24 Hearts – Chapter 28

At that moment, the world was dyed in ash-gray. Like rain pouring down, the grayness flowed from nowhere, swallowing every color in its path. The candlelight that had blazed brightly, the moonlight streaming through stained glass, and even the light Gabriel had unleashed. All of it was consumed by the ash-gray hue.

In this gray-tinted world, time came to a halt. The flickering flame froze in place, and the beam of light hurtling toward a heart stopped midair, as if caught in a lie. It felt like watching an old black-and-white film in a theater.

Yuda stared with his eye widened, at the incomprehensible scene. Yet even though time had stopped, the abnormalities in his body remained. He could still breathe, but he couldn’t move. His consciousness was fading. Through dimming awareness, he saw a stranger step forward.

Who is that?

As darkness swallowed his vision, Yuda lost consciousness. The man raised a hand and caught the light aimed at Yuda’s heart in his palm. In that instant, the world regained its colors, and time began to flow again.

The light danced against the man’s palm. When he closed his hand around it, the beam collapsed into nothing. With a casual flick of his wrist, as if brushing away dust, he turned to Gabriel with a faint smirk. The mockery in his expression was unmistakable.

“Gabriel. Trying to ruin what I’ve worked so hard to build, all this time? Even if it wasn’t intentional, you’re far too bold. Or maybe just full of yourself.”

He spoke to her in a casual, familiar tone. Gabriel stared back in disbelief, her lips trembling. Her blue-tinged eyes wavered, unable to hide her emotions. The man who had just saved Yuda’s life let out a low chuckle, clearly amused.

“Sian!”

Her voice sounded strained, almost forced. The First Ruler, Sian. For him to appear here of all places.

Sian’s gaze twitched as it settled on Gabriel. How insolent, calling his name without permission. The smirk faded from his face, replaced by a cold, hardened expression.

“I don’t recall ever giving you permission to use my name.”

“Ugh!”

He hadn’t summoned any particular magic. It was just a shift in his expression, yet Gabriel flinched, instinctively raising her magical energy in defense. Her reaction wasn’t overly sensitive. Sian was simply too unpredictable, and letting her guard down around him was unthinkable.

Even as a Holy King with immense power, she was nothing against Sian on her own. To stand a chance, it would take three Holy Kings combining their strength, backed by every Apostle just to land a single blow. And even then, being beaten to the brink of death afterward was inevitable. Perhaps finding her reaction amusing, Sian laughed as if nothing had happened, his expression shifting like a mask.

“Haha! Not very befitting of someone seated as a Holy King. I’m enjoying this, but is it really okay for you to fear me this much? I may be a Ruler, but you’re still a Holy King.”

“…Indeed. I can’t fathom why the Creator granted such immense power to an evil being like you. It’s almost resentful.”

“Resentful? Did I hear that right?”

Sian tilted his head. The word “resentful” had clearly slipped into her voice and lodged in his ears. Resentment toward the Creator, no less.

“You’ve got the nerve to joke with me? I’m impressed.”

“Joke? Why would you think that? Is there some reason I shouldn’t resent Him? He’s long since stopped caring about this world. It’s no different from being abandoned.”

Sian’s expression darkened.

“From what I’m hearing, you’ve truly lost all fear. A mere creation, even one seated as a Holy King, dares to resent the Creator— and right in front of me?”

An ominous magical energy flowed from Sian, constricting Gabriel’s body like invisible chains.

“Ha, isn’t this the perfect place to die, Gabriel?”

The grand temple, bathed in moonlight streaming through the stained glass, stood silent around them.

The vast chapel stood silent, empty save for the faint glow of candles and magical lanterns casting light across the space. It might’ve been a slight blemish that this was Yophiel’s temple, but as a place for a Holy King’s death, it wasn’t all that bad.

“Is it?”

A faint glimmer of amusement, laced with resignation, flickered in Gabriel’s sorrowful eyes. Sian tilted his head at the contradictory emotion. Resignation made sense. But amusement? She shook off the constricting magic and offered a faint smile.

“Sian, you’re mistaken. You think I fear death? Hardly. In a world this twisted, I’ll just return again—so what’s there to fear? Though I suppose you wouldn’t understand.”

