Renie stood in the woods.

It was clearly a forest scene, yet strangely, everything was black. Even the moon was hidden by clouds, the surroundings dyed a pitch-black hue of night.

She wandered endlessly through it. No matter how far she walked, no exit from this place appeared. Blood seeped little by little from her feet, scratched and cut, but it was completely invisible in the jet-black scenery.

The only trace of blood was its scent. The smell of blood, rising like a mist, sent a chill down her spine.

Renie found herself running. She wanted to escape this place immediately. After running for a while, she suddenly gasped for breath and clutched her stomach.

At that moment, she noticed her belly, swollen as if something had been crammed inside, and screamed in terror. Her dizzying shriek echoed loudly in the vast space.

Her legs gave way, and Renie collapsed to the ground. She clenched her fist and punched her stomach, trying to push it away from her body.

But this thing, this presence whose heartbeat was so vivid, clung tightly to her womb and would not be separated. Rather, the more she rejected it, the more fiercely it exuded a venomous aura, until Renie was panting with a face contorted in pain.

Thump.

The pulse grew clearer and clearer. The moment it throbbed so violently it felt as if it would burst from her mouth...

“......Huh!”

Renie woke up.

For a moment, she lay frozen, then abruptly sat up, her face pale blue. She vomited once into a bucket placed on the floor. As if to show how poorly she had been eating, only a disgusting sour fluid lingered in her mouth. Yet, her stomach churned relentlessly. It was beyond her control.

Clutching her chest, Renie collapsed back onto the bed. She wiped her forehead, and her hand came away soaked as if she had washed her face. She buried her face in her palm and remained still for a moment. Only when her heart, beating faster than necessary, had roughly found its rhythm did she lift her head.

As she got up, the old bed creaked and groaned, a grating sound. After tidying the spot where she had slept, Renie approached the mirror.

When she put her hand into the large basin filled with water, she felt an icy chill.

But she didn’t flinch at all. Right now, she just wanted to wash away the sticky sensations.

She scooped up some water and rinsed her mouth first. The astringent aftertaste gradually disappeared. Then, after splashing her face several times, she looked at herself in the mirror. Water droplets gathered on her chin and dripped onto her bare feet, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away, only stared at her reflection.

“......Haa.”

A pale, ashen complexion, hollow cheeks that made her cheekbones appear prominent, chapped and cracked lips. Her emaciated appearance looked terribly gaunt even to her own eyes.

It was laughable. Back in the Holy City, she didn’t think it had been this bad. It was ironic that she was growing thinner and thinner even after escaping the clutches of that demon.

It wasn’t difficult to understand the reason. Her gaze gradually lowered. Her once flat stomach now showed a very faint curve. Her figure was definitely a little different than before. The violent heartbeat she had felt in her dream came to mind.

Renie vaguely wiped the flowing water away and reminisced about the past.

Fortunately, after safely escaping the Holy City, she arrived in Ijenka by boat. Under the protection of Gail and his companions’ families, Renie tried to kill the life within her womb as quickly as possible. She wanted to be free from everything that bound her. Like a butterfly caught in a spiderweb, she wanted to cut all the white threads that kept her body immobile.

However, no abortion medication had any effect. Her belly stubbornly insisted on revealing its presence, refusing to subside.

‘Is this possible? Is this even plausible!’

‘Isn’t what’s inside the child of a demon, not a human?’

‘It seems the magical power is nullifying the effects of the medicine.’

What kind of expression had she worn amidst the chaotic uproar of the group? She didn’t know for sure, but it probably wasn’t a pleasant one.

Because of that, Renie still had to carry this parasite. She couldn’t get rid of it no matter what. No matter how much she pushed it away and denied it, it tenaciously clung to her. Rather, the more she tried to remove it, the more it seemed to resist, causing her pain. It was as if it were demanding to be acknowledged as her child.

The day the miscarriage failed, Renie drew a dagger before going to sleep. Clutching it, she stood in front of the mirror for a long time, agonizing.

If medicine doesn’t work, should I stab myself? Wouldn’t that kill it too? But if I do that, there’s probably a high chance I’ll die as well. Blood will gush out, pain will overflow... Only gloomy thoughts followed one another like muddy water.

