Uijae stared blankly at the severed head as if it were covered by a hazy film. The eyes that gazed back at him were dull and lifeless, devoid of the energy they once held. These were the eyes of a dead man. The face that had once shyly offered him a potion or eagerly ordered more hangover soup was long gone.

Yet, Uijae couldn’t tear his gaze away from the face. He struggled to find any trace of the person he once knew in the lifeless features before him.

‘Why?’

His mind was spinning, unable to grasp the situation. The …