Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 931

Chapter 931

It was an evening when the sliver of the moon hung like a delicate bloom.

The clouds drifted low, settling heavily, making the heavens feel near enough to touch.

Beneath them, the meadow shimmered under the moonlight, radiating a strange and profound purity.

It was that kind of night.
A night illuminated by the moon.
A night adorned with a breathtaking sky.
A night where the breeze felt like a gentle caress.

And—

“It’s lovely, isn’t it?”

A night when I found myself drawn to you.

That was today.

“Yes, it is lovely.”

The words were not meant for the moon.
If anything, they were for the expanse of the night itself.

A canvas where stars flowered in endless numbers.
The fields below were rich with blossoms,
And the sky above was embroidered with starlight.

So what, then, was blooming upon your face?
I often pondered this when lost in her gaze.

“Oh?”

She laughed softly at my remark.

“…You never change, do you?”
“Have I ever said anything truly unkind?”

I could not remember a single cruel word leaving my lips.

I looked at her, pretending to be wounded, but she answered with her familiar, gentle smile.

“The things you say are always so merciless.”
“…Such as?”
“Your words are what sustain me. They are ruthless and unfeeling.”

I did not understand.
She often spoke in such confusing ways,
Always with a trace of sadness in her expression.

“Why are you crying?”

I asked, my fingers brushing her pale cheek.

“I am not crying.”

She caught my hand and held it.

Her skin was cold.
It always had been.

And so, she would often cling to me,
Explaining that my warmth offered her comfort—
Enough to face another day.

That was what she used to tell me.

“Hey.”
“What is it?”

The woman in my arms lifted a hand to point at the sky.

“What do you see?”

I raised my head to look.
Was she asking me to name everything in my sight?

After a brief silence, I spoke.

“I see the night.”
“And?”
“The stars that fill it, and the clouds that drift among them.”
“And?”
“The moon watching over everything.”
“Then?”
“I don’t know.”

I had said all I could see.
If she wanted more, I had nothing else to offer.

Hearing this, she rolled her eyes.

It was a habit when she was thinking deeply.
I liked that about her, so I waited in silence.

“Then, it must be the night.”

Her words were sudden and mysterious.

I frowned. “…What does that mean?”
“The first thing you noticed was the night, wasn’t it?”
“…”

Wasn’t that what anyone would see when looking up?
I meant to say so, but she spoke first.

“Then it’s settled. I will be your night.”

“…What?”
“If I become your night, you will remember me each time you see it.”
“…”
“Perhaps you will think of me whenever you gaze at the sky.”

Night? Sky?
She continued speaking in puzzles.

“Promise you will not forget me, no matter what occurs.”
“…”

Her plea left me staring, unable to respond.

I did not challenge the absurdity of her words because of the desperate look in her eyes.

“…Very well.”

And so, I gave her my word.

“You are my night.”

I promised that the darkened sky would always bring her to mind.

That was the vow I made.

“Truly?”

She smiled at my promise.
But as I saw her smile, a sliver of dread pierced me.

Why—

Why did you still look as if you were weeping?

I wondered this, gazing into her eyes, which trembled even as she smiled.

“I will trust you.”

She spoke, her shoulders shaking slightly.
Feeling a surge of pity, I drew her into an embrace.

“As I always have.”

Yet, it felt as if I were not holding her at all.
It was like clutching a wisp of empty mist,
Something fragile and fleeting that might vanish at any moment.

If I held her tighter, she might shatter.
If I loosened my grip, she might fade away.

“…This time, I will believe you.”

Under the immense sky, she whispered.

“…Alright.”

To her words, I could only assent.
It was the only thing I could offer the woman in my arms.

We stayed like that for a time—

“…Hey.”

She spoke again.

“Say my name.”
“…”

Her request made me chuckle softly.
Was that really something she needed to ask?

This much, I could do for her whenever she wished.

For a moment, or for an eternity, I would do it.

With that thought, I opened my mouth to speak—

“…”

But my lips would not form the words.

I could not remember.

What was her name?

Why had it slipped my mind?

Alarmed by this bizarre sensation, I glanced down at my arms.

“…Huh?”

There was nothing there.

The woman I had been holding was gone.

“…What…?”

What had I been holding just a moment ago?
I was certain I had been holding something.

Why could I remember nothing else?

With unsteady eyes, I looked up at the sky.

“…”

And all that looked back was a hollow, empty night.

************

“What is wrong with you?”

I demanded, my hands gripping her small shoulders tightly.

“What happened?”

My eyes fell to her chest.
Her clothes were slashed in several places,
And blood seeped from a clean, precise wound.

A sword injury?

From the look of it, the cut was sharp and exact.

What could have happened?

Where had she gone to receive such a wound?

Concentrating, I examined her more carefully.

“…It hurts…”

Cheonma winced and spoke.

I snapped in frustration.

“Of course it hurts, you fool!

Look at this!! How could it not hurt?”
“…No… my arm… hurts.”
“What?”

I glanced at her shoulder.
My own hand was clamped around it, holding her fiercely.

Noticing, I immediately released my grip.

“…”

Why had I been holding her so tightly?
I scowled.

