Yoon Ha-min prayed desperately.
He didn't want to kill anyone here. If he became a criminal and was dragged away somewhere, how could he protect Kanna?
But he was acting this way because there was no guarantee that Kanna would return anytime soon.
If Kanna couldn't come back anyway, what did it matter if he risked his life right now?
Thinking this way made him appear reckless, charging forward without considering the consequences.
At this moment, both the hero and the employee being held hostage by Yoon Ha-min stood awkwardly silent.
The hero had no idea who this Kanna person was, and while the employee knew of her, this was beyond his job duties, leaving him in an uncomfortable position.
The hero let out a deep sigh.
With Ha-min's eyes looking so wild, even approaching could be seen as threatening to the employee, so he needed to calm the situation first.
In such circumstances, even if Ha-min had no intention to harm, he might do so in a fit of anger, so caution was necessary.
"Listen, student, I understand something's bothering you, but trying to resolve it this way won't solve anything—even things that could be solved."
"—Then what will happen if I withdraw my power? You'll just look down on me. I just want to go back with Kanna! She was taken from here, so why won't you send her back? That's what I want to know!"
Yoon Ha-min spoke with a growling voice, while the hero casually put his hands in his pockets.
"Sure, that's possible. There might have been some misunderstanding, and we need to look into it more carefully, right?"
While speaking, he skillfully manipulated his device without looking at it, immediately requesting backup from other heroes.
The civilian employee backed away, and soon heroes who were nearby began to slowly enter and take positions.
People gathered from places Yoon Ha-min couldn't see, positioning themselves in his blind spots, watching carefully.
Some observed through windows, while others took sniper positions from opposite buildings.
At least ten people were ready to intervene with their abilities if it seemed the employee might die because of Yoon Ha-min.
No matter how strong Yoon Ha-min was, he couldn't handle multiple active heroes at once.
Knowing this, Yoon Ha-min began to hesitate and look around warily,
thinking that heroes might be gathering.
"...Fine. If there's been a misunderstanding, that would be fortunate, and I'd be happy if my innocence could be proven after a thorough investigation. But, but couldn't you let me attend openly? Or at least have it done somewhere with CCTV so people can see everything transparently!"
Yoon Ha-min shouted, but the hero didn't particularly care about his demands.
He didn't know who Kanna was, and since higher-ups in the Association were involved, it was difficult for an ordinary hero to interfere. He was just thinking about how to rescue the employee while half-listening.
Then the hero who had been facing off with Yoon Ha-min spoke.
"So, if I say I don't know, and this person says he doesn't know either, are you going to kill him?"
"..."
Yoon Ha-min closed his mouth.
His inability to answer whether he would really kill someone showed that he knew finding Kanna through murder was something even he couldn't forgive himself for.
"Even if you don't intend to kill, being held hostage can traumatize someone. They're constantly living in fear that they might die at any moment, which is very difficult."
"..."
"If you really don't want to kill anyone, let go and let's talk."
Yoon Ha-min withdrew the constellation he was pointing at the employee.
Then he integrated it with the stars beside him.
"...What happens if we talk? Will you tell me where Kanna is and what she's doing?"
"That's outside my jurisdiction, and beyond my abilities, so..."
"Then can't this person take me there? If we keep contacting higher-ups, someone might tell us, right? This is the building, after all."
Despite the troublesome request, the hero remained silent for a moment, pretending to consider it.
He realized Yoon Ha-min was clutching at straws, and decided to exploit that.
Whether Yoon Ha-min knew this or not, he glanced at the employee who seemed relieved that the hostility toward him had decreased.
In that moment of distraction...
*Ting.*
A small collision sound rang out.
Yoon Ha-min's body seemed to bounce back slightly, and he suddenly felt himself moving away from the employee beside him.
"!"
Hit directly by the shockwave from an ability fired on signal, Yoon Ha-min's vision blurred.
Clutching his throbbing head from the impact, he immediately saw people coming to capture him through his hazy vision.
Since he never really intended to kill anyone, he didn't care that the hostage had escaped, but he scattered his ability to protect himself.
"Catch him!"
The hero who had been facing off with Yoon Ha-min shouted, and at that moment someone swiftly entered through the broken window.
