Chapter 106: The Incinerator’s Fall

“I think I’m fine.”

“Yes, I see.”

Jung Hyun-woo’s voice, as he replied, was thick with emotion. His eyes, which had been fixed on Sa-yoon, now dropped to the floor. Droplets of water steadily fell onto the cracked, grimy tiles.

“Um…”

“It’s nothing. Just go. Don’t worry about anything. You just need to live your life as you are.”

Jung Hyun-woo spoke with his head bowed. Though he was merely telling Sa-yoon to leave, his words carried an unnerving weight. Sa-yoon, unsure how to react to such a cryptic dismissal, hesitated before finally stepping out of the tent.

“Sa-yoon. Everything alright?”

“I just got a check-up. But I’m not sure about that doctor.”

“It’s fine. He told you not to worry, didn’t he?”

Perhaps having overheard their conversation, Kang Tae-han gently pushed Sa-yoon’s back, guiding him away from the tent.

In the village center, a short distance from the tent, many people sat huddled in groups. There were young people and elders alike. Despite their varied genders and ages, their commonality was the dark, despairing expressions on their faces, as if death itself loomed.

Sa-yoon and Kang Tae-han paused, struck by the somber sight, when a guide approached them from behind.

“These are all people who lost family members at the incinerator. There are also acquaintances of those who were taken away with the leader. They wait here, consumed by dread, wondering when smoke will rise from the incinerator again. Even though they know those lost will never return.”

“……”

Amidst the profound grief, Sa-yoon could only gaze at the people, his lips sealed. He could offer no clumsy words of comfort, no confident assurances that he would rescue their loved ones. The same was true for Kang Tae-han and all the other frontline soldiers.

Even for those who faced the Esper Alliance on the front lines, such a sorrowful and tragic scene was unprecedented. The pain of people forced to wait before a place where they knew their families would die resonated deeply within them.

“We’ve prepared lodging for you. You should rest well, as we’ve decided to move out tomorrow.”

Sa-yoon’s footsteps felt heavy as he turned away, leaving behind people who would surely lie awake all night. It had only been half a day since he arrived in Korea. In that short time, he had witnessed too much, and too many events had transpired. It was a night of such profound sorrow that he doubted he would truly find sleep, even lying in bed.

Sa-yoon was plagued by a nightmare. Black smoke choked the sky, staining the entire world a dismal hue. Below, a fiery pit raged. Gaunt trees and vegetation had turned to black ash.

Then the scene shifted. Sa-yoon stood at the heart of the inferno, holding an unfamiliar red ribbon. The sleek, shimmering tip of the ribbon caught fire.

Startled, Sa-yoon shook the ribbon, trying to extinguish the flames, but it was futile. Slowly, the ribbon burned away, consumed by the blaze until it, too, became ash. The remnants of the ribbon fell to the ground, lost amidst the heaped ashes, its form utterly indiscernible.

Sa-yoon wept, sifting through the thick layers of ash beneath his feet. He didn’t know why, but it felt like the only thing to do. All the vegetation and ash seemed to point accusing fingers at him.

‘It’s your fault.’

‘You did this.’

The ashes clumped together like mud, clinging to Sa-yoon’s feet. Slowly, they swelled in volume, rising to his knees, then swiftly engulfing his waist.

Despite his struggles, the stubbornly clinging ashes soon climbed past his chest, reaching just below his neck.

‘No. It’s not my fault.’

Sa-yoon wanted to scream, but his throat was constricted, preventing any sound. This wasn’t what he wanted. Sa-yoon knew nothing. This wasn’t his doing.

‘No!’

With that single, desperate cry, the ashes halted their movement. The ashes that had risen to his throat slowly dispersed, forming a black image on the ground.

It was the face of a young girl. A pure, adorable girl slowly smiled. The ash particles shifted, forming the shape of a wide, torn smile, and from her eyes, the ash cascaded like black tears.

‘Hahahahahahahahaha!’

A scream-like laughter echoed, filling the surroundings, tearing at his ears with its howling intensity.

‘Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha!’

Even covering his ears, the voice pierced his eardrums, terrifyingly chilling him to the bone. The girl’s profound resentment, having been burned alive and turned to ash with her entire family, sent a cold shiver through him.

‘No. No…’

Sa-yoon collapsed to the ground, covering his ears. His huddled body was then swallowed by the black ashes.

