Bang! The sound of a door slamming echoed through the mansion.
Maybe I used too much force, as I think I even heard the door creaking ominously, but at that moment, neither Sylvia nor I could afford to worry about something like a door.
We had just realized that the sacred relic could amplify Sylvia’s powers, and it might even improve Yoon Si-woo’s condition.
Our minds were filled with the thought that we had to get to Yoon Si-woo as quickly as possible.
In hindsight, Yoon Si-woo’s room wasn’t that far away, and it wasn’t like he could disappear in that brief moment, so we didn’t really need to rush.
But at that moment, consumed by the thought that we might be able to wake Yoon Si-woo, we had no room for such simple considerations.
Arriving just slightly ahead of Sylvia, I burst open the door to Yoon Si-woo’s room.
Beyond the roughly opened door, Yoon Si-woo lay in his bed unchanged, just as always.
His pale face was still lifeless against the sheets.
“Ugh…”
Seeing him like that, an unexpected wave of anxiety surged through me.
What if Yoon Si-woo didn’t wake up this time either? What if this method proved useless?
“…What’s wrong, Scarlet?”
Just then, Sylvia followed in behind me and spoke up, as if she had sensed my unease. Her voice was a blend of concern and kindness.
Unable to hide my anxiety, I trembled as I replied.
“Sylvia… what if Yoon Si-woo doesn’t wake up this time either? If this method doesn’t work…”
I was scared.
It was a totally valid concern, and that made it even more terrifying.
While I trembled from unease and fear, Sylvia spoke to me.
“Well, what can we do if that happens?”
“…What?”
I could only react with confusion to what Sylvia said.
My mind went blank.
Her answer made it sound like she didn’t care if Yoon Si-woo didn’t wake up.
I had assumed that Sylvia, who was taking care of him in her mansion, would feel that way too—was that not the case?
I never expected Sylvia to be so unfeeling…
In that moment of discontent, I noticed that Sylvia seemed to sense something from my expression and hurriedly added,
“Ah! Please don’t misunderstand. I meant that if this method doesn’t work, we can find another one instead.”
“…Another method?”
“Yes. If this method fails, we can look for another one, and if that fails, we can keep looking. Until we succeed. Scarlet, did you think that if this method didn’t work, you’d give up on waking Yoon Si-woo? Of course not, right?”
Sylvia asked me this with a gentle smile.
Hearing her question made my face flush with embarrassment.
I truly felt foolish.
How could I have thought Sylvia, who was caring for Yoon Si-woo in her own mansion, would think like that? I had been so silly to jump to such a ridiculous conclusion.
Moreover, it was quite pathetic that I was worrying about what would happen if Yoon Si-woo didn’t wake up.
As Sylvia had said, I should have been thinking about how to find another method in case this one failed.
Just as Yoon Si-woo hadn’t given up on saving me even when his body was in tatters, it was only natural that I couldn’t give up on him no matter what happened.
“…Yeah, you’re right. I won’t give up, of course.”
Realizing this, I silently apologized to Sylvia in my heart and answered her.
Perhaps it was due to my experience of losing my precious parents.
Whenever something related to my loved ones came up, I seemed to unconsciously become emotionally shaken.
Yet, knowing the pain and fear of losing someone important to me, I understood all the more that I had to stay strong to protect my loved ones and never lose them again.
Yes, I should solidify my resolve.
Even if Yoon Si-woo still didn’t wake up this time, I wouldn’t lose heart and would keep fighting till the end.
I made that vow, clenching my fists tightly.
Perhaps it was because of this renewed mindset.
The anxiety that had troubled me until just moments ago had quieted down, and my body’s trembling had also ceased.
Noticing my transformation, Sylvia smiled slightly and walked toward Yoon Si-woo, who was still in the room.
As she approached Yoon Si-woo, she carefully raised her right hand and placed it over his body.
Then, holding the sacred relic in her left hand, she opened her mouth softly.
“Alright, I’m going to start. I’ll be pouring all my power into this, so please step back a bit to avoid any adverse effects on you, Scarlet.”
