Johan stood there, staring blankly since he didn’t quite get what was happening. Seojun shamelessly walked on, as if he had replaced the skin on his face with an iron plate. He strutted confidently, chin up like he was just taking a casual stroll and not running away from something. His walk was a bit stiff and awkward, like a puppet on strings, but it would’ve been convincing if not for his flushed cheeks.
Who could possibly punish someone with the power to manipulate time itself?
A Saint wouldn’t even notice that time had been reversed.
Johan closed the gap between them, their faces so close their noses brushed, a fleeting touch that sent a shiver through Seojun. Johan’s eyes, bright and lively, held Seojun’s, his face breaking into a wide, heartfelt smile as if revealing his deepest feelings was his greatest joy.
Anyway, Athanas’s attempt at acting was about as convincing as a cat promising not to knock things off the table. Seriously, if this guy was angling for a gig in undercover work, he’d stick out like a sore thumb.
Some people just come into the world a certain way. They might be born as natural right-handers, stand head and shoulders above the rest like living giants or have wild, curly hair and captivating green eyes. Some are extraordinarily perceptive — as if they possess their own kind of magic.
… I hesitated at the top of the staircase that plunged into the basement’s suffocating darkness below.
It’s really creepy and ominous, isn’t it...
Obviously Seojun, known for his prickly attitude, wasn’t suddenly overcome with compassion. He idly played with the binoculars slung around his waist, lost in thought.
Mind manipulation doesn’t work on me, but the real concern is what comes next. What if Athanas or the player behind him figures out I’m immune to brainwashing or forgetfulness?
Seojun’s gaze was locked onto the raging inferno before him, his eyes stinging from the intensity of the blaze. The heat scorched their skin, but he and his group couldn’t bring themselves to leave.
“…Pardon?”
Athanas loomed over me, his eyes boring into mine. “You looked more surprised seeing my face than when you nearly fell over earlier.”