Woooooosh—
A massive sphere hovered high above the sky.
Pushing through the clouds, exuding a dark, ominous energy…
I’d never seen it in person, but I was sure of what it was.
A Gate.
The doorway of catastrophe that once threatened the world.
‘Why is that here…?’
Was I dreaming?
Just moments ago, I was performing on stage.
The scene reminded me of the dream I had after that car accident, right before entering CYB.
That time too, everything around me was engulfed in flames…
But unlike the dream, what unfolded before my eyes now had an eerie sense of realism.
The flames hadn’t gone out.
Buildings had collapsed.
Screams rang out from every direction.
Corpses lay sprawled like trash on the roadside.
‘What the hell is going on?’
I started walking without thinking.
Even though I hadn’t meant to move, my feet moved on their own.
As if my body was guiding me somewhere.
“Damn it!”
A man cursed as he rushed past me.
He wore a practical, black set of armor.
In his hand was a bastard sword, glowing faintly with a blue aura.
A Hunter.
I was sure of it.
I’d learned about them in school.
Standard-issue equipment given to Hunters from Jeju Island.
The Hunter passed me and took a battle stance.
“Damn it! There’s no end to them!”
He shouted desperately as monsters began to surround him.
All I could do was stand there in a daze.
Krrrk!
Krrrkkk!
They stood only half the height of an adult male.
Covered in brown leather-like skin.
A horde of goblins growled as they encircled the Hunter.
“I’ll kill you all! Come at me!”
The Hunter shouted.
The goblins simply giggled and watched him.
And then—
BOOM—!
A deafening roar echoed.
The ground shook beneath me.
Boom— BOOOM—!
‘What is that…?’
I turned toward the sound.
“Th-that’s…?!”
I nearly collapsed in shock.
A massive writhing mass of tentacles.
That was the only way to describe the grotesque form before me.
It was something that couldn’t possibly exist in this world.
It slithered closer, dozens of legs twisting grotesquely.
It looked like the corrupted trees scattered across Jeju Island.
“…You, you are…”
The Hunter looked up at the beast and spoke.
No—he was looking at the figure standing on top of the monster.
“The Prince of the Otherworld, Abr—!!”
But before he could finish—
Shhk—!!
A tentacle pierced straight through his body.
“Gahh!!”
Blood gushed from his mouth, and his body went limp.
“H-hey! Are you okay?!”
I instinctively ran toward the Hunter.
Thud!
A giant tentacle slammed down, blocking my path.
<…Hmm.>
Suddenly, a voice rang out from above the monster’s head.
<My steed, bring that boy closer. I wish to see him more clearly.>
…That voice sounded familiar.
The monster bent its body low.
And then I saw the figure standing atop it.
Wearing a crown embedded with ominous jewels.
He resembled a human, yet something about him felt entirely not human.
And…
He looked like someone I knew.
But I couldn’t place who.
Still, I was sure of his identity.
“The Prince of the Otherworld…”
<You know of me?>
“I don’t know you. But you’re pretty famous.”
<Is that so? And who are you? Why are you in this space?>
“I…”
I couldn’t answer.
It wasn’t the time for introductions.
But Abrilah didn’t seem to expect one. He spoke again.
<Return. This is not a place for you.>
‘Not a place for me…?’
What did he mean?
And more importantly—why hadn’t he killed me yet?
Obviously, I was weaker than the Hunter who had just died.
I had no weapon. No armor.
I couldn’t even ask The Star Hated by All for help.
All I had was…
The Violin of Tainted Blood.
An artifact of relic-tier power that couldn’t even kill a single monster.
<You do not know how to return?>
Abrilah asked.
“And what if I don’t?”
Abrilah smiled.
…It was a gentle smile.
<This place is my hell. An endless inferno that burns the earth and slaughters all that lives… a true Mu-gan (無間), a realm of ceaseless suffering.>
“…You died on Jeju Island, didn’t you?”
<Yes. I am dead. This is all an illusion.>
“An illusion?”
<You’ve entered a world forged from the resentful memories of the departed.>
Step.
Abrilah descended from the massive beast and stood beside me.
<That instrument… it’s been a while.>
He gazed at the Violin of Tainted Blood.<I once heard that its melody draws in spirits.>
Right.
[There is a rumor that the melody played by the Violin of Tainted Blood attracts spirits.]
That was in the description window for the artifact.<That must be why you ended up here.>
Nodding, Abrilah looked out over the burning land.
<This place was formed from the twisted emotions of those I slaughtered. Their spirits dwell in an eternal nightmare—forever reliving the moment they died by my hand. I am simply the Abrilah they remember—a phantom shaped by their memories.>
And then, he smiled.<A phantom who realizes he is a phantom. Existing in a phantom world. That is what I am.>
‘Then… could it be?’
Only the one who dreams a nightmare can speak of it.
Only the frightened can recount their fears.
The Abrilah before me wasn’t the real one—but a powerful memory conjured by the spirits he had slain.
And yet, so powerful was his existence that even this illusion retained its own will.
‘That’s insane…’
To form an ego just from the memories of the dead?
How powerful was this guy?
Well, Muddorok was a monster that didn’t even have a concept of death…
It was only thanks to The Star Hated by All that we could handle him.
“…What are you going to do with me?”
