The torrent of magical energy that had once surged through the sky like a tidal wave began to slow, gradually losing its momentum. As it did, the rift that had split the heavens in two slowly closed, and the black void that had formed at the center started to fade away.
Before long, the dimensional breach vanished completely. The sky, which had once contained an overwhelming power, instantly regained its original radiance as if nothing had happened.
Only then did Behemoth lower his head, having stared at the sky from beginning to end. At the same moment, the red glow inside his helmet flickered and went out.
“So, it’s finally gone,” he said.
“Hmm.”
Though Behemoth’s voice carried a hint of regret, the reply was calm and composed. Glancing sideways, Behemoth noticed Gehenna still gazing up at the sky with a distant look. He scratched his helmet awkwardly.
“Are you alright?”
“Hm?”
“You seem to be missing something—or someone—quite deeply. Even now.”
“Heh. Is that how it looks?”
Gehenna didn’t answer directly. Instead, she brushed it off lightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. Hearing this, Behemoth, who had been whistling softly, spoke again cautiously.
“By the way, High Duchess, did you have a quarrel with your father?”
“Huh? A quarrel? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, you two have been bickering almost daily, but today you suddenly turned away from each other… If it were a married couple’s fight, it seems a bit soon, don’t you think?”
“What nonsense are you spouting now? Your ramblings never fail to amuse me.”
Gehenna dismissed Behemoth’s words as nonsense, then turned and began walking away.
Perhaps because her back looked unusually lonely, Behemoth was about to follow, but he stopped himself. The way Gehenna strode ahead made it clear she didn’t want him to come along.
“A married couple’s fight, huh? That’s quite an interesting way to put it.”
Even as she walked, a smile lingered on Gehenna’s lips. As a ruler of a dimension who had spent thousands of years in solitude, the phrase felt fresh and unfamiliar—almost tantalizing. She even entertained the thought of trying it once, though she knew it was now just wishful thinking.
Some time passed. Gehenna’s wandering steps finally halted at a place—the very spot where she had shared a connection with Kim Suhyun.
Yes. Gehenna wasn’t wandering aimlessly; she had a clear purpose. In fact, her path retraced the very route she had once walked with Kim Suhyun.
Though not long since his departure, was she reminiscing? Her crimson eyes, cast downward, briefly glistened with a tender melancholy. It was only a fleeting moment, but her gaze shone with unmistakable affection.
After staring at the now-empty ground for a long while, Gehenna slowly moved forward again. Then, as before, she stopped and stared into the distance, sometimes closing her eyes gently and smiling softly. It was a look that could seem both lonely and peaceful at once.
Her journey didn’t end in the Infernal Realm. After recalling memories from each section, Gehenna descended further, revisiting every place where memories had been made.
How much time had passed?
After moving through the Infernal Realm, the Black Ascension, the Convergence, the Regulation, the Great Regulation, and the Superheat, she finally walked the nightscape of the Great Superheat. In some places, she remembered sweet moments when Kim Suhyun sang lullabies; in others, serious talks about invading demons.
Though seven nights had piled up many memories, time was all that remained. She retraced every path, leaving no memory unvisited.
Finally, when she reached the lowest level—the Endless Hell—Gehenna’s steps stopped at the place where the Tower of Words stood. There was nowhere left to look back on. Perhaps that’s why a faint loneliness crept across her face as she gazed at the tower.
“…”
After staring blankly for a long moment, Gehenna slowly approached the tower. As usual, her expression was emotionless as she prepared to sit cross-legged, but then she suddenly froze. Looking down at her abdomen, she gently lowered the leg that had been halfway raised.
Sitting quietly on the tower’s edge, Gehenna tenderly cradled her exposed belly, as if handling something precious.
Her face remained the same—an expression that was hard to define, a mixture of emotions too complex for words. But watching her stroke her belly, one thing was clear:
She no longer looked lonely.
‘Though I never heard those final words…’
Still, Gehenna was okay. The expression Kim Suhyun wore just before leaving, the words he wanted to say, the words she longed to hear—they were all there, laid bare. Even without hearing them directly, she understood.
After a while, lost in thought, Gehenna rested her head against the tower and closed her eyes gently. Still caressing her belly softly, she began to sing—a lullaby Kim Suhyun had once sung in the Convergence realm.
“Sleep… sleep… my little one…”
Her voice was beautiful and warm.
“Sleep well… my little one…”
The soft melody drifted into the air like a warm breeze, lingering gently.
Perhaps in response, the crimson lights that decorated the sky of Endless Hell began to dance and ripple like waves.
Dimensional Travel.
This was the fourth time I had experienced direct dimensional travel. Twice during the first trip back and forth, and twice again during the second trip. But the sensation this time was completely different from the first.
When I went to Hell, I was unconscious, so I didn’t notice. But now, I could feel it clearly.
It was a much steadier feeling. The first time, returning felt like being spun wildly, dizzy and disoriented. This time, though the ears still rang with a deafening roar and my stomach churned, it felt more like riding a flume ride—being gently pulled somewhere.
