I Woke Up from Hibernation and Found a Husband - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48
The moon changes slowly, yet with undeniable certainty.
Yesterday’s moon and today’s moon appear nearly identical at first glance, but the subtle gap that begins to form becomes a slender crescent or swells into a full, luminous orb.
“Ebon, you know this. We can’t live like this forever.”
The moon transforms, yes—but it forever traces the same celestial path.
“I won’t live a squalid life.”
Flames flickered within eyes the color of copper, eyes that mirrored Ebon’s own.
‘So you’ve awakened an ability.’
A life lived in the depths of poverty, dark as the endless night. For a child of the Alley, where a day’s labor barely bought a single meal, the manifestation of such power was a calamity wearing the mask of blessing.
“Matthew. So that’s why you did this, isn’t it? *cough*.”
Blood erupted from his throat with the cough. Searing pain tore through his left face where the flames had touched him. Yet the agony of his body paled beside the wound inflicted by his only blood relative’s betrayal.
“I had no choice. We were born from the same womb, yet only you possessed an ability.”
Twins born and abandoned in the Red-light District. From the moment their father discovered the bastard child possessed an ability, he made no effort to conceal his greed.
“He said he’d take only you with him. He left me to rot in this Gutter, choosing you alone.”
Matthew had lived in the Streets of night, yet he had always feared the darkness. He said that staring into that pitch-black void made misery feel all the more vivid and real.
“Then you could simply come with me.”
“Come with you?”
Matthew’s expression twisted savagely—caught between tears and laughter. His ruined face, lit by eyes that gleamed with malice, suddenly erupted into wild, bitter laughter.
“Ha, how long will you keep playing innocent? Look at our faces. We’re identical.”
The same parting of hair, the same dimples that appeared when smiling—twins carved from the same mold. The moment Ebon was polished and presented to the world, Matthew, his fatal flaw, would likely be erased without a trace.
“If you live, I die. And I have no intention of dying.”
Matthew loved the full moon. Yet he despised the passage of time with equal fervor.
No matter how round and beautiful the moon became on that night, darkness would inevitably gnaw at it, piece by piece, until it was consumed.
“An ability is a rare transaction. Just one is enough to completely overturn a life, they said. So why, why!”
The old wooden Building groaned and creaked as flames devoured it. Half his face obscured, Matthew’s voice boiled over with raw, unfiltered truth.
“Why did it have to be you?”
* * *
“Why does it have to be you?”
Claire spoke these words while stubbornly gripping the hem of Ebon’s garment, refusing to let him move forward.
“Obviously, I must go.”
Ebon attempted to pull his clothing free from her grasp, but Claire remained immovable, as though she had driven an iron stake through the ground.
‘What strength does she possess.’
Apparently oblivious to his bewilderment, Claire spoke again.
“It appears dangerous. It’s only right that I go first.”
“No, that’s precisely why I must lead! I came here to protect you.”
“What?”
Claire’s expression turned bitter, as though she had bitten into something foreign lodged in her food.
“But I am not so weak as to require your protection. And….”
Claire did not finish her thought, yet her meaning was unmistakable.
‘You’re the weak one here.’
It felt as though someone had whispered those words directly into Ebon’s ear. Faced with Claire’s gaze—tinged with a hint of concern—he found himself at a loss for words. Believing her persuasion had taken effect, Claire turned away without hesitation.
“Simply follow behind me.”
What unfolded before her eyes was a Reed Field. It was precisely the reason they had been at odds moments ago.
‘An unknowable place indeed.’
As they climbed the Slope Path, they encountered numerous anomalies. Premature spring blossoms bloomed out of season, yet after rounding a curve, snow lay gently upon the path. There were even stretches where torrential rain would suddenly transform into blazing sunshine with a single sneeze.
It felt as though they were trapped within a patchwork space—each fragment cut from its own distinct time and place. Moreover, with Ebon’s abilities failing to function, it appeared some form of constraint was at work.
