Turning

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Chapter 773

"The reason I couldn't speak about the dream was because in that night's vision, I saw the former Commander... or rather, his hand."

The subject was the same person, yet simultaneously, it was not the same person.

Hence, Yuder's reference wavered momentarily, unable to find a clear foothold. He faintly realized the strangeness of it all, yet he had no choice. How could one precisely refer to someone who was the same yet not the same?

Before Kishiar's silent presence, Yuder realized that he must have already guessed the answer to the unspoken confession.

"...As expected, you had already anticipated this."

"That morning, as soon as you woke up and saw me while still half-asleep, you retreated away from me. Afterwards, you asked whether I felt anything while sleeping or had any strange dreams."

His calm voice flowed as if he had been prepared to give this answer from the start.

"So, naturally, I had to think the dream's content was related to me. I'm still uncertain why you specifically mentioned the hand, though."

Unintentionally, Yuder's gaze drifted towards Kishiar's hand, which was now bare, devoid even of the magic tool ring he usually wore. The hand he had grown so familiar with over time seemed strangely unfamiliar at this moment of dream confession.

The smooth back of his hand.

The protruding bones and blue tendons.

The fingertips imbued with the hue of ripe fruit and the almond-shaped nails.

All these were features Yuder had never seen in his previous life.

In his previous life, Kishiar had worn white gloves until his death, probably hiding the same gruesome scars that Yuder now concealed. What would that hand, bearing scars like those left by the Red Stone, have looked like?

It was now an impossible question to answer, too difficult even to imagine.

Yuder inhaled sharply and began to speak.

"It was exactly as I said. In the dream, only a hand appeared."

"Just a hand without the body?"

"Yes."

"Truly a nightmare, then. But that means the hand could have belonged to someone else, right?"

Instead of answering, Yuder looked at the man's face. His own gloomy reflection in those red eyes appeared like a corpse just emerged from a coffin, the face of a long-dead convict.

Yuder stared at that face and slowly, very slowly, began to speak. His voice, devoid of emotion, came out dry and brittle.

"That person always wore similar gloves. White leather gloves, almost identical in material to the ones I wear. And in the dream, the hand was wearing that glove."

The cold leather gloves, a sensation Yuder could never forget, always pressing down on his neck or shoulders. Despite his efforts to forget and his belief that he had, the touch was instantly recognizable, even in dreams.

Yuder continued, recalling the cool touch that had caressed him in the dream.

"Even if nothing else had appeared in the dream... I would have known whose hand it was."

Indeed, if the dream had shown someone else's hand, it wouldn't have felt like such a profound nightmare. It wouldn't have mattered whether they were the hands of those he had killed or the hands of Emperor Katchian. Even if those hands had appeared wielding a sword, he was certain he wouldn't have been frightened

.But it was unmistakably Kishiar's hand.

It was a hand that, no matter how much Yuder wished to mistake it for another, he simply could not.

The man, who had been scrutinizing Yuder's face, asked in a slightly lowered voice, yet with a hint of gentleness, "Did the hand merely exist there? Or was there contact?"

"It initiated contact," Yuder revealed, describing the encounter with the hand clad in white glove in the dream. He chose his words with extreme care, worried that the part about the hand caressing his face might sound peculiar.

But no matter how he explained it, the fact remained that the skin was touched. Therefore, it seemed best to hope that Kishiar, the listener, would perceive his words as objectively and devoid of emotion as possible.

"And then I..."

Articulating what followed was the most challenging part of all. After a long silence, Yuder finally mustered the courage to speak of the dream's enigmatic conclusion.

"...The moment I recognized whose hand it was, it responded to me."

"A response from just a hand?"

"It wrote the word 'correct' on my skin with its fingers. Then it grabbed my neck and pushed me down into the darkness... and when I opened my eyes, it was morning. That was the end."

After speaking, the dream seemed trivial. It was unbelievable that such a seemingly insignificant tale had taken so long to tell.

Yuder stood silently, waiting for Kishiar's response.

The rising sun behind the man cast a long shadow over Yuder, enveloping him in darkness. The backlighting hid Kishiar's expression from view.