I wanted to look at Kim Hanbyul, curious about how she was doing, but I couldn’t. The speed of travel was increasing, blurring my vision. I was a little worried, but I trusted Gehenna wouldn’t make a mistake. I closed my eyes, hoping the journey would end soon.
Then, just before being swallowed by the void, Gehenna’s face—her gaze fixed on me until the very end—suddenly flashed in my mind.
At that moment—
A brilliant flash!
Even with my eyes closed, I felt a sudden brightness and a sharp jolt.
And then—
Thud!
“Ah!”
I collided hard with something, and a woman’s sharp scream rang in my ears.
Thanks to the scream, I barely managed to regain my senses. Opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was rough earth stained with deep darkness. For a split second, my vision split left and right, but quickly realigned. My head was dizzy, but bearable. It was just a collision—no unexpected injuries. After confirming my body was fine, I carefully pushed myself up with my hands.
No one was nearby. Only a vast, barren wasteland stretched out before me—nothing else in sight. At first glance, I couldn’t tell where I had arrived. As I pressed my palm to my forehead to ease the lingering dizziness, the situation slowly became clearer.
“Ouch… that hurts…”
First, Kim Hanbyul. She was lying flat on the ground nearby, apparently safe. She grimaced, rubbing her nose as if she’d hit it hard during the fall. Next to her lay a large sack, likely filled with items brought from Hell—somehow, they had survived the dimensional travel intact.
“Ah.”
Only then did I notice a massive tower standing alone nearby. It was a landmark discovered by the Eastern region, just before Atlanta. But now that I looked closely, it resembled the Tower of Words I had often seen in Hell. I was a little surprised, but it was something I had already experienced before. For now, I was just glad to have a sense of where we were.
“This is… a landmark.”
Kim Hanbyul muttered in a daze, then suddenly widened her eyes and took a deep breath, looking around.
“Oppa!”
“Hm?”
“This… this is the place.”
“Yeah.”
“We’re back? We really came back?”
“That’s right. We’re back.”
I nodded lightly in confirmation. The landmark—the tower—damn it, whatever it was called—I was certain from the moment I saw it that we were standing in Atlanta.
But something felt off. Kim Hanbyul kept her head raised, staring at me with eyes that held a complicated, subtle light. It seemed like she wanted to express the surprise and joy she was feeling, but the moment she looked at me, those feelings quieted down.
…Should I have at least pretended to be a little surprised?
“Are you really back for good?”
Her question made me pause for a moment. Instead of overdoing it with an enthusiastic, “Yes! That’s right! We’re finally back, Hanbyul! Yay!” I decided it was better to stay calm and composed. It was a bit late to be overly excited, and knowing Hanbyul, she might find that even stranger.
Just as I was about to step forward to help her up, a voice stopped me in my tracks.
“You’re still… thinking about that woman?”
That woman.
Gehenna.
Now that I thought about it, what could Gehenna be doing right now?
I turned my gaze toward the tower, its surface dazzling under the moonlight. Watching the solitary tower rise into the night, a thought suddenly struck me. Maybe Gehenna, like me, hadn’t left her spot and was staring at the tower too. Perhaps she was reminiscing about the memories we shared. It was just a guess, but somehow, knowing Gehenna, I had a strong feeling that was exactly what she was doing.
“We only spent seven nights together…”
As I stared at the tower for a while longer, a cautious yet clearly grumbling voice broke the silence. I let out a short breath and motioned to Hanbyul.
“Anyway, get up already. You’re not planning to stay like this all night, are you?”
“No, I was just about to get up.”
Hanbyul muttered in a sulky tone, biting her lower lip as she tried to sit up.
Thud!
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
Our surprised exclamations overlapped. Just as she managed to raise her upper body, she suddenly collapsed back down. It didn’t look like a simple mistake—her arms lowered with an almost unnatural ease.
“Why, why is this happening?”
Hanbyul seemed just as confused, struggling to lift herself again. But the result was the same. Every time she tried to sit up—twice, thrice—she only managed to raise her upper body before collapsing back down.
“Hey, what’s going on with you all of a sudden?”
Something felt wrong, so I started moving again.
Then—
Gurgle.
Suddenly, a rumbling sound came from somewhere—her stomach.
“Oh, no! That’s…!”
Hanbyul shook her head quickly, looking utterly embarrassed.
Gurgle!
But the sound betrayed her perfectly. The look on her face was priceless.
“You must be really hungry. Well, no wonder…”
I thought to myself that this would be perfect teasing material for later, and just as I was about to take another step—
‘…Ah.’
A forgotten memory flashed through my mind like a ray of light. Just as I was about to say, “Are you hungry?” an experience from the very first time we went through this came rushing back.
That memory was warning me. We were definitely not safe right now. Even though there was nothing around us.
No, if anything, that made it even more dangerous.
A chill crept into the corner of my heart.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Well, I’m about to… not get any sleep. I have to head out soon—got an appointment.
Yesterday, I accidentally fell asleep without realizing it… ^_ㅠ