The air in the underground passage was thick with tension. The faint, distant sounds of the city above barely reached them here, but that didn't ease the suffocating silence that had settled over the group. The old man's ragged breathing filled the tunnel, each labored inhale and exhale a painful reminder of the choice that loomed over them all.
Yeon-ah stood still, her yellow eyes locked on the old man as he lay slumped against the cold, damp wall. His frail body shook with each breath, his strength fading fast. Juna knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she tried to comfort him, her wide eyes filled with fear and desperation.
"We can't just leave him," Juna said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "He's… he's too weak. We have to do something."
The woman stood a few steps away, her arms crossed over her chest, her face set in a cold, unreadable mask. Her wound, though still bleeding slightly, didn't seem to slow her down. She had made her stance clear: they couldn't afford to stay here any longer.
"He won't survive another hour, even if we do help him," the woman said bluntly. Her voice was steady, emotionless. "We need to move. If we don't, none of us will make it."
Juna's head snapped up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "You can't be serious! We can't just leave him here to die!"
Yeon-ah's chest tightened as she listened to their exchange. She understood both sides. The woman was right—every second they spent here was a risk. The Devourers were out there, hunting them. Staying in one place for too long was a death sentence. But Juna's pleas tugged at something deep inside Yeon-ah, something she wasn't sure she could ignore.
The old man's weak, trembling voice broke through the tension. "I… I can't… I don't want to slow you down…"
His words were barely audible, each one a struggle. His eyes, sunken and filled with pain, locked onto Yeon-ah's. There was something pleading in them, a silent request for mercy.
Yeon-ah's grip on her sword tightened, her mind racing as she weighed the options before her. The woman was already moving toward the exit, her posture rigid and decisive. She had made her choice. Juna, on the other hand, refused to move, her small hands clutching at the old man's arm as if willing him to hold on just a little longer.
"We can't do this," Juna whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "Please, Yeon-ah. We can't leave him."
Yeon-ah closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. Her body ached with exhaustion, her mind clouded with fatigue, but the decision had to be made. In this world, survival was everything, but at what cost? Could she live with herself if they left this man behind, defenseless and alone? Or would his weakness endanger them all if they stayed?
"I…" Yeon-ah's voice faltered, uncertainty creeping into her tone.
But before she could finish her thought, the old man coughed violently, his body convulsing as pain wracked through him. Juna gasped, her hands shaking as she tried to steady him, her wide eyes filled with panic.
"He's not going to make it," the woman said coldly, her gaze never leaving the tunnel ahead. "If you want to die with him, stay. Otherwise, we leave now."
The weight of her words hung in the air, heavy and final.
Yeon-ah's heart pounded in her chest, her mind still racing. Every instinct told her to keep moving, to follow the woman and leave the old man behind. It was the logical choice, the only choice that guaranteed their survival. And yet…
Juna's tear-filled eyes met Yeon-ah's, silently begging her to do something. The old man's rasping breaths echoed through the tunnel, a reminder of how fragile life had become in this world.
With a clenched jaw, Yeon-ah knelt beside Juna, her hand resting on the old man's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
The old man looked up at her, his lips twitching into a weak, grateful smile. He knew what was coming. "Thank you… for trying," he rasped.
Yeon-ah's grip tightened on her sword as she stood back up, her heart heavy with the decision she had made. She couldn't save him, but she could end his suffering.
Juna's eyes widened in horror as she realized what was about to happen. "No! You can't—"
Yeon-ah's blade flashed in the dim light, her movements quick and precise. The old man let out one final breath as the sword cut through the air, ending his pain in an instant. His body went limp, and the tunnel fell into a deathly silence.
Juna's scream echoed through the tunnel, her hands flying to her mouth as she backed away, tears streaming down her face. "How could you…" she whispered, her voice breaking.
Yeon-ah's hands trembled as she wiped the blood from her blade, her heart aching with guilt. "I'm sorry," she said again, her voice barely audible. "It was the only way."
Juna shook her head, her body shaking with sobs as she turned away, unable to look at Yeon-ah.
The woman, now standing at the tunnel's entrance, gave Yeon-ah a long, hard look. "We need to move," she said, her voice sharp but lacking judgment.
Yeon-ah nodded, though the weight of what she had done still pressed down on her chest. She glanced at Juna, her heart breaking at the sight of the girl's anguish, but there was no time to console her. Not now.
"Let's go," Yeon-ah said quietly, turning toward the woman. "We need to survive."
Without another word, the group moved forward, leaving the old man's body behind in the darkness.