I stammered, and Abrilah smiled.<This hell is not your domain. I will return you beyond the nightmare.>
…He’s just letting me go?
“Wait…”
I said.
“You’re Abrilah, right?”
<I am. Though I now dwell in the nightmares of those I’ve slain.>
“But if you really wanted to… you could come back, couldn’t you?”
<No. That is impossible.>
“Why?”<Because I no longer have a soul. I am powerless. I exist only to endlessly slaughter those who remember me as a monster.>
“Then where did your soul go? Hell?”
According to The Star Hated by All, Abrilah’s energy detected on Hallasan had vanished suddenly.
…Was it his soul that disappeared?<I do not know.>
“Why not?”<Because it happened after I died.>
“You’re not curious?”
<I committed countless sins. Even if my soul were torn to pieces and rotted away, I would not resent it.>
‘…He sounds almost at peace.’
Why?
Muddorok was still consuming spiritual energy from the sea…
“…Just one more question.”
This was what I most wanted to ask.
“Why is this place your hell? You burned everything, killed people. Isn’t this basically a playground for you?”
<Once, all of this brought me glory.>
Abrilah approached the Hunter’s corpse.
He reached out—
Shhh—
And the corpse crumbled into dust.
<…But no longer.>
“No longer? Now you say that?”
I clenched my fists.
I remembered what I saw at the Coastal Wharf in Incheon.
…The spirits wailing in agony.
Their resentment couldn’t be erased by simple regret.
<The Demon God sought to conquer the human world—to forge a new home, for hell was barren. I joined him in that cause. You, as a human, must understand. Humans kill insects, fell trees, pollute the sea—to build a world they can live in. Are you not such a species?>
“…T-that’s—”
I opened my mouth, but no words came.<I do not blame your kind.>
He placed a hand on my head.
<I just wish… to blame myself. For eternity. In this place.>
Ssshhhhh—
A dark red light seeped from his hand.
<It’s laughable. That even as a phantom formed from nightmares, I still have strength left in me.>
Abrilah’s body began to fade.
<Goodbye, human.>
His voice grew faint.<How regretful.>
<To think I felt a familiar magic in you, only to meet a stranger…>
Shhhh—
<…Or perhaps not a stranger.>
My vision faded.
I heard Abrilah’s voice faintly.
<…I was drawn to one chosen by the king.>
And then—nothing.
Murmurs.
The audience buzzed in confusion.
Everyone looked alarmed.
Just as Team Gravity’s performance ended, Ryu Eunyul suddenly collapsed on stage.
Madojin caught him just in time.
Holding Eunyul in his arms, Madojin looked down at his face, stunned.
Then, with a stiff expression, he looked back at the others for help.
But they were equally lost.
Kim Jungho and Lee Hamin were out of breath, staring back at Madojin.
Jeong Noeul was—
‘That’s…’
He was staring at the faint blue flames flickering around Ryu Eunyul.
‘…A will-o’-the-wisp?’
The traces of a spirit in the form of glowing flames.
They floated around Eunyul.
Meanwhile, Chaeya and the other judges had one fleeting thought:
‘Is this part of the concept…?’
And honestly, it wouldn’t have been too strange.
It fit the vibe of their stage.
It took a while before they realized it was a real emergency.
“Call the medics to the waiting room.”
Chaeya turned to the staff.
There were medical personnel on standby, just in case.
The staff moved swiftly and quietly, avoiding attention from the audience.
The stage dimmed.
Aiden and Chaeya locked eyes and nodded.
A spotlight landed on Aiden.
Clap clap—!!
He stood, clapping.
“Fantastic! That last performance was especially striking. What did you all think? Watching Team Gravity brought back memories of what happened on Jeju Island….”
While Aiden kept the audience focused, Chaeya gestured toward the team.
‘Hurry and exit!’
Lee Hamin caught the signal and turned to the others.
“Now’s our chance—let’s go. Dojin! Can you carry Eunyul like that?”
Madojin didn’t respond.
His face trembled as he asked:
“…Is Eunyul dead?”
“Don’t jinx it, man!”
Lee Hamin swatted his back and whispered.
Team Gravity began heading backstage.
“There are medics in the waiting room! Take him there!”
A staffer rushed over to guide them.
As the team hurried away, Jeong Noeul looked elsewhere.
The will-o’-the-wisp was drifting toward the dorms.
‘Where’s it going?’
The question didn’t linger.
‘…The 7th floor recording studio.’
He’d heard whispers that it was haunted.
Most contestants avoided it.
‘Right under our noses, huh…’
Jeong Noeul bit his lip.
He had meant to check it out eventually, but tending to the wandering souls on Jeju had taken priority.
Besides, the dorms were full of cameras. It wasn’t easy to move unnoticed.
‘For some reason… Eunyul-hyung is drawing in spirits.’
Most of the spirits in Jeju were vengeful…
‘He must’ve collapsed from the weight of their resentment.’
Now that he was out of range, he should be safe.
But the guilt didn’t go away.
‘…Sorry, Eunyul-hyung. I should’ve acted sooner…’
Jeong Noeul brushed his hair back.
「Crown of the Prince of the Otherworld, Abrilah」—
He murmured.
「…Use.」
And the crown materialized in his hand.
He placed it on his head.
Felt its weight.
And took off running.
Tap!
Chasing after the will-o’-the-wisp.
Little Pink Starfish 
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