Whether it was the vicious demon or the seed he had sown, both were driving her to her death.

More than anything, the thought of this being being born from her and turning the world to ashes filled her with unimaginable emotions. She felt scared, terrified, and at the same time, angry and disgusted.

When her tangled emotions reached their limit, Renie finally raised the dagger, intending to stab her abdomen.

At that moment, the fetus inflicted pain upon her, as if trying to protect itself. That day was the first time Renie had a seizure. Until then, it had only been pain that made her clutch her stomach, but that day was different.

‘Don’t kill me.’

It was as if it was saying just that, suppressing Renie with a strong force.

Gasping for breath, she crawled on the floor, and as the pain gradually subsided, Renie sobbed, clutching her body. Even though she had escaped the Holy City, she still felt like she was in the same place. After pushing so many precious people to their deaths, at least there should have been some progress in her situation, but nothing had changed.

Renie’s eyes, which had briefly revisited the miserable memories, returned to the present.

She turned and walked towards the window. The scenery was quite different from the world of sand and sunlight she had seen until a few days ago. Having moved from the desert nation of Ijenka, she had settled in the new city of Herben two days ago.

That meant it had been a little over a month since the Holy City had become a sea of fire, no, a sea of blood. Since it was far from the Kingdom of Evreux, receiving news wasn’t easy, but somehow, bits and pieces had trickled in.

Currently, the Holy City of Evreux was under lockdown.

From the moment the temple collapsed, that land had been completely devastated, and that was still ongoing. A fierce blood-red storm that could instantly take lives was raging.

The royal capital had swiftly colluded with neighboring countries to seal off the Holy City, taking measures to prevent the evil power from escaping. They didn’t know the full details of the situation, but the kingdom’s leadership had roughly sensed that the rampant dark power there originated from the demon.

The Holy City, a land beloved by God. It had now become a land abandoned by God. That was the news she had heard just a week ago.

Knock, knock.

A knock sounded, and the door opened cautiously.

“Renie. Are you awake?”

The woman who peeked her head in and greeted her with a morning salutation was Sabina, Gail’s wife. Renie nodded listlessly.

Having escaped the Holy City, she was no longer the Pope. To be precise, she was the ‘selfish’ Pope who had pushed everyone else to their deaths in order to save herself. Because of that guilt, she couldn’t bear to be called ‘Your Holiness’ by others.

When Sabina called her name for the first time, Renie felt a slightly strange sensation. Looking back, apart from Kahn, no one in her life had ever called her so familiarly. Being called by that demon was simply horrifying, so she wanted to exclude that.

“Good news!”

Her face seemed more cheerful than usual. Sabina exclaimed, swinging something in her hand.

“A letter has arrived from my husband.”

A fleeting spark of life flickered in Renie’s eyes.

As she turned her head in surprise, Sabina smiled brightly as if understanding her feelings. Sabina’s husband, Gail, had taken Renie to the ship and then immediately left to seal Kahn. For the month that the group had moved to another city, they hadn’t received any news from him.

And now, a letter had arrived from him.

Setting everything else aside, just the fact that Gail and his group were alive brought a sense of relief, and Renie let out a deep breath.

Sabina was a friendly woman. Perhaps because she was the wife of Gail, the leader, she took particularly good care of Renie.

In fact, there were definitely gazes in the group that looked coldly at Renie, who was at the center of this whole affair. From their perspective, their comrades and families were risking their lives in battle because of her, so it was understandable that they would resent her.

Every time she felt those displeased glances, she became even more grateful to Sabina.

Sabina sat Renie down on the bed and then sat down beside her. She unfolded the letter she held as if it were a treasure.

「Demon sealing successful. Expected to join you today.」

That was all that was written on the parchment. Sabina stared intently at the letters before finally smiling brightly.

“It’s definitely my husband’s handwriting. It seems he’s planning to return today! Actually, I brought it to show Renie first, just in case. I’ll go tell the others right away!”

Her hair fluttering, Sabina rushed out of the bedroom.

Having spent about a month together, this was the first time Renie had seen her so cheerful. She always grumbled that Gail was too taciturn, but seeing her like this, Renie could tell how much she truly loved her husband.

