Ep.17 – Words Leave Scars

[Trial of the Mouth – Gate II: Entering the Battlefield of Expression]

Location: Canyon of Speech / Verbal Residue Collision Zone

Warning: Emotionalization of Self-Spoken Language in Progress

Warning: Irreversible Verbal Scars Detected

—

The entrance resembled a canyon—deep and hollow.

As I stepped into the crevice,

razor-sharp words were embedded beneath my feet.

> "I'll protect you."

"You're weak, so just stay still."

"If it hurts, just rest. We'll talk later."

All of them...

Words I had said to Joo-hee.

Even on the day she was coughing up blood, writhing in pain,

I couldn't face her emotions directly.

—

Trial Initiated – Materialization of Verbal Scars in Progress

Warning – Words inflict wounds that reflect back

—

And then—

someone appeared from the far end of the canyon.

Dressed in bloodstained clothes.

It was me.

But in his eyes… there was deep resentment.

—

Phase 1 – Emergence of the Emotional Entity: Mirror-Zero

Attributes: Verbal Scar Reflux / Wound Reflection / Language Counterattack

—

He opened his mouth.

> "You said you'd protect me."

"You said I wouldn't feel pain."

"Then why… why did you leave me alone when I hurt the most?"

The moment his words struck—

my Spear of Veritas trembled.

My heart felt as if it were being torn open.

—

Phase 2 – Verbal Shockwave / Emotional Rebound

BOOOM—!

His words exploded like a sonic boom.

They engulfed me.

> "You abandoned me."

That single sentence

crushed my chest.

My knees buckled.

—

Emotional Defense: 41% → 12%

Spear of Veritas: Structural Crack Detected

> "Yeah… it's true.

Back then, I thought those words were the right thing to say…"

—

But then—

Joo-hee's voice came back to me.

> "You don't have to speak.

But when you don't…

those unsaid words eventually become wounds."

That memory returned.

Her final kiss—

perhaps it had covered all those scars

with understanding… and forgiveness.

—

Phase 3 – Weapon Recovery / Creation of the Sincerity Filter

I stood again.

The Spear of Veritas synchronized with the rhythm of my heart,

and began to shine once more.

Words…

weren't just sounds we release.

They needed to carry

the will to avoid hurting.

—

> "Back then, I was afraid.

I didn't have the courage to face your pain."

> "But now—

I can finally speak the