50. Performance Act 1, The Abandoned Mine Haunted by Undead (1)
*
The boy was hiding behind a rock, trying to suppress his trembling hands. Cold sweat poured down like rain, blurring his vision. Every time he blinked and his sight darkened, he panicked and forced his eyelids open.
‘I shouldn’t have come here!!’
His throat was parched, and his tongue felt cracked. He bit his lips so hard they swelled, and the taste of blood filled his mouth. The boy crouched behind the rock, curling up.
‘Mom, Dad. Save me. I’m sorry. Save me…’
-Whoooosh…
A chilly breeze brushed past the back of his neck. The warm spring air had vanished, and no warmth could be found in this deep valley.
The boy’s village had a legend passed down through generations. [There are no gods in that forest.] A land where no one from the Temple of the Gods offers blessings. A forest shrouded in darkness even at noon. A witch’s forest where screams and moans echo with the wind.
The scarcity of people meant that untouched wilderness was everywhere. Paradoxically, the forest was teeming with life. Or at least, it seemed that way. To the young boy, it was like a place where treasures were scattered everywhere.
Firewood, fruits, even small animals unafraid of humans. The boy’s village was poor, and in this season, the impoverished mountain village often had to boil tree bark to survive.
‘Mom, Dad…’
So, the boy ventured deeper into the forest, not just to chase a plump rabbit but also to feed his starving family and his dying younger sibling.
-Whoooosh…
-Kikikik…
-Where…are youuuu…?
A terrifying moan mixed with the wind was getting closer.
-Kyaaaaaak!!
-Kikikik.
-Warm, warm, warm.
At first, he thought it was just the old men’s jokes to scare the kids. When the forest grew dark and strange voices mixed with the wind, he thought it was just fear of the unfamiliar environment.
-Cold, cold, cold, cold, cooold…
When a greenish flash flickered in the forest’s shadows, a shiver ran down his spine, but curiosity about the unknown also flared up. Breaking the taboo of the legend and uncovering its secrets felt like the beginning of a hero’s tale.
The boy realized he was no hero when he faced the massive figure that appeared from behind a tree.
-Gigig, gurgle, gieeek?
“…!!!!”
The twisted face of the massive creature looked down at the boy, tilting its head, which seemed almost surreal. The boy was momentarily speechless, staring at the monster. The monster twisted its pale, dead skin and slightly parted its thin lips.
-Gigig, kik.
Sparse but sharp teeth gleamed brightly even in the darkness. The monster had no eyes. Where eyes should have been, there were black holes. Suddenly, red blood flowed from the eye sockets as the monster leaned in closer.
-Sniff, sniff, gig?
“…Hic…”
The monster’s face stopped right in front of the boy’s nose. The massive face, almost as big as the boy’s upper body, hung in the air, twisting its head continuously. The boy slowly, very slowly, stepped back.
-Crunch.
“!!!!!”
A dry branch, brittle from winter, crumbled under the boy’s foot. The monster’s head stopped, and it smiled. Inside its gaping mouth, a dried throat was visible. A cold chill poured over the boy.
“Hiiiiik!!!”
-Gieeek. Gig. Kik. Kikikik.
-Tadat.
The boy ran wildly deeper into the forest, deeper and deeper. How long had he been running? His legs, stiff with tension, finally stopped.
-Whoooosh.
The sound of the wind mixed with laughter and screams. The dark forest was filled with ‘something’ emitting green flashes. They were roaming the forest. Dry ghosts were bringing winter with them. The forest air was bitingly cold.
“Great Sun, look upon me, save my wandering soul from the cold grasp of the wicked…”
Reciting the prayer the traveling priest had taught him, the boy clung tightly to the rock, trembling. Perhaps because of the prayer, the wind seemed to have stopped. The boy kept reciting the prayer he knew, bowing his head and sobbing.
“Great Sun, look upon me, save my wandering soul from the cold grasp of the wicked…”
-Segeuisoonkachahireuldeokdoenssat…
A strange sound came from above his head.
-Seoeguisonungachauideulgeotdoenssat.
What is that sound? The boy tried to move his stiff head without stopping the prayer. What is that sound?
-Goshipisareogupreuljeooeoe…
-Thud.
A red liquid dropped onto the back of the boy’s hand. The boy flinched. He couldn’t muster the courage to look back. Only then did the boy realize what that sound was. The creature was reciting his prayer backward.
-Kikikik. Kik. Eosiieyangtaeeeee. Handawiiiii. Kikik.
The boy slowly raised his head. On the rock where he was hiding, a translucent monster emitting green light was twisting into a smile. The monster laughed madly as it continuously dropped red blood onto the boy’s face.
“Ah…”
The monster’s hand slowly reached out and grabbed the boy’s tear-stained cheek. Overwhelmed by the eerie sensation as if his soul was being pulled out, the boy collapsed. His legs gave out, and now he couldn’t even run. Death. All he could see was death.
-Warmwarmwarm. Alive, alive, alive, alive.
The monster fumbled and slowly grabbed the boy’s cheek. In excruciating pain, the boy involuntarily opened his mouth. The monster’s twisted fingers crawled into the boy’s mouth.
“Keuk, keuk. Kkeugeok. G, gmaan…”
-Warmwarmwarm.
The boy’s eyes closed. Is this death? Is this how I should die? Will it be easier if I die? Mom, dad, little brother. Save me. I’m sorry. The boy’s mind went blank. His breath became more and more stifled. As something cold tried to descend down his throat—
At that moment. When the boy was about to give up everything.