A moment later, the man slowly raised his hand. Initially, it seemed as if he was examining his own hand, but that wasn't the case. He extended his hand forward and brushed Yuder's forehead. The fingertips, bearing a cool dampness, revealed the sweat on Yuder's forehead.

Only then did Yuder realize that his forehead was sweaty.

"A truly perplexing dream. Thank you for sharing it," Kishiar said, his lips moving in the dense backlight, his steady voice the only clear indication of his presence.

"But as of now, I have no significant guesses regarding that dream. Regrettably, it's beyond my understanding."

"..."

"May I ask you something, though?"

As Yuder nodded slowly, Kishiar, showing rare hesitation, cautiously inquired, "Did you feel, in the dream, that the hand intended to harm you?"

Did that hand intend to harm him?

Yuder reflected.

From the moment he felt the touch until he awoke, his skin had crawled continuously. It was a touch so surreal that it bordered on fear. But to say that the hand felt malicious or vengeful? That wasn't the case.

The hand neither clenched into a fist to strike Yuder, nor did it strangle him.

It simply caressed slowly, wrote a word with its finger, and then pushed him away.

Yuder felt a deep aversion but no distinct murderous intent. Even a hand without a mouth could convey that much.

After much contemplation, Yuder shook his head in conclusion.

"No. I don't think it was... intending harm. Perhaps."

"Is that so."

Was Kishiar's voice quivering slightly, or was it Yuder's imagination? Before Yuder could respond, Kishiar had already moved on to his next thought, leaving no opportunity to further discern his reaction.

"Just because we know nothing now does not mean we will remain ignorant forever. I will continue to seek out relevant information. By the time of Aton's next investigation, I will have much to share."

Yuder, with his head bowed, gazing at the ground, asked,

"Do you not think that I am merely overreacting to a nonsensical dream?"

"It's natural for anyone to react strongly to an ominous dream. Had I been in your place, my reaction might have been even more intense. Have you already forgotten how I recently spent sleepless nights borrowing all sorts of forbidden books? If anything, that's what should be called an overreaction. Though personally, I don't think of it as such."

Kishiar lightly laughed, turning his recent actions into a joke.

"Even if it's hard to explain, there's certainly something troubling you, hence your deep contemplation so far. It might seem difficult to articulate now, but once understood, it might return as a simple answer like the strange cracks or disasters you believed to be supernatural phenomena.”

"..."

"If it turns out to be merely a simple dream, then that would be the best outcome."

Yuder lifted his head to look at Kishiar again. In the meantime, the sun had risen higher, diminishing the backlight, and Kishiar's expression became visible once more. Yuder had expected him to be smiling gently as usual, but he was not.

He looked sad.

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Read up to the latest chapter (1203) and more than 1000 chapters of BL novels here

[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'

[BL] Bermuda

Leonardo Blaine, the true war hero of the Raina Logia Empire and the commander of the Armsilver 11th Squad, is dishonorably discharged for disobeying orders during the final battle that could have led the Empire to victory in the territorial war. People criticize and point fingers at him, and after being released on parole from prison, he disappears without a trace.

Three years later, his name has been forgotten by the world. The Council has been persistently pursuing him, but he has proven difficult to capture. Frustrated by this, Hugo Agrizendro, the commander of the Council's army, decides to personally apprehend him.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

Leonardo was calculative and astute, so it wouldn't be surprising if he had been observing Hugo for some time now. However, Leonardo's answer was something that even Hugo had not anticipated.

"From the very beginning."

[BL] The Mist (Same author as Turning)

In the autumn of his 18th year, after winning the high school kendo championship finals, an unexpected accident occurred.

Due to that incident, Kang Mu-heon lost one of his legs, his closest friend, and his promising future. He closed off his heart and shut himself away alone.

A few years later, the world's first real virtual reality game <THE MIST> was announced, where even those with physical disabilities could play in healthy bodies.

By chance, Kang Mu-heon encountered it and began a new life as the mage Kapros, facing unexpected meetings, reunions, and days of change....

***

"Why was someone like you born into this world to make me so miserable? Do you understand when I say it like this?! You were born with talent for the sword, a bright personality, everything - you must have been laughing at me always lagging behind! Did you even know how pathetic I felt because of your stupid hypocrisy? A genius? What does any of that matter!"

