Chapter 135: Chapter 135

The bed they had lain upon, followed by the walls and foundation of the house, disappeared, leaving behind a blank, white void.

Amidst the swirling white ash, like a miniature storm, Uijae pulled the hand he was holding closer, protectively hugging the solid body into his embrace. The large frame came willingly, without resistance. But only for a moment—soon, the warmth in his arms began to fade away.

Cha Uijae’s eyes widened in alarm. He loosened his hold, freeing the arms that had been wrapped around the figure, and looked down at his hands.

Empty. His arms were empty, and so were his hands.

Grinding his teeth, Uijae shouted,

"I-Sa-Young!"

Suddenly, Uijae's vision cleared, and before him in the once empty void, someone was sitting on their knees, dressed in black, leaning against something dark. The back view was both familiar and strange, but he knew without question—it was himself.

It was rare to see his own back, but Uijae recognized it immediately.

That was "me."

He stared, transfixed. Soon, the other "him" raised his head slowly and rose to his feet. Uijae’s gaze followed as this other version of him stood and gently looked down at what he had been leaning on.

It was a black coffin.

The other Uijae whispered softly,

‘It’s okay.’

‘Just sleep for a little while longer.’

In the next moment, Uijae found himself moving. He was walking across a dry, lifeless yard, where dead grass crackled underfoot. A fiercely burning kiln sat in one corner, filling the air with acrid smoke that stung his nose. Uijae walked straight to a set of sliding doors and yanked them open roughly.

Inside, tools and materials lay scattered everywhere, the place a mess of a workshop. In the center, Hong Yeseong, with a large magnifying glass strapped to his face, straightened up. The sound of his cheap sandals scraping the floor filled the air.

“Hey, wipe the blood off before you come in.”

Uijae wiped the blood off his mask with his sleeve and muttered,

“It’s not my blood.”

“Of course it isn’t. Is it still like that outside?”

“Yeah.”

“……”

“It’s too late.”

“……”

“I didn’t come here to talk about that… Hong Yeseong, you said you could manipulate space, right?”

Hong Yeseong blinked, then shrugged.

“Yeah? I can, but nothing spectacular. Just enough to set up my own little den.”

“Do me a favor.”

“What?”

“Make a space using my memories. It doesn’t need to be big.”

“What? Why so suddenly?”

“Can’t do it?”

“Who do you think I am? …Actually, I don’t know if it’ll work. But I guess I can try.”

“……”

“So, what’s the rush?”

A hint of anxiety crept into Hong Yeseong’s face.

“You’re not thinking about going after him, are you?”

“…As you’ve noticed, this world is on the verge of destruction. It’s already past its breaking point.”

“……”

“I can’t do it alone. Even with you, it’s impossible.”

Hong Yeseong rubbed his cheek, his expression grim.

“…At least, we still have one last option.”

Cha Uijae rolled up the sleeve of his combat uniform, revealing his left wrist. A spotless silver watch gleamed there, and a soft golden aura began to rise from it like smoke.

Then, he took off his mask, revealing a face lined with exhaustion and swollen red eyes. But his gaze remained sharp, flickering with a fierce blue light.

“I’m going to turn back time. To before the end.”

“But you need a pivot point for that…”

“I’ll be the pivot. I’ve done it once before. This time, I won’t fail. I’ll have time to prepare.”

Hong Yeseong swallowed nervously and asked in a low voice,

“Is that really the only reason?”

“……”

“Is there another reason…?”

‘Cha Uijae’ said nothing, lips pressed tight together. Somewhere in the background, Uijae, now separated from the other “him,” observed from a distance.

Cha Uijae never gives up. Not when there’s something to protect.

But this time, he had.

Uijae thought of the black coffin again. He knew who its occupant was. In fact, he had known from the moment he saw it. The image of a familiar face flashed in his mind—eyes narrowing playfully, a gentle voice calling his name:

‘Hyung.’

Lee Sayoung. Uijae’s mouth felt dry as he muttered through gritted teeth,

“I won’t lose him again.”

“……”

“Never.”

Hong Yeseong looked at Uijae with pity but didn’t argue. Instead, he turned to rummage through a box in the corner, filled with mana stones of various shapes and colors. Lifting a purple mana stone, he held it up to the ceiling light and asked,

“Fine. But why are you leaving your memories behind? What good will that do?”

“……”

The ground rumbled with a low groan. Materials stacked in the cupboard rattled and tumbled to the floor.

