Lilim and the Demonic Beast ☆8
Seohyun didn't have many memories of her mother.
Originally, she had been an ordinary young woman, but this horrific spirit wandering the Earth, Lilith, took over her body and turned her into a tool to give birth to the denizens of darkness. That mutation was beyond what a living human body could endure. The intense system shock acted on both mind and body, transforming her existence into an empty shell.
Yet, even amidst her hazy reason and pulsing madness, she loved Seohyun.
Though Seohyun didn't understand it at the time, she tried with all her might to convey to him the visions that came to her—the powerful illusions, foresight, and spiritual domains.
What might sound like the delusions of a madwoman—or, in truth, eight-tenths of it being her delusion and madness—contained the story of Lilith… of vampires and lycanthropes, and perhaps even the secret of humanity's origin.
In the beginning, they existed. Spiritual life forms, ancient spirits made only of will and soul… They, including Lilith, descended upon this world before humanity.
They reflected their intent in the living creatures flourishing on Earth and created modern humans. Many beings possessed high intelligence and some degree of language and communication, but humans were unique in their ability to build civilization because of this.
There was conflict between her and other beings, and to oppose them, she created the races of darkness. Lycanthropes and vampires were born from that, but were largely lost in great wars of antiquity. Later, through human shamans or her intermittent appearances, or through the gene they embedded within humanity, the races of darkness continued to grow.
She was cursed by her own kind and bound to this land.
Whether truth or the ramblings of a madwoman, she truly believed it. Humans, vampires, lycanthropes, and other intelligent races of Earth—within their spirituality, fragments of the "Primordial Being," those one might even call gods, reside.
Humans are children of the gods; their spirits already contain divine domains. By enhancing spirituality and wisdom, one enters the realm of the gods. Gnostic mystics and magicians' beliefs, according to Seohyun's mother, were true.
But at the time, Seohyun paid little heed to her words. Summarized, they had been reduced to this brief form, though her words, tainted by Lilith, were long-winded and hollow.
Yet now, in front of him…
Wasn't there evidence that her words were correct?
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"...."
Among vampire hunters, and even among vampires and lycanthropes, Han Se-geon was considered more than a mere monster—a berserker without fear, a spirit of wrath incarnate in human flesh.
Of course, Han Se-geon did know fear. In fact, he had to always feel it.
Se-geon was still young and still human. Otherwise, no matter how much talent or power he possessed, he could not have survived until now.
But when he felt fear, he resisted it with a willpower greater than the fear itself. That wasn't something ordinary humans could do… yet it allowed Se-geon to survive without being crushed by fear. He felt terror, but his immense will controlled even that terror. That distinguished Han Se-geon from others.
Yet at this moment…
The gaze Seohyun fixed on him was terrifying.
Above all, he didn't know why she felt fear, making it hard to summon his will to resist it. Had it been a gaze filled with killing intent, there would be no reason to fear. A look of greed would be meaningless. But this gaze… what was it?
Why is she looking at me like this? A mixture of love, hatred, and regret—suddenly receiving such a complex look from someone who had been essentially a stranger—was deeply unsettling and frightening.
"Why...."
Why is she staring at me with such surprise? Han Se-geon wanted to ask, but he firmly shut his mouth. He didn't want to utter those words.
"Ah… my God."
Seohyun shook her head. Her eyes, and her sharp insight, immediately discerned why Han Se-geon had become such a being. She also understood why Serin, the current-generation Tetra Anax, had asked her to watch over him.
"Mother… was right. Rossini, did you do this?"
"Mother?"
Han Se-geon was puzzled by Seohyun suddenly mentioning her mother.
"You've been here too long, I suppose."
Se-geon seemed displeased with staying any longer with Seohyun and stood up. Seohyun was startled.
"Already leaving? Wait, you! Listen to me!"
"Sorry, I'll pass. Lycanthrope, why should I dirty my ears because of you?"
"Do you even know what kind of being you are?"
"You'd better practice in front of Suwon Station before trying to deceive someone with talk like that."
Muttering this, Han Se-geon put on his helmet. Other vampire hunters snickered—they realized he was comparing her to the pushy, overzealous cultists one might find in front of Suwon Station.
Before Seohyun could stop him, Han Se-geon left Arjuna.
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As dawn approached, the night deepened. Dawn crept along the park path surrounding Arjuna. The darkness was dense, even heavy.