For some reason, Renie’s heart felt heavy. As someone who had unwillingly conceived the demon’s child, she was truly envious of Sabina.

It was the life she had always dreamed of. It was an envy for having met a loved one and bearing the fruit of complete love, regardless of the trouble of constantly changing residences and identities.

Renie picked up the letter that Sabina had casually left behind.

To be able to recognize her husband’s handwriting just by looking at it, how many times must she have gazed at it? That love felt so tender and sublime.

‘Lovely, truly.’

Suddenly, Kahn’s confession, whispered to her, resurfaced in her mind.

‘So I hope you become even more miserable.’

That voice, that gaze, that emotion was different from the love Sabina possessed.

It wasn’t love from the beginning. It was far removed from what the world defined as ‘love.’ No, it was an emotion she couldn’t dare call ‘love.’ Yes, obsession. Closer to a dark reddish-black in color. It was merely an obsession and stubbornness towards a woman who would bear his heir.

That must never become love.

Renie, who had been looking down at the letter, paused. She carefully unfolded the corner that had been badly creased by Sabina’s grip.

Something bright red was imprinted there like a stain.

“......Blood?”

Too red to be dye, it was the same color as the blood that flowed when human skin was pierced. Renie felt a momentary dizziness and covered her mouth. It was as if the pungent, rancid smell of blood she had inhaled countless times by Kahn’s side was wafting again.

‘No. It can’t be.’

It must have been written amidst the chaos, and so it must have accidentally gotten stained. After all, if they weren’t safe, there was no way they could have accurately found their location and sent a letter. Renie took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.

If that demon was truly sealed. Then......

Renie slowly lowered her gaze. Her eyes, looking at her protruding belly, held an indescribable emotion.

________________________________________

The atmosphere of the group, which had always been fraught with tension, relaxed considerably. It was because Sabina had shared the news, filling everyone with hope that they would see their surviving families. So Renie felt less of the hostile gazes directed at her than usual.

After dinner, Sabina visited Renie’s room again.

Her face more flushed than usual, she asked for help with her hair ornaments. She didn’t say the reason, but it was clear she wanted to look pretty for Gail, who was expected to join them tonight. Renie readily agreed to the request, sensing her clear desire to look beautiful for her husband whom she was meeting after a long time.

Sabina’s face, reflected in the mirror, was beaming. She looked just like an excited child before receiving a present, and Renie smiled along with her.

“I’m so glad Gail is safe.”

“I always believed he would be safe. My husband is very strong.”

Sabina’s tone was full of pride. As Renie pondered her words, Gail, who had pushed her away, naturally came to mind, and along with him, the long scar mark on his lips.

“I saw the scar on Gail’s lip.”

“Ah, that’s a scar he got during a mission a while ago. There was a lot of talk about it being a dangerous mission back then too, but my husband returned proudly with only that one scar.”

The ominous impression he had given off yesterday was still vivid in her mind. When she thought about him, the words that he was strong seemed to be true, not just boasting. Sabina’s firm belief also played a big role in adding credibility to it. The foundation of that belief was, of course, love.

Renie gave a small smile instead of answering and focused on finishing the hair ornaments. While she did so, Sabina gazed intently at her face through the mirror. Her steady gaze felt more like scrutiny than just looking.

“It’s done.”

Renie finally said, raising both hands. Sabina turned her chin this way and that, then smiled brightly as if she quite liked it. She soon turned to face Renie.

“So, Renie.”

“......”

“Everything will be alright.”

Sabina was the most understanding person in the group regarding Renie’s situation. So she was well aware of the dark clouds hanging over Renie’s face and even felt sorry for her. She had heard that Renie had no will in all the incidents that had occurred. Renie was also just a victim, completely swayed and used by the demon’s power.

As Sabina offered a simple comfort regarding this, Renie’s pupils trembled. Soon, she lowered her head deeply, as if about to burst into tears.

“Really...... will it be alright?”

“Of course.”

It was a comfort without any specific plan or idea, but it touched somewhere deep within Renie’s heart. Too many things had happened all at once, and so recently, Renie had often felt a precariousness, as if the ground beneath her feet would give way at any moment. She was even afraid to open her eyes the next day, fearing that Kahn might come looking for her at any moment.

