"The sky gradually turned a deep crimson as dusk descended.
The scent of fallen leaves carried by the autumn breeze filled the air, mingling with the drifting foliage.
It swayed softly.
That was the only way to describe it.
The weather itself felt calm and gentle, the kind that brought a sense of abundance just by witnessing it.
Unlike my mood, the season and the day were perfectly at peace.
"..."
I frowned immediately, refusing to let myself zone out even for a moment.
Damn it, there it was againâthat feeling.
I pressed my fingers to my forehead.
As if things werenât bad enough, the moment I saw her face, it became even worse.
âWhat is this?â
What exactly was this?
Ever since that day, the day my cultivation advanced... No, to be precise, since the incident with Tang So-yeol, everything had felt off.
A face, a voiceâsomeone kept surfacing in my mind.
I couldnât recall the details clearly, yet they continued to haunt me.
And just yesterday, before I arrived in Hanam, I finally realized whose face Iâd been wanting to see.
âYou... What are you?â
Cheonma.
It was her I wanted to see.
âWhat the hell are you to me?â
â...?â
At my question, Cheonma tilted her head, as if she didnât understand.
Of course she didnât. How could she understand when I couldnât even make sense of it myself?
âWhat did you do to me?â
I believed she would know.
Even if things had changed between this life and the last, she was still Cheonma.
If she was the same Cheonma I knew, this kind of thing wouldnât be beyond her.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âDonât play dumb.â
I growled and closed the distance between us in an instant.
âYou mustâve done something to me.â
âI didnât.â
âYou didnât?â
Clench.
I reached out and grabbed Cheonma by the collar, pulling her effortlessly toward me.
âThereâs no way you donâtââ
Our eyes met up close.
Cheonma looked at me with the same expression she had from the start.
Her violet eyes came into focus.
They were like a starry night skyâvivid and dazzling.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Unlike other demons, her irises shone with a pure and unique hue, unmistakably distinct.