She let out a bitter, self-deprecating chuckle. The corner of Sian’s eye twitched. It wasn’t her tone or attitude that irritated him—it was the weight behind her words.

“In a world this twisted, you’ll just return again?”

Sian repeated her words, glancing back briefly. Yuda still lay unconscious, bound by Gabriel’s power, showing no signs of stirring. Sian waved his hand. The steady stream of magic that had flowed like an endless spring erupted with explosive force, seizing complete control of the surroundings. That magic soon transformed into his authority.

BOOOOM…!

The world shook as if struck by an earthquake, and once again, it was dyed ash-gray. Time stopped in this colorless realm. The absolute power to dominate space and even the time within it—that was Sian’s authority. In this ash-gray world, only Sian, Yuda, and Gabriel retained their original colors.

“!”

Gabriel barely had time to marvel at the gray world before she jolted in alarm. A sinister magical energy crept up from beneath her feet. Spreading her three pairs of wings wide, she took flight. A golden, divine aura flowed from her, tearing apart Sian’s encroaching magic. Sian sneered at the shimmering golden light swirling around her like an aura.

“Disgusting. Stop flailing and come down, Gabriel. Who do you think you’re looking down on?”

A glint flashed in Sian’s eyes, and Gabriel felt an irresistible pressure. She couldn’t resist it this time. The fact that she’d shaken off his magic earlier was only because he hadn’t been serious. Caught by his power, her body plummeted from the air. The long pews, neatly aligned in the chapel, collapsed under the impact. No dust rose, nor did the sound of breaking wood echo.

Rising from the fall, she tried to attack Sian, but the golden light emanating from her body was tainted by the ash-gray, losing its color and vanishing entirely.

An overwhelming disparity in power.

This was Sian, a Ruler whose authority dwarfed that of any other. Resigned, Gabriel lowered her empty hand, which she’d raised toward him. She felt powerless, yet she wasn’t afraid—only awed by his strength.

“Impressive, as always. Even after hundreds or thousands of years, your power only grows stronger, never weaker.”

Sian approached her slowly, who kept her eyes fixed on him.

“Of course. As if I had ever weakened. No matter how many eons pass, my power won’t diminish, only increase.”

“So… are you keeping me alive just to have this pointless conversation? If you don’t intend to harm me, I’ll take my leave. I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sorry for interfering with him.”

“…”

Sian stared at her silently. How insolent. Not only did this mere Holy King dare interrupt him, but she even thought to leave first. Should he cut off an arm or a wing to make her behave? Yet, she seemed to be waiting for such a reaction. Sian waved his hand again.

The wreckage of the broken pews reversed as if time itself rewound, restoring them to their original state. He approached Gabriel, who stood atop one.

“Sit. Don’t test my patience.”

Her opinion didn’t matter. The magic dominating the space forced her down onto the pew as if pressing her shoulders. Frowning in displeasure, she sat.

“What do we even have to discuss? This seems like a waste of time to me.”

“No, we need to talk. You said it earlier—‘return again.’”

“That has nothing to do with you. You wouldn’t understand anyway.”

Gabriel made it clear she had no interest in continuing the conversation. Sian exhaled, suppressing the urge to tear her apart limb from limb. It had been a while since his patience was tested like this.

“Whether I understand or not isn’t your concern. And nothing to do with me? I don’t think so. It seems you and I have experienced the same phenomenon.”

“!? …Lies.”

“No, it’s true. Why deny it? Angels can discern truth from falsehood, can’t they? You must’ve been checking with that vaunted ability of yours.”

Gabriel clamped her mouth shut.

“Regression—returning to the past with your memories intact. The problem is, even if you go back, the future doesn’t change. When some force decides fate has gone off course, it sends us back to a fixed point in time. At first, you don’t notice. But after the second time, the third… you start to understand. I’ve been through it myself.”

She nodded unconsciously.

“And it didn’t take long for me to realize it was real. You must have experienced the same. The moment you recognize this repeating fate, you try to change it. You might think altering your words or actions will make a difference—you have the freedom to move. But the instant you interfere with an event, take a life, or destroy something… it resets. It feels like you can change it, but in reality, you can’t.”

“…So what? What’s your point?”

“How long have you lived through this repeating time? A few years? Decades? Centuries?”

“…200 years.”

