Through the pouring rain and the bustling crowd, the woman moved quickly.

‘...Why?’

Even as she walked, she kept asking herself the same question. Why was she running away?

Why, after finally seeing the person she had longed to meet, was she fleeing from him?

‘Why am I doing this?’

She didn’t know. She still didn’t understand.

The moment she locked eyes with him, all she wanted to do was get away.

‘I’m scared.’

Yes, it was fear.

The anxiety and dread that rose to her throat had shattered the mental composure she had tried so hard to maintain.

Why was she so terrified?

The woman tightly closed her eyes.

Calm down.

A voice spoke inside her mind, as if it had been waiting for this moment.

It was the same voice that had guided her for as long as she could remember. She had always referred to the owner of that voice as her "sister."

She had trusted and followed that voice, asking it for guidance whenever she was lost.

‘...Didn’t I ask you not to appear for a while?’

But now, she didn’t trust the owner of that voice anymore.

Are you afraid?

‘...’

Afraid that he won’t recognize you because you’ve changed so much? Is that what scares you?

The woman couldn’t respond to the voice.

She couldn’t say no.

You’re scared, aren’t you?

‘...Don’t talk as if you know everything.’

Who else would know you better than me?

‘That’s exactly why you’re speaking too lightly about it.’

Even as she denied it, the woman bit her lip.

Because deep down, she couldn’t deny it.

The fear of how different she had become compared to when she was by his side.

How would she appear in his eyes now?

That was what frightened her.

And also...

The fear that he might voice his resentment.

Why did you leave without a word?

Why have you changed so much?

The moment she saw his eyes from a distance, those thoughts filled her with dread.

He’s not the type to hold such grudges.

‘I know...’

She knew.

She knew he wasn’t someone who would hold grudges over something like this.

But still...

But still, she couldn’t help but hide her face and run away.

Even though it was what she had longed for so desperately.

Splish.

The rain-soaked streets seemed far behind her now, and before she realized it, she had wandered into the forest.

The crowds of people that had filled the streets, and the noise that had bombarded her ears, were gone.

Only then was she able to breathe again.

“Haa... Haa...”

Panting for breath, the woman thought to herself.

In the end, she hadn’t been able to say a single word.

She had wanted to ask if he was doing well.

But the pathetic version of herself couldn’t even manage that.

All she had done was look at him from afar.

That was all.

‘I tried so hard...’

Leaning against a tree to catch her breath, the woman looked down at her hands.

The soft, delicate hands he had once called beautiful were now covered in calluses.

They were the product of her hard work.

Clench.

She stared at her palms for a moment before curling her hands into fists.

What do you plan to do now?

The voice asked, but she didn’t answer.

What should she do?

[When you step outside, many will pay attention to you.]

That was the last conversation she had with her grandfather before she left.

Although, calling it a conversation wasn’t quite right.

She hadn’t said a word; she had only listened.

[What worries me is that, despite my hopes, you will inevitably step into the outside world. I wish you wouldn’t, but I can’t stop you.]

He could no longer hold her back.

Just as her grandfather had wished, she had followed his lead quietly.

When the seal her grandfather had spoken of was finally complete, the divine spirit had said to her:

[Things won’t be the same as before. Your regained presence will feel unfamiliar, and your weakened vessel will cause you discomfort.]

Just as the divine spirit had foretold.

She had faced countless difficulties.

Her body felt weaker than before, and she struggled to control the unknown energy flowing through her.

The divine spirit had explained it to her:

[Your weakened body is still stronger than most. The energy you now sense is only because we reduced the vastness of your original power, allowing you to feel it.]

So she had asked:

Why bother going through all this?

If her original state was better, why did they need to change it?

To that, the divine spirit had replied:

Your grandfather wants you to live as a human.

What did that mean?

Even now, she didn’t fully understand.

She was human, after all.

She had been born and raised like any other human being, just like the man she held dear in her heart.

