Wandering Through Vol. 2 Chapter 48 - Capture, Oblivion

“Ahhh!”  

 

Yiseo woke up to a scream so piercing it felt like it could tear through flesh. Her body felt heavy—not just from exhaustion, but as if something was pressing down on her very soul.  

 

The dim lamplight toppled to the floor and flickered out in an instant.  

 

In the split second before darkness swallowed the room, Yiseo saw it—a ghostly man, and beneath his foot, a young man being crushed.  

 

Thud—

 

A dull, heavy scrape followed by a pained groan echoed through the room. 

 

Blind in the suffocating dark, Yiseo crawled forward, groping until her hands caught onto the man’s leg. Through the fabric of his clothes, she could feel the feverish heat of his skin.  

 

“M-My lord, please… stop!”  

 

Somehow, despite his body burning with fever, Leegwang had made it here.  

 

When the unimaginable unfolded before her, Yiseo’s mind went blank. 

 

‘How? Why?’ 

 

Questions like those were devoured by the white noise in her head. 

 

In the darkness, Suyeong’s agonized moans reached her ears. She clung to Leegwang’s leg with all her strength.  

 

But her feeble grip was no match for him. 

 

Leegwang staggered toward Suyeong, who was slumped against the wall, dragging Yiseo along the floor as she desperately held on.  

 

“My lord, please… s-stop…”  

 

Leegwang was no longer in his right mind. 

 

Realizing this, Yiseo swayed as she forced herself up, then stepped in front of him. Even in the dark, his crimson eyes glowed as they fixed on her.  

 

His gaze was unfocused, yet the way it raked over her made her heart lurch.  

 

His body was teeming with malevolent spirits. His reason had long been stolen away. This figure—who shouldn’t even have been able to come here—was no longer human.  

 

Yiseo stared blankly at the hand reaching for her, then suddenly noticed a new spirit clinging to his shoulder.  

 

Through the open door, the window cracks, the rafters—filthy spirits poured in from everywhere, latching onto Leegwang.  

 

A body that had once housed a god.

 

Now that Leegwang’s body was an empty vessel, it became an irresistible temptation for evil spirits.  

 

Had he stayed in his own home, where traces of the dragon god’s energy still lingered, things might not have reached this point? But he had come here.  

 

The swarm of nearby evil spirits gathering around this enticing empty vessel was palpable—disgusting, wicked, filled with malice, craving vitality…  

 

The kind of vermin that wouldn’t have dared to even step on Leegwang’s shadow before.  

 

Yiseo, overwhelmed by the horde of approaching spirits, instinctively stepped back. 

 

Thud— Her heel touched Suyeong’s hand.  

 

“Ah…”  

 

Suyeong was here.  

 

Yiseo glanced behind her. Some of the spirits drawn to Leegwang were already circling Suyeong’s collapsed body. 

 

If she wasn’t careful, they might completely latch onto him.  

 

Maybe Suyeong could have fought off a few—he was still young, brimming with vitality. But buried in the midst of countless evil spirits like this…  

 

He could die. No, even if he didn’t die, he might end up a fool.  

 

Yiseo met Leegwang’s crimson gaze.  

 

Though not in his right mind, his eyes were fixed solely on her, sharp and clear.  

 

Because Yiseo had stepped back, the hand that had failed to grab her stretched out again. She retreated once more, this time bumping into Suyeong’s body.  

 

She could feel his labored breathing, the rise, and fall of his chest. And before her stood the man who was drawing in all these spirits.  

 

Yiseo squeezed her eyes shut.  

 

After taking a deep breath, she turned and fled outside.  

 

Running away was all she could do. The dragon god had only briefly left Leegwang’s body—it hadn’t returned to her. She had no power to drive away the evil spirits now.  

 

Barefoot, she rushed into the courtyard. Though her leg limped, her tense body felt no pain.  

 

Leegwang’s eyes, still inside the room, followed her. 

 

Staring back at him, Yiseo whispered, “Come here. This way…”

 

As if he had heard her muttering, he stepped outside. 

 

Behind his back, as he descended into the yard, the unconscious Suyeong could be seen collapsed inside the room.  

 

Yiseo locked eyes with Leegwang’s crimson gaze, slowly stepping backward before suddenly turning and sprinting into the mountains. She pushed her legs to move with every ounce of strength she had, not even sparing a glance behind her. 

 

Only the eerie presence of the chasing spirits signaled that Leegwang was pursuing her.  

 

“Huff… uuh… whew…”  

 

The mountain path at night was treacherous beyond measure. 

 

Yiseo practically crawled on all fours as she climbed. She couldn’t lead those malevolent spirits toward the village—she had to go as far away from people as possible. 

