Collapsing to the ground, Kim Gyeong curled into a ball, clutching at himself in a futile attempt to escape the pain.
It hurt.
It hurt so badly he couldn't even scream anymore.
My body feels like it's on fire.
Turn it off. Turn it off. Turn it off. Turn it off. I can't take this. My body can't take this. Am I really going to die like this…?
His thoughts dissolved into chaos, fragmenting under the onslaught.
The sensation defied proper description. Language failed him.
If he had to reduce it to something simple amd crude, then there was only one way to say it.
It freakishly hurt!
Every inch of his entire body burned as though he had been thrown into an unseen inferno. Heat surged relentlessly from within, rising higher and higher with no sign of stopping.
His insides felt as though they were heating from the inside out, groaning under an invisible pressure.
Even though his current body was spiritual and could be put in the same category as imaginary mass, he felt pain like a normal living person.
The white expanse around him blurred, warping at the edges of his vision.
And still, the heat continued to rise.
Looking at him, the shadow appeared especially eerie, its indistinct form looming against the endless white. Yet the tone of its voice was oddly calm.
Almost gentle.
[Hold on a little longer. The pain should subside soon. And try to pay attention to the changes in your Ether Core.]
…Ether Core?
Before Gyeong could even begin to process the unfamiliar term, the shadow paused.
[Oh. Never mind that. Forget I said anything. Just focus on your body.]
That's easy for you to say.
And why do you sound so casual about this!?
It's because of you that I'm like this!
Gyeong shot the shadow a glare, his vision swimming as agony tore through him again. He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw ached, stifling another scream as his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Argh–!" The cry tore itself from his throat before dissolving into a hoarse gasp.
The pain reached a peak.
Then it changed.
It no longer felt like something merely burning him. It felt as though something inside him had been forced open.
A sharp cracking sensation echoed from deep within.
It was as if a sealed container had fractured, allowing something vast and restless to surge outward.
Gyeong convulsed.
His back arched violently as a wave of heat rushed through him, far more intense than before. For a fleeting moment, he truly believed he was being torn apart, his consciousness stretched thin to the breaking point.
And then, the fire receded.
The unbearable heat collapsed inward, spiraling toward a single point beneath his chest. The sensation was still painful, but no longer overwhelming. It pulsed instead in a heavy and rhythmic manner like a second heart beating where none had existed before.
No, that wasn't it.
This was...
"Hah… hah…!"
Gyeong sucked in air greedily, his lungs burning as though he had been submerged and dragged back to the surface. His limbs trembled uncontrollably, sweatless yet drenched in phantom heat.
"What… what the hell…"
Slowly, the white expanse sharpened back into focus.
The shadow had not moved. It stood quietly, observing him with an intensity that felt sharper than sight.
[There. The worst has passed.]
Gyeong rolled onto his side, coughing weakly.
"You call that the worst…?" He let out a strained laugh that bordered on hysteria. "I thought I was going to be erased."
[That was a possibility.]
"…You know, you suck at reassuring people."
[Hm. Perhaps that's the case. I don't get along with people.]
'Is that so?'
The shadow tilted its head slightly.
[You are intact. That alone means it was a success.]
Gyeong repeated faintly.
"Success…?"
He pressed a trembling hand against his chest.
Something was there.
Not in a physical sense, or in any where he could touch, yet unmistakable all the same. A presence. It was as though something had taken root there. Or rather, it was more accurate to say something which had been there was just forcefully awakened by an unseen force.
"…I can feel it."
[Good.]
The shadow's voice carried a subtle shift now, a hint of relief mixed with something dangerously close to anticipation.
[Your Ether Core has awakened.]
Gyeong's eyes widened.
"Awakened? You said to forget about that!"
[I said that because explaining it while you were screaming would have been inefficient.]
"…You could've tried."
[You would not have listened.]
Gyeong had no rebuttal.