Like a light burning through the darkness, a voice was heard.
“Child. Rise.”
A kind, warm voice was heard. The hand that was clawing at the boy’s neck stopped.
“Stand on your own two feet and walk. You can do it.”
The boy slowly opened his eyes at the voice and, through tear-blurred vision, looked at someone beyond the undead. A warm presence, even from afar, was gradually clearing the boy’s vision.
A woman stood alone in this terrifying, dark forest.
The woman smiled at the boy and took one step at a time toward him. The undead pulled its hand from the boy’s mouth and quickly climbed onto a rock. Thanks to that, the boy collapsed, gasping for breath.
“It seems I found him first.”
As the woman chuckled softly, a clear shout echoed from somewhere in the distant forest.
“Your Excellency! I found him! The kid is here!!”
“I found him first.”
As the woman shook her head with a displeased expression, a beastwoman from the Tribe of Beastmen came running from another direction in the forest. She drew her longsword and glared at the undead circling around. Her turquoise eyes shone brightly.
-Thud.
A young man with a blood-stained longsword in both hands appeared between the two women. His noble appearance, disheveled black hair, and the gloomy blue eyes shining through were visible. The young man raised his sword and pointed it at the undead on the rock.
“Are you looking at me?”
-Gigigik?
The young man took a water bottle from his pocket and slowly poured water over the blade. The clear liquid flowed down the blade, washing away the blood clinging to it. The black blood was washed away by the clean water and burned away. His sword shone white in the darkness.
-Thud.
The young man slowly approached the undead. The undead, intimidated by the young man’s presence, stepped back slightly, then soon let out a loud scream, flickering with a greenish-blue light.
-Shaaaak!!!
“Kyaaak!”
The boy, right below the undead, screamed, covering his ears. The boy gasped in pain, as if his soul was being torn apart. The young man, without changing his expression, took another step forward.
“You’re listening to me, right? Necromancer. I look forward to meeting you. I have so many questions.”
-Shaaaaak!!
The undead screamed and flew at the young man. The boy, in pain and confusion, watched the scene with tears streaming down his face. In this cruel, surreal moment, time seemed to slow down for the boy.
The undead’s body glowed bright blue. The young man was obscured by the undead, and the boy couldn’t see him. Soon, a sharp, icy curve sliced through the air. Like paper being torn and scattered, the undead’s body shattered into pieces.
-Slurp, clang.
Through the scattering pieces of the undead, the young man was seen sheathing his sword. The undead let out a tearing scream before turning to dust and disappearing. The boy finally took a breath and sat down.
Somehow, the dark forest felt a bit brighter. I’ll never come back to this forest. The boy nodded his head, even in his fear. I’ll never come back.
The young man approached and gently stroked the boy’s hair, bowing his head.
“What’s your name?”
“Uh, Evan, sir.”
Excluding the lord, “sir” was the most respectful title the boy could think of. The young man chuckled.
“Coming into this forest alone. Very brave. But it seems it’ll be hard for you to go back alone.”
The young man carefully lifted the boy’s body. His slender frame held unbelievable strength. The young man lifted the boy with one hand and placed him on his shoulder.
*
The young man, Fernandez, walked, relieved that the boy’s body was lighter than expected. He couldn’t afford to slip up now. All the atmosphere and setup he had carefully built would crumble. Fernandez walked slowly, as if trying not to startle the boy, maintaining his balance.
-Really, so pretentious. Hard to watch.
‘What do you think this kid thinks of me?’
-···.
‘Guess. Hero, savior, knight. Multiple answers allowed.’
Fernandez chuckled inwardly. The core of this operation was public sentiment and rumors, and he had to be the noblest savior, hero, and the epitome of chivalry. Someone who cared for the people, brave, and pure in conviction. Yes, just like the romance of King Dane.
In the meantime, slaughtering enemies reminiscent of the era of King Knight Dane in a place related to his legend was actually the easy part. The harder part was making all of this seem like a coincidence.
But fortunately for Fernandez, ‘coincidence’ was on his side at this very moment.
[The Undead of the Black Forest]
A creature that exploited nearby mountain villages using illusions and fear. A report submitted to the Inquisition Office about a decade ago had concluded “nothing unusual,” but for some reason, it had just started its activities, and conveniently, a poor child from the village almost became its victim.
The first enemy King Knight Dane had defeated was the undead of the Church of the Underground Burial. From that moment until his death, it was no exaggeration to say that his long, bitter feud with the Church began.
So the first button had to be the undead. A tribute to the great epic of King Knight Dane, for the sake of the reputation of the king’s return. Fernandez smiled under the shadow of the forest. This time, luck was on his side.
“Ah, the priest is waiting over there.”
At the edge of the forest, villagers were gathered, waiting for him. Among them, a man dressed in the priestly robes of Shield was reaching out toward them. Fernandez, still carrying the boy, bowed his head respectfully.
“Knight Albert!”
The young priest smiled brightly and approached him, making the sign of the cross. As he examined the boy on his back, the priest nodded.
“Truly impressive! Truly! To rescue a boy from this cursed forest!”
“God has blessed us.”
Fernandez smiled devoutly and made the sign of the cross. The priest, recalling the moment he first met this young man, prayed to Shield. Meeting this devout knight was nothing short of a miracle. He had vanquished undead and slain monsters solely with justice, chivalry, and unwavering conviction.
Their meeting began when a caravan went missing in the Abandoned Mining Village, and a survivor rushed to his parish, requesting an exorcism.
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