The parking lot was nothing but a foggy ocean. Si-woo could perceive nothing except his own breathing and the turmoil of power swirling inside his chest. His powers wanted out—they wanted to manifest, to crush their opponent.
Yet Si-woo had the strange feeling that Eun-ji was gone.
He waited two minutes.Three.Five.
It was ridiculous.
He stepped cautiously into the thick fog.
—Eun-ji! he shouted.
A flurry of feathers tore through the mist. They came from his right.Si-woo dodged the attack and pushed deeper into the haze.The chill in the air bit at his skin. He rubbed his arms, trying to get some warmth back.
So she really intended to hide until he froze—or died of boredom.
If only he could get rid of this freezing drizzle…
Si-woo reached out toward the mist, but his absorption power had no effect.In fact, the fog was much denser than he'd expected.Frozen vapors seeped into his lungs.He felt as if stalactites were piercing his throat.
The fog was turning into a snowstorm.
— I can't stay here or I'll end up as a snowman, he muttered through clenched teeth.
A new volley of feathers ripped the sky.He ran—to dodge, and to stay warm.His feet sank inside his sneakers. He really should have worn more than just a jacket.Too busy zipping it up while moving at full speed using his power, he noticed too late what his vision warned him: he was about to crash into a wall.
He blinked, trying to shake off the thought and focus on the zipper—when something solid slammed against the top of his head as he lowered it.
Dazed, it took him a moment to realize it wasn't a wall in front of him.
It was a mirror.
A distorted reflection smiled at him. Taller. Thinner. His pale copy looked ready to snap like a twig. Tears streamed down its cheeks and froze on its chin as frost. Si-woo almost wanted to reach out—to warm him, to comfort him.But he couldn't.Instead, he stuck out his tongue.
— You're pathetic, he said coldly. Stop crying and move, or you'll freeze to death.
The figure in the mirror widened its tearful eyes—then shattered completely in a silent scream.The mirror followed suit. Shards of glass flew toward Si-woo. He didn't have time to activate his shield before the fragments tore through his clothes. He dodged one piece just in time—it grazed his cheek. Another embedded itself in his leg.
— Bastard! he shouted, yanking it out.
A spurt of blood splashed across the snow-covered parking lot. Feathers answered his insult. This time, with his leg injured, dodging them was much harder—even with his super speed. He activated his shield. The feathers bounced off and returned to their sender like boomerangs. Eun-ji probably didn't like that. At least, that's what Si-woo imagined—because the wind rose again. This time, it pushed him in a specific direction—toward a wall of ice.
He resisted as best he could, but his injured leg was growing numb twice as fast. His hands and arms were frozen stiff; he couldn't feel his face or lips anymore. A violent gust hurled him against the wall, his back almost breaking the ice mirror. He struggled to catch his breath after the impact—then hands emerged from the reflection and wrapped around his throat.
— Eun-ji, he croaked, stop!
A warped laugh told him it wasn't her.The voice was far too deep.Far too cruel.
He twisted his neck until he saw the new enemy. His own face—split in two—fit together like a container with the wrong lid. A distorted smile stretched up to its ears.
— You're pathetic! You must die!
Jagged teeth clashed against its tongue as it spoke.Was that how Eun-ji saw him? A coward—or a monster?
The grip of his double tightened. Si-woo felt his windpipe tremble under the pressure.
— Die, you worthless trash, hissed the apparition.
The hairs on his neck stood on end, and Si-woo desperately hoped it was from the cold. If he gave in to fear now, it was over.He'd never escape this place.
Then he realized something—the pain from his leg wound was fading. A glance downward confirmed his fear: his legs were now encased in blocks of ice. His breathing grew shorter. The freezing cold bit him from every direction. The silhouette of his double stretched and flipped upside down until it was face-to-face with him. Its twisted grin turned into a sneer. Its eyes were white—empty of everything except the urge to kill. The hands around his throat felt as solid as the ice imprisoning his legs. With each ragged breath, the pressure increased.