Seung-jo's cries stabbed at his heart, wailing as if he were crying even though he wasn't, but there was no time to think further. He quickly clutched my stomach, got up, and ran towards him.

He looked surprised for a moment, but he was desperate.

Just as the car was about to reach us, he shoved Seung-jo hard. Right after Seung-jo fell and rolled away with wide, startled eyes—

Screech!

Bang! With an impact that felt like his whole body was being shattered, he flew through the air.

And in that brief yet long moment of floating in space, he remembered his reflection in Seung-jo's eyes for the last time.......

***

[ Then in THE MIST, may you become the master of infinite possibilities. ]

Whoosh!

When his vision returned after everything went white, he was standing in the middle of a bustling town. Amidst the clamor, countless people were busily going about their business here and there.

He looked down at himself, standing dazed and wearing clothes of unknown origin. When he touched the sleeve, he felt the texture of fabric as real as reality. His hair felt the same, and even when he touched the wall of a nearby house, he could clearly feel the solid, cold surface.

Is this... VT?

It seemed like a joke. It truly felt as if he had come to another world and was touching everything.

As he stood there unable to think due to the shock, he suddenly remembered the biggest reason he had decided to play this game, and snapped back to attention. His two legs were still as they had been when he first stood.

'Can I really walk?'

He first stepped out with his left foot, then very slowly put strength into his heavy right foot. It felt like cold sweat was running down his spine.

And then,

He lifted it,

Moved it,

And took another step to touch the ground again.

So easily. As if there had never been any problem with this leg from the beginning.

"Ah..."

At that moment, something that was neither joy nor emotion shot up his spine. Suddenly feeling a lump in his throat, he lowered his head and leaned against the wall. His right foot, bearing his weight, was doing its job perfectly.

"..."

Holding back the tightness in his throat, he took another step.

It didn't hurt. It wasn't heavy. His leg was no longer a useless piece of wood that ached.

Damn it, to be able to walk so easily like this.

To be able to run so easily like this.

He had wished even in his dreams for the day to come when he could walk and run like this again.

And so he walked again, kept walking, slowly getting faster, until finally he started running like a madman through the entire town.

***

"Kap. ...There seems to be a misunderstanding. That's not what I meant."

Just as he was thinking he should throw a punch, Yu-wan sighed with a troubled look and said.

A misunderstanding? How could it be a misunderstanding when he said with his own mouth that he didn't think of me as a friend?

"I didn't expect to receive such a question suddenly, so my explanation was probably too brief. Let me rephrase."

Yu-wan reached out his hand, his face completely changed from before - intense yet resolute - as he stared at him. As he didn't reject the hand suddenly approaching his face and kept his gaze fixed, his cool large hand touched his cheek completely.

A shiver ran down his spine at that moment.

"I'm sorry to say this to you, but I don't see you only as a friend. ...This is the complete answer."

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[BL] Cloudless Sky

Jin Soram, the top-ranked hunter representing South Korea's Rift Phenomenon Management Headquarters, is stronger than anyone else and lazier than anyone else. As soon as he arrives at the office, he buries himself under a blanket and falls asleep. When he goes out on a mission, he causes accidents and returns to the office, often shirking his duties.

"Do you know how it feels to play a game that's already messed up? ...Anyway, the next round will come, so this time, I'm just going to play it recklessly."

In fact, his true identity is someone who has regressed through three lives, trying to save the world from the Great Rift but failing each time. After repeating a life where he couldn't sleep peacefully even for a day, he became completely exhausted before this life even began.

"I know. You worked hard, Jin Soram."

And then there's Han Tae-un, the man who saved Soram and died in all three previous lives. As he did in every life, he comes to Soram's side once again. The Great Rift is approaching soon. It's impossible to resolve it in this life without any preparation. Soram vows to save Tae-un in this life and die himself. At least, he won't let Tae-un save a failure like himself again.

"For now, until then, let's sleep..."

As Soram sluggishly lives his life waiting for that moment, a gradual change occurs in his heart.

'I thought this was a messed-up round... but I want to live a little longer here.'