what do you plan to do? I’m still confused.”
“There’s no doubt.”
“Then…”
“Let’s follow for now. It’s either we walk into the tiger’s den, or we act before we get there.”
According to the story, the anomalies began in the maze. We couldn’t let our guard down, but I had a feeling he wanted to lead us to the ninth floor.
“Let’s keep going.”
The sound of footsteps continued.
After passing several more forks, how much time had passed?
Despite Song Seung-gyu’s earlier warning, nothing happened in the maze.
Perhaps the quiet march was getting tedious.
“Kim Soo-hyun! Doesn’t this look like the path we took earlier? Are we going in circles?”
Vivian whispered to me, her eyes sparkling for an answer. I shook my head and continued walking. She grumbled but didn’t press further, returning to her place in silence.
I had already briefed the clan members about Song Seung-gyu before we set out. Everyone remained tense, except for Vivian, who seemed to take it in stride. Given her occasionally clumsy nature, it was understandable that she found the situation a bit dull.
‘It’s not the same path, but… we might be going in circles.’
The tower felt much larger inside than it had appeared from outside. Despite having turned several times, we still hadn’t found a door after all this time in the maze.
Then it happened.
As we turned a corner into a new path, a massive wall blocked our way. It looked like a simple ice wall, but something felt off. Focusing my vision, I soon identified the source of the unease.
It was a faint bloodstain on the wall. The mark was faint, but the color suggested it was recent.
I stopped and spoke.
“There’s blood here.”
At my words, everyone halted. I calmly pointed to the right wall, signaling the clan members to stay cautious.
Song Seung-gyu tilted his head and approached the wall, examining it closely. Then he spoke quietly.
”…I see something faint.”
“Yes. Judging by the color, it seems recent. Do you have any idea…?”
His head shook slightly.
“No, I don’t. And it doesn’t seem important.”
“It could belong to a comrade.”
“Perhaps. But we can’t be sure now, so we should focus on getting out of the maze.”
…That wasn’t what I meant.
Song Seung-gyu stepped back from the wall and pointed to the open path ahead.
“We’re almost there. Follow this path, turn right, and you’ll find stairs leading up. Once you climb them, you’ll reach the door. That’s where my comrades and I faced trouble on the ninth floor.”
I looked in the direction he indicated and casually remarked.
“You remember it in great detail.”
Song Seung-gyu didn’t respond.
He turned to walk down the path when Vivian, rubbing her hands together against the cold, grumbled.
“Phew. Finally, we’re here. I hope we can deal with whatever’s inside and head back soon.”
At that moment.
Thud!
Song Seung-gyu, about to take a step, suddenly stopped.
He still had his back to us, and he spoke.
”…What did you say?”
“Huh?”
“What did you just say?”
I glanced at Vivian. She blinked, then quickly realized her mistake and looked sheepish.
I sighed inwardly but decided to stay optimistic. We were almost at the ninth floor, and at this point, there was little that could go wrong.
In the end, that guy was just a parasite, and killing him wouldn’t mean much. Honestly, I could have dealt with him as soon as we entered the tower, but I was curious to see how far he would go.
I raised my right hand and spoke quietly.
“You probably know better than anyone.”
“Oh, you think I know, do you…?”
A chilling, slightly high-pitched voice slithered into the air.
“Heh, do you even know who I am?”
“Not really. But I do know you’re not the one in control of that body.”
“When did you figure it out? Did those spirits tell you?”
By “those spirits,” he must mean the wraiths.
I slowly ran my fingers over my sword and replied, “From the very first moment. I could tell the body you inhabit was already dead.”
To be precise, it was my third eye that revealed it. The message I saw then was clear: “Deceased” and “Possessed.”
Then Song Seung-gyu—or rather, the vengeful spirit—continued.
”…How did you know?”
“Of course, that wasn’t the only clue. As you said, the wraiths did give me some hints.”
“How did you know?”
“And once we entered the tower, it became obvious. Your actions were subtly unnatural. I was sure of it when I saw your feet not touching the stairs.”
At that, Song Seung-gyu’s head drooped. Was he trying to look at his feet?
No, it wasn’t just his head. His entire body went limp, like a puppet with its strings cut.
Thud, roll.
Something white and round fell to the floor and rolled away. But before I could identify it, his head, which had been staring straight ahead, began to creak and turn.
“How did you know?”
”…”
He couldn’t even turn it all the way.
Half of his face came into view, grotesque and unsettling. His eyes were sunken and lifeless, his lips torn to his ears. The half-turned head trembled visibly, as if struggling to complete the turn.
“How… did… you… know…?”
And then, it happened.
Crack!
In an instant, Song Seung-gyu’s neck twisted sharply to the left, bending at an angle far beyond what was natural.
A deep groan echoed from somewhere behind me.
But it didn’t stop there.
Crack!
This time, his head twisted in the opposite direction, dangling loosely, free to move.
Three seconds passed in that state. Each second felt like a minute.
Then, suddenly, his dangling head spun around to face us, revealing his deathly pale face in full. At the same time, I realized what the white object that had fallen earlier was.
His eyes were missing, leaving empty sockets.
Finally, his lips, split to his ears, revealed teeth that clattered like a nutcracker.
“How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know? How did you know?”
Then, his entire body convulsed and leapt into the air.
His hair was pulled upward, as if someone were yanking it from above.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Apologies, it seems I need one more chapter than I initially planned. So, the exciting part will have to wait until next time… Hehe.
Phew. I have a personal presentation at 10 AM, and I’m only halfway done.
I’m so sleepy… This is a disaster. T^T