A heavy удар slammed into Won ho's stomach.
The moment he screamed, his voice was smothered by Professor Eclipse's hand.
Another blow followed.
Then another.
She showed no emotion.
No anger.
No pleasure.
Only cold efficiency.
Each strike landed with brutal precision.
Finally, she released him.
Won ho collapsed forward—
—and vomited a large amount of crimson liquid onto the floor.
Silence followed.
Eclipse exhaled slowly.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.
—"Good. No need for him to talk."
She spoke calmly.
—"I already extracted everything I needed… I only required confirmation."
Smoke curled into the air.
I swallowed hard.
—"Professor… why did Won ho do this to us?"
She sat down without looking at me.
—"I'll explain. But first… you need to understand what those 'priests' are."
She crossed one leg over the other.
—"They serve Matusalem. The God of Time."
The air grew heavier.
—"An extradimensional entity… dwelling in the deepest void beyond the universe. The oldest among the Primordials."
Minho's eyes widened.
—"Th-then… that thing I saw…"
Eclipse turned sharply toward him.
—"You saw Matusalem?"
Minho nodded slowly, trembling.
—"When I was unconscious… it felt like a dream… or a vision. I was in an endless void… and there was something there."
His voice cracked.
—"At first it had no form… but then it started changing… shaping itself…"
Everyone stayed silent.
—"It became humanoid… with eight pairs of tentacles as legs… three pairs of arms… its head stretched like a crest… no eyes… only five mouths…"
His breathing became uneven.
—"Its colors were… copper red… and pale cream…"
He clenched his fists.
—"…and when I looked at it… I panicked… I tore my own eyes out… and that's when I woke up."
Silence.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Eclipse turned toward the window.
Five minutes passed before she spoke again.
—"Yes. That was Matusalem."
A pause.
—"And you're lucky."
Minho frowned.
—"Lucky…?"
Eclipse removed the cigarette from her lips.
—"Matusalem cannot be truly seen. Direct perception causes extreme madness… even death… to both awakened and humans."
She looked back at him.
—"That's why it uses distorted forms to appear to its followers."
Her gaze darkened.
—"Also… its real body is… incomprehensibly vast."
A slight pause.
—"Imagine something as large as a chain of galaxies."
Everyone froze.
Sweat ran down their faces.
As for me…
…I looked away.
I didn't want to believe it.
No.
More than that—
I refused to believe it.
The monsters from books…
…weren't supposed to be real.
Eclipse spoke again.
—"There's something else."
All eyes turned to her.
—"Won ho… is not himself."
The words hit harder than any blow.
—"I know what you did weeks ago. The forbidden forest."
She pointed at Minho.
—"You fell down a slope. Found a bone with runes."
Minho's pupils shrank.
—"And he disappeared… for a few minutes."
Silence.
—"That bone was part of a ritual. Used to recruit members… and select sacrifices."
Her voice turned colder.
—"You were chosen as a sacrifice."
Minho froze.
—"And he…"
A pause.
—"…was chosen as a pawn."
Xia slammed her fist into the wall.
CRACK.
Her knuckles broke instantly.
—"I TOLD YOU!"
Her voice trembled with rage.
—"I WARNED YOU! We should've listened to Dark!"
Minho lowered his head.
—"I… I don't know why I agreed…"
Kim stepped forward.
—"Stop."
Her voice was firm.
—"We ALL chose to go."
A pause.
—"Except Dark. We dragged him there."
Her eyes hardened.
—"So we're all responsible."
Xia clenched her teeth…
…and collapsed into Kim's arms, crying.
—"It's okay…"
Kim gently stroked her hair.
—"We'll fix this."
But even she didn't believe her own words.
Eclipse spoke again.
Now holding a cup of coffee—no one saw when she made it.
—"It might actually be possible."
Everyone looked up.
—"As I said… that's not Won ho."
She took a sip.
—"He's being controlled. A parasite implanted in his heart… and brain."
My chest tightened.
—"Freeing him won't be easy."
She stood up.
—"I'll investigate the cult. There are many branches… not all of them operate the same way."
She walked toward the exit.
—"Once I know more, I'll tell you how to save him."
A final glance.
—"For now… keep him under surveillance."
And just like that—
She was gone.
Swallowed by the forest.
Silence lingered.
Long.
Heavy.
Kim was the first to speak.
—"Well… you heard her."
She forced a weak smile.
—"We're getting him back."
No one argued.
We all nodded.
Because we had to.
Because we needed to believe it.
The others went inside to gather their things.
Kim stayed behind, eating quietly.
I walked away.
Into the forest.
I needed air.
I needed silence.
Birds chirped above.
Insects buzzed softly.
The world… felt normal.
Too normal.
I sat on a broken log.
Staring into nothing.
Thinking.
Trying to understand everything.
And then—
Something caught my eye.
A faint glow.
On a tree.
I stood up and walked closer.
There—
A thin golden thread.
Barely visible.
Shimmering softly.
I stared at it for a moment.
Then turned away.
I didn't think it mattered.
…But I was wrong.
That thread—
…was about to make everything worse.