 

Every time her legs buckled, she reminded herself that Suyeong was lying helpless at the foot of the mountain.  

 

She had to summon every last bit of strength to put as much distance between herself and the base of the mountain as possible.  

 

But her stumbling legs only hindered her, and the pain she had forgotten in her tension now tormented her body more with each passing moment. 

 

Gasping for air, Yiseo forced herself to take another step—only to slip and fall. Something was wrong with her ankle, she couldn’t muster any strength in it.  

 

“Haa… ha…”  

 

Had I climbed far enough? Was I sufficiently distant from the foot of the mountain?  

 

As she crouched, panting, a shadow loomed over her.  

 

She lifted her head to see Leegwang standing against the moonlight, looking down at her. He approached. 

 

Yiseo couldn’t move anymore. 

 

He bent down in front of her, his hands scorching hot as they gripped her shoulders. He pushed her onto her back and climbed on top of her.  

 

With his back to the moon, she couldn’t see his expression at all—only his unfocused, feverishly glowing red eyes, as if to prove he was out of his mind.  

 

Leegwang wrapped his hands around Yiseo’s neck.  

 

The cold mountain air seeped into her back as she lay there, but his hands burned against her skin, searing hot in stark contrast.

 

Yiseo’s body stiffened. He wasn’t in her right mind anyway. 

 

It was doubtful whether he even recognized her in front of him. Perhaps he had simply chased her down like prey fleeing blindly.

 

So even if the victorious beast snapped the neck of its prey, Yiseo had no choice but to accept it…

 

“Why?”

 

At his question, Yiseo flinched in shock. 

 

Even if a tiger suddenly spoke human words, it wouldn’t be more startling than this.

 

“Why… did you run away?”

 

The man, who she thought had no reason left, asked her in a voice cracked with emotion.

 

“Why?”

 

Yiseo stared blankly up at him. His body, swarmed by restless spirits, oozed a foul, ghostly aura. He didn’t seem human—more like a vengeful ghost. 

 

His hair was wild and disheveled, his clothes barely worn properly, and his eyes glowed with a reddish tint.

 

“Why did you do it?”

 

Like someone who knew nothing else to say, he repeated the same question. Yiseo couldn’t answer.

 

She couldn’t say it was for his sake. 

 

It felt like no answer would be right. It seemed he wouldn’t be able to accept any words at all.

 

“Why…”

 

A tear rolled down his cheek. 

 

Yiseo held her breath, watching as it trailed down his face. The tear dripped onto the back of his hand, which was wrapped around her neck—plop, plop.

 

She felt like she should comfort him.

 

Unable to look away from his face, Yiseo grabbed the hand gripping her throat. She wanted to rise, wipe his tears, and press her lips to his cheek.

 

“Hng—!”

 

But the moment she tried to pull his hand away, his grip tightened. 

 

As her lips parted in a choked gasp, he pressed his mouth against hers. Their tongues tangled. 

 

A hot, living mass invaded her mouth, the heat searing—like swallowing fire.

 

She struggled as his tongue pushed toward her throat, but finally, his lips tore away. Yiseo could only gasp for air.

 

“Hah… hah… agh…”

 

The hand that had been gripping Yiseo’s neck now clutched both her cheeks. 

 

He turned her head repeatedly, pressing his lips against hers before pulling away, over and over. Her tongue was sucked, her throat violated, until she felt like she would suffocate and die—only then did he release her lips, allowing her a single gasp of air.

 

“Hng, haa…”

 

A dark, eerie energy oozed from him like a viscous flow. 

 

The lack of air left her dizzy, her vision distorting. If not for the heat of his skin, she might have truly believed she was kissing a ghost.

 

The lesser spirits did not covet Yiseo’s body. 

 

Whether it was because traces of the dragon god’s energy still lingered or because this ghostly man had already claimed her, she couldn’t tell.

 

But crushed under the chilling presence of the restless spirits circling them, Yiseo had no choice but to cling to the warmth holding her. 

 

Though it was too hot to be called mere warmth, she had nothing else to hold onto.

 

“Hng…”

 

Panting, she accepted his tongue. Her lips, scraped by his teeth, split faintly, blood seeping out. 

 

Suddenly, the memory of his whisper—I won’t bite you next time—flashed through her mind.

 

Once he tasted blood, he began chewing on her lips. She didn’t even have the strength to scream in pain. 

 

All Yiseo could manage was a weak moan.

 

“Nngh…”

 

Short of breath, weakened body, injured leg—By the time Leegwang’s hand groped between her thighs, Yiseo no longer had even a shred of strength left to push him away.