Sa-yoon woke with a gasp, clutching his throat and wiping his face. His eyes were damp with tears. His entire body trembled uncontrollably, still reeling from the lingering nightmare.

Shivering as if struck by winter frost, Sa-yoon fumbled beside him, searching for a small oxygen spray. He heard the clang of an aluminum can rolling across the floor. His body refused to calm.

“Hah, hah.”

He felt suffocated. The shivers intensified, escalating into nausea that he could no longer bear. Overwhelmed by the torment, as if he needed to vomit the ashes filling him, Sa-yoon sprang from the bed. He leaned against the wall and opened the door.

With stumbling steps, Sa-yoon left his lodging. His feet moved aimlessly, leading him wherever they would. The villagers, who had been up all night outside, approached him, concerned by his strange state, but he pushed them away and continued. His body moved instinctively toward a destination.

He didn’t know why. He only knew he had to go. Sa-yoon, clutching his constricted throat and sobbing, eventually arrived before the colossal incinerator. A massive, cylindrical concrete mass, reaching into the sky, greeted him.

They called it a cursed structure. An execution ground that no one could demolish, and no one could infiltrate.

Sa-yoon placed his hand on the wall. The cold, rough concrete met his palm. Kang Tae-han’s warning, advising him not to use his abilities in Korea, echoed in his ears like a siren. His repeated pleas resonated loudly in his mind.

‘But, Hyung. I have to tear this down.’

He had to destroy this and restore everything to its original state. Only then did it feel like he could survive. Only then did it seem that the inexplicable hallucinations and nausea tormenting Sa-yoon would cease.

Sa-yoon closed his eyes. In the blackness of his vision, stark white lines etched themselves horizontally and vertically. A clear world, unlike anything he had ever seen, unfolded before his closed eyes. The cylinder felt like a miniature, encased in white lines. Sa-yoon manipulated the vivid, almost tangible coordinates. He split the concrete pillar, covered in lines, in half. He dismantled the concrete pieces that formed the incinerator, wishing for all the accumulated resentment and sorrow within to be freed.

A deafening roar, as if the earth itself was shattering, erupted as the concrete, now broken into two pieces, toppled outwards. Raising a cloud of dust, the colossal incinerator crumbled. In the slightly expanded sky, a crimson dawn sun was rising.

Sa-yoon sat blankly on the ground, staring at his hands with disbelieving eyes. His trembling fingertips would not still. What had just happened?

The white lines that moved according to his will felt like a dream. Yet, the shattered remnants of the incinerator proved it was reality.

As Sa-yoon regained his senses, a buzzing warning alarm blared in his ears. He felt a frantic vibration from something moving busily underground. It was the Esper unit, startled by the sudden collapse of the incinerator, springing into action. As the dust cloud, which had soared to the sky, settled, the underground area became visible through the split incinerator. Espers were moving in perfect unison within the vast space.

Although he thought he needed to escape immediately, Sa-yoon’s feet wouldn’t move. The sudden, excessive use of his power had drained the strength from his legs. He hadn’t lost consciousness as before, but he couldn’t push himself up.

The warning alarm grew more insistent. An urgent voice blared, calling for preparations against an external attack.

“Seol-won!”

Kang Tae-han shouted from down the hill. Perhaps awakened by the commotion, he was running toward Sa-yoon in his pajamas.

“Hyung…”

“What in the world… Never mind. Seol-won. Let’s get out of here first.”

Kang Tae-han’s expression hardened as he examined Sa-yoon. He helped the barely moving Sa-yoon to his feet.

“I’ve already told the villagers to evacuate. I’ve got the coordinates, so just follow them.”

No matter how quickly they tried to escape, it would take time for the villagers, who included ordinary citizens, to get away. Inevitably, they would clash with the Esper unit.

Sa-yoon lowered his head. His impulsive actions had put everyone at risk.

“I’m sorry.”

“No. What are you sorry for? We were going to tear this down anyway. You did well.”

Even with the praise, Sa-yoon couldn’t lift his face. He clenched his powerless hands again. A plan to infiltrate the incinerator had already been set for tomorrow. It involved infiltrating the underground, rescuing the kidnapped individuals, and then blowing up the incinerator.

However, Sa-yoon had acted impulsively, causing the incinerator to collapse before the hostages could be rescued. The guilt of having ruined the plan made his head droop even further.

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