29. The Fires of Lust

Hoseok stood at the bottom of the mountaintop, carrying a makeshift bag made of his father's shirt. He couldn't just carry it by the hair. He couldn't look at it.

Looking at the path upward, he wished one of the few powers he had already unlocked included flying. But no, that would be too easy.

Taking a deep breath, he began walking. And walking. And walking. And stumbling on a little rock that someone obviously placed there on purpose to sabotage him, leading him to roll back down and lose most of his progress. And walking. And walking. And catapulting the shit out of that rock when he came across it again. He walked and walked until he wanted to scream. Then he screamed and continued walking. Finally, he reached the top.

He saw a huge stone circle with a large metal fire pit at the center, with tiny flames burning. Walking toward it, he gently placed the bag holding his father's head. He had already buried and recited incantations for the rest of his remains. Reciting the same incantations again, he placed himself directly next to the flame with his head hanging over the pit. In one quick motion, he cut his throat along his scar as deeply as he possibly could, severing his vocal cords. As his blood poured into the pit, he could feel the flames growing higher around him before everything went black as his and his father's energies merged.

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