He saw it clearly. In the blinding light, two massive wings unfurled, revealing spindly limbs. It was the same monster Uijae had pierced through countless times in the West Rift, the one he had killed over and over again.@@novelbin@@

*Thump, thump, thump*—his heart pounded furiously. Cold sweat ran down his neck and palms. His feet felt like they were cemented to the ground. The truth he didn't want to accept, he was recognizing faster than anyone else. He thought he knew this monster better than anyone. But now, he wondered if he had ever known anything at all.

Just as Uijae attempted to take a step forward, a strong hand yanked him back. Sa-young shook his head with a stern expression.

Beyond the monster’s wings, black and gold-streaked hair fluttered in the wind. Honeybee stared blankly up at the monster.

"You…."

The pale, expressionless face looked back at her. There was no trace of the familiar, hesitant smile or the recognizable face. The small mouth opened slowly, and then—

A horrendous scream tore through the air.

The vibrations shook the very atmosphere. Honeybee instinctively drew her rapier and aimed it at the creature. But her feet wouldn’t move. This had been her comrade until just moments ago. A chaotic thought passed through her mind.

*Isn’t there a way to turn this back?*

‘Isn’t there a way to fix this?’

The wind from the flapping wings was sharp enough to slice through skin. The emaciated body, the limp limbs, the blank face—it was no longer human. It was just a monster.

'...No, there’s no way.'

Honeybee let out a bitter smile. The only thing she could feel coming from the monster was hostility. She couldn’t hesitate anymore over baseless hopes. With trembling hands, she gripped her rapier firmly and spread her legs into a practiced stance. She had performed this move tens of thousands of times—*en garde*.

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