* * *

“Um…”

Why was Elliot suddenly acting like this?

His voice flooded with frustration, and I didn’t understand his reaction at all.

If he’d wanted to blame me, he’d had plenty of chances before—when I’d mentioned giving Huimang up for adoption or even when we first met.

He’d let all those moments pass and even proposed to me twice.

So why was he reacting this way just because I’d suggested a name for Hope?

“If that’s what you wanted, you could have played ‘dad’ with that other guy! Why, why did you pull me into this…”

That other guy.

It finally clicked.

‘Ah, does he think I combined Eunsoo and my name to make it?’

Yes, I can see how he’d think that.

I hurriedly opened my mouth to explain.

“Wait a minute. I think you’re misunderstanding…”

This is a misunderstanding.

I’m not sure why he thought I’d choose a name for Huimang that combines Eunsoo’s name with mine, but it wasn’t that at all.

I’d based it on my own name, but it had nothing to do with Eunsoo.

• Rumble.

Before I could clear up the misunderstanding, a loud noise echoed from somewhere.

At first, I thought it was thunder.

But it wasn’t.

The sound was deeper, more ominous.

It was like a scream tearing through the sky.

Drawn by the eerie noise, everyone on the street, including Elliot and me, lifted our heads to the heavens.

A fracture spread across the peaceful night sky, like a long scar, and gradually began to widen, revealing a massive maw.

The sky was opening up.

A gate.

‘It’s huge.’

My mouth dropped open.

Even at a glance, its size was staggering.

The terror was incomparable to the B-rank threats I’d faced before.

Just standing there, I was paralyzed, overwhelmed by a chilling fear that left my entire body trembling.

Instinctively, I took a step back.

I couldn’t help but think, rather irresponsibly, how lucky I was that the massive gate had not appeared directly over my head.

As if scolding me, a shiver ran down my spine.

I snapped out of it, feeling the coolness against my cheek, and turned my gaze to its source—Elliot.

He wasn’t looking my way.

His eyes were fixed on the sky, wide with shock.

It was an extreme reaction for merely seeing a gate, especially for a veteran Esper like Elliot, who’d dealt with such phenomena before.

While this gate was large, it wasn’t unprecedented in scale.

Then why…?

Slowly, his crimson lips parted.

“The hospital…”

Only when I heard his murmured words did I realize the location of the gate.

It was right above the hospital where Huimang was staying.

A chill ran down my spine.

“Elliot!”

I called out his name urgently and reached out, but it was too late.

My hand swiped through empty air.

His speed was incredible, so fast that someone like me couldn’t possibly keep up.

“Wait! Please, wait!”

I shouted desperately after his vanishing silhouette, but it was useless.

My voice didn’t reach him.

Without even looking back, Elliot vanished from my sight, heading, no doubt, toward the hospital where Huimang was.

– A gate has appeared. All residents in the vicinity are urged to evacuate the affected area and move to the nearest shelter as quickly as possible…

Only then did the piercing sound of the sirens and the emergency evacuation broadcast fill the air, followed by emergency alerts blaring from people’s phones, drowning everything in noise.

The people around, who had been staring blankly at the sky, finally began to snap out of their daze and move.

Amidst the chaos, I scanned my surroundings quickly.

I spotted a taxi idling by the roadside, and, ignoring the pain from the scrape on my knee, I ran over and pulled open the door.

“Hey, who are you? Can’t you hear the sirens? We’re not operating right now, so get out!”

“I’m with the Esper Management Bureau. This is urgent! I’ll pay double. No, ten times the fare! Just take me to the scene!”

---

As the taxi sped toward the scene, I found myself thinking in an alarmingly cold, detached way.

“So that’s why Yang Heewon died.”

As soon as I inhabited Yang Heewon’s body and discovered Huimang’s existence through his memories, I knew immediately.

This child was everything to him—his lifeline.

Yang Heewon wasn’t the type to leave Huimang behind and die suddenly.

He must have made some sort of preparation.

But in the story, his death was described as “sudden,” as though it had happened out of nowhere.