“…Why are you injured?”

What could she have been doing to end up in such a state?
I could not comprehend it and pressed for an answer.

“…”

But Cheonma did not answer.
She only watched me in silence.

“What are you doing? Answer me!”

As I grew more impatient, she tilted her head and asked,

“Why?”
“What?”

Her reply made me scowl even deeper.

“What do you mean, why?”
“Why are you asking me this?”
“What do you mean, why am I asking? Isn’t it obvious—”

Was it?
Why was I asking this? The question felt misplaced. This wasn’t what I needed to know.

Instead of why she was hurt, I should have asked what had occurred.
I tried to correct myself and start again.

“What did you—”
“Are you concerned about me?”
“What…?”

Her question halted me like a broken mechanism.
Cheonma stared intently, her violet eyes locking onto mine.

The moment our eyes met, my entire face contorted—my eyes, my brow, everything.

“Do not speak nonsense.”
“…”
“I am not worried about you. What irritates me is that I told you not to cause trouble, and yet you return in this state.”

Exactly.
It was not concern.
I had objectives here, and I needed to conclude them. If this fool created more complications, it would become a genuine problem.

That was all.

“So just answer me properly—”
“You are worried about me.”
“Stop twisting my words.”

Why did she persistently misunderstand me? My irritation mounted.
Meanwhile, the corners of Cheonma’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly, as if amused.

This annoyed me further.

“Why are you smiling?”
“I’m not.”
“You are smiling right now.”
“I am not.”
“You little—”

I moved to seize her by the collar but stopped when I saw her battered condition.

“Damn it.”

I withdrew my hand and looked at her again.

“Enough of this. Tell me clearly. What happened?”
“…”

Cheonma hesitated briefly, her lips parting slightly before she finally replied.

“I went to meet someone.”
“What?”

I could not believe what I was hearing.

“Who could you possibly need to meet in this place?”

Was there anyone in Mangye that Cheonma would know?
It made no sense.

Yet if she returned wounded, it could mean only one thing.

She had fought someone.

Who in the world could she have fought to end up like this?

As I puzzled over it, Cheonma added, “It was that individual we encountered before.”
“…Before?”

A memory arose—
Cheonma had once pursued someone lurking near Mount Hua.

But—

“They were here as well?”
“Yes.”
“And you fought them and ended up like this?”
“I was careless.”

Cheonma spoke with a tone of regret, edged with defiance.

Yes, that seemed right.
The fact that Cheonma had been injured at all was strange enough to baffle me.

“I will not lose next time.”
“Next time? What are you talking about now?”

I ran a hand through my hair in exasperation.
Frustration welled up inside.

What in the world is happening?

Not only around Mount Hua, but here too, they kept appearing. It was infuriating.

“And how did you even locate them?”

How had she tracked down someone surveilling us?

“Ah.”

Cheonma tapped her fist lightly against her palm as if it were obvious.

“I followed you.”
“Followed me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it was entertaining.”
“…”

What should I do?
Should I strike her? Could I even strike her?
I seriously considered it.

“Anyway… So you fought the person spying on us?”
“No.”
“What? You just said you did—what are you saying?”

Cheonma pointed at me, cutting me off.

“What is this about?”
“It’s you.”
“What about me?”
“They were watching you.”

I turned to look behind me.
It was Gubong, standing awkwardly, uncertain what to do.

“So… You are saying…”

Even though Cheonma and I traveled together, the spy had been focused solely on me.

“And how can you be certain of that?”

Gubong and I had been together the entire time.
I had not even noticed when the surveillance began.

Which meant one of two things:

Either Cheonma was lying, or…

The spy was skilled enough to evade my detection.

Both possibilities were equally troubling.

If it was the former…

I already distrusted Cheonma.

If she were lying to me now, the situation would grow even more tangled.

And if it was the latter…

This is going to be troublesome.

They were either using abilities I could not perceive, or they were simply far more capable than I.
That alone made things complex.

On top of that…

I looked at Cheonma’s injuries.

They had managed to wound Cheonma.

Even if she called it a mistake, it did not mean she was unskilled.
Who could it have been? Which faction did they belong to?

As I considered this, one figure came to mind.

…Could it be Mother?

A mother I did not even know.
Could she be behind this?

I bit down on my thumb, lost in unpleasant speculation.

“But,” Cheonma said suddenly, interrupting my thoughts.

“They were… unusual.”

Her words caught me off guard.

**************

In a forest distant from Yahwol Palace,
a woman stumbled, clutching a tree trunk for support.

Drip.

With every movement, blood dripped onto the earth.

Strangely, her blood was not red—it held a deep, purplish tint.

“Hahh…”

The woman slid down the tree, collapsing onto the ground.

“Huff… huff…”

Her breathing was ragged, her ears and tail drooping with exhaustion.

She reached up to remove the black mask covering her face, as if it had become suffocating.

As the mask came off, a wave of heat dissipated into the air.
Her concealed features were now revealed.

“Huff… urgh…”

Her head fell forward, her brown hair tumbling down to conceal her face.

And within that shadow, her golden eyes glimmered faintly in the dim light.