Time passed.
Right after ending things with Gehenna, I sat up and let out a long breath.
‘Still feels awkward.’
No matter how many times I think about it, Gehenna is incredibly passionate during our moments together. Matching her intensity, I often find myself giving it my all without even realizing it. And honestly, when it’s happening, it’s good—because I can focus completely, without any distractions.
But once it’s over, and the passion fades, replaced by reason, I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
‘Well, not like Nam Da-eun or anything.’
I gave a brief, wry smile and lowered my gaze. Beneath the lingering heat of our encounter, Gehenna lay like a wet cotton ball, eyes closed. Her alluring nakedness bore the marks of our time together. A faint, almost invisible smile played at the corners of her lips—she looked utterly satisfied.
I gently ran my fingers through her hair, but she didn’t respond. She wasn’t asleep—more like savoring the afterglow, as she always did.
Not wanting to disturb that moment, I quietly shifted my body and buried my face between her breasts.
Almost immediately, I felt a warm, tender touch on my head, accompanied by soft strokes. The comforting sensation made me drowsy, but I forced myself to stay awake. Like a child, I nuzzled her breasts gently, rubbing my face against them.
Time slipped by quietly. I acted spoiled, and Gehenna occasionally patted my back, holding me close. We didn’t say a word. As the night deepened, my vision gradually darkened. The blackness of night had settled over the abyss.
Eventually, as I shifted slightly and rolled away to her side—
“Why aren’t you being clingy until you fall asleep? Like you always are.”
At last, Gehenna spoke softly. Her tone was almost teasing, as if surprised by my behavior. I chuckled lightly.
“Just… worried the baby might be uncomfortable.”
This time, Gehenna laughed softly.
“You don’t have to worry. The child is very happy right now.”
Happy?
“How do you know that?”
“I can feel it.”
“…?”
“Isn’t it obvious? The child is receiving plenty of love from their father. How could they not be happy?”
Her calm voice asked rhetorically. She cradled her belly gently with both hands, looking truly content.
But seeing her like that, I couldn’t smile easily. Maybe a few days ago, I might have brushed it off. But now, standing on the edge of the highest level of the infernal abyss—the spinal segment—I felt there was something deeper behind her words. Gehenna’s face stiffened slightly, as if she realized what she’d said. An awkward silence stretched between us.
After a while, she turned away, not looking at me. Restless, I fidgeted with my fingers, then quietly pressed myself against her back, stroking her belly. She let out a soft, comfortable sigh but didn’t resist.
After a long while of gently caressing her stomach, I finally spoke.
“Hey… Gehenna.”
“Hmm?”
I hesitated, wondering if I should say it, but mustered the courage to continue.
“When the baby’s born… and after some time has passed, when they start asking about their father… how will you tell them?”
Gehenna didn’t answer right away. She buried her head deeper into the bed, lost in thought, breathing evenly for a while.
“Well… I suppose…”
But before long, her voice, cautious and soft, drifted into my ear.
“I might say you were a father who liked to fall asleep with his face buried in my breasts, acting childishly despite your age.”
“…Huh?”
“And that you ran away back to your world as soon as you got me pregnant. Though I’ll make sure to say there were unavoidable circumstances. Even if I don’t know what those were.”
“Hey, that’s a bit…”
I was about to protest lightly, thinking that was a little harsh, regardless of whether she’d actually say it.
“And also—”
“Too…”
“Though you seemed cold on the outside, you were warm at heart, especially when holding the mother. That’s what I’ll say.”
“…”
The moment Gehenna finished, I instinctively closed my mouth. She said no more. Once again, an awkward silence settled between us.
I gently pulled my hand away and turned to lie on the opposite side. Suddenly, a flood of complicated thoughts rushed through my mind, then quickly faded. I wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Instead, a sharp ache settled deep in my chest.
‘I wonder if everyone’s doing well…’
Suddenly—
‘I don’t want to go.’
The thought startled me. The people I thought of were my brother, Han So-young, and the clan members. I have every reason to return. More than enough. Not once has my purpose wavered.
Yet, for the first time, I found myself not wanting to go back. It wasn’t just Gehenna. The fact that a new life, my own blood, was growing inside her weighed on me more than I could have imagined. The word “father” held a power strong enough to shake the very foundation of my existence.
“…”
Without reason, I turned my head to look back. But Gehenna still faced away, lying on her side. I wanted to see her face, her expression. If she felt my gaze, surely she would have looked back at least once. But she never did.
After turning my head back and forth four times, a sudden wave of unbearable emotion washed over me. I finally spoke again, breaking the silence I’d held onto.
“Gehenna.”
Was she asleep? No response, no reaction.
“Do we really have to have the baby here?”
“What do you mean by that?”
At last, Gehenna responded. Feeling a sudden urgency, I pressed on.
“The baby… we don’t have to raise them here, right? I mean, only if you’re okay with it.”
