Episode 2

“Ugh… ugh.”

The painful groan jolted Russelin out of her frozen state. She finally focused her gaze on the man lying on the ground. Red magic was seeping out of his body, a sight all too familiar to her.

‘…Is it a magic rampage?’

Russelin knew well what happened when an ordinary human failed to contain unknown magic and experienced a rampage. Her hand trembled instinctively in response to the memories. She had to stay focused. This man wasn’t Aydin Bert. He was simply a man overwhelmed by powerful magic he couldn’t control. Despite thinking this, Russelin couldn’t bring herself to move.

‘Who is this man…?’

She had never seen anyone suffer from a magic rampage other than her husband, Aydin Bert. Aydin had always kept other men—especially those with magic—far away from her. Yet, this man was different from Aydin.

‘Come here, Russelin. You said you’d take everything from me, didn’t you? So bear this pain with me.’

‘Aydin…’

‘It’s painful. It hurts so much. Are you just going to watch your husband suffer? Huh?’

Unlike Aydin, who had dragged Russelin into the vortex of his magic, this man was silently enduring the rampage on his own. He could have easily reached out to her, but he didn’t. Russelin let out the breath she had been holding.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, the man groaning in pain locked eyes with her. His icy blue gaze captured her entirely, and Russelin felt like it was binding her. He didn’t beg for her help, and yet she couldn’t look away. As if mesmerized, Russelin took a step toward him.

“…Ugh!”

But just as quickly, she stopped, letting out a pained gasp. Something as strong as the pull toward the man was holding her back.

‘Do you really think you can survive without me? Who would ever want a half-baked priestess? Huh?’

‘If you don’t want to spend your life being ridiculed for being a half-baked priestess, then live as my wife. Your value is enough just by not going to him.’

“…Aydin.”

She had to admit it. Russelin hadn’t yet escaped Aydin Bert’s shadow. Whenever she tried to break free, his cruel voice held her back. But this time, it was different.

‘If I fall here, the nightmare will begin all over again.’

Being toyed with by her husband, dying at the hands of his mistress—that nightmare was the fate she wanted to escape. Even the faintest resolution was enough to push Russelin forward.

“Can you hear me?”

Her hands trembling, Russelin forced herself to move closer to the man. The closer she got, the stronger the magic flared around him, but she finally knelt down in front of him.

“My god… You’ve been holding this much powerful magic inside yourself….”

“…”

“Stay with me. This forest is dangerous with the magic running wild. We need to leave here first, and then—”

Russelin paused as she reached out to lift the man up.

Clap!

“Ugh!”

The moment their hands touched, his magic surged into her. It was a sensation both familiar and foreign.

When Aydin’s magic overwhelmed her, it felt like it would consume her entirely, wild and destructive. But the magic flowing from this man was different. It felt as though he was suppressing it, holding it back, afraid it would hurt her.

When Russelin slowly raised her head, the man’s piercing gaze met hers. His once fearless eyes began to waver, as if uncertain.

“Move.”

“…You.”

“I said move.”

His voice was strained, as though his magic was about to explode at any moment. But Russelin was sure it wouldn’t consume her.

“Can I… help you?”

As she grasped his large hand with both of hers, the flow of magic intensified. Russelin could feel the red magic slowly overtaking her body, and she squeezed her eyes shut instinctively.

‘There’s nothing you can do, Russelin, you half-baked priestess.’

Can I really help him?

As that doubt crossed her mind, Russelin involuntarily recalled Aydin’s taunts and slowly opened her tear-filled eyes.

“…Don’t.”

The man’s icy blue gaze captured her once again, and Russelin gasped quietly. The trembling in his eyes resembled her own. He, too, was trying so hard to hold on, teetering on the edge.

“Please, let me save you.”

Russelin clung to him, her voice trembling with urgency. Hot tears began to flow down her cheeks.

“…You’re the first.”

“…”

“The first person who’s ever held onto me.”

It didn’t matter whether he had tried to stop her or push her away. For Russelin, just that small gesture was enough.

“…You.”

It was a truth she had never shared with anyone, a genuine feeling from the depths of her heart.

“Why didn’t you just say it was impossible?”

Then I wouldn’t have held on to hope.