But, would everything really be alright?

If Gail returned, could everything be put back to normal?

Could she escape this hellish situation?

She didn’t know. She didn’t know, but she wanted to believe Sabina’s words anyway.

“Thank you, Sabina.”

Her voice was barely audible, but still, a trace of will could be felt. A tiny crack, like a pinhole, appeared in the blocked space in her heart.

Barely breathing through that small gap, Renie resolved to overcome this, just as Sabina had said.

“Oh, and did you hear?”

Sabina naturally changed the subject.

“They say there’s a chapel in this lodging. I didn’t know, but it seems this place also has a state religion.”

“A chapel?”

“Yes. They say it’s always open for anyone to use. I thought Renie might want to go sometime, since you used to be a clergywoman.”

Even though she had thrown away her position as Pope, perhaps it was because of a habit of ten years. During the month-long journey, Renie had read the scriptures and offered prayers several times.

Even as she did so out of habit, the doubt was clear: would God even look at her, who had been manipulated by the demon? For that reason, the end of her prayers always left her with only the frustration of being trapped in a maze.

One day, Sabina had come to her room and witnessed her praying. Perhaps it was that memory that prompted her to say these words.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

Sabina thanked her instead for helping with her hair ornaments and then left the bedroom. As she disappeared, a cold silence once again enveloped the room. When left alone in this cramped space, the nightmares Kahn had inflicted on her kept coming back. Renie, who bit her lip because it was too much to bear, suddenly remembered the chapel Sabina had mentioned.

‘Should I go?’

It had been so long since she last went to a chapel that she couldn’t even remember when it was.

Perhaps it was the weight of the place, but Renie liked to pray in chapels. When she was in a space surrounded by quiet solitude, she could fully confront even the innermost feelings she couldn’t normally reveal.

After hesitating, she finally took her scriptures and left the room.

Finding the chapel was easy. When she asked the innkeeper, he told her right away. She walked along a deserted path and arrived at the chapel. She cautiously opened the door, and the creaking of the hinges echoed eerily.

There was no one inside.

Renie sat down anywhere and placed the scriptures down. When she raised her head, she saw a solemn wooden cross. The cross was better than a statue modeled after the image of God. Every time she faced such a statue, she felt a pang of guilt that made her heart sink.

She had committed too many unforgivable sins.

She had acted selfishly, pushing precious people into the line of fire, and even though it was forced, she had committed lewd acts and even conceived a child. A life stained with sin. For a former clergywoman, it was truly a terrible outcome.

Something began to patter against the window. It had started to rain. Both in Ijenka and here, it hadn’t rained even once, so it had been quite a while.

Even though the world outside was getting wet, the inside of the chapel was just quiet. Renie clasped her hands together and began to pray. But because of an inexplicable complex feeling, her prayers kept getting cut short.

Instead of praying, a memory she had deliberately buried in a corner of her mind suddenly surfaced. It was when she was talking to Gail before leaving the Holy City.

‘Then this...... life.’

Renie called what she carried in her womb that, not wanting to call it a baby or a demon. It was a rather desolate term.

‘Is it a demon......?’

Gail looked at her for a moment. Before long, he seemed to understand why she was asking such a question and let out a sigh.

‘It is both demon and human.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘It means exactly that. It was born with half of each blood. Just as we are born and raised and influenced by our environment, so will it be.’

‘......’

‘However, once it is born, Kahn will definitely try to take it, so you must get rid of it.’

Renie slowly opened her eyes.

The life within her shared her heartbeat, as if mimicking its mother. Just like Kahn, who had mimicked human appearances. Thump, thump. Unlike the explosive throbbing in her dream, now there was only a very small ripple, like throwing pebbles into the water.

She couldn’t get rid of it with medicine. She couldn’t stab it with a sword. Then there was only one option left.

“......Should I accept you?”

To give birth and raise it.

“Gail said it changes depending on how you raise it. So if I raise you just like a human, can you not become a demon?”

A fetal movement like a bubble rose from inside her belly. It was as if it were answering.

