Savior Proto-Call Chapter 10

Chapter 10. No Longer Human (10)

It had been a very long time since Yoon Doha had found the simple act of breathing so troublesome.

A memory suddenly flashed through her mind.

The days when loan sharks would show up at her house without warning, and she'd hold her breath, pretending no one was home.

But the tension squeezing her throat now was twice as unbearable.

She was trying so desperately to prevent even the slightest sound from escaping that the tendons along her slender neck stood out sharply.

If there's any justice in this world, I shouldn't die here.

You already forced the difficulty of my life up to an impossible level.

Isn't it too cruel to finally throw me a little hope, only to kill me immediately afterward?

Inwardly, Yoon Doha prayed to every god in existence.

She even prayed to nameless minor deities whose existence she'd never once considered.

A desperate longing for life, something she had hardly ever allowed herself to feel, began boiling up inside her.

Faced with a life she apparently had to beg the heavens to preserve, she felt a sudden urge to cry.

Perhaps her prayers had reached someone.

Fortunately, the Fragment turned its head back to its original position with another grotesque noise.

Then the sound of its legs dragging across the floor gradually faded into the distance.

How much time passed after that?

The Fragment's footsteps had overlapped so closely with the pounding of her heart that, even long after the creature disappeared, Yoon Doha remained frozen in place.

She couldn't even bring herself to blink.

Her vision gradually darkened from holding her breath for so long.

Only the occasional sharp, involuntary gasp betrayed the state of near panic she'd fallen into.

The tension born from her terror had been stretched so tightly that it seemed ready to snap.

And it was at precisely that moment—

BANG!

The door beside the wall she'd been leaning against flew open violently, as though someone had kicked it.

An indistinct figure—one her fragile mind couldn't possibly identify in its current state—forced its way into the room.

Yoon Doha had been holding her breath while directing threats disguised as prayers toward every god she could think of.

The sudden crash and the unmistakable presence of another being shattered what little composure she had left.

Before she could even open her eyes, she screamed.

She flailed wildly, like a helpless creature being crushed beneath the feet of a god.

"AAAAH...! MMPH!"

But her scream was abruptly cut off.

A hand shot toward her face with a sharp smack and clamped firmly over her mouth.

Someone had approached Yoon Doha from behind.

With one arm, the intruder effortlessly wrapped around her body, pinning both of her arms against her sides as though restraining a captured animal.

The other hand pressed down over her mouth with enough force to make it feel as though her facial bones might be crushed.

Her body tilted backward.

The person behind her used their back to push the door shut.

The material brushing against her skin was soft leather.

At the very least, Doha could recognize that whoever was holding her was human.

Unfortunately, that realization did little to help.

She was naturally timid in situations like this, and she'd already been frightened beyond her limits.

Her mind refused to make any rational assessment of what was happening.

Having spent much of her life experiencing danger and violence, Yoon Doha was particularly terrified of being physically restrained by another person.

She thrashed almost convulsively, like a fish thrown onto dry land.

"Uwaa...! Mmph! MMMMMH!"

"Shh. Shhh. Quiet. Let's keep that mouth closed."

An unfamiliar voice repeatedly sounded beside her ear.

It was calm and monotonous, as though it would never rise in excitement or sink into despair.

Neither particularly high nor low, the voice was dry, yet carried a faint trace of warmth.

Perhaps the intruder genuinely believed she was soothing and reassuring Doha.

But Yoon Doha had absolutely no mental capacity left to recognize such intentions.

"MMMMH! MMPH!"

She continued struggling and screaming into the hand covering her mouth, showing no sign of calming down.

Eventually, the person restraining her like an unruly animal shoved her against the wall.

The hand pressing down on her shoulder was chillingly impersonal.

The back of Doha's head struck the hard wall.

Her vision lurched violently, as though her eyeballs had rolled in opposite directions.

Everything swam before her eyes.

She blinked through the haze.

And only then did she finally get a proper look at the face in front of her.

It wasn't unfamiliar.

Purple irises, like crushed violet fruit.

Golden hair, as though individual strands of sunlight had been carefully separated and woven together.

She'd seen those features through the doorway of the classroom earlier.

It's that naturally awakened woman.

Yoon Doha's pupils remained visibly dilated with terror as her gaze traveled across the woman's face.

She understood now that the one pinning her down wasn't a Fragment.

But the shock had been so severe that she still couldn't control her voice.

"MMMMH?! Mmph...!"

Despite having gone to the trouble of showing her face, the woman found that Doha showed absolutely no inclination to stop screaming.

Her neatly shaped eyebrows drew together sharply.

She clicked her tongue in irritation at the continuing noise.

Then she released the hand pressing against Doha's shoulder and raised her index finger to her own lips.

The sudden closeness of a stranger only made Yoon Doha struggle harder.

"If you keep your mouth shut, I'll let go. So be quiet."