There was a stark difference between something being impossible and something being refused. The former was something one had to accept, but the latter was something she could choose to confront. Russelin tightened her grip on the man’s hand.

“So let me take in your magic.”

It was an impulsive decision, but she had no regrets. She wanted to prove not only to Aydin, who had always said a half-baked priestess like her could do nothing, but also to herself, who had believed him.

“I’m the only one who can save you right now.”

“…”

“Even if I’m only a half-baked priestess…”

“Ha…”

She wanted to prove that she could do something. And this man—he held onto her fragile hope. He didn’t reply, but slowly closed his eyes. His silence was an affirmation.

“…Alright.”

Russelin firmly grasped his hand and began to absorb his magic. As the red energy engulfed her small body, she flinched instinctively. But the overwhelming pain she always felt when receiving Aydin’s magic wasn’t there this time.

“Ugh, ugh!”

For a moment, though, a powerful surge of magic shook her body. She faltered, nearly collapsing under the force of it.

“You’re doing well. Just a little more.”

A low voice accompanied a steadying hand that caught her. For a while longer, Russelin remained enveloped in the red magic, unable to break free. She had lost all sense of time when the magic surrounding her finally began to weaken.

“Breathe… slowly.”

“Haa… haa…”

When the volatile magic finally seeped entirely into her, disappearing, Russelin let out a heavy breath. Her body, exhausted from absorbing the magic, felt weighed down, yet strangely light at the same time.

‘A half-baked priestess who could never do anything has saved someone….’

Her heart swelled with emotion as she realized she had finally broken free from Aydin’s chains.

“Lean on me.”

As her body sagged, drained of strength, a steady hand supported her. Slowly, Russelin opened her eyes to see the man who had been lying on the ground now holding her. But even then, her vision blurred, and she couldn’t make out his face clearly.

“You’ll regret ever reaching out to help me.”

“Even if I do…”

There was a strange emotion in his reprimanding tone, but Russelin didn’t waver.

“I still would have saved you.”

“…Do you even understand what you’re saying?”

Feeling as though she might disappear at any moment, Russelin desperately clutched his collar.

“I don’t know who you are, or why I’m doing this.”

“…Then why.”

“But I just felt like I couldn’t let go.”

Finally giving in to her exhaustion, Russelin rested her head against his chest.

“Once was enough to regret letting go…”

It was the first time she had grabbed hold of someone after spending her life being toyed with by Aydin and ultimately meeting her death. Even if it was a foolish hope, she wanted to cling to it.

“I know it’s impossible.”

“…”

“But you were the only one I could hold onto…”

Russelin wasn’t fully aware of what she was saying. Even her desperate grasp weakened, as if she were about to lose hold of him entirely. The man looked down at her with a hint of pity and spoke in an oddly calm tone.

“Is there something you wish for?”

His steady voice carried a profound question, and Russelin, with her half-lidded eyes, raised her head slightly. Beyond her blurry vision, she could just make out his lips moving, though her mind felt as muddled as crushed pudding, making it difficult to think clearly. Perhaps that’s why, without hesitation, she blurted out what was deep in her heart.

“…I want to live.”

I don’t want to die.

I want to escape Aydin’s shackles.

Words she would never have dared to speak under normal circumstances spilled out to a man she had just met. She didn’t know how he would perceive her plea, but there was no more honest truth for her at that moment. As the silence between them stretched on, Russelin’s consciousness began to fade. Just as her vision blurred to its limit and she sensed the end approaching, the man spoke again.

“Remember this day.”

“……”

“…for you will.”

She thought she saw the corners of his red lips curve into a faint smile. He may have said something else, but Russelin didn’t hear it.

* * *

Time passed, though she couldn’t tell how much. Trapped in a pitch-black void, the recent moments felt distant, like a dream she could barely grasp. And yet, for the first time, Russelin found herself wishing this wasn’t a dream. She hoped that the moment of change she had experienced wasn’t just a fleeting illusion. As that hope swelled within her, the suffocating darkness slowly began to lift, giving way to light. When her senses returned and she opened her eyes, her vision was still heavily blurred.

“…Ah.”

But even through the fog of her sight, she felt as though she could see the man standing before her clearly. As if his presence alone pierced through the haze.