Renie stroked her belly with a listless face.

This thing was simply disgusting. Every time she thought about it, she felt a shiver as if dozens of insects were crawling up from her toes. But perhaps because it held warmth, sometimes, very rarely, it felt incredibly warm.

For Renie, who had always been alone, that small amount of warmth held extremely great significance. Like when Reuben had approached her, a significance that made the ground she stood on tremble. Someone might consider it lukewarm, but to her, it was scaldingly hot.

That warmth was enough to fill the emptiness within Renie, hollow from deprivation. It even made her think that if she gave birth to this and raised it like a human, she might no longer be alone.

“Could you become my family......”

Family was said to be warm, but the circle Renie belonged to had always been as cold as the wind in the harshest winter. A father blinded by greed, a sick mother. And the demon, Kahn, who spoke of love while constantly persecuting her.

She hadn’t wanted those things. They weren’t her family.

Like the kind people of the Holy City who had cared for her, like Gail and Sabina who sincerely loved each other. She wanted to have a family like them. A haven of comfort and peace, a boundary where she could feel the vitality of being alive.

If that demon was truly gone.

If Kahn was gone, maybe it was possible. Because she could raise it well. If she raised it like a human, not a demon......

Bang! Suddenly, the chapel door burst open as if it would break.

“Renie! Get out of here!”

Startled, Renie crouched down, her eyes wide at the voice calling for her. The one who opened the door was a rather familiar man. He was one of the group who had traveled with them.

Renie got up in a daze.

“What’s wrong?”

“We have to run. Right now!”

“Huh?”

While she stood there bewildered, something flew in from outside where the rain was pouring down. It flashed like a blade the moment it grazed the man’s neck. His urgent cry stopped, and his head was cleanly severed, falling to the floor with a sickening thud.

Like splattered rainwater, bloodstains stickily soaked the chapel floor.

......What?

What just happened?

Renie didn’t properly register the horrific scene unfolding before her for a moment. Soon, the head of the man who had shouted at her rolled over. The moment it filled her vision, Renie’s eyes were filled with terror.

She covered her mouth with both hands and hastily backed away. Her pupils, trembling like aspen leaves, were fixed on the open chapel door. Heavy rain poured in endlessly. And through it, a thick black fog billowed.

An unpleasant current, as if something were piercing her somewhere, enveloped her whole body. It was a chilling premonition. Every joint in her body ached and tingled. Her breathing gradually became rapid, as if she had run several meters. She wanted to somehow shield her eyes from the unbelievable sight, but unfortunately, everything before her was too clear.

Thickly falling rain, an ominously writhing fog, and through it, an outline gradually becoming clearer......

What had been swaying like heat haze had become a figure. Renie’s heart pounded wildly. Thump, thump, thump. She could have sworn the floor was shaking.

Soon, the figure took a step inside the chapel. Thud. The sound struck her chest, and her whole body went cold.

A large hand swept back jet-black hair. The red glint in his eyes, visible beneath his smooth forehead, shone regally like rubies even in the dim interior.

“Found you.”

The intense gaze was no different from the one she had seen when he was spitting blood. The moment she recognized him, her body began to tremble reflexively.

“Hello, Renie.”

The demon stared intently at her pale, ashen face. The red had become even deeper than when she had last seen him. It looked exactly like the blood he had shed in the past, and a deep chill ran down her spine.

Renie knew very well what she had done.

“Have you been well?”

Kahn began to approach her unhurriedly, cutting through the air.

She had to run. Even though she knew that, her body was stiff and she couldn’t move. Beyond his shoulder, she could see the severed head of the man. The moment she turned her back to him here, she felt like she would become just like that gruesome sight.

While she hesitated, Kahn reached her. He grabbed Renie’s trembling wrist roughly, as if he would break it.

“You should have been well, by all means.”

“Wh, what......”

“Because that was the last freedom you could have enjoyed.”

Kahn, the man she hadn’t seen for about a month and a half, brought his face right up to hers. The sharply glinting red eyes looked like those of a madman. They were eyes gleaming with obsession and madness, not love and affection.

“You admit it yourself by now, don’t you? You have a knack for driving me crazy. To think you’d stab me in the back like that. Do you know I almost died?”

