Black Badger

You said you'd tell me the backstory.

But the meeting and parting came too quickly. There were still so many things I needed to hear. Important stories and unimportant ones alike.

I sprawled inside the speeding train. The wind whipped harshly against my body.

Tears had dried on my cheeks.

The train hurtled through the darkness for a long while.

I had no idea where I needed to go now. So it was only when the train jolted to a stop with a heavy thud that I finally pushed myself up.

A heavy impact transmitted through my body. The sound of gravel and sand falling below.

All that lay before me was the track shrouded in darkness.

Was Jin dead? Staggering to my feet, I stared blankly ahead. They said they knew each other. So maybe they hadn't killed him.

With my hand on the scabbard, I jumped down from the train.

Solid ground met my feet.

If you hated Ye-hyeon and the world enough to run away, why didn't you run all the way?

Of course, there was no reply.

I stared into the empty air for a moment before I walked along the track swallowed by darkness.

That ashen arm. Stumbling toward the wall of earth and debris the train had crashed into, I sifted through my memories.

Why had Jin's arm turned ashen? Strangely, the color didn't feel unfamiliar.

I mulled it over for a while, but no answer came. Holding onto unanswerable questions was pointless. I walked to the shattered cockpit and reached out to grope the wall.

Was there a door here too?

Suppressing the urge to go to Jin, I felt around the surroundings.

I hadn't seen any screen doors on the way here. Going back wouldn't lead anywhere else.

As my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I moved my hands busily.

I had to find a way out, get out, ask the seniors for help, and maybe go search for Jin Silver, who might still be alive.

If there was even a hole...

My foot sank in suddenly.

My right foot dropped into something below. I reflexively grabbed the ground. My body tilted awkwardly to one side. Looking down in surprise, I saw a tunnel leading inward.

Ah. This time, it wasn't to the side but downward.

He really was sharp. Thinking of Jin, who had instantly detected the pursuing creature and sliced the train apart, I gave a bitter smile.

"Are you alive?"

I spoke to someone who couldn't hear me.

"I'll come find you."

Until I confirmed his death with my own eyes, I wouldn't let go of hope.

I entered the tunnel. It was pitch black in here too. Once again, I braced my left hand against the wall.

This passage was more grueling than the last. Because I had to crawl. When I lifted my head, the back of it bumped against the hard earthen ceiling. Bowing my head, I crawled along on all fours, waiting for the tunnel to end.

Only when my neck ached unbearably did the passage finally end.

There was no welcoming artificial light this time. Just blue mushrooms illuminating the track. Had Jin planted these too?

Ignoring the pain in my waist and neck, I slowly stood up.

Drip. Drip. The sound of water droplets fell.

I walked onward blindly. Since Jin's death wasn't certain, I had to keep my wits about me even more.

Even badgers who had served for over ten years dropped dead in this subway.

Just entering was dangerous, and there were probably people chasing me now too.

What had I done?

Following the blue mushrooms, I organized the words I'd heard. They had come to Jin, who was living outside, one day. Come and told him to drag me back.

"The leader woke up a few months ago..."

I had opened my eyes here a few months ago too.

Coincidence?

Could there really be a coincidence that fit so perfectly?

Who was the leader? Ever since being exiled from the core, I gathered the fragments of the past that came surging out one after another.

Their leader. The leader of those who called themselves my old comrades.

...I couldn't remember.

I tried thinking differently. Not trying to recall my superior, but the person I would have sought advice from when I was about to make a decision.

The being I had sought advice from.

Curtain-like hair.

A flash passed through my mind.

Memories surged back. "He" had always mocked those people. Said they knew nothing, couldn't even guess at the inevitable events to come.

Those golden eyes full of characteristic confidence. A firm voice. Clean features.

Eyes that never avoided mine...

A fishy smell.

The pungent protein stench grew closer, stinging my nose.

A massive set of teeth appeared before me.

The teeth lunged to bite my face whole.

Shhh!

I split the gaping maw cleanly in half.

Flesh and bone fragments splattered. The blade sliced through the esophagus and delved deeper. The elongated body tore open with a rip. The enraged screech it emitted pierced my ears.

Kya aaaah...

Twisting the blade as I pulled it out, the half-severed creature curled up, spewing blood.

I stared at the creature occupying the center of the track. I couldn't count its legs. But it was too large to be a centipede. Long enough to wrap around an adult man's body three times over.

It busily moved its legs, coiling its body tightly.

A fish-like head protruded from it.

Sighing, I gripped my sword.

"If you charge at me, I'll have to kill you all to pass."

Of course, it wouldn't understand.

The creature, gushing blood in spurts, gradually stopped moving. The motion of its dozens of long, thin legs ceased, but I didn't advance.

Instead, I gripped the sword tightly.

I felt the weight of the blood injection syringe in my right pocket.

"Just let me pass."

I crouched into a stance, ready to swing the sword.

"I have people I need to find."

In response, the sound of legs approached.

The moment my sword traced a line, creatures poured down from the ceiling.

*

My shoulder hurt.

Thank goodness this centipede-like thing's teeth weren't poisonous. Otherwise, I would have collapsed and died.