Likely, it was because Huimang had passed away first, leaving Yang Heewon with nothing to live for.

But Huimang was a child whose prognosis had been promising with continued treatment.

The risk this time was only due to intensive care; sudden deterioration during maintenance treatment was rare.

If such a child had suddenly died, then some external factor must have been at play.

An accident, disaster—or a gate.

“I was too complacent…”

In that sense, this gate’s appearance was inevitable.

My lack of preparation was my downfall.

… And Elliot being drawn into it was part of that failure, too.

“I should have paid more attention.”

I closed my eyes, feeling the regret.

I’d been so absorbed in my role as a student, juggling barely enough to survive, that I’d neglected Huimang, this child struggling to live.

I couldn’t visit in person, but I could have at least hired a caregiver.

If I’d even devoted a single day entirely to him, maybe things could have turned out differently.

If I lose Huimang and Elliot like this, I…

I clenched my fists.

My body was as cold as a corpse, despite the heater in the car.

“What… what on earth is all this?”

The startled voice of the taxi driver broke through the ringing in my head.

I finally came back to my senses and looked around.

“Snow…”

It was snowing.

Enough to turn the entire world white.

“An S-rank Esper…”

It was still only mid-to-late November, a warm year without the typical cold snap before college entrance exams.

It hadn’t even been cold when I left in a rush without thinking about my clothes.

There was only one reason why it would suddenly start snowing like this.

“Looks like an incredible Esper is here!”

The taxi driver, seemingly sharing my thoughts, raised his voice excitedly.

But unlike his exhilaration, my heart sank even colder.

“It’s too widespread.”

This wasn’t controlled at all.

For his ability to spill over into a non-affected area like this meant his emotions were completely unrestrained.

It wasn’t like Elliot to act this way, but remembering the look in his eyes as he rushed to the hospital, it made sense.

“If it’s only this much, we might not need to evacuate. Wow, that’s incredible…”

“No. I’ll get out here, so please leave the area as quickly as you can. I’m sorry for bringing you into danger.”

“What?”

I forced a smile as I handed him the fare terminal.

My mouth tasted bitter.

“…I don’t think I can handle it on my own.”

I opened the door and stepped out.

The air was colder than any winter chill, colder even than a freezing day.

I could feel it in the atmosphere.

That piercing, spine-chilling killing intent.

The same feeling I’d gotten when I witnessed the rampage of Jake Powel.

An S-rank Esper had gone berserk.

Was there anyone who could guide Elliot in this state?

And could I… could I possibly handle him?

“Heewon!”

As expected, the field control team was fast.

Not long after the gate appeared, they’d already mobilized, helping people evacuate.

Among them, I spotted a familiar face.

Kim Miri from the field control team, someone I’d encountered before.

For a moment, I remembered the things I’d overheard in the tent that day, but thankfully, she was one of the few who hadn’t mentioned anything related to Eunsoo while on-site.

“How did you get here? We hadn’t notified you yet…”

“I happened to be nearby.”

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. I was with Elliot. Where is he now?”

I asked urgently, but my question was rendered meaningless in an instant.

The flow of the wind changed.

My hair was swept around in the violent gust.

Snowflakes whirled together, then formed a massive ice spear suspended in the air.

“Put up another barrier!”

“Hey, put your helmet on!”

“It’s too late on that side. Better to reinforce this side!”

“But if we abandon it…”

The field control team bustled into action, moving into position and putting on protective gear.

Defense Espers rushed forward, erecting translucent barriers in quick succession.

– Boom!

The transparent barriers encased the area’s largest buildings just in time.

A gleaming, blue ice spear crashed into the ground.

– Boom, boom.

The ground shuddered as more ice spears rained down, echoing in the distance.

Despite the considerable distance, shards of ice scattered in the air, mingling with the monstrous cries of otherworldly creatures.

The scene was terrifyingly beautiful, beyond belief that a single human had created it.

“…Hah…”

But this only confirmed one thing.

Right now, Elliot needed me—his Guide.

“Heewon.”

I looked up at the sky, feeling the pressure bearing down on my entire body, until her voice finally made me turn my head.

* * *