“…Okay, I’m counting on you.”
As I took a few steps back at her words, Sylvia nodded, then took a small breath.
From her hand, a radiant light began to flow toward Yoon Si-woo.
Holy light that shone bright white.
That beautiful light, which even felt divine, slowly flowed from Sylvia’s hand into Yoon Si-woo’s body.
Yet, there was no sign of movement in Yoon Si-woo.
With light pouring into him like this, something should have changed; it was odd that he remained completely unresponsive, as if I were pouring water into a barrel with no bottom.
It was the same response I had seen during Sylvia’s previous healing attempts, but in that moment, Sylvia shouted with a determined expression as if she could defy the odds.
“This time, it will be different!”
At that moment, the light shining from Sylvia’s hand became even brighter than before.
I was spellbound watching that scene unfold.
I realized that the intensifying light coincided with the sacred relic in Sylvia’s hand starting to emit a low resonance.
It felt like the blue light emanating from the relic trembled, merging with Sylvia’s starlit glow to form an even more brilliant beam.
And it was not just a brighter light.
The small flower pot sitting in Yoon Si-woo’s room—when that light touched the plant within it, it instantaneously thrived, blooming beautiful flowers.
Just like when Sylvia had used the power of the World Tree to transform the desolate land into a lush forest in an instant.
The dazzling light swirling within the room was imbued with that kind of vitality.
If this isn’t what’s called a miracle, then what else could be counted as one?
As I beheld that miraculous power, I cautiously brought my hands together.
Closing my eyes, I poured my heartfelt wish into a prayer.
Just as your voice saved me when I was at my most vulnerable.
I hoped that this voice would reach you and that a miracle would occur.
In this moment, I uttered what I longed for more than anything else.
“…Come back, Yoon Si-woo.”
Having softly muttered that, I opened my eyes.
The brilliant light swirling within the room had almost faded.
But,
“…Hmm.”
“…Umm.”
Even though that light had all flowed into Yoon Si-woo’s body, there was still no indication of change.
“…I think… we might have failed. Ugh… I felt quite confident, but…”
Sylvia murmured with a bittersweet smile, visibly downcast.
Though she had just said it was something we couldn’t help if we failed, now that we had indeed failed, she seemed quite disheartened.
Perhaps it was because she had seen her powers in action that made it hurt more.
It was impossible for her not to feel that her own ability had been the reason for the failure.
So, wanting to comfort the dispirited Sylvia, I stepped forward to her.
Suddenly, I heard a sound reminiscent of eggshells cracking from somewhere.
“…Was that sound just now from you, Sylvia?”
“No? It wasn’t me…”
That struck me as odd.
In this room, there were only Sylvia and I capable of making a sound like that.
“Then who made—”
But just as I spoke those words, my head jerked to the side.
If it wasn’t me or Sylvia, then who could’ve made that noise…
“…!”
Turning my head, I let out a silent scream.
Yoon Si-woo’s body was covered in cracks that looked as if it would shatter at any moment.
But, wait.
I quickly realized that those cracks weren’t in his body itself.
The cracking parts were slowly peeling away from Yoon Si-woo’s body.
Only Yoon Si-woo’s skin was cracked.
Crack. Crack.
Like a snake shedding its skin, pieces of cracked skin were slowly falling away from Yoon Si-woo’s body.
With a layer of skin shed, Yoon Si-woo’s body took on a rosy hue.
And, and…
I watched in astonishment, scarcely able to breathe.
I saw his fingers twitch for the first time.
His eyes, which had been shut tightly, slowly opened.
And his tightly sealed lips parted slightly.
“…Ah.”
As if its sound had been trapped for a long time, the boy’s voice emerged, tinged with a metallic echo as he cleared his throat and looked around.
His wide-open eyes reflected the tear-stained face of the girl before him.
While capturing her face in his gaze, the boy’s lips began to move once again.
“…Sorry for making you wait so long.”
He spoke in a soft smile, with a voice that dripped with nostalgia.
“…I’m back.”
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