"We're here."
The church was built of rough stone, with cloudy glass windows instead of ornate stained glass. The ivy-covered walls gave it a serene countryside feel, but the door was shocking. A set of chains with four locks covered the old wooden door.
Isn't a church always supposed to be open for anyone to enter? This looks more like a prison.
"I should be offering you some tea, but I'm sorry."
"Oh, no, it's fine."
She pulled out a set of keys from her pocket and began unlocking the locks individually. The loud clicking of the keys suggested the door had been locked for quite some time.
"As you've probably heard… strange things started happening in the village. Children suddenly went missing, and people took their own lives for no apparent reason during the night. It took a month before we realized…"
After finally undoing all four locks, she spoke with a sigh.
"…that all these disasters stemmed from a single sheet of paper."
Creeeak—.
As the door opened, a musty smell wafted out. The floor was covered with gray dust, as if it'd been a long time since anyone had cleaned it. The thick curtains covering the windows blocked out all sunlight, leaving the interior near ruin rather than looking like a sacred church.
She sighed deeply and murmured,
"Just a few months ago, we were holding lively masses here…"
"Does no one come to this church anymore?"
"The bishop ordered it to be closed temporarily."
I followed her inside, where she held a lantern. The church was engulfed in pitch-black darkness when the door behind us closed. It was so dark that I couldn't see an inch in front of me. Fortunately, as she moved around lighting candles, the surroundings gradually became visible.
Finally, after lighting the candles around the altar, she pointed to the floor and spoke.
"We had to seal it away so it wouldn't lure in anyone else."
Following her finger, I looked down and saw a familiar drawing.
A being that leads the living to death with its sole remaining mouth, singing endlessly. Six pairs of wings covered in lustrous and immaculate white feathers—an indeed contradictory existence.
Phenex's page lay alone in the center of the chapel.
"The church itself is acting as a seal for now, but we don't know when it might cause trouble again."
Was she trying to hide her fear? Her face remained calm, but her hand holding the lantern trembled slightly. Seeing that made me feel a sense of duty.
"Don't worry. I'll summon it, and he'll exterminate—no, exorcise it."
I pointed to myself and then to Simeon in turn, and her face brightened with a faint smile.
"It's truly fortunate that you both are here. I'll finish preparing for the ritual, so please rest for a moment."
She placed the lantern on the floor and walked toward the altar. Her back, as she diligently prepared something, looked quite determined. As I mentally prepared myself, a low voice came from beside me.
"Are you sure you'll be okay alone?"
Simeon had approached me without me noticing. Though his worried gaze seemed sincere, I didn't appreciate it. After dragging me into this dangerous situation with the conditions he attached, now he was asking if I'd be okay. It just felt ridiculous.
"I'm overwhelmed by your concern."
I replied curtly, and Simeon furrowed his brow as if troubled.
"I'm always concerned."
"Then why would you have me do something so dangerous?"
"…It was the best choice to minimize the risk."
He wasn't wrong. As he said, it's too risky for any other hunter to summon Phenex. In the worst case, they could die instead of just falling into a coma. Considering that, it made sense why Simeon insisted on bringing me along.
Well, either way, Phenex's rampage ends today.
I rolled up my sleeve and checked my watch. There were still more than 71 hours left—plenty of time.
"Anyway, let's do our best."
I was about to head to the altar to help with the preparations when Simeon called me back.
"Mr. Hajae. If anything happens, tell me immediately."
"Why?"
"I can't see while I use my abilities, but I can still hear."
I wasn't really asking out of curiosity, but I could still feel his concern for me. But I've always disliked being too serious. I just wanted to laugh it off.
So I deliberately grinned and winked playfully.
"Don't worry. If it gets dangerous, I'll sneak away and leave you behind."
Simeon's expression, which had been extremely serious, finally relaxed slightly.
The ritual preparations seemed nearly complete as I looked back at the altar. The nun circled the page of Phenex, spreading holy water in a round formation and sprinkling something glittering over it.
"What is that?"
"It only appears under the moonlight, but its golden shells that we crush and scatter to deceive the eyes."
The floor, sprinkled with mother-of-pearl, shimmered like a lake under the moonlight. The sight was so beautiful that I momentarily forgot what to do and stared blankly. Then, she handed me a sharp dagger and spoke.
"Use this dagger to draw blood and drop it onto the page. Then, the invisible letters will appear."
"What kind of letters?"
"I've heard… it's the incantation you need to summon it."
At the cost of my blood, I had to summon that grotesque being from the painting. Only then did the reality sink in.
Tightly gripping the dagger with tense nerves, she suddenly grabbed my hand.
"Whatever you do, you mustn't step outside the line."
I smiled to reassure her as she imparted her final words of caution.
