CHAPTER 60
Sihyun exhaled and drank.
A silence dropped like a weight over the chamber.
He set the cup down with an almost arrogant calmness. For a beat, nothing happened.
The elder shaman leaned forward.
"Are there… any other sorcerers?"
Sihyun blinked. The room watched, breath held.
Then he smirked again.
"You really think this will work on me?"
Gasps rippled across the gathered nobles. Even the king's brow furrowed.
Sihyun leaned back slightly, shrugging.
"I told you. This won't—"
He suddenly froze.
A shudder ran through his limbs. His words tangled. His pupils dilated as his body swayed.
"Sihyun?"
Muwon stood up abruptly.
"Sihyun!"
Yuhyun called, starting toward him.
Sihyun's breath hitched as he gripped the edge of the chair, his voice slurred now.
"W-what… what did they…?"
Panic flickered in his eyes.
Muwon's expression darkened as he stepped forward.
As Sihyun's body trembled, Muwon and Yuhyun rushed forward—but the royal guards stepped in, spears crossed, halting their path.
"Stand down!"
Muwon barked, eyes blazing.
But the king only raised a hand lazily.
"Calm yourself, Muwon. Nothing will happen to your precious demon."
Muwon's jaw clenched. His voice dropped to a deadly calm.
"You know if Sihyun dies… I die too."
The king's eyes narrowed briefly, then he scoffed, waving a hand.
"Yes, yes, I know. Now take your seat—both of you."
Yuhyun hesitated but gently tugged Muwon's sleeve. They obeyed, taking their place beside Sihyun.
Sihyun gasped sharply, clutching his chest as his breath hitched. His eyes began to glaze, and then—
He started to laugh softly.
The shaman leaned forward.
"Let us proceed. Tell us, are there other sorcerers besides you… and Vanyul?"
Sihyun's lips curled into a dazed smile. He tilted his head slightly, gaze fixed on a spot in the air where no one stood.
"Vanyul… stop asking me dumb questions,"
he said lightly,
"You know there are no other sorcerers besides me and you."
A stunned silence fell.
Whispers stirred the court. The king narrowed his eyes.
One of the shamans murmured,
"The truth serum… it's confusing his mind. He thinks he's speaking with Vanyul."
Muwon clenched his fists, while Yuhyun's expression twisted in worry.
Sihyun giggled faintly, still staring at the phantom only he could see.
"You're always paranoid, Vanyul… always thinking someone else survived."
Muwon's breath caught.
He's telling the truth… but not to us.
The court held its breath.
One of the shamans leaned forward again and asked,
"Did you set Ryu Vanyul free, Sihyun?"
Sihyun's dazed eyes flicked upward. He smiled faintly at the air.
"Vanyul… have you forgotten already?"
he whispered, voice heavy with something between fondness and exhaustion.
"I was the one who set you free. You… you promised me something in return."
The crowd shifted, murmurs rising. Even the king leaned slightly forward now.
Muwon's heart clenched.
What promise?
The shaman asked carefully,
"And what did Vanyul promise you, Sihyun?"
Sihyun chuckled softly, shaking his head at the invisible Vanyul.
"You've really lost it, haven't you?"
His expression flickered with something close to sorrow.
"You said… you'd teach me how to walk the earth like a ghost. That was your promise. Don't pretend like you didn't say it."
Confusion spread through the room. Even the king frowned.
The shaman pressed further, voice cautious.
"Walk the earth like a ghost? What does that mean?"
Sihyun blinked rapidly, his gaze suddenly full of shock, as if the illusion had turned sinister.
"You knows what it means! You told me yourself… said it was like—like disappearing."
"Disappearing?"
the shaman echoed.
Sihyun nodded slowly, voice dropping to a whisper.
"Like vanishing from this world… with no one able to find you."
Muwon felt a chill crawl up his spine.
Was Sihyun planning to disappear? Or was that what Vanyul truly wanted—to erase them both from everything?
The room fell into a tense silence.
The shaman lowered his head slightly and whispered to the king,
"Your Majesty… the demon sorcerer's mind is clouded. The serum works, but not as expected."
Muwon clenched his fists beside his seat, his eyes fixed on Sihyun—who sat slouched, eyes glazed, as if drifting between worlds.
Then the king spoke.
"So… he truly did free that cursed sorcerer,"
his tone cold and quiet.
"And has plans to disappear. Like a ghost."
"No,"
Muwon cut in, voice sharp.
"He said Vanyul made that promise. Not Sihyun. He's repeating what was told to him under the influence of the serum."
The king turned to him with a raised brow.
"And yet he still chose to believe that promise. What does that say about his intentions?"
Muwon stood.
"It says he was desperate to survive—like any of us would be. It says he's still here despite that chance to disappear. With me."
Just as the room tried to digest the meaning of "walking the earth like a ghost", Sihyun's voice broke the silence again—unprompted, quiet, dreamy.
"I had a dream…"
he murmured, still speaking to the illusion of Vanyul only he could see.
"You and I… standing at the heart of the palace… flames all around us."
Everyone stiffened. Yuhyun's breath caught.
Muwon leaned forward, eyes wide, lips parting to speak—but he stayed silent, torn between dread and denial.
Sihyun smiled faintly, almost fondly.
"We burned it all… to ash. The king's crown, the nobles' robes, the priests… everyone. Screaming. Running."
A gasp spread through the room like a wave. The king's face tightened in fury, his fingers curling over the armrest of his throne—but he did not speak. Not yet.
"It was fun,"
Sihyun went on with a whisper.
"Watching humans die… one by one. I laughed in the dream. I wanted it to be real."
Yuhyun couldn't move. Couldn't even breathe. This can't be Sihyun…
Muwon's heart felt like it cracked down the center. This was the truth serum. It had reached too deep—torn through every defense Sihyun had left.
And yet, even if these words came from pain, they were still his.
The king finally spoke, voice cold as winter steel:
"And tell me, Prince Muwon… is this still someone you want to protect?"