"...I don't quite remember what happened next.

I regained consciousness only after black chains had tightly bound me. Uijae blinked his eyes as he knelt on the hot ground. It was so hot and dry that it was hard to breathe—eyes, nose, mouth, throat. He looked around. A circle of bright red flames surrounded him.

'It's so hot...'

Sweat dripped down his jaw. Ash and sparks flew around. Tick, tick, scarlet sparks landed right in front of his knees and fizzled out. Uijae lifted his head. Beyond the shimmering haze, three people were standing. It was Honeybee, Matthew, and Jeong Bin. The sharp tip of a rapier was pointed precisely at Uijae. Their conversation was a faint murmur.

"...It's okay, he's tied up properly..."

"If he acts up again..."

"As long as he's chained, he can't."