— I'll end the suffering of a miserable rat like you, the creature whispered.
Its curled lips brushed against Si-woo's jaw like a predator savoring its prey.
Si-woo clawed at the air, desperately trying to pry himself free—but the more he struggled, the deeper the ice bit into him. The grip around his neck tightened with every second. His double was pulling him into the ice—into the nightmare. His thoughts spun at lightning speed, searching for a way out—for anything.He wasn't that thing… was he?
He forced himself to take a deep breath, fighting the panic rising in his chest.
— This is just an illusion… a mirage created by Eun-ji, he whispered to himself.
Whatever spell she was using—it was powerful.She had fused an ice storm with psychological warfare, trapping her opponents both mind and body. The image of frozen meat stored in a freezer flashed through his mind.No way in hell that was going to happen to him.
That rebellious thought stirred something deep inside his chest.His power.
He still had some of his Master abilities—some he'd bought, others he'd stolen from Doctor Kim and Il-seong.
There was one he'd never used before: Sacred Fire.
Si-woo looked down at his fingers with hesitation.He was the son of a firefighter.What he was about to do went against everything his father had taught him.
He could still hear the man's voice echoing in his head :
— Si-woo, fire is the best tool we have—but if you misuse it, it becomes the most destructive of all disasters.
I'm sorry, Dad…
Si-woo poured all his despair and frustration into his hands. His anger exploded into a beam of multicolored flames—red first, then blue, then green, yellow, and orange.
He had never seen anything so beautiful. The sight alone warmed his heart—and the rest of his body.
— Nooooo!
He turned—and there it was: his double, melting before his eyes. A volley of feathers rained down again, but this time Si-woo didn't run. He intensified the fire in his hands and pointed both palms at the ground. The blast launched him into the sky. Using his shield, he deflected the incoming projectiles. Above the mist, he finally saw Eun-ji clearly—hovering in the air like an angel.
Her eyes widened in shock as Si-woo emerged from the fog. She clasped her hands, ready to begin another summoning dance—but he didn't give her the chance. Si-woo raised his arm and summoned a massive fireball. He hurled it straight at her.
For a moment, he almost wanted to shout "Kamehameha!"But the idol's scream stopped him.
— AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Eun-ji dove into the dissipating storm. Si-woo followed, falling through the thinning snow.
The ground caught them both. The snow softened the impact.
Eun-ji's wings were nothing but scorched flesh now. She was crying—sobbing through her screams of pain. Si-woo took a step toward her.Then another—limping on his injured leg.The pain was flaring again, pulsing up through every nerve in his body.
When Eun-ji saw him approach, she shrank back, trembling hands pressed against her chest.Her body dragged through the snow, leaving streaks of brown and red behind. The once-pure white had mixed with mud—and blood Si-woo recognized as his own. That realization pushed him to use his super speed despite the pain. In an instant, he was standing over her—towering above her fallen form.
— You wanted to make me your enemy? he said coldly. I'll grant your wish.
— No, wait—!
Si-woo clamped a hand over her mouth. His nails dug into her cheeks, making it clear he wasn't joking anymore. Rage fueled his divine fire—it seeped from his pores, melting the ice Eun-ji tried to summon to shield her face.
She was crying.He was smiling.
The frost on her skin evaporated under his flames, returning weaker each time. Eun-ji could feel her strength leaving her body, her limbs going numb against his chest. Just before the fire could scar her beyond repair, Si-woo extinguished it and released her. Eun-ji collapsed to the ground like a rag doll.
— I've confiscated your Master powers, Si-woo said calmly. If you want them back, grant me a meeting—so we can talk.
Eun-ji weakly lifted her eyes toward him.
— When… and where?
A quiet sigh escaped Si-woo's lips.
He'd done it.At last, a Master would tell him the truth about what was really happening behind the Systems.