“......”

“Ah, this is a reunion gift.”

Kahn flung what he was holding in his other hand towards her feet. Renie, who inadvertently looked down, screamed in terror as soon as she recognized what it was.

It was Gail. However, it was only his head, without a body. His bloodshot eyes seemed to speak of the pain he had endured at the moment of his death. Renie, struggling to get away from the corpse’s head, slipped and slumped down.

‘A letter has arrived from my husband!’

Sabina’s face, unable to hide her joy at the welcome news, flashed through her mind.

The more her cheerful voice echoed, the heavier Renie’s heart became. The burden on her heart grew like a snowball. Renie’s eyes sank into a state of apathy. Her insides rotted away like an apple eaten by worms.

In the end, they were all......

“Get up.”

Kahn grabbed and pulled her hair without a trace of mercy.

“Kyaa!”

She let out a shrill scream at the pain of her scalp being torn. In just a month and a half, the man’s cruelty had become even more savage.

“You can never run away from me again.”

He whispered tauntingly, his face right in front of hers.

“We’re going to the Demon Realm to raise our child together.”

“No, no, no, no!”

She felt like she was going crazy. She couldn’t breathe, and her chest tightened. The stench of blood, which she thought she had grown somewhat numb to, shook her sense of smell again, chilling her to the bone. Her heart pounded so violently it felt like it would leap out of her mouth.

The downpour continued endlessly, like tears shed by a god.

“Let go, let go of this!”

Renie struggled to break free from Kahn’s grip as he dragged her brutally out of the chapel. But Kahn didn’t budge at all; rather, he dragged her along with even greater force.

Reaching the backyard past the outer area, Renie gasped sharply at the sight that unfolded before her. Blood mixed with the rain, soaking the green lawn. That blood was flowing from people whose bodies had been butchered into pieces like rag dolls.

Corpses were scattered everywhere. And the faces lying on the ground were all those she had encountered many times. Not only that, they were the people she had eaten peacefully with and talked to just a few hours ago.

Among the many scattered corpses, she saw a familiar head of hair.

Though not as pale as Renie’s, it was a color close to blonde. It was Sabina’s. Of course, like her husband, she too was just a head, cleanly severed. The reason Renie could be sure it was Sabina was the abundance of flower-shaped hair ornaments Renie had personally placed in her hair. The bright yellow flowers had become a tribute to her death.

Renie’s breath grew ragged, like a dying animal’s. Her chest heaved, turning a ghastly blue, and her legs gave way, causing her to collapse heavily. A sharp, stinging scent, like poison, numbed her senses, preventing them from functioning properly.

The green eyes that had been regaining their vitality withered in an instant, as if her will had been completely broken.

Kahn knelt down in front of her, who was staring blankly at her surroundings. His expression was utterly calm amidst the deathly silence and the horrific scene he had created.

She had thought that the things he had done so far were crazy enough that nothing could shock her anymore. But the man always far exceeded her expectations.

“When you committed that impudent act and ran away from me.”

He reached out his hand towards Renie. Like someone facing the abyss, Renie’s entire body stiffened. The back of her hand trembled violently, her fingers digging into the ground.

“I was very angry, you know.”

“......”

“So when I met you again,”

His greasy finger lightly touched Renie’s neck. It felt as if the tip of a sword was pointed at her, and she stopped all movement. No, it wasn’t ‘as if.’ His hand was truly a sword that could instantly shred her.

“I wondered if I wouldn’t want to kill you.”

His fingers, stained with someone else’s blood, traced the pulsating veins in her neck. She felt a sticky sensation. Renie couldn’t bear it and squeezed her eyes shut.

“But I don’t really feel like it.”

He murmured casually, his persistent gaze fixed on Renie’s face for a long time.

“Is this love?”

Renie’s eyes flew open. Her pupils, filled with shock, trembled as if asking what she had just heard.

“Biron asked why I was so obsessed with you. He said a priestess is nothing, I could just make any woman pregnant and drag her along. Then he asked. If I perhaps loved you. Even when I heard that question, all I wanted to do was tear you limb from limb, so I didn’t really know......”