She couldn’t understand it, so that night, she had asked the other woman inside her—her other self—about it.

But...

...

Back then, the other woman hadn’t given her any answer.

She had asked, “Am I not human?”

But the other woman hadn’t been able to respond.

Whatever the case, once her unstable energy was sealed, she was finally able to focus on the training she had longed for.

During the day, she trained with her grandfather.

At night, she filled the gaps in her swordsmanship with the help of another.

Was swinging the sword she had wanted to wield for so long enjoyable?

She wasn’t sure.

It would be more accurate to say it left her unmoved.

After all, her reason for learning the sword had always been different.

So she simply swung it without hesitation.

The techniques her grandfather taught her were beautiful.

He called it the Moonlight Sword, because the blade shimmered with moonlight.

The first time...

When she saw her grandfather swing his sword under the moonlight, it had been so beautiful that she was completely captivated.

That beauty was enough to become her motivation.

After six months of swinging her sword with the desire to make it shine like his, the moonlight finally imbued her blade with ease.

Proudly showing it to her grandfather, she remembered the sadness in his eyes as he looked at her.

She never understood why he had that look.

And she didn’t want to know.

After that day, she continued swinging her sword.

Steadily.

Without pause.

She reduced her sleep as much as she could, and for some reason, she no longer felt hunger or cravings for food.

Was it because he wasn’t there?

Or was it, as the divine spirit had suggested, a result of the seal?

She didn’t know whether the seal had also quelled her once-embarrassing appetite.

Then, one day...

When she sensed something different in her body and asked her grandfather about it, he told her she had crossed the wall.

It had only been a little over a year since she had picked up the sword.

When the moonlight finally imbued the blade, and her grandfather confirmed that she had broken through the wall...

Her body began to change.

Her eyes took on a golden hue as if imbued with some kind of energy, and her once-dark brown hair gradually turned gold.

Her body grew quickly, and she no longer looked the same as before.

The chubby cheeks he used to enjoy touching were long gone.

If the people who once knew her had seen her, they wouldn’t have recognized her at all.

She hated that.

If only she still looked the same as before.

So that he could recognize her easily.

Child...

The voice was filled with pity.

It seemed sincere, but...

The woman didn’t believe it.

She had stopped trusting the voice since the night she began dreaming.

Since she realized that the dreams were her memories.

From that moment on, she could no longer trust the woman inside her.

Splish.

The rain that fell through the dense forest soaked through the woman’s thin clothes, clinging to her shoulders.

Even so, she didn’t move.

Her feet felt as though they were weighed down with heavy anchors.

What will you do now? You wanted to see him so badly.

‘...’

She did want to see him.

She longed to see the way he looked at her, and she missed the rough hand that used to pat her on the head.

But...

She just couldn’t find the courage.

‘Will it be alright?’

Even if she faced him like this...

Would it be alright?

The woman was terrified.

As the rain continued to fall and soak her, she bit down hard on her lip.

Fwoosh.

“…!”

Suddenly, she felt heat behind her, and she turned around in shock.

Hiss.

The water on the ground began to evaporate with a sizzling sound as the heat radiated behind her.

When she turned, she saw someone shaking off steam from their body as if they had been running.

“You came all this way to see me, and now you’re running away? Making me chase you like this.”

“…Ah.”

His voice was a little deeper than the last time she heard it.

Even though she had seen him from a distance, it seemed he had grown taller, and his frame had filled out more.

His eyes were still fierce, but when she looked into them and saw the emotions behind them, her chest tightened with warmth.

‘No, I can’t...’

Even as the thought crossed her mind, the woman pulled the hood of her cloak tighter, hiding her face further.

She didn’t want him to see her.

How had he caught up to her?

She had deliberately disappeared into the crowd.

It seemed he had summoned his inner energy to generate heat, causing the water to evaporate from his body.

Had he run that quickly?

His eyes were glowing red, a sign that he had drawn upon his inner energy.

Step.

“…!”