The woman spoke evenly.

"You're being way too loud. Understand? If you understand, nod."

Her response was remarkably composed.

Perhaps because of that, Yoon Doha's chaotic emotions gradually began to settle.

The person in front of me isn't a Fragment.

She's alive.

She's human.

And I've already seen her before.

Doha repeated those facts to herself over and over, desperately trying to regain control.

Eventually, her ragged breathing began returning to normal.

At the same time, an overwhelming wave of exhaustion swept through her.

Her head fell back against the wall.

Half leaning against it, she nodded with a completely drained expression.

Perhaps remembering how she'd behaved moments earlier, the woman looked unconvinced.

A trace of suspicion flickered in her purple eyes.

After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously began removing her hand, as though testing whether Doha could be trusted.

The skin around Doha's mouth throbbed once the pressure disappeared.

The woman had pressed down so hard that it felt as though the exact arrangement of her teeth had been carved into the soft flesh of her cheeks.

Yoon Doha worked her aching jaw several times.

Then she glared at the woman standing there so nonchalantly and took a step forward.

"You...!"

"Mmm. Your mouth."

The moment Doha managed to utter a single word, the woman abruptly raised her large, long-fingered hand again.

She probably hadn't intended it as a threat.

But the sight of that hand made goosebumps erupt across Doha's entire body, as though she'd already been slapped.

She flinched almost convulsively and twisted her head diagonally away.

The muscles along her neck stretched so tightly that their trembling was clearly visible beneath her thin skin.

The woman's approaching hand stopped in midair.

Yoon Doha, who had unconsciously begun panting again, stared at it with horrified eyes.

You hit someone's face with that hand?!

One slap from that thing looks like it'd fracture someone's eye socket!

Are all naturally awakened people completely insane?!

Staring at the woman's prominent knuckles and long, bony fingers, Yoon Doha spoke in a small, aggrieved whisper.

There was no point in opening her mouth only to start another meaningless argument with someone who would drain what little strength she had left.

It would be better to protect herself and back down.

"O-okay. I get it. I won't scream, so move your hand away...!"

"Oh, really? Okay. I'll move it."

The woman answered simply.

She lowered her hand and absently flexed her fingers once.

Some emotion rippled through her violet irises.

But Yoon Doha had no way of knowing what it was.

When the woman finally stepped back a couple of paces, Doha felt relief wash over her.

Her legs gave way, and she slowly sank to the floor.

Even raising her arms toward her face felt exhausting.

She barely managed to rub her face with both hands before looking up at the shameless woman standing there as though nothing had happened.

"Are you from Class 1?"

"Mhm. That's right. My name is Kwon Seju, and I'm eighteen."

The woman gave her personal information so readily, without the slightest hesitation, that Yoon Doha felt even more drained.

Wouldn't it have been nice if she'd knocked politely and introduced herself before barging in?

Then again, considering the chaos outside, she probably hadn't had the luxury of doing that.

Still looking somewhat dazed, Doha stared up at the woman's tall figure.

Suddenly remembering how disheveled she must look herself, she hurriedly tried to straighten her messy hair and clothing.

Then she lowered her gaze again.

Her hesitant voice came out weak and limp, like melted jelly.

"...Yoon Doha. Seventeen. And if you've got eyes, you can probably tell I'm artificially awakened."

"Ah, yeah. I saw you earlier."

Despite Doha's introduction, Kwon Seju responded as though it were nothing particularly noteworthy.

She walked lazily toward her and sat on the edge of a folding bed.

Yoon Doha's gaze naturally fell to her white sneakers.

And unfortunately, they provided undeniable proof that the horrifying scene she'd witnessed earlier hadn't been a dream.

The soles of Kwon Seju's shoes were stained red from walking through the corridor.

Small, ruptured outer membranes were stuck here and there.

Doha had absolutely no desire to examine them closely.

They were unmistakably the remains of the maggots she'd seen earlier.

The grotesque creature appeared once again in her mind.

A face with white bone exposed, pouring blood.

An eyeball left behind like a piece of discarded debris.

And beneath it all, a sticky pool of blood.

As the images replayed in her head, Yoon Doha's chest heaved violently.

Nausea surged through her, almost too strong to endure.

She barely managed to tug the fabric around her neck downward before asking Kwon Seju,

"D-did you happen to see that thing that just passed by? That... that thing. What the hell was it...?"

"Well... A Fragment, I guess."

Kwon Seju paused.

"More importantly, why are you speaking informally to me?"

Yoon Doha's dark eyes trembled.

She couldn't decide which part of the sentence she was supposed to respond to first.

Should she be angry at the absurdity?

Or laugh in disbelief?

Does she seriously think I was asking because I didn't know that thing was a Fragment?

Really?

I was asking why the hell a Fragment suddenly appeared inside the Salvation Academy!