Hong Yeseong yelped and scrambled to gather them up. Meanwhile, ‘Cha Uijae’ looked outside. The sky was covered by a swirling white vortex. It could no longer be called a sky. White ash fell like snow.

Uijae’s lips moved as he spoke, and his voice overlapped with that of ‘Cha Uijae.’

“Because it’ll help me endure.”

If you gather all the best and kindest moments, when a day comes that life becomes unbearable…

You’ll have a place to rest, if only for a moment.

Suddenly, the entire scene turned black and white. Like a photograph, time itself froze—everything from the falling materials to the swaying air. Even ‘Cha Uijae’ and Hong Yeseong were locked in place, no longer moving or breathing. Soon, everything began to crumble into dust.

Then, Uijae felt eyes on him. Amidst the crumbling, frozen world, only one thing was moving—a glowing golden eye. Its intricate patterns and overlapping layers pulsed with life.

The eye stared straight at Uijae. And as if that were a signal, the frozen image of Hong Yeseong twitched, creaking as he moved. He slowly lifted a hand and pointed directly at Cha Uijae. His movements were stiff and awkward, like a doll on strings. A chill ran down Uijae’s spine, snapping him out of his daze.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Hong Yeseong’s lips moved.

“This is your third and final chance.”

“You can’t hold on any longer. Neither can he, nor you.”

“Don’t fail this time.”

What was that supposed to mean? Uijae wanted to ask, but his body wouldn’t move. A powerful gust of wind blew him backward as Hong Yeseong’s lips curved into a long smile.

“I’m watching.”

What are you talking about? Uijae fought with all his strength to raise his arm, reaching toward Hong Yeseong. But it was too late; Hong Yeseong was already too far away. The black-and-white figure waved stiffly, like a puppet.

“Goodbye, my friend.”

You bastard! Unable to contain his frustration, Uijae flipped him the bird. Laughter echoed distantly as everything faded.

With a brilliant flash, like a camera going off, the world went white.

When Uijae opened his eyes, he found himself floating in a white void. It was like being a glass bottle drifting aimlessly across the sea. Though his body felt weightless, his mind was in complete disarray. The words third, failure, Lee Sayoung… all jumbled together, overwhelming his brain.

Hadn’t Cha Uijae died in the fragment that Yun Gaeul had shown him?

Then why was he alive in what he had just witnessed?

Is Yun Gaeul safe? Is this even the same world she was pulled into?

How was he friends with Hong Yeseong?

He could accept that he had turned back time, but why didn’t he have any memory of it?

And why was Lee Sayoung sitting alone in that dark space?

Damn it, where’s Lee Sayoung now?

As a whirlwind of thoughts spun in his head, one image rose above all others: the moment Sayoung vanished from his embrace. Uijae’s expression tightened. Had he returned to the original world? After all, Sayoung had only come because of the system’s reward. He hoped that was the case…

Just then, the empty space began to hum.

……

“…What?”

Uijae looked up. The hum grew louder and more distinct.

…Hyung.

Finally, the voice became clear. It was Lee Sayoung’s voice. Where was he? Uijae craned his neck, looking around.

Cha Uijae!

Lee Sayoung’s voice boomed, calling his name. Uijae jumped to his feet, his frustration boiling over.

“Stop shouting my—!”

Cha Uijae’s eyes flew open. The white void was gone, replaced by the familiar sight of swirling ash falling around him. He blinked slowly. His heart began to race.

This place looked exactly like the inside of the West Sea Rift. No, it might even be the West Sea Rift itself. Had he finally been pulled into that world?

Suddenly, he felt a powerful pressure on his chest.

“Damn it…”

He could also feel soft strands of hair brushing against him. Uijae took a deep breath. He was being hugged by Lee Sayoung. The warmth of his body and the rapid beating

of both their hearts filled the air.

Sayoung, clutching at the back of Uijae’s shirt as if to tear it apart, muttered,

“I thought you weren’t going to wake up…”

Uijae gently patted Sayoung’s back.

A loud, deep wail echoed in the distance. Uijae, still holding onto Sayoung, looked up.

****

His blue eyes darted around quickly, searching. Nearby, a familiar flame flickered—it was Yun Gaeul. But soon, a massive shadow loomed over her flame. Uijae raised his gaze toward the source of the sound.

Beyond the white horizon, a gigantic whale breached from the sea of white ash, soaring into the air.