Even as I said it, I felt cowardly. But since I’d started, I had to finish.
“Hmm. That’s true. That wouldn’t be so bad.”
Her immediate reply made my eyes widen.
So she’s okay with it? She thinks it wouldn’t be bad?
“Then…!”
“But, can you handle it?”
But when I heard the doubt in her voice, the hope I’d felt began to fade.
“Handle it?”
“Yes. You and I are fundamentally different beings. Unlike you, I’m not allowed to live in your world.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It’s simple. We carry different weights.”
“You were summoned to our world before, right? So we can just do the same this time.”
“You’re being unreasonable. Someone like you should know the problems that would cause.”
“But…”
“Even if I were summoned again, I can’t stay long in that world. Eventually, I’d have to be sent back, returning here naturally.”
“…”
“Sure, we could perform the summoning ritual again each time. But as I said, the weight between a mere human and a dimensional ruler is vastly different. Summoning me requires an enormous sacrifice. I wonder if either of us could keep providing that.”
Facing the hesitation I’d been avoiding, I suddenly felt completely drained.
‘So… it’s impossible after all…’
Regret crept in for asking in the first place. Judging by Gehenna’s words, it wasn’t an unreasonable concern.
But realistically, it was nearly impossible. I’d heard that even the demons who recently invaded had to pay a tremendous price to forcibly move Gehenna between dimensions.
Not only demons—over a thousand humans were sacrificed in the process. Even if there’s a miracle like Ansol’s, I don’t have the means to prepare that kind of offering every time.
“…I see.”
That was all I could say.
By then, darkness had fully settled around us. A sudden wave of exhaustion swept over my entire body. All I could think was how nice it would be to just fall asleep right here.
Only then did I finally look away from Gehenna’s back and turn fully onto my side. My heavy eyelids closed slowly. The ground beneath me felt unusually cold.
Then—
“Still… your stubbornness doesn’t annoy me. I’m rather grateful for it.”
A faint, dreamlike voice drifted softly. I felt movement and warm eyes on my back. Gehenna had finally looked back at me.
But—
“…Are you asleep?”
I didn’t turn around. No, I didn’t have the strength to face her. I closed my eyes tightly, surrendering to the waves of sleep pulling me under.
Because—
“Already asleep…?”
If I looked back now, my heart would surely waver again.
The next day.
Since waking up, the four of us—myself, Gehenna, Kim Hanbyeol, and Behemoth—had moved to the ascent-and-descent zone.
Reaching the top floor didn’t bring any particular event. As usual, after introducing the famous sights of the ascent-and-descent area, I instructed Behemoth to prepare for our return using the Eotap. Gehenna acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
…No, actually, there was one big change. The atmosphere itself was different. It wasn’t the same old routine. Behemoth, who usually chattered incessantly, was unusually silent today. After the introduction, Kim Hanbyeol quietly followed Behemoth and disappeared. Everyone sensed that something was different this time.
From then on, Gehenna’s demeanor shifted as well. Even during the ritual in the ascent-and-descent zone, which was effectively our last encounter, she wasn’t passionate like before, nor was she sorrowful. Instead, she seemed lost in deep thought, occasionally staring blankly into space.
After ending that awkward, half-hearted farewell,
“Looks like everything’s ready. Let’s go.”
Seeing Gehenna compose herself and stand with quiet resolve stirred a complex, subtle feeling inside me.
Of course, that feeling was mine alone. And I knew I had no right to blame Gehenna. She was fulfilling our original agreement without any deviation. In fact, I should be grateful she wasn’t forcing me to stay and was letting me go gracefully.
But why?
Her attitude wasn’t cold or distant, yet I felt an inexplicable sting of disappointment. Why did I think she was being heartless, or even cruel?
“Why… why is that…?”
At that moment,
“I think I’m starting to understand.”
Amid the flood of questions and my dazed state, Gehenna’s voice gently pulled me back.
“Isn’t there an old saying? That the sooner a farewell, the better… When I first heard it, I didn’t understand. But now, I think I do.”
As she spoke, I looked up and saw the Eotap towering skyward, piercing the heavens. Lost in thought, we had already reached the center of the ascent-and-descent zone.
“Hm. Everyone’s waiting. Let’s hurry.”
Before I could say anything, Gehenna took my hand and led me toward the center of the Eotap.
“Ah, you’re here.”
“Oppa, you came?”
Just as Gehenna said, Kim Hanbyeol and Behemoth were waiting nearby, each carrying a large sack. I couldn’t even glance around; my eyes were fixed on them.
“Is everything ready?”
“Yes. We just need to activate it. But…”
Behemoth bowed his helmeted head in response, then cautiously raised it and hesitated.
“But? Is there a problem?”
Gehenna raised an eyebrow at Behemoth’s hesitation.
“No problem exactly… but since this is the last time, wouldn’t it be better to say some kind of farewell?”
“What are you talking about? Fine. A farewell is best done quickly.”
