CHAPTER 16
His fingers twitched at his sides.
For so long, he had longed for this.
A place where he wasn't alone.
A place where he belonged.
And that was exactly what made this so dangerous.
Sihyun stiffened, his fingers curling into his robes. There was something about the way Vanyul spoke—too knowing, too assured. His words weren't just those of an outsider looking in. They carried weight, understanding, as if he had lived the same struggles.
Sihyun's breath hitched.
"You talk as if you know…"
His voice wavered before hardening with suspicion. His black eyes bore into Vanyul's unreadable expression.
"How do you know?"
Vanyul tilted his head, his smirk slow and deliberate.
"Know what, exactly?"
Sihyun clenched his fists.
"That I'm a demon sorcerer."
His voice was quieter now, but the demand was there, sharp as a blade.
Vanyul stepped closer, his presence suffocating yet magnetic.
"Because, Sihyun…"
He lifted his hand, and for a fleeting moment, a crimson glow pulsed at his fingertips before vanishing into the night air.
Sihyun's breath stopped. The color—the feeling of it—was unmistakable. His pulse pounded in his ears.
Vanyul's smile widened.
"I am one, too."
Shock slammed into Sihyun's chest. He stumbled back a step, his heart racing wildly. His entire life, he had believed he was the only one. The last. But standing before him was proof that he wasn't.
A rush of emotions tangled within him—disbelief, curiosity, and something deeper, something that made his stomach twist. He had spent years suppressing the loneliness, telling himself it didn't matter. And yet, now, confronted with another like him, the weight of it all threatened to crush him.
Vanyul watched him, amusement flickering in his crimson-lit gaze.
"What's wrong?"
he murmured.
"Aren't you happy, Sihyun? You're not alone after all."
Sihyun opened his mouth but found himself speechless. The truth of it clawed at him, unsettling and thrilling all at once.
He wasn't alone.
But why did it feel like he was stepping into something dangerous?
Sihyun sat in the dim glow of the cave, shadows flickering along the damp stone walls as Vanyul leaned back with an air of amusement. The scent of burning incense hung thick in the air, mixing with the faint trace of damp earth. It was oddly calming, yet unsettling.
"You look uneasy, Sihyun,"
Vanyul mused, his golden eyes glinting as he observed him.
"Do you still not understand? You are not like them. You never were."
Sihyun stiffened.
"I know what I am. But that doesn't mean I have to become a monster."
Vanyul let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.
"A monster? Is that what they made you believe? That simply existing as what you are makes you evil? Tell me, Sihyun, what have humans ever done for you?"
Sihyun's hands clenched into fists.
"Yuhyun... he—"
"Your human twin?"
Vanyul interrupted smoothly.
"The one who shackles you to their world? Think about it, Sihyun. He may love you, but he will never understand what it means to be you. To be hunted, feared, hated for simply breathing. He clings to humanity because he is one of them. He will always choose them over you."
Sihyun looked away, his mind warring with his emotions.
"Muwon... he's different."
Vanyul smirked.
"Is he? You think the crown prince of the very kingdom that murdered our kind is different? Has he not used you for his own gain, chained you like an animal? Does he see you as anything more than a tool for his survival?"
Sihyun swallowed hard. He wanted to argue, to deny it, but the sorcerer's chains around his wrists felt heavier than ever. The truth in Vanyul's words seeped into his mind like a slow poison.
Vanyul leaned closer, voice softer now, coaxing.
"You don't have to answer now, but in time, you will see. You and I—we are the same. You are not alone anymore."
For the first time in years, Sihyun felt a strange pull. A whisper of belonging. A dangerous, tempting thought took root in his mind—what if Vanyul was right?
The morning sun spilled over the palace walls, casting a golden hue on the courtyards. But the warmth of dawn did nothing to ease the sudden tension that gripped the palace.
Sihyun was gone.
A frantic commotion erupted as guards scoured every inch of the palace grounds. Servants whispered among themselves, their hushed voices carrying the weight of disbelief. No one had seen him leave. No signs of a struggle. He had simply vanished into the night.
The news reached the king swiftly. His face, once calm, darkened with fury as he slammed his fist onto the armrest of his throne. "Find him!" he roared, his voice echoing through the hall. "Now!"
A chilling silence followed before his gaze fell upon Yuhyun, who stood before him, shackled, his face unreadable but his hands trembling at his sides.
"If he does not return by noon,"
the king said, his voice like ice,
"you will pay the price."
Yuhyun swallowed hard but did not break. He knew this was coming. He had always known that his fate was bound to his brother's. But despite the cold iron biting into his wrists and the suffocating weight of the guards' stares, he did not falter.
"He will come back,"
Yuhyun said firmly, his voice steady despite the fear clawing at his throat.
"Sihyun will return."
Muwon stood nearby, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Unlike the king, he did not act out of blind rage. His mind was already racing through possibilities. Why would Sihyun leave? Was he taken, or did he escape on his own? And if so… why?
Yuhyun turned toward Muwon, desperation creeping into his voice.
"You know he wouldn't abandon me. You know he will come back. He has to."
Muwon's jaw tightened. He did know that. But it didn't change the fact that Sihyun was gone—and there was no telling when, or if, he would return.
But Yuhyun trusted Sihyun.