“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” — Carl Sagan, Cosmos

  Immediately after the light was liberated, the first to fall were the three sturdy men. They collapsed as if a candle had been blown out. It was a bizarre cessation of life, as if a giant, invisible hammer had pulverized their brains in a single stroke.

  Then, the King fell. He collapsed exactly as he had stood, like a king. Even in falling, he did not kneel. And death began to spread. Talase fell with an expression of ecstasy, shouting a final hurrah, while the Lord Chamberlain beside the King bowed his head as if attending to his master and collapsed right there.

  One by one, they fell in their own manner, with a time lag dictated by their distance from the jar. The loyal Captain of the Royal Guard, who had been rushing to support the King, collapsed mid-stride. It was a death without omen. There was no shedding of blood, no groans of pain, no death throes. No tears of regret or wails of repentance. They simply fell like puppets whose strings had been severed.

  "The curse is awakened."

  "It is Radiation."

  "The origin of the decline of civilization."

  Each person retreated, calling out that accursed name. In an instant, people in the first row of the event began to vomit and fall to their knees. As if their organs had melted from the inside, a black liquid erupted incessantly from their mouths.

  Behind them, people wandered as if blinded by the powerful, chilling blue brilliance, reaching out their hands. Within their pupils, non-existent blue lightning was embedded, erasing the world forever with a blue brand.

  Further back, some stood amidst the chaos, staring blankly as if they could hear nothing. And behind them, blood began to flow from people's noses and ears. As if every dam holding back the blood inside their bodies had burst at once, red blood surged from every orifice.

  The servants in the rear rushed to their masters, but they too received the same divine judgment the moment they stood beside them. The air in the Audience Chamber was filled with a bizarre, acrid stench that pricked the nose. It was a smell never experienced before. It was that cold, sharp, fishy metallic scent that passes by for a fleeting second just before a massive thunderbolt strikes the earth during a storm. But the density was different.

  It was a scent as if the air itself was being roasted by an invisible fire, a sharp aroma like cold water being splashed onto a white-hot metal plate that gouged into the nasal membranes. Every time they inhaled, it felt as though the depths of their lungs were being scratched by something cold.

  People instinctively clutched their noses. It was not the foul breath of something rotting. Rather, it was a ruthless and sharp smell, terrifying in its excessive cleanliness—as if the breath of a god was rejecting human lungs. Everyone saw it. And without needing to be told, they turned and began to flee.

  "Eren, come back!"

  Ari screamed with all her might. The crowd formed a massive wave, rushing toward the doors of the Audience Chamber. Hundreds of bodies became entangled in the narrow doorway. Human bones were crushed helplessly as if run over by heavy wagons. It was a hell where the kicking feet of the person next to them were more terrifying than the blue light behind them. Those who fell to the floor were trampled into the mud under the feet of those behind them without being able to utter a single scream.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Eren was caught in the human tide, unable to move forward. At some point, he heard a voice calling him desperately. Eren looked back at her. The moment he tried to move toward her, a slight pain pricked the tip of his left finger. It wasn't exactly pain. It was a terrifying, skin-crawling tingle he had never felt before, as if thousands of invisible needles were piercing through his fingertips.

  Eren moved toward her to set her free.

  "If you're going to run, at least don't get caught," Eren rebuked her. A fishy, nauseating taste, like licking a piece of old iron, was already vibrating in his mouth.

  "I got caught on purpose. To stop the destruction."

  Eren looked around. There was a massive axe left behind by a royal guard. It was a weapon symbolizing the King's dignity, but now it lay there abandoned, just as the King had fallen. Eren picked up the axe and struck the iron chains binding Ari to the pillar.

  The people no longer cared about Ari. The doors were open, and they ran to get as far away as possible from that accursed jar and the soundless death.

  In an instant, the people who had been in the Audience Chamber were gone. All who remained were those losing their hearing, their sight, and their vitality.

  Those who had lost their hearing didn't notice the commotion until they came to their senses, looked around, and realized their situation, let out screams. They despaired upon realizing they could not hear their own voices. But soon, seeing their surroundings, they regained their senses and fled toward the door.

  Those who had lost their sight were in even more wretched condition. Not knowing where to go, they lost their sense of direction and ran anywhere. Some ran toward the jar and collapsed as if tripping over something. They never rose again. Some luckily ran toward the exit but couldn't find the door and hit the wall. However, they felt their way along the wall, found the door, and left.

  Those who had lost their vitality vomited, then collapsed and could not get up. They only expressed their life through groans.

  Eren struck the iron ring with the axe until the last of the people who couldn't flee had left. Sweat soaked his body.

  "Eren, stop!" Ari shouted again. "You have to get away, too. We could end up like them."

  Instead of using her bound hands, Ari gestured with her chin toward the area around the jar.

  "I know," Eren said shortly, exhausted. "I missed you."

  Ari also spoke and gave a faint smile. Eren hugged Ari. He remembered the moment they discovered the cave in Onkalo.

  "There must be something more useful than an axe nearby."

  Ari quietly looked around. In the vast Audience Chamber, it seemed only the two of them were left alive. They looked like survivors left on a field of slaughter.

  Eren looked around again. In the distance, the chisel—the jeong—lay on the floor. It seemed to be the tool used to break the jar. As the man breaking the jar had collapsed, it had slid away and been kicked during the chaos, landing far from the jar.

  "I think that will do it," Eren said.

  "No... you saw it, too. What happens to the people." Ari was horrified.

  "I can't just leave you here," Eren said as he picked up the axe. "But I have no intention of leaving you and dying. Don't worry."

  Ari nodded slightly, as if guessing Eren's thoughts. Eren trudged toward where the chisel had fallen. It was near the people who had been vomiting blood in the first row. He tried to keep as much distance as possible.

  He walked to the spot where the deafened people had stood. He lowered his body and extended the ceremonial axe. He felt the tip of the axe lightly touch the chisel. He frowned slightly. He rotated his wrist to set the axe blade. Then, scratching the blade against the floor, he dragged the chisel toward him. But the chisel slipped out halfway due to the friction of the floor. The chisel got stuck on a corpse and wouldn't come out. It was the area where the blind people had been. Eren stood up again.

  Ari shed tears.

  "There's no light like before. Don't worry," Eren said, looking back at Ari.

  Then, he took a few steps forward. A faint taste of iron filled his mouth. He grabbed the chisel and returned quickly.

  "It'll be over soon."

  Eren held the chisel and used the flat side of the ceremonial axe as a hammer to strike it down. After several strikes, the ring broke. Ari sobbed the entire time.