Seohyun was always accustomed to this darkness. His destiny had made him live away from the light. Those he could entrust his heart to were only parts of gangs who had to submit to him, powerful vassal relationships born of his bloodline. These were not true relationships with another being. Yet even in this situation, he could not feel loneliness. Assassins constantly sought his life, and his own fate left him no time to consider where he stood.
Perhaps that was why…
Looking back now, the darkness felt deeper and more special than any he had seen before.
"Did you know?"
Seohyun asked while cleaning the shop. The vampire hunters had left, leaving only silence.
Kim Seong-hee shrugged as she weighed the magical items requested by the vampire hunters and the Psychedelic Door.
"Seems like Serin's work, doesn't it?"
She had performed the major surgery that inserted injectors into Han Se-geon to prevent him from becoming a vampire. But her procedure, her magic, was only a temporary measure. It only delayed Se-geon's ruin—it couldn't prevent it.
Yet Han Se-geon had been restored.
After being defeated by Serin, who had become Tetra Anax, the curse that had been consuming Han Se-geon's body had changed.
The haunting that tormented Se-geon was a side effect of the Psychedelic Door, which refined a vampire's spirit. This concoction, designed for humans to fight vampires, grants the user vampire spirituality, enhancing their physical abilities and processing power.
But as a side effect, residual spiritual data accumulates, leaving the body haunted. Power obtained at the cost of soul's destruction—the more it is used, the more the curse eats away, promising an eventual death far worse than death itself.
Se-geon's haunting was so severe that all predicted he would meet the most terrible demise. Yet an anomaly occurred: Serin saved him. As a result, the haunting became part of his will, a tool he could control. Signs had been there before, but now Han Se-geon completely mastered it and overcame the curse.
"He overcame the curse."
It wasn't that simple. Even Tetra Anax could not achieve such a miracle without a price.
"He won't live long."
Serin told Seohyun this.
The weight of the Tetra Anax's cross was so great that even an immortal vampire uttered those words. Perhaps the cost Serin paid to save Han Se-geon and erase his curse accelerated his ruin.
"That child is…."
"Serin was very attached to Se-geon."
Kim Seong-hee spoke as if reading Seohyun's mind.
"…I don't understand. He didn't seem like such a kind-hearted person."
Seohyun thought of Han Se-geon's behavior and clicked his tongue. He wanted to praise himself for not having clashed with him. How could someone like Serin care for him more than her own brother, even at the cost of her own ruin?
'I'd just freeze someone like me. What a messed-up mind, caring more for this than a brother. Even if we're not really family, this is absurd.'
He felt some anger. Jealousy… it was annoying to admit, but he couldn't deny it.
"So, is there any way to earn trust faster?"
"Why rush? As you can see, just living like this for a few years will earn enough trust."
A few years… yes, that's the problem. For vampires or lycanthropes, a few years might not be long, but that assumes the world lets them be. Vampires opposing Tetra Anax will act, and those targeting Han Se-geon will move.
"Han Se-geon has already become a far more valuable entity than someone like Lilim. As a magician, you should understand that, right?"
"…That's true."
And if Serin paid with her spirituality for him, she would be a tempting tool for anyone trying to usurp the Tetra Anax seat. Even otherwise, anyone studying forbidden arts would covet her. Seohyun had to avoid such crazies firsthand.
"I understand the point of proving my diligence through such a part-time job. But time won't be so generous."
"Hmm… well…"
Kim Seong-hee trailed off while counting cash in the counter. Seohyun's point was reasonable, but if she hadn't vouched for him, even the vampire hunters, or Han Se-geon himself, could not remain rational in front of him.
"Trust doesn't build that quickly. Think logically. This requires at least a year of consistent work. Maybe, maybe not?"
True. No one considers someone diligent just for a year. For Seohyun, it's time not to waste, but for other vampire hunters, a year is short.
"Is there really no way?"
"Not completely impossible."
Kim Seong-hee clapped her hands as if she'd remembered something.
"Just as I thought. No wonder everyone praises the Master so highly."
Seohyun realized while working briefly at Arjuna that Kim Seong-hee was absurdly highly regarded among hunters. Simply being under her protection, even the insane Han Se-geon spoke little. Of course, he tested her verbally, but facing her, the hunters would restrain themselves.
At first, Seohyun suspected she was toying with him, even tried to strike her, but in a short time, he fully trusted her. A woman with such a high reputation naturally knew how to build trust quickly.
Seohyun thought so—without realizing how impossible it was to truly build trust in such a short period.
See you next moon