Anyway, the situation was over. I pressed down hard on my bitten left shoulder with my right arm. The blood-soaked sword had just been sheathed.

An eerie silence settled over the space.

Now, nothing moved here except me.

The walls and track were covered in blood and chunks of flesh.

Pressing my shoulder, I slowly walked along the track reeking of protein stench.

The sound of corpses crunching underfoot. No matter how I thought about it, there must have been another way to get past this station. Or I should have escaped to somewhere else before reaching their nest.

Either way, those options were gone now.

I had succeeded in killing them all, but the cost was high. Even after injecting supplementary blood, I felt dizzy.

Frowning, I steadied my wavering vision.

"But I've improved a lot, haven't I?"

Even though no one was listening, I muttered into the darkness alone.

"Now I might even be able to cut off my mentor's hem."

I might even have been able to match Ye-hyeon.

And if I won, maybe I could receive the sword I'd seen in the video.

With no external stimuli, my thoughts drifted back to the past again. Dragging my leaden body as I sifted through memories. Jin, who had sliced the train. If Jin Silver hadn't sent me away like that, I would have just succumbed to instinct and collapsed.

Sword...

My sword. Trudging along, I recalled even older memories. The sword I had used. The sword I had aimed at the black-haired man in tandem.

Where was it now?

Buried broken underground? Or was the sword Ye-hyeon had mine? I wanted to see the real thing of the sword from the video. Even if I couldn't receive it from Ye-hyeon, I wanted to confirm what it looked like.

That man's voice kept circling in my head.

It was his voice I'd thought of while gripping the controls.

"Want to have a sword duel with me?"

Like in the old days when things were good?

Kaaang!

The blade vibrated.

Shadowed eyes burned with hatred. Ashen hair crisped and withered. Human-like features.

I parried the sharp claws aiming for my throat with my blade.

Impressive movement. It appeared in my vision, and in an instant, it was right in front of me.

I swung the blade with force.

Whoosh!

Instead of being repelled, it staggered back a few steps.

Our eyes met. The being that had emerged from the direction of the faint light on the track—the way I was heading.

This one wasn't blocked by Jin Silver. Its hair was short.

"Traitor."

That word again.

"You."

It closed the distance in an instant.

Words didn't come easily, like speaking with something boiling in my throat. But its hateful glare was sharp.

"You, but, if you hadn't."

"Sorry, but I've completely forgotten the past. I know it's frustrating, but could you explain what I did?"

Kclang!

The sword flew from my swung grip.

Immense strength. If I hadn't quickly pulled back my right arm that was flung aside and blocked the claws, my throat would have been torn open.

Claws clashed against the blade.

It disgustingly pressed the blade with its claws, screaming in rage.

"You!"

"Yeah, me."

"You back then!"

Uh, back then.

What about back then!

"If you hadn't betrayed Kyle then!"

Kaaang!

With a flash, the distance opened.

We both retreated before regaining our stances. The opponent glared at me, panting. Red veins began to rise in his eyes. I stared blankly at him across from me, gripping my sword tightly.

Eyes that had given up all hope.

I remembered.

It wasn't complete, but a scene engraved in my inner self resurfaced. A memory now vividly etched in my brain, one I could never forget. A time I wouldn't forget for the rest of my life, now recalled.

Kyle.

Golden eyes blazed. Teeth gritted, hair shook. And the sword aimed at me.

Behind him were his comrades.

They too held their weapons. Standing on the spotless white floor. Eyes rippled with fury.

It was a place tinged with blue light.

I recalled the betrayed gazes, the expressions saying there was nothing more to expect from you, the resolve to win no matter what, the fighting spirit-filled stares vowing to break everything including me.

And the words I had uttered then, suppressing my sorrow.

The context of those words was missing, like a clipped video.

But at that time, I had pleaded.

To Kyle and his followers.

"...It's not too late yet."

"Traitorous bastard!"

"If it's now..."

If it's now, we can turn back.

Kwaaang!

My body flew backward. Overpowered by the opponent's rage-filled strike. My airborne body slammed into the square pillar dividing the track.

Thud.

A heavy impact coursed through me.

A reflexive gasp escaped.

But there was no time to rest. I twisted my body to dodge the plunging attack.

Kung!

"Time out."

Kuuung!

As if it would listen?

Then I had to knock that guy down. Calming my breath, I rolled desperately along the track. Rolling across the ground, I evaded the incoming attacks.

Then, the moment it momentarily misplaced its foot, I didn't miss the timing—I pushed off the ground with my sword and rose.

Kclang!

I deflected the descending claws.

The gap widened. I regained my stance again. Ah, good. Now I could counterattack. This time, for real, with the resolve to kill it. With half-hearted resolve, I'd be the one dying.

I put strength into my legs planted on the track and gripped the sword with both hands.

Then, raising both hands above my shoulder, I inhaled.

The moment my plea fell on deaf ears.

The moment they charged at me. The moment I realized there was no turning back. I recalled how I had steeled my resolve, suppressing my heavy heart. I remembered gritting my teeth and gripping the sword with both hands.

The sword slash I had unleashed then, with that honed resolve.

Slicing the ground,

Pushing back those who had become enemies.

Kwaaaang!

The chilling sword slash cut across the track.