CHAPTER 29
They'd managed to light a small fire. Yuhyun curled up near it, asleep with his arms folded beneath his head. Muwon rested nearby, sword at his side, chest rising and falling steadily.
But Sihyun couldn't sleep.
He kept hearing it—soft, whisper-like echoes weaving through the wind, calling him, luring him.
"Sihyun…"
He sat up slowly, gaze sharp as he stared into the trees. The sound pulsed again. Familiar. Unmistakable.
He stood, brushing off his cloak, and cast a quick glance at the sleeping two. With a flick of his fingers, he summoned a quiet illusion—just enough to mask his absence should either of them stir.
Then he walked into the forest.
The further he stepped, the louder the whispers became. Not threatening, but persistent—like a voice he used to hear in dreams. It didn't take long before he felt it again: the pull of dark magic, cold and coiling like smoke around his skin.
And then, there he was.
Ryu Vanyul stood with his arms open, a slow smile curling across his lips.
"You came."
Sihyun didn't return the smile. He stopped a few feet away, arms crossed.
"I always know when you're nearby,"
he muttered.
"Your magic makes the air itch."
Vanyul's smile didn't fade.
"Still sharp-tongued, I see."
"What were you thinking?"
Sihyun snapped, stepping closer.
"You nearly crushed us with that rockslide."
"I didn't touch you,"
Vanyul replied, tilting his head.
"I only meant to separate you from the guards. I knew you'd be safe."
"That's not your decision to make."
Sihyun's voice was low, tense.
"I don't need your help. I told you—"
"You don't mean that,"
Vanyul interrupted gently. He stepped forward, but Sihyun didn't back away.
"You came when I called."
Sihyun's jaw clenched.
"Only because I wanted to know why you're interfering again."
Vanyul's expression flickered for a moment—something sad, almost nostalgic.
"I missed you,"
he said softly.
"Even if you don't remember everything… I still do."
Sihyun looked away.
Vanyul's voice softened, almost wistful.
"Your heart used to belong to me, Sihyun. Even if you don't remember it… I do."
Sihyun scoffed and turned away, ready to leave this conversation behind, but Vanyul's next words froze him in place.
"You like him."
Sihyun blinked.
"What?"
"The prince,"
Vanyul said softly, stepping even closer.
"You've grown feelings for him."
Sihyun whipped around.
"Don't be ridiculous—"
"I've been watching you,"
Vanyul interrupted calmly.
"The way your eyes linger when he speaks. How your magic flares when he's near. You kiss him, you drink with him, and you dream about him when you sleep."
Sihyun's jaw tightened.
"You're imagining things."
"No, I'm not."
Vanyul stepped closer, his tone firm now.
"You have feelings for him, Sihyun. Deny it all you want, but I've seen the way your magic shifts around him. That kind of reaction only comes from the heart."
Sihyun looked away, his throat tightening. For a moment, he didn't say anything. Just silence, thick like fog between them.
Vanyul gave a bitter smile.
"Maybe you've forgotten me, Sihyun… but I haven't forgotten you. And I can see what's happening to you."
The wind blew gently through the trees, and neither of them moved. Sihyun's fingers curled at his sides, his emotions in a knot he couldn't untangle.
"Come back with me,"
Vanyul said quietly.
"You don't belong with them."
Sihyun didn't answer. His silence said enough.
"You don't belong with them,"
Vanyul repeated, his voice lower now, laced with something darker.
"Those humans, those royals—they're the reason your kind was slaughtered. The reason your mother died. Have you already forgotten that?"
Sihyun's fists clenched.
"I haven't forgotten anything."
Vanyul stepped forward, his golden eyes flickering with magic beneath the moonlight.
"Then why do you hesitate? Why are you protecting them? Sleeping in their camp, obeying their prince, laughing with them like you're one of them?"
Sihyun's silence was louder than words.
Vanyul hissed, his face twisting.
"Yuhyun. It was him."
Sihyun's eyes widened slightly.
Vanyul's voice cracked, fury laced with heartbreak.
"He made you forget what we had. What we planned. He made you forget me."
Sihyun looked away, struggling to piece together his own scattered feelings. He didn't remember what Vanyul spoke of, but the sorrow, the pain in his voice—it made his chest ache.
Vanyul took a deep breath, the anger simmering in his eyes.
"They turned you into their pet, their tool. But you were meant for more, Sihyun. You and I—we were supposed to bring justice. To end their cruelty. Don't tell me you've grown soft."
Sihyun finally looked him in the eye.
"You're wrong, I haven't gone soft."
Vanyul stared at him, wounded.
"You were mine, Sihyun. You still are."
Silence fell once again, the woods eerily quiet except for the tension swirling between them.
Vanyul didn't stop. His voice lowered, smoother, more knowing.
"You're in love with the prince,"
he said, tilting his head, watching Sihyun closely.
"You try to hide it, mock him, prank him... but I see through you. The way you look at him when he's not watching. Admit it, Sihyun."
Sihyun took a shaky step back, his eyes wide.
"No…"
"You're scared because it's true,"
Vanyul said, smiling coldly.
"Scared that you—a Demon Sorcerer—could fall for a human prince."
"I said no!!"
Sihyun snapped.
A violent gust of wind burst from around him, howling through the trees. His eyes glowed deep red, swirling with unstable magic. Leaves scattered, branches bent, the energy pulsing like a heartbeat.
"I'm not in love with him!"
he shouted, though his voice cracked with doubt.
The wind trembled with him, like it was breathing his fear.
Vanyul stared for a moment, then slowly began to laugh. Not mockingly—but knowingly.
"Oh, Sihyun…"
he whispered, stepping through the storm as if it didn't exist.
"You've always been powerful when you're angry. But this... this fear in your magic—this conflict—it's delicious."
Before Sihyun could step away, Vanyul closed the distance and pulled him into a sudden hug. His voice softened as he whispered into Sihyun's ear, laced with sweet poison.