The morning arrived not with light but with a quiet, suffocating stillness that seemed to press down upon everything, as though the world itself had not yet recovered from the events of the previous night, and within that heavy silence, Jeon Raon opened his eyes slowly, his gaze steady and unfocused at first as if he had awakened from something far deeper than sleep, his mind still carrying the lingering weight of a battle that his body no longer showed any trace of.
He remained lying there for a few seconds, staring at the ceiling without blinking, his breathing calm and even, yet there was something unnatural about that calmness, something that did not belong to a man who had been pushed to the brink of death only hours ago, and as that silence stretched, he finally moved, his fingers twitching slightly before his hand lifted, then his arm, and then his entire body as he sat up without any sign of pain, without hesitation, without even the smallest stiffness that should have remained after such injuries, as if his body had erased everything while his mind refused to do the same.
Raon lowered his gaze toward his hands, watching them in silence as he slowly clenched his fist, testing the strength that had returned to him, and there was no trembling, no weakness, no delay in response, only complete control, and yet that very control made the memory of last night even heavier, because he could still remember every moment when that control had been taken from him, when he had been pushed back, dominated, and brought to a state where even standing had felt impossible.
He stood up from the bed without making a sound, his movements precise and deliberate as if every action had already been decided long before he performed it, and after a brief pause that held no visible hesitation yet carried an unspoken weight, he walked toward the door and stepped out into the hallway, where the same silence greeted him once again, empty and unmoving, as though the entire place had chosen to remain still after witnessing what had occurred.
His steps were quiet as he moved forward, his gaze fixed ahead, not wandering even once, until he reached the door he had come for, and without knocking, without announcing his presence, he opened it slowly and stepped inside, his eyes immediately falling upon the figure lying on the bed, the Moon Leader, whose presence, even in unconsciousness, carried a quiet tension that had not faded.
She was sleeping.
Her breathing was steady, her posture still, and although the signs of the previous battle were no longer visible in the form of fresh wounds, there remained a faint exhaustion in the way her body rested, as if the fight had not fully left her yet, and Raon stood there for a moment, watching her without saying a word, confirming her condition in silence before turning away, his hand already reaching for the door as he prepared to leave without disturbing her.
"Where are you going…didn't you came to check me?"
Her voice, though quiet and slightly rough, cut through the silence with perfect clarity, and Raon stopped instantly, his movement freezing for just a fraction of a second before he turned back toward her, his expression unchanged as he closed the door behind him and walked back into the room, his steps calm as if he had expected this.
She had already pushed herself up slightly, leaning against the head of the bed for support, her gaze fixed directly on him, sharp despite the fatigue that lingered beneath it, and Raon pulled a stool closer before sitting down beside her, his posture straight, his presence steady, yet there was a faint pause before he spoke, as though he was deciding where to begin.
"How are you feeling?"
The question left his mouth in a calm and neutral tone, but the moment it did, she let out a quiet breath and shook her head slightly, her expression shifting with a hint of irritation as she looked at him.
"Don't talk about useless things," she said, her voice low but firm, her eyes narrowing slightly as she continued, "ask what you came here to ask."
Raon did not respond immediately, and for a few seconds, silence filled the space between them once again, heavier this time, as if both of them understood that the conversation they were about to have was not something that could be avoided, and finally, without changing his expression, he spoke.
"Who were they… and why did they attack you?"
He did not rush his words, nor did he add anything unnecessary, but even then, it was clear that there were more questions behind that single sentence, questions that he had chosen not to ask yet, and before he could continue, she raised her hand slightly, stopping him.
"They are part of the group I told you about before," she said, her voice steady despite the faint strain in it, "a group of Readers."
For a brief moment, she paused, her gaze lowering slightly as if recalling something she did not intend to fully share, and then she continued.
"I was once one of them."
The words were simple, but they carried a weight that lingered in the air, and after saying that, she did not explain further, did not add details, leaving the silence to fill the gap instead, and Raon did not press her immediately, his eyes remaining on her as he processed what she had said before moving to the next question.
"The one you were fighting," he said, his tone unchanged, "what is his ability?"
This time, she answered without hesitation, though there was a slight narrowing of her eyes, as if even she did not fully like what she was about to say.
"I don't know everything about it," she replied, "but he has a skill that allows him to see how much of the original novel someone has read."
The moment those words left her mouth, the air in the room seemed to shift, and her gaze slowly lifted to meet his directly, studying his reaction carefully as she added, "I think he used it on you."
Raon did not move.
For a brief second, there was no visible reaction, but then, something flickered in his eyes, something subtle yet undeniable, as a memory surfaced, the image of that moment returning clearly, the figure standing before him, the invisible pressure of a skill being activated, and then…
An error came and confusion and frustration on his face.
He remembered it clearly now, the way the man's expression had changed, the way his composure had broken for just an instant as if something impossible had occurred, as if he had seen something that should not exist, or rather, failed to see something that should have been there.
Raon's gaze lowered slightly so that was it.
that was why.
For a few seconds, he said nothing, and neither did she, the silence between them now filled with a new understanding, one that had not existed before, and although there were still many things left unsaid, neither of them chose to continue at this moment.
Finally, she spoke again, her voice quieter this time, yet carrying a directness that did not waver.
"So… what are you going to do now?"
The question lingered in the air, simple in form yet heavy in meaning, and Raon remained seated for a moment longer before slowly standing up from the stool, his movement calm and unhurried as he turned slightly toward the door, his expression unchanged, yet something within him had clearly settled.
He did not look back immediately.
But when he spoke, his voice was steady, firm, and completely certain.
"Next time…I won't lose."
And there was no hesitation.