Kahn, who had been quietly looking into her eyes filled with bewilderment and displeasure, slowly curved the corners of his lips.

“Yeah. I think it’s love.”

He spoke in a remarkably clear tone, as if he had found the answer to a long-standing difficult question. He had confessed his love in this hellish situation filled with scattered corpses and splattered blood.

Her mind clouded over, then slowly cleared. Renie, who hadn’t been able to move a single finger until now, unconsciously shook her head.

“No, no......”

“Yes.”

“No! It’s not love! How, how can that be love. How, how can such......”

The love Renie knew was completely different from his. In both appearance and essence. The love she knew was cozy, fresh, warm, and comfortable. No, actually, she didn’t really know. She had never loved or been loved.

But she knew clearly that the emotion Kahn held for her was not love. When she was with him, she was tormented and in pain.

It was distant and exhausting. She never felt like someone who was loved.

If he loved her, truly loved her.

“You can’t do this to me......”

Her eyelids fluttered. Following that pitiful movement, tears streamed down Renie’s cheeks. Kahn raised the hand that had been caressing her neck and wiped away her tears. It was a very tender touch, like someone deeply in love.

“What is love to you?”

She couldn’t easily answer this question. Because Renie didn’t know either.

She knew at least that it wasn’t the emotion he held, but she couldn’t give a clear definition either. For her, love was also an ideal, close to ignorance.

Kahn gazed serenely at her face, which was becoming redder with the blood on his hand.

“Seeing that I don’t want to kill you, even though you betrayed me and tried to harm me.”

“......”

“At least for me, this is love.”

Unlike her, who couldn’t answer properly, he gave a very clear and firm answer. That it was love. That it was love.

“......Hah.”

Renie inadvertently let out a dry laugh.

In this insane place, hearing a confession that suffocated her, she couldn’t help but laugh. She had thought she had already broken down completely, but perhaps some part of her was still intact. Otherwise, she wouldn’t feel this wretched feeling of some part of her reason cracking again.

“Haha, ha......”

She laughed like a madwoman, tears streaming down her face.

Only that sound echoed in the chilling atmosphere. Even though it was laughter, it sounded like she was struggling to breathe. Then, in a very brief moment when the wind brushed past, she twisted her upper body in the blink of an eye. It took her only a few seconds to grab a dagger that someone in the group had dropped.

Without hesitation, Renie stabbed her wrist with it.

She felt the sharp tip of the blade pierce her skin deeply. Her eyes were tightly closed, bracing for the onrushing pain. But she felt no pain. She had definitely stabbed herself, with her own hand, so why......

When Renie finally opened her eyelids, she couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

The blade had pierced through. But not her wrist; instead, it was Kahn’s hand covering it.

“You’re still so transparent. It’s unbelievable how I fell for it before.”

Even death was not easily granted in front of this demon. The moment she realized that, a vicious despair washed over her.

The despair that God had clearly abandoned her.

“Just know this. Even if you breathe your last, you can’t escape me. Even if you become a corpse, I will drag you to my world.”

Kahn whispered gently, embracing her as she trembled visibly now.

“I love you, Renie.”

The smile on his lips was gentle. Even though the dagger was stuck in the back of his hand and blood was streaming down, he looked as calm as if he felt no pain at all. It was as if to prove that no matter what Renie did, she couldn’t inflict even a single wound on him.

Renie’s body slowly crumbled like a sandcastle swept away by the waves.

But she didn’t look lonely at all. Because the dark fog surrounding him was unbelievably thick.

________________________________________

Inside the chapel, where the rain lashed like a whip, only the severed heads of two men lay chillingly scattered. Curtains, soaked with a liquid that could have been rain or blood, fluttered like undulating waves. On the water-slicked floor, an old bible lay open.

On the very first page, red lettering was spreading like blood.

「Beware the perverse things that disrupt the natural order.

Endure their sweet allure.

Never be deceived by the devil.

For in the end, only the abyss awaits.

-From the Records, Chapter 1 of the Holy Scripture, the Three Commandments Against the Devil」

Thunder and lightning struck. The chilling atmosphere spreading inside the chapel felt exactly like a disaster beloved by evil.