But what irritated Doha first wasn't Kwon Seju's apparent misunderstanding of her question.

It was the second part.

The woman's relaxed expression, as she calmly worried about age-based speech etiquette despite the blood-soaked nightmare outside, was almost unbearable.

Of course, Kwon Seju naturally had that kind of face.

Her refined yet languid features looked effortlessly elegant in a way that was frankly irritating.

And staring at that annoyingly composed face only placed more strain on Doha's brain, which was already overloaded from sleep deprivation.

"Is that really what's important right now?"

"Hmm... What else would be more important?"

...Is she crazy?

The judgment appeared in Yoon Doha's mind almost instantly.

She desperately swallowed the curses rising from the depths of her stomach and began counting numbers to calm herself.

As she struggled to restrain her anger, her face gradually turned pale.

Don't get angry.

No matter how furious someone gets on a battlefield, who points a gun at their own ally?

"...I don't think someone who slapped me across the face upon our first meeting has any right to bring that up."

"Hm? I didn't slap you. I just covered your mouth."

I might end up becoming the first person to kill an ally today.

Kwon Seju's childish response was so completely inappropriate for their current situation that it sent an irritating shiver up Doha's neck.

Her patience was beginning to run out.

She knew perfectly well that this pointless argument served no purpose.

Yet every time Kwon Seju opened her mouth, another spark of anger ignited inside her.

Perhaps it was because the woman's expression remained so infuriatingly peaceful.

Yoon Doha lowered the hands she'd been repeatedly rubbing across her face.

Then she leaned forward and thrust her face toward Kwon Seju.

As though presenting evidence for her accusation, she tilted her cheeks from side to side.

Clear red handprints remained on her skin.

"Oh, sure. I'm sure that's exactly what happened. My fucking cheeks are burning right now."

"But I was holding you gently. That's strange..."

Kwon Seju answered with the same untroubled expression.

She didn't sound like someone making excuses or trying to defend herself.

Rather, she genuinely seemed unable to understand Doha's reaction.

As far as Seju was concerned, she'd apparently been extremely careful about controlling her strength.

The stress crawling up the back of Doha's skull soon transformed into her familiar migraine.

The pain stole her ability to speak.

She clutched her throbbing head, unable to respond.

Meanwhile, Kwon Seju, the very source of her frustration, seemed more bothered by the blood on the soles of her shoes.

She began rubbing them vigorously against the floor.

In that regard, at least, she behaved exactly as her appearance suggested.

After scraping her feet against the floor for quite some time, Kwon Seju finally noticed that Yoon Doha looked as though her soul was on the verge of being wrung out of her body.

She paused and looked down at her own hands.

Her expression turned unexpectedly serious, as though she were contemplating something.

Yoon Doha couldn't begin to guess what was going through the woman's head.

A quiet groan escaped her.

At the end of that faint sound, Kwon Seju finally spoke first.

Unfortunately, her words were once again completely beside the point.

"Did you find your identification tag?"

"There's something like that wandering around outside, and you're worried about an identification tag?"

"But the order was to find it and then go to the first floor."

What kind of lunatic would risk their life searching for an identification tag after seeing a Fragment roaming around the building?

For all she knew, the creature might have entered the building from outside.

And if that were the case, the exterior might be even more dangerous.

There was a good chance she'd die before she could escape.

She didn't have enough information or mental energy to determine how the Fragment had appeared, so that was as far as her reasoning went.

Besides, this was her very first day at the academy.

She didn't even know exactly what her ability was yet.

Aside from the fact that she possessed some kind of supernatural potential, she was practically no different from an ordinary person.

In other words—

We're trapped inside this building.

"You can find yours and go to the first floor if you want. I value my life too much to go outside."

"Hmm. I think the building itself has been consumed by a Phantasm."

Kwon Seju spoke casually.

"I don't know about outside, but the building definitely has."

If someone hadn't been paying attention, her tone might have sounded like she was discussing the morning weather or wondering what to eat for dinner.

But the meaning behind Kwon Seju's words, which nearly overlapped with Doha's own thoughts, caused the fragile composure she'd barely managed to regain to collapse completely.

The possibility she'd been too overwhelmed to confirm for herself had now been thrust before her in another person's voice.

No.

To begin with, there was hardly any other explanation for why a Fragment had appeared here.

But without even realizing it, Yoon Doha had probably been denying that reality.

Refusing to acknowledge it.

Her heavily bloodshot eyes desperately searched Kwon Seju's face.

She already knew the woman was telling the truth.

Even so, she desperately wanted her to say it was a lie.

Despite Doha's pleading gaze, Kwon Seju merely closed her languid violet eyes and shrugged.

The woman's hair, which Doha had thought resembled the brilliant sunlight of noon, somehow no longer looked quite so radiant.

Now it seemed closer to the color of orange peel crushed into muddy soil.

"Outside."