Letting out a groan, he slowly pushed himself upright. After catching his breath, he asked:
"So... this thing inside me… this is how I leave, isn't it?"
The shadow remained silent for a moment.
[…Yes.]
He looked up.
"And the danger you mentioned?"
The shadow met his gaze.
[You are standing inside a cage meant to contain what should never escape. To open a path outward, you must draw upon the same principle that anchors this place.]
"And that would be Ether."
[Correct.]
It nodded in confirmation. From there, the Shadow explained:
[As fundamental world particles, ether exists in both the Soul and outside of it. Only special individuals can manipulate this spiritual energy.]
"I see. Then whatever you did, I should be able to use it, right?"
[That is the gist of it.]
Gyeong frowned a little. "But I still don't understand how I should be able to escape with this though."
[It's rather simple, really.]
The shadow looked up at the non-existent sky.
[Ether is categorized by the one within the Soul and the one in the World. Most people during my time liked to call it "Ki" but that's besides the point. In any case, the Universal Ki is completely abundant and exists in every state of the world which includes the Five Elements. The foundation of this prison is also made out of those Five Elements, so by theory, if you're able to manipulate these elements then you should be able to escape from here.]
"By theory. You mean it's possible theoretically but not so much practically. Is that right?"
[Ahn. So you figured out it out? You're really perceptive.]
"I used to work at a gaming company you know. In the development team, you have to come up with new ideas or else you would be thoroughly defeated by the competition. Picking up on such little details is not big deal. Besides, you're using terms I'm somewhat familiar with."
[How interesting. You have an interesting story.]
Gyeong let out a tired breath and leaned back slightly, supporting himself with his arms.
"Interesting story? Sure, if you find working for a predatory company that always looks for ways to exploit its employees interesting. Fucking long workhours, impossible deadlines, lack of sleep and getting blamed whenever management made a stupid decision."
The shadow watched him quietly.
[…That sounds unpleasant.]
"That's putting it mildly." He scoffed, then glanced down at his chest again. "But that's not important right now. What matters is this Ether Core thing."
He clenched his fist slowly.
"I can feel it. It's there, but it's… dormant. Like it's waiting for instructions I don't know how to give."
[That is natural. Awakening something does not mean understanding it. You have opened a door, but you have not yet learned how to walk through it.]
"So what do I do? Meditate? Imagine fire and lightning? Do I chant something in an unknown language?"
[…No.]
The answer came immediately.
[If you attempt to force Ether, it will reject you. At best, nothing will happen. At worst, your Soul will fracture.]
Gyeong grimaced. "That bad, huh."
[Quite frankly, you should not be able to use Ether at this stage at all. It would already be a miracle if you could perceive your own Ether, let alone Ki, and even less so manipulate it.]
"Damn."
No wonder the shadow had emphasized theoretically.
His situation wasn't looking good.
[However, it is not completely hopeless.]
The shadow's tone shifted, carrying a faint hint of amusement.
[The fact that you were able to enter this place at all is proof of that. Who knows? You might even surprise me.]
"What makes you so sure?"
[Hehe. It's no big deal.]
The entity studied him with what Gyeong could only describe as a smug air.
[I may look like this now, but I was once among the strongest individuals of my era.]
"Oh, really?"
[Yes, really! And wipe that skeptical look off your face! For standing before you is one of the Seven Unwritten—]
The shadow suddenly straightened, placing both hands on its hips as an echoing laugh rang out across the white expanse.
[—the Great Supreme Witch of Immortality!]
"…Witch of Immortality?"
What kind of title was that?
He honestly couldn't imagine someone living their life while proudly introducing themselves with something so outrageously cringe.
It sounded like something straight out of an anime. She seemed like the kind of character who took cosplay very seriously.
His body trembled.
He kept those thoughts to himself, forcing a polite smile instead.
"..."
Gyeong blinked upon realizing something.
Just now....
Why had he instinctively thought of the shadow as a "She?"