CHAPTER 40
Sihyun's footsteps echoed against the stone floor as he closed the distance, his aura radiating heat like a furnace. Yuhyun tried to push himself back, but his body ached, too weak to move fast enough.
Sihyun crouched down and without hesitation, his fingers tangled harshly into Yuhyun's hair.
"Ahh—!"
Yuhyun grunted, pain shooting through his scalp as his head was yanked back.
Sihyun's glowing eyes bore into him, merciless. His voice was a low hiss, laced with venom.
"It's too bad, Yuhyun… that you're not wearing the enchanted pendant I gave you for protection. If you had—maybe you'd stand a chance against me right now."
Yuhyun's blood ran cold. His chest heaved, each breath sharp and ragged. For the first time, the thought struck him like lightning—he might actually kill me.
Before Sihyun could tighten his grip, Yuhyun's trembling hand darted inside his sleeve. With a sudden cry, he pulled out the small pocket knife he had kept hidden.
"Get over yourself, Sihyun!"
he shouted, slashing upward.
The blade sliced across Sihyun's cheek, leaving a thin line of blood.
Sihyun's grip faltered as he let out a sharp growl of pain, staggering back slightly. But the brief reprieve only lasted a second before his fury ignited fully.
His face twisted with rage as he grabbed Yuhyun's hair again, yanking him up with brutal force. Yuhyun gasped, barely able to stay upright, when suddenly—
Smash!
Sihyun slammed Yuhyun's face down onto the edge of the study table.
Blood splattered across the wood.
"Ahhh!"
Yuhyun's cry tore through the room.
But Sihyun wasn't done. His fury was relentless, his hand pressing harder, smashing Yuhyun's face down again. And again.
"Dare to cut me?!"
Sihyun roared, his voice nearly unrecognizable.
"Do you have a death wish, Yuhyun?! Is that what you want?!"
The room shook faintly with the surge of his unstable power, and the sight of Sihyun—the brother Yuhyun had spent his whole life protecting—had transformed into something monstrous.
The heavy slam of Yuhyun's face against the table rattled through the chamber walls, loud enough to reach the ears of the two guards outside. Exchanging worried looks, they burst through the doors, swords drawn.
What they saw froze them on the spot.
Lord Sihyun, with eyes glowing faintly and blood streaking down his cheek, had his elder brother's hair fisted tightly in his grasp. Yuhyun's face was smeared with blood, lips parted as he gasped for air, his trembling hands clawing weakly at his brother's wrist.
The guards stiffened, pointing their blades forward.
"Lord Sihyun!"
one of them shouted, voice unsteady.
"We command you to halt—by the King's orders!"
Slowly, Sihyun raised his head, his expression eerily calm despite the scene. A faint, chilling smile curved across his lips.
"Oh, don't worry,"
he said sweetly, though his tone dripped with mockery.
"We're just having… a little brotherly fight."
To emphasize his words, he yanked Yuhyun's hair violently upward, forcing the bloodied face into view. Yuhyun groaned in pain, his eyes half-lidded, barely able to hold himself up.
"Right, brother?"
Sihyun whispered close to Yuhyun's ear, his smile widening as he waited for an answer.
But Yuhyun couldn't speak. His mouth opened soundlessly, his chest heaving. Desperation filled his gaze as he glanced past Sihyun—at the guards. His bloodied fingers twitched slightly, signaling them, begging them wordlessly to get help.
The guards exchanged a horrified glance. The thought struck them both: If Lord Sihyun could do this to his own twin, what chance did anyone else have?
Sihyun's gaze snapped back to them, his voice
turning sharp.
"If you don't want to be mixed up in this,"
he said coldly,
"I suggest you back away. Quietly."
A suffocating pressure filled the chamber, as if daring them to test him.
Fear overtook reason. The two guards lowered their swords almost instantly, bowing with trembling hands before retreating toward the door.
"Yes, my lord…"
one of them stammered, voice breaking.
They turned and all but fled the chamber, leaving the twins alone once more.
The room fell silent again—except for Yuhyun's ragged breaths and the drip of his blood onto the floor.
Sihyun leaned close to Yuhyun's battered face, his fist still knotted in his hair. His lips curved into something half–smile, half–snarl.
"You're almost out of breath,"
he whispered, voice soft but venomous.
"What should I do with you, hm?"
Before Yuhyun could gather the strength to answer, a sharp voice cut through the tension.
"I say you let him go."
Both twins' eyes shifted. Taejin stood at the doorway, sword raised and pointed squarely at Sihyun. His jaw was set, but his knuckles were pale around the hilt.
Sihyun's gaze darkened.
"So… the general's son thinks he can play hero."
"Try me,"
Taejin said coldly, though his chest heaved.
"I know how to use a sword."
A curse slipped from Sihyun's lips. His grip finally loosened, shoving Yuhyun down to the floor like discarded cloth. Yuhyun hit the ground with a heavy thud, gasping and choking, his chest rising in uneven spasms.
Sihyun's gaze lifted back to Taejin.
"I see. You want to take his place?"
Before Taejin could blink, his sword was ripped from his grasp—whistling through the air before embedding into the wall with a violent clang. His eyes widened, horror spreading across his face.
Sihyun vanished. In the same instant, he reappeared directly before Taejin. The prince's childhood friend barely had time to flinch before Sihyun's hand clamped around his arm. With a vicious twist, bone snapped.
"Aaagh!"
Taejin's scream tore through the chamber. His knees buckled, his free hand clutching the broken limb.
But Sihyun didn't release him. His golden eyes gleamed unnaturally bright, his breathing heavy, wild.
"You dared point steel at me…"
he hissed, twisting harder as Taejin cried out again.
Sihyun's grip only tightened, bone grinding and cracking under his strength. Taejin screamed, sweat pouring down his face as he writhed in agony.
Then—suddenly—the pendant at Taejin's chest began to glow.
Sihyun froze, eyes narrowing. What—?
Before he could release Taejin, light burst outward. A radiant blade of magic exploded from the pendant, manifesting into a glowing sword. It pierced straight through Sihyun's stomach with a blinding flash, shoving him backwards violently.
"—!"
Sihyun choked, the air leaving his lungs.
Glass shattered as his body was hurled through the window, the sword still impaled through his abdomen. He hit the ground outside with a bone-jarring crash, the blade's glow burning brighter as it buried deeper into his flesh.
A ragged groan escaped his lips. Blood spurted from his mouth, trickling down his chin as he coughed, the pool spreading beneath him. His hands clawed at the weapon, but the blade didn't fade. The wound refused to knit shut, the enchanted steel anchoring itself into his very core.
Inside, Taejin stood wide-eyed, clutching his broken arm with his good hand, chest heaving in shock.
"Th-that pendant… he gave it to me…"
Before he could gather his thoughts, footsteps thundered into the chamber.
Muwon was first, his expression grim. Dohyun stumbled in behind him, breathless.
"Taejin, what—"
Muwon started, but his voice cut off as his gaze swept the room.
Yuhyun lay crumpled on the floor, gasping faintly, his body trembling.
Muwon didn't need words. The sight alone was enough. He rushed to Yuhyun, kneeling and gathering him gently into his arms, his eyes wide with anguish.
"…Sihyun."
The name left his lips as a whisper, heavy with both anger and fear.