Sian scoffed. Pathetic. To think she had worn such a deathly expression over a mere 200 years of repetition.

“I’ve repeated a life spanning nearly a thousand years, fully aware the whole time.”

“…….”

“It would be better if it all ends. Nothing better than being able to vanish. But the fate the Creator ordained doesn’t let us off so easily. It doesn’t end even if we want to, nor can we perish. The moment we choose death, it resets, and the cycle continues. Forever.”

Sian looked at Gabriel. The sorrow in her eyes likely stemmed from countless repeated lives, just like his. The faint amusement in her resigned gaze must’ve been because this encounter deviated from her expected memories. She, too, was exhausted.

“But this time is different. Fate will shift, little by little. It’ll move in a direction you can’t predict, and with each return to the past, it’ll change more. Above all, this eternal cycle will eventually end.”

Sian, true to his demonic nature, offered her a glimmer of hope.

“I don’t understand. How? Wait—you mentioned a plan earlier. Are you saying that boy back there can do it?”

“Exactly. I don’t know why you’re asking when you already get it, Gabriel. I’ve overlooked your insolence several times now. Part of me wants to rip you apart and scatter your limbs around this temple like a treasure hunt. But I’m holding back. You know why?”

“…”

“It’s simple. Because you’ve experienced the same phenomenon as me. I’ll permit you, broken by this repeating life and unbreakable fate, to bear witness. That boy behind me is now just a small child but he holds a great power no one else possesses, a power that will shatter our endless cycle. You’ll realize it soon enough.”

Sian stood and looked down at her.

“No, you won’t have to wait long. It’s already begun to change as of this moment.”

Leaving those cryptic words, Sian vanished from the spot just as he’d appeared. The ash-gray world reverted, and time resumed its flow. As Gabriel pondered his meaning, it hit her.

“My God, it didn’t reset.”

Despite this much twisting and this much time passing, nothing had reverted. Her eyes trembled more than they had when facing Sian. Her gaze shifted to Yuda. Watching him, collapsed under the influence of her fragrance, she pressed her lips tight, her eyes clouded with contemplation.

“…Yuda Arshe.”

In the repeating fate she’d endured, Yuda Arshe was a tragic figure.

The polar opposite of Kain Sabnak, he was a man marked by misfortune and betrayal yet clung to his convictions, forging his own path to the end. Though that path was misguided, his resolve was worthy of respect.

“…”

A being like Sian wouldn’t speak lightly.

“Fine.”

She could leave now and it wouldn’t matter, but like Sian, she decided to place a bet. A warm glow danced in the air at her touch, settling gently onto Yuda’s body. Just as she had with Kain, she bestowed her blessing upon him.

“I’ll watch you too.”

With that, she spread her three pairs of wings and ascended slowly. Taking in the pristine chapel—untouched despite the clash between a Holy King and a Ruler—she returned to the heavens.

“May you not turn that expectation into disappointment.”

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***Author’s Note***

Well, there are a lot of sharp readers out there.

To address one question among them:

While binge-reading, it’s clear that Yuda didn’t lose to Kain alone; the fragments were taken because of Kain and his party’s combined attack. It’s stated that Kain alone couldn’t beat Yuda, and Yuda is treated as a boss. But in this chapter, it’s obvious Kain has a clear edge over Yuda. Is this a setup for a Yuda power-up, a setting inconsistency, or did the difficulty increase when transitioning from a game to reality?

Due to the player’s nature, I couldn’t discard the character Kain, so I set it up this way. However, I agree he came off too strong, so I’ve toned him down a bit (consider this a nerf!).

Kain’s potential is set high, but he isn’t fighting Yuda with stats maxed out to that potential’s limit.

Players always had to face a Yuda at least 10 levels above them. (Some of you guessed this too.)

With higher levels, skills, and traits, Yuda could absolutely crush Kain one-on-one. But later in the story, as the player’s party gathers more fragments, Yuda becomes more of an annoying nuisance than a real threat.

There’s also a storyline where you can steal Yuda’s fragments—sometimes you succeed, sometimes you fail. If you fail, Yuda remains a persistent boss tormenting players until the endgame.

This might feel like an incomplete answer, but if you have more questions, leave a comment!

I’ll flesh out the story further based on feedback like this. (bows deeply)