CH 5

*******

Canaren opened her eyes. The calmly flowing lake, the boy who listened to her song with a serious attitude, and the ephemeral promise the child made to her were all dreams.

A room in the Imperial Palace surrounded by thick walls and stuffy ceilings that squeezed her breath. This was the reality she faced.

Maybe it was because she had a pleasant dream. Today, reality felt miserable.

Canaren traced her memory. The lake must have been near the village where she lived. But she had no memory of meeting the boy.

It was said that dreams were manifestations of the unconscious. Maybe it was her unconscious longing to return to her village that may have created this dream. Because she wanted to see her village even in her dreams.

“Are you awake?”

“……!”

The unexpected, heavy voice startled Canaren. She hurriedly covered her body with a blanket and frantically glanced at the direction from where she heard the deep voice.

“If you are tired, you can sleep more.”

Yulif appeared, standing near the door.

Canaren let out her small sigh of relief. Though she was confused for a moment.

Why was she so reassured? The reality of being confined in the Imperial Palace remained the same.

‘Maybe it was because anyone would be fine, with the exception of Deltinus.’

“Would you like to sleep more?”

Canaren shook her head. It was still very uncomfortable for her to speak. In the meantime, she did not feel any physical discomfort at all.

Deltinus never asked her a question. He never even tried to have a conversation. Only command. He would only give orders. Canaren just had to sing as he wanted and moan or scream. She did not have to say anything.

“Where does it hurt?”

Yet Yulif continued to ask her. These were questions that needed to be answered. Canaren was unfamiliar with such questions as she felt unfamiliar with him.

How long had it been since she was imprisoned in the Imperial Palace, and it seemed that torturous days had already become a daily routine.

She could not get used to it.

Adaptation was both a struggle to survive and evidence that the mind was broken.

“Is it that bad?”

“Ugh.”

She remained silent, not answering, and another question flew to her.

Canaren shook her head clearly. Yulif, who was about to approach her, stopped.

“The Emperor is not coming.”

“…..Oh?”

“I won’t let him come. And he will never touch you again.”

Canaren got down from her bed and grabbed Yulif’s collar. After such a long time, her eyes lit with hope.

As she hoped, she was right. Yulif is on her side. She didn’t know why, but she believed he was trying to help her.

Whether it’s sympathy, compassion, or repulsion towards the emperor. It didn’t matter. It was important that she had someone on her side, and that he was able to stand against the emperor.

“Ah, woo, uh… Oh”

‘Take me out of this room, out of the Imperial Palace. Let me go back to my home.’

What she tried and wanted to say was not a familiar language. She only made a sound similar to the howl of an animal. She could speak in Hwira, not the imperial language, which Yulif couldn’t understand. Not knowing what to do, she kicked her feet in frustration. Her hands,  which were holding on to Yulif’s collar, tightened in strength.

“Use this.”

What Yulif held out was a black pen. Canaren gripped the book that was lying on the floor and scribbled in it. It had been so long since she used her hands that they had stiffened to the point she could not write very well. In addition, the imperial language was more difficult to write than to speak.

“I have brought breakfast. I’m coming in?”

Expecting Canaren, the maid’s eyes widened in surprise upon seeing Yulif opening the door.

Yulif warned with cold eyes.

‘Don’t make a fuss and get out.’

The quick witted maid handed the tray to Yulif and she hurriedly left.

Even if he warned the maid, he knew it would still get into the emperor’s ears.

Yulif looked at the meal without hesitation. It was terrible. The tray contained a watery soup, some hard bread, and a glass of water. There was no poison in it, but it was natural.

‘Had she been only fed this?’

“Canaren.”

“Yes!”

“Are you very hungry?”

“Ugh.”

Canaren barely heard his question. Her mind was focused on writing her message to Yulif. She had barely completed the sentence while he magically dispelled away the terrible food.

“Uh… Oh!”

She wanted to call Yulif, but all that came out of her mouth was an unclear stutter. Yet somehow, Yulif understood and approached her.

Canaren showed him what she had written down one letter at a time.

<Please help me get out of the palace. Please.>

“Even if you didn’t, I was going to talk about this.”

<You are going to help me, right?>

“First, let’s eat, and then we’ll talk.”

<I’m not hungry! Please answer first.>

“I will help you.”

Canaren’s face brightened. But then the smile disappeared from her face at Yulif’s next words.

“However, it will take time.”

He didn’t want to tell her to wait. He didn’t want to disappoint Canaren. However, it was unavoidable.

His own body wasn’t quite right yet, and he needed to be able to use at least half of his normal strength in order to safely take Canaren out.

It was an issue that would take some time to settle. He came back in time, but in the end he couldn’t beat time.

Canaren didn’t say anything more. She just looked at him with her eyes mixed with her sadness and anger.

Yulif came out of Canaren’s room, closed his eyes and then opened them. The slight fatigue was annoying. As he walked while pressing his temples, his vision became shaky. The vision of another person walking in the opposite direction started to blur.

‘Dammit, why now?’

Yulif fumbled against the wall. His hand hit a doorknob. Fortunately, the door was not locked.

As if he was on the verge of collapsing, he entered the room and locked the door. The smell of old paper and dust lingered. It seemed to be a room used as a library or storage room.

“Cough, ugh!”

Again. These damn side effects.

Yulif vomited black blood.

The price of violating the absolute laws that made up the world hit him from time to time. An indescribable, terrifying pain flooded him. He was choking as he vomited blood. His heart felt like it was going to break.

“Hah … !”

Once the seizure began, the cough did not stop, it was as if all the blood in the body would escape. Even after the coughing ceased, the pain did not go away, so he had to rest for a while. Saying that he needed time was also due to these irregular seizures.

This was what happened when one forcibly connected the soul and body with different time axis. Even knowing this, Yulif chose this method.

Because it was the only way he could save Canaren.

‘For Canaren, I have to go back.’

He groaned and a choking sound came out. Yulif stood up with his fists on the floor, then collapsed down again.

In the end, he had no choice but to go out in order to bring her a proper meal and clothes.

‘I’m glad I didn’t do this in front of Canaren.’

He didn’t know. He couldn’t think. The body, unable to withstand the pain, was forcibly severing consciousness.

Yulif fretted and tried to raise his magic power, but to no avail. Rather, the flow of his magic made an enormous amount of blood emerge and poured out of his mouth.

And then a thick darkness fell.

*******

An icy hand slowly brushed her skin. It was wet and cold, running up from the back of her hand to her arm, then reaching the nape of her neck.

Someone was stroking her body. The creepy sensation awakened her in an instant.

Canaren opened her eyes. In the darkness, with his back to the moonlight, the corners of the man’s lips rose upwards,

“My little bird has opened its eyes.”