“This time, it’s not merely the seasons that differ—the very space itself has changed.”
Ebon gazed uneasily at the golden Reed Field.
“Whether it’s a trap or not, we have no other choice.”
Until they had climbed the Slope Path along the Cliff, the surrounding landscape had been nothing but a precarious precipice. Yet after rounding a single curve, the Cliff and Slope Path vanished, replaced by a Reed Field with a massive Tree standing at its center.
“After spring comes autumn, then?”
The reeds, grown to human height, were unsettling, but with the original path having disappeared, moving straight ahead was the only option. Claire surveyed her surroundings with keen perception.
“I sense no presence yet, so let’s approach slowly.”
The two moved cautiously, observing their surroundings. Their immediate objective was the Tree at the center. With nothing resembling a path remaining, reaching a landmark to serve as a reference point seemed the logical first step.
Long reed leaves brushed past their faces. As Claire focused on that sensation, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
‘What I see is certainly a Reed Field.’
The sensation of tall reeds tickling her cheeks was familiar. Yet the texture was different. Claire’s nose twitched repeatedly.
‘The scent of earth and living plants.’
There was a grassy smell. Unlike the brittle, dried reeds, a fresh, verdant fragrance permeated her nostrils.
“Regarding this situation, I believe—”
She was just about to turn toward Ebon, who had been following behind her, when—
“Ugh.”
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind erupted. Claire’s body staggered, and the reeds were swept away in waves so violently that they collapsed like a tsunami.
‘Is that… a Tomb?’
Barely managing to steady herself and shield her face, Claire glimpsed a Tree between her crossed forearms. As the wind parted the reeds, a Tree with verdant leaves was laid bare.
Yet what captured her attention was not the lush foliage incongruous with the season, but rather a small gravestone at the base of the Tree.
‘A gravestone in such a place?’
Contrasting with the parched appearance of the surrounding soil, green grass grew only around the gravestone. Several white flowers lay arranged neatly, suggesting this was a Tomb tended with meticulous care by someone.
‘I wish I could examine it more closely.’
She felt as though she had discovered a clue to the existence of whoever dwelt within this absurd ability.
As the gust subsided, Claire turned toward Ebon. He remained crouched, his expression utterly vacant as he sheltered from the wind.
“Are you unharmed?”
Claire grasped his forearm as one might uproot a plant, hoisting him to his feet in a single motion.
“Yes, yes. Thank you.”
With the wind completely gone, the Reed Field returned to tranquility. Ebon smoothed his disheveled hair and released a long, relieved sigh.
“That was quite a formidable gust.”
“It was certainly threatening. Let’s proceed carefully back toward the Tree. I’ve discovered a clue.”
“Ah, but what about that direction? I’ve found something as well. When the wind blew just now, I saw—”
Ebon muttered something indistinct while pointing in one direction with his hand, but his words failed to reach Claire’s ears. Her gaze remained fixed on a single point.
“You are listening, aren’t you?”
Ebon checked with a suspicious expression. At his urging, Claire withdrew her gaze from her hands and slowly turned her face toward him.
“I’m telling you we need to go that way. I’m certain my assessment is correct.”
There was no crescent moon mark on Ebon’s fingernails.
“Claire?”
If her abilities had been fully released upon entering this place, the faded crescent marks on Claire’s fingernails should have vanished entirely—yet they remained.
“…Forgive me for a moment.”
She strode toward Ebon and abruptly seized his mask.
“What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
Ebon recoiled in shock, but Claire tore the mask from his face before he could push her away.
Snap.
The cord binding the mask came undone with a sharp sound, and Ebon’s bare face was revealed.
“Claire!”
Ebon’s voice, tinged with bewilderment, echoed across the Reed Field. But Claire did not answer him, standing frozen with her eyes wide open.
“Sigh, why did you have to do that?”
He spoke in a voice distorted like an old gramophone, layered with static.
“Just pretend you didn’t see.”
Beneath the mask, his face had no features at all.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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