"Get out of my way!!"
Yoon Ha-min expelled an unpleasant voice that seemed to scratch up from his throat as he condensed light.
Despite being weakened after being consumed by the Strange One, for some reason he felt a strong wave of power in this moment, making him curious about why.
But there was no time for such questions, and Yoon Ha-min swung his ability around, warning everyone not to approach.
His golden eyes darted around.
Since things had come to this, he thought he should find where Kanna might be himself.
She was probably taken to a basement level, so should he go down? While he hesitated briefly, the heroes rushed in.
The hero who had fired the shockwave at Yoon Ha-min reached for his stomach.
*Woong.*
After a slight pushing sensation, pain that seemed to twist his internal organs instantly enveloped Yoon Ha-min's entire body.
"Kuhak!"
As if determined not to let him regain his composure, restraining hands approached.
As Yoon Ha-min swung his stars around in pain, a hero with lightning-fast footwork approached and tripped him.
The heroes' goal was partly to neutralize Yoon Ha-min, but also to calm him down and prevent him from committing crimes.
With these objectives, they were serious despite facing a student.
"Stay away!"
Yoon Ha-min struggled.
Even after falling, he placed his hand on the ground, determined to get up immediately.
"What's the problem, what's the problem? Is it such a big wish for me to want to go back with Kanna...?!"
He felt despair at the realization that he would have faced the same outcome even if his ability hadn't been consumed.
He expressed emotions that seemed about to collapse into despair.
"Why, why do you just keep saying no!"
Tears welled up.
He hated that while Kanna was so precious to him, the world seemed to find her only troublesome.
He wanted to prevent her from being seen that way.
But that wasn't happening.
"If, if everyone's like this, then I'll also..."
He clenched his fist, but realizing he couldn't truly use his ability against the people around him, he just trembled and stopped.
In that moment, numerous hands descended upon Yoon Ha-min to restrain him.
Eventually placed in a detention cell inside the building to calm down, Yoon Ha-min blankly opened his eyes.
Then he silently shed tears in the corner.
He felt miserable for being so powerless.
He wondered why he couldn't protect her even though he knew she was in danger.
In the end, he was tormented by the fact that he had only been protected by Kanna at the last moment.
The power of stars? What use was that if he couldn't protect Kanna right now?
So he bit his lip until it bled.
He could taste blood amid the subtle warmth.
Kanna is gone.
Where is Kanna?
Is this really goodbye?
Please, tell me where she is.
Anyone, tell me what expression she's making.
Tell me she can come back.
Yoon Ha-min wallowed in his sorrow.
The fact that he would have reached the same conclusion even if his ability hadn't been consumed made him feel even more miserable.
Then suddenly his head tilted in confusion.
"—Come to think of it."
His slightly hoarse voice dispersed into the air.
He wondered why his ability had partially returned, questioning himself.
The question he posed to himself, facing the wall, was soon answered by himself.
Since his ability was greatly influenced by stars, he knew better than anyone when stars couldn't function properly or when they shined brighter.
And now.
Yoon Ha-min's power had grown stronger despite being suppressed.
It wasn't that his power had returned. It had become stronger.
If that was the case, there was only one meaning:
The darkness had deepened. Other lights had disappeared, making the stars more visible.
Stars don't dim just because other stars shine, so why was this happening? When this thought occurred to him, Yoon Ha-min's heart skipped a beat.
"...Ah."
Could it be because Kanna was gone?
Because I'm separated from Kanna?
This sudden thought made him reflect on the past.
He recalled how oddly different he felt when mentoring with Sela compared to when he faced the Strange One near the Wall.
Since it could be dismissed as simply being in good or bad condition, he hadn't thought about it seriously, but somehow his condition seemed to improve slightly whenever Kanna wasn't around.
It wasn't that his body was weakened by unrefined mana.
Just that his ability's power itself shouldn't be affected like this.
Was Kanna somehow influencing him?
No, I don't want to think negatively.
I just want to save Kanna.
But I need more power.
I don't care what influence you have on me. I don't mind losing my light.
If you're there, I don't need to shine.
But if you're not there, until you can come to me.
Until you recognize me when I approach you, I want to shine just until then.
With that, Yoon Ha-min's fist clenched tightly.