They walked further through the dim corridor, the air growing heavier, thick with the scent of smoke and sorrow. Every step Mei took seemed to echo softly, as though the ground whispered the pain of countless souls. The man stopped before another place__not a room this time, but an open field surrounded by pale mist.
In the middle of it stood a giant tree___so vast that its roots spread like rivers across the ground, and its crown disappeared into the clouds. It's back was dark and hard as iron, its surface covered with strange runes that glowed faintly red.
A man stood before the tree, cutting at it with a tiny blade that could barely slice through a leaf. He swung the blade again and again, each strike weak and desperate. But every time he managed to scratch the surface, the tree healed instantly, whole again as though untouched.
Mei's heart tightened. Sweat drenched the man's body; his arms trembled; yet he didn't stop. His eyes were hollow__filled with hopelessness and shame.
"What is he doing?" Mei asked, her voice trembling.
The man beside her folded his hands behind his back. "He is trying to undo his wrongs," he said quietly. "He hurt many souls in his life. He destroyed homes, broke hearts, and spread falsehoods. Now he seeks forgiveness, but he waited too long. His deeds took root__deep, unbreakable. Each cut he makes only feeds the sin he planted."
Mei stared at the man's bleeding hands. "Then… he can't be forgiven?" she whispered.
"Forgiveness must be sought while the heart still beats," the man said. "Here, it is too late. Here, every wound one caused becomes the tree one must cut forever."
A gust of cold wind blew through the field, carrying the sound of the man's labored breathing and the dull clang of the futile blade. Mei's eyes filled with tears as she whispered, "It's endless…"
"Yes," the man said softly. "That is the nature of regret,__it has no end unless faced in life."
They walked deeper into the mist, and the air grew colder, filled with the sound of faint cries___soft at first, then rising into wails that made Mei's heart pound.
The man stopped before a narrow valley of fire and smoke. Shadows flickered along the walls, and Mei could see figures moving—women, young and old, their clothes torn and faces pale. Their wrists were bound with glowing chains that burned into their skin.
One of them screamed as a lash of light struck across her back. The wound sizzled, then healed, only for the whip to fall again. Again, and again.
Mei covered her mouth, trembling. "Stop them!" she cried. "Why are they being punished like this?"
The man's eyes were calm, but heavy with sadness. "They sold what was meant to be sacred," he said. "They gave their bodies for gold and comfort, believing the world owed them love. Each lash you see is not from me___but from their own memories, striking them over and over."
Mei's eyes filled with tears. "But they were desperate," she whispered. "Maybe they had no choice."
The man looked at her, his expression unreadable. "There is always a choice. The devil waits for the moment when one believes there isn't."
The lashes continued__each cry echoing through the mist until it faded into silence again.
Mei lowered her gaze, whispering, "They were humans too."
"Yes," the man said quietly. "Humans who forgot they were more than flesh. And now, their own desires are the fire that burns them."
He turned to her, his eyes glowing faintly. "Come, Mei. There are still more truths you must see."
Mei turned to him, her voice trembling. "Is there really no way out for them?"
The man looked at her for a long moment. His golden eyes flickered with something ancient, sorrow, perhaps, or memory. "There is always a way out," he said at last. "But only for those who choose to listen before it's too late."
He paused, his gaze drifting toward the endless smoke. "I used to be among the devil's favorites," he confessed quietly. "I deceived, I lied, and I led both humans and demons astray. I whispered in their hearts, feeding their greed and pride. I was the voice that led them to ruin."
Mei stared at him, speechless.
His tone softened, almost mournful. "But one day, I was found by an old friend, a soul I once tried to destroy. Instead, he guided me toward the light I had long forgotten. Since that day, I have walked this realm as a Warner, not a tempter. My duty is to warn those who still wander between truth and illusion… those who still have a chance to turn back."
Mei's eyes glistened. "Then… that's why you came to me," she whispered.
He smiled faintly. "Yes, Mei. Because your soul still listens. And that means… you are not yet lost."
Mei's brows drew together. "If it's the devil that makes them sin," she asked softly, "then why are they the ones being punished?"
The man turned to her, his expression calm and sorrowful. "No," he said simply. "The devil has never made anyone commit sin, because if he did, the sin would belong to him."
He took a step closer, his eyes glimmering with truth. "All he does is make sin beautiful and alluring. He wraps it in pleasure, in desire, in promises of comfort. But the choice… always belongs to the human."
Mei swallowed hard, her gaze lowering.
"Humans," the man continued, "are enemies to themselves. Their own desires are their greatest downfall, far more dangerous than any demon. The devil is the weakest of all man's enemies… because he can only whisper and decieve. Nothing more."
A shiver ran through Mei's body as his words sank deep into her heart.
Inside Yuyan's chamber, Leng Yue had tried every possible means to reach Mei, but all was fruitless. His power, though vast, met an unseen barrier, an invisible wall pulsing with Ji Woo's dark magic. Each attempt left him weaker, his palms trembling, sweat glistening on his brow.