TPOP 96

Chapter 96

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It was a scene that visually evoked immense terror.

Despite having lived surrounded by blood and corpses for over a decade, Felix had never witnessed a sight as shocking as the one now unfolding before his eyes.

The woman stood at the edge of the ragged rock. 

Her long, soaked, wheat-colored hair whipped mercilessly in the fierce wind. Her emaciated body was clad in a shabby man's coat, itself soaked through to a deep, dark color. She stood with her back to him, her shoulders, wrapped in the coat, appearing far more frail than usual.

On the way up here, along the riverbank cutting through the forest, he had discovered several corpses of sturdy men.

Bloodstains had already been washed away by the rain, but the marks where bodies had been pierced through remained clearly visible on the corpses. Nowhere did it look like a sword wound. The round holes, as if punched out with a cylindrical mold, were too bizarre to be the work of human hands. Blood and organs poured out in streams through the torn holes.

The petite woman was nowhere to be found nearby. Yet, instinct guided Felix.

Diana had always wanted to venture deep into the forest.

Following the riverbank endlessly into the forest led to a fork in the path, one heading up the valley and the other down. He couldn't explain why, but Felix chose the upward slope without hesitation.

His hunch proved spot on. Above the valley, where dark clouds poured rain and thunderclaps occasionally shook the earth, she stood.

There was no path before Diana. Only empty air. His heart lurched when Diana, standing at the cliff's edge, staggered. He couldn't be sure if his shout had reached her.

"Diana, stop."

His voice came out hoarse and strained. She had keen hearing. She must have heard Felix's voice, yet she didn't turn around.

"It's okay now. You were scared. Now, now..."

The words tangled in his mouth. The surroundings had brightened slightly, yet the moon still hid behind the clouds.

Felix's cloak and trouser legs were muddy from racing up the dirt mountain path. He approached her, unbuttoning the funeral attire beneath his cloak. He hadn't wanted to put Diana in black, but the cloak was soaked through, leaving him no choice.

At that moment, Diana slowly turned. As if it were some signal, Felix faltered. Her pale green eyes, suspended in the air, trembled as much as his own hands.

"Is there something you haven't told me?"

"What?"

"Something... you're hiding from me."

Her voice was a whisper. Yet, the sound that pierced the damp air carried a mysterious resonance. As if struggling to breathe, Diana's shoulders trembled violently as she forced out the words.

"Is there? If there is—."

"No."

Felix cut in impatiently. Diana’s face turned as white as someone on the verge of fainting.

“Since there isn’t, come here. It’s dangerous over there.”

As Felix took a step forward, Diana retreated exactly the same distance. A wet clump of earth fell down the cliff.

“……!”

The heavy rain had made the ground itself unstable. A bad feeling flashed through Felix's mind. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was. Only that it was deeply ominous, something that absolutely must not happen.

"...Diana."

Even with her keen senses, she was blind. If she misstepped... It would be hard to keep her balance in this sticky mud, and then... The chilling possibility of what might happen sent a shiver down his spine.

Felix took another step forward. But Diana stumbled backward again. Her trembling knees blocked his path. He couldn't advance, nor could he retreat. She held the knife handle.

"You're not hiding anything?"

Diana muttered hollowly, staring into the void. Their gazes clashed more sharply than ever before.

An invisible wall stood between them. An intense sense of disconnection, unlike anything he'd ever felt, made the world tilt violently. He knew he had to say something, anything, right now. But he had no idea what answer Diana wanted. Hidden? Hidden? Him? What did he hide… Ah.

Felix’s lips slowly parted.

Just as he strained his throat to force out a hoarse voice, Diana burst into a sharp laugh. It wasn’t loud, but it lingered. Mixed with the rain, her laughter sounded almost like sobbing.

“I see…”

A lie. She began sobbing, unable to breathe.

Her thin shoulders shook. Rain-mixed tears streamed down Diana's distorted face, leaving it wet. He must wipe those tears away. First, he must take her somewhere else, somewhere safe, and then—.

"I'm not an object."

She gasped and muttered.

"I don't belong to anyone... and certainly not to you."

"Yes, I know."

Felix blurted out anxiously, not even aware of the words leaving his mouth. An intuition he didn't want to believe unsettled him.

A fierce storm raged through the valley. She must have known she stood at the cliff's highest point, must have felt the ground trembling beneath her feet, yet Diana showed no sign of fear.

Perhaps she had raced up this treacherous mountain path to come here from the start. If that was Diana's destination, why?

Lightning struck deep into the valley below. Diana vanished in an instant, swallowed by a brilliant white flash. His heart plummeted endlessly. His hands, unable to reach her, trembled helplessly.

The vibrations radiating from where Diana stood felt ominous. The bare patch of earth, stripped of trees, seemed ripe for collapse under the torrential rain.

"I know, so just stay put. Don't move a single step, Diana!"

His final shout was drowned out by the thunder that followed.

Diana, head bowed, looked up at the left side of the sky, following the direction the thunder had come from. Her unfocused, pale green eyes searched the distant sky.

"You..."

The strength drained from Diana's hand as she gripped the hem of her coat with all her might.

"You know nothing."

He had lied to her three times already.

He had broken his promise to save her, deceived her by saying nothing had happened in the forest, and concealed the cause of her pain.

And just now, one more lie had been added. While denying the things he had hidden from her.

What could she possibly call this emotion welling up inside her? Hate? Anger? No… none of it. The utter despair rising to her throat left her speechless.

Misery. Yes, this was misery. The misery born from the fact that, in the end, she had never been respected as a human being here.

Diana buried her face in her hands and breathed heavily.

"You don't... know anything."

So now was indeed the time to leave.

Unable to wait any longer for Diana's answer, Felix hastily took a step forward. Diana heard the sound of approaching footsteps crushing the damp earth. She couldn't tell what expression he wore. She probably never would. So she remained free.

"You're a terrible person."

The approaching footsteps faltered.

"I'm glad... I don't know your face."

A sound like pent-up breath bursting out.

Diana turned away from her demon. And threw herself with all her strength toward the freedom before her.

But at the same moment, Felix reached out his hand. Perhaps he too had guessed why she stood here. The moment Felix clenched his teeth and grabbed Diana's waist, the ground beneath them shook violently. A crack split between them. This was no longer just an auditory hallucination.

The ground Diana stood on sank sharply downward. Felix barely caught her slipping hand.

"Your Highness!"

Shouts erupted simultaneously. But they were soon drowned out by the pounding of hearts. He had her. Diana's small hand was caught in his right hand, stretched out over the cliff.

The shoe Diana had been holding tumbled over the edge. It vanished into the mist in an instant, becoming nothing more than a speck. Her feet, finding no foothold, dangled in the air.

Lifting a woman as light as Diana required only one arm. Yet, the hand Felix held showed no strength whatsoever.