“Huh?”
“You’ve held onto someone who wants to leave for too long. They must want to return as soon as possible. We have our original agreement, so it’s only right to honor it. Anyway, enough talk—let’s prepare to activate.”
Gehenna turned to me and smiled gently.
“You want that too, don’t you?”
“…Yeah.”
Maybe out of some rebellious impulse, I agreed reflexively, albeit a beat late. Still, Gehenna kept her smile as she slowly surveyed the surroundings. Then, stepping back slightly, she began quietly chanting an incantation.
I couldn’t understand the words, but my mind grew even more tangled. Inside, the thought that I had to go warred with the hope that maybe I could stay a little longer.
“Tch…”
Behemoth sighed, watching Gehenna, then turned to me.
“If you have anything you want to say…”
I shook my head. My thoughts were already too jumbled, and I didn’t feel like speaking. Behemoth shrugged his armored shoulders, the clinking of metal echoing.
“Fine. Then I’ll say it. Thank you both for everything. While the king and the lady were here, I felt human emotions again for the first time in a long while.”
“Wait, what? The king…? No, no. Human emotions?”
“Ah, come on. Let’s not sweat the small stuff at the end. Let’s part with a smile.”
“That’s not—”
Just then—
A deep, resonant hum suddenly filled my ears, cutting off Kim Hanbyeol’s protest. Then came an overwhelming surge of magical energy, impossible to measure.
I quickly turned to see Gehenna, fully focused, chanting the spell. Her thick hair stood on end, wildly fluttering upward.
Wooooooosh!
At that moment, a piercing magical sound assaulted my eardrums as the Eotap began to glow with a brilliant crimson light. Chunks of earth trembled and defied gravity, soaring skyward. Finally, I, Kim Hanbyeol, and Gehenna slowly lifted off the ground.
Rumble rumble rumble!
Suddenly, the sky split open. Through the gap, a pitch-black oval-shaped portal gradually appeared—reminiscent of the one I’d seen just before entering hell. That meant our return was truly near.
The speed was unlike anything during Helena’s time—far faster.
“Ah, ah?”
Kim Hanbyeol let out a nervous cry, clutching me. But since I’d seen this before, I wasn’t particularly surprised.
No, more than that, my eyes had been fixed on Gehenna, who was steadily chanting with her eyes closed, her expression solemn.
Seeing her like that, my fists clenched on their own.
“Is this really how we’re going to part? So abruptly, so empty?”
The ascent started slow but soon accelerated like an escalator. The faster we rose, the more desperate I felt. Countless thoughts and fierce inner conflicts collided in my mind.
“Just a little longer… maybe I can stop the summoning now.”
“I could send Kim Hanbyeol back first.”
“Gehenna said it’s almost impossible, but maybe there’s another way? This is the Whole Plane, after all.”
“Wait, I never even gave her a name… maybe that’s why I’m staying a bit longer.”
Then—
“Huff…”
Just as we neared the portal, Gehenna let out a soft breath. Had she already finished the spell?
“For nearly a week…”
When I was at a loss, she opened her eyes and spoke in a calm, subdued voice.
“I was happy to spend this time with you. Perhaps it was the happiest moment of my life.”
“Ge-Gehenna…”
“Is there something you want to say to me? I think there’s room for one last word.”
“Uh…”
One word. Just one.
“…Nothing?”
But when I caught the sorrow etched on her face, my conflicted heart suddenly went blank. My vision whitened, and Gehenna faded into the light.
My body floating in midair.
The massive flow of magical energy brushing past my skin.
The roaring sound ringing in my ears.
Gehenna slowly approaching.
All of it left me dazed.
“Thank you for saving me and giving me happiness. Because of you, I can return to where I belong.
Once the king is born and the First Legion is revived… I must return to my original role as the First Legion Commander.”
The First Legion? What was that about?
“Such lingering feelings… I’ve talked too much.”
For a brief moment, Gehenna’s face appeared before me, then vanished quickly.
“Anyway, just as you gave me happiness, I hope you find happiness wherever you go.”
It was a fleeting moment, but a strange sensation lingered on my lips. Then, my vision suddenly cleared.
“So… this is really the end…”
When that final, quiet voice whispered in my ear, I finally came to my senses.
And then—
“Are you asleep?”
“Already asleep…?”
“Is there something you want to say to me?”
“…Nothing?”
At that moment—
“Gehenna, wait—!”
Before I could finish, the black portal swallowed me whole. A sudden rush of emptiness hit my stomach, followed by the sensation of being pulled somewhere in an instant. Without thinking, I reached out my hand and shouted at the top of my lungs. As I looked down—
Though it quickly receded, I clearly saw Behemoth waving from the slowly closing sky portal, and Gehenna still floating in midair, looking up at me.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Gathering feedback from many readers really brought out some great ideas. There were so many things I hadn’t considered before. Thank you all for your help. :)