As he took a step toward her, the woman flinched and trembled.

But ignoring her reaction, he continued approaching her without hesitation.

_________________

 

‘She’s gotten thinner.’

That was my first thought upon seeing her again after so long.

Unlike before, her body had become more defined.

And judging by the sword hanging at her waist...

It seemed she really was learning the sword from the Sword Master.

As I took another step closer, she flinched and took a step back.

Seeing that, I spoke first.

“There’s no point running again. I’ll chase you down to the ends of the earth, so just stay still.”

She flinched at my words.

As I thought, she must have been planning to run away again.

But even if she did try to run, I wasn’t going to let her escape.

Whatever it was she was so afraid of, she tried to hide her face even more with her cloak.

“Didn’t you come to see me earlier? Where are you going?”

“...”

There was no response.

But I didn’t mind.

I just kept walking toward her.

“It’s been a while, and you’re not even going to answer? Or do you just not want to talk to me?”

“N-No…”

Her response was brief and curt, but at least I heard her voice.

It sounded a bit more mature than before.

But it wasn’t that different from the voice I remembered.

Before I knew it, I was close enough to touch her. I could see her shoulders trembling, perhaps from the cold.

At the same time, I had to catch my breath internally.

‘Why is she so fast?’

I’d used up half my inner energy just chasing after her.

It wasn’t just that—I had to enhance my senses to locate her, and she ran so quickly that I had to use even more energy just to keep up.

I hadn’t felt this exhausted in a while.

But still...

‘I caught her.’

I had followed her without losing her, and that was all that mattered.

Step.

I took another step closer.

Flinch.

Her shoulders trembled again.

‘What should I ask first?’

Should I ask why she left with nothing but a letter?

Or should I ask how she’s been?

Why she ran the moment she saw me?

Why she’s here?

Why she’s trembling so much? Is she sick?

There were so many things I wanted to ask, but I pushed all those thoughts aside.

Instead, the words that came out of my mouth were something else entirely.

“It’s been a while.”

“…!”

She seemed startled by my words for some reason.

Her trembling shoulders stilled.

I could sense her head slowly turning toward me, as if she was reluctantly meeting my gaze.

“How have you been?”

“A… um…”

Her voice wavered, as if she couldn’t bring herself to answer.

This wasn’t exactly the kind of reunion I had imagined.

“I’ve been doing alright.”

Of course, a lot of things had happened, like various incidents, an engagement, and even gaining the ability to turn others into demons.

But physically, I’d been fine, so that was the truth.

There was a lot more I wanted to say, but I felt that what I’d said was enough for now.

I reached out my hand.

The cold rain was annoying, but I could dry off later.

Slowly, I extended my palm, showing her my hand.

And finally...

Slide.

After hesitating for a long time, her pale hand slowly came up to meet mine. She had wavered for so long, but it didn’t matter in the end.

I gently grasped her hand.

I didn’t hold it too tightly, just enough to cover it with my own.

That was enough.

“Now, can you show me your face? It’s been so long—don’t tell me you’re not going to let me see you?”

I said with a slight smile.

But she still seemed hesitant.

Was she hiding her face because she hoped I wouldn’t recognize her?

If so, she was gravely mistaken.

No matter how much time passed...

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize her.

After a long moment of hesitation, her other hand slowly rose.

Then, she began to pull back the hood that had been covering her face.

Slide.

The fabric gradually lowered, revealing her face bit by bit.

Her eyes, filled with anxiety, met mine, yet she forced herself to hold my gaze.

I couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s been a while.”

I repeated the words I’d said earlier.

This time, I felt like she would truly understand what I meant.

“...”

Hearing this, Wi Seol-ah finally spoke.

“It... has been a while.”

Plop.

Drip...

The sensation of the rain soaking our shoulders began to fade.

It gradually lessened until...

Before we knew it, it had stopped entirely.

The winter rain that had poured down for days...

Had finally come to an end.