"Don't worry, just stay as far back as possible."
After that, I entered the boundary drawn with holy water alone and knelt before the page. As I slightly raised my head, I saw Simeon standing in the middle of the chapel. The moment our eyes met, the trembling in my hand, which held the dagger, stopped.
No matter what happens, he'll take care of it somehow.
To erase the vague fear with pain, I placed the blade against my left palm. I pressed down hard, and crimson blood oozed from my pale skin.
Drip, drip—.
I could clearly hear the sound of blood droplets falling onto the paper. It should have been enough, but fearing there wasn't, I pressed the blade further and slashed my palm.
"Ugh…"
At that moment, crimson letters appeared on the faded paper. Swallowing a groan, I slowly read them.
"Phenex, who sings of eternal rest… seep into the moonlight and come to me."
Suddenly, a cold wind blew from somewhere. The flickering candlelight wavered before my eyes. But that was all. Contrary to my worries, nothing happened. Puzzled, I looked around, and from afar, she cautiously asked,
"Are you okay?"
"Yes… I'm fine."
The fact that I'm fine is what made it so strange. Could it be that the summoning failed?
As soon as I unconsciously stood up, a fierce gust of wind swept through. All the candles near the window were extinguished in the blink of an eye. The corners of the chapel had already been swallowed by darkness, leaving them completely invisible. Even Simeon's figure remained only as a faint outline.
"Simeon?"
There was no answer when I called his name.
What is this? Could it be that Phenex took him?
Meanwhile, the only light that remained was around the altar where I stood. The candles flickered as if they were about to go out at any moment, but the cloth attached to the window didn't move at all. Yes. This is no ordinary wind. Something unpermitted was approaching this place.
Just then, along with the eerie wind, I heard someone whispering.
"…Jae."
I turned my body toward the direction of the sound. The nun was standing still, holding her rosary.
"What did you just say?"
I sharply asked, but she only shook her head in silence. Strange. I definitely heard a voice…
My heart began to pound unpleasantly. My breathing, now rough, sounded particularly loud. Blood continued to ooze from the unhealed wound, soaking the paper, which turned bright red. As the once pure image was entirely stained with red,
Whoosh—.
The last remaining candle went out. At that moment, I sensed a presence in the darkness. I gripped the dagger firmly and turned toward where I felt the presence. With my nerves on edge, I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
But before that, something spoke to me first.
"Hajae."
The moment I heard that all-too-familiar voice, my whole body froze.
"I missed you."
It was my mother's voice.
I heard it last when I was just seven years old. But even after ten years, I hadn't forgotten it. She appeared in my dreams countless times in the same form. My mother always faced away from me; her only words were that she was leaving because she loved me—a statement as contradictory as it was.
But this time, it was different.
"Hajae. Don't you miss your mom?"
It was a gentle voice I couldn't recall vividly, no matter how hard I tried. Mom's voice that I thought I'd never hear again.
"Mom misses you so much."
My son. My Hajae…
I recalled my mother's face, smiling brightly as she called me that. A deep dimple appeared only on the right side of her slender cheek, making her look so beautiful. My father said he fell in love with her mischievous smile at first sight. That's why I wanted to be like my mother, pinching my cheek with my finger until the skin turned red and swollen.
Seeing my cheek swollen as if bitten by a mosquito, my mother laughed heartily and told me,
'You don't have to do that; you already look just like me, Hajae.'
So, I used to find solace in the mirror. I would ease my longing by looking at my mother's eyes and my father's lips. But now, there's someone else in the mirror. There's no trace of my parents left. Due to the aftereffects of the accident, I've become a complete stranger.
"Hajae."
As I reminisced, my mother's voice called out to me again. I hurriedly opened my mouth to answer but froze in place. My mother's face, faintly visible in the darkness, was horribly twisted.
"Do you hate me?"
No, that's impossible. I'd never thought that, but strangely, no words came out. My tightly closed lips felt dry from the discomfort, just like someone who'd had their hidden feelings exposed.
Did I… resent her? The mother I loved so dearly? The one who left me with a curse?
"Son."
This time, my father's voice came from the other side. The sound, mixed with a faint, ragged breath, brought back unpleasant memories. It was the same as when I last saw him after the accident when he was transferred to the ICU.
Maybe that's why. His face, marred with pain, flashed before my eyes.
"I'm sorry. For leaving you alone."
No.
"I gave you a burden too heavy to bear…"
That's not what I wanted to hear.
A faint outline emerged as I focused on the direction of the voice. The sight of my father, barely kept alive by life-support machines, was too pitiful to bear. I didn't want to remember it, so I turned my head away as if fleeing, only to hear the sound of mocking laughter echoing loudly.
"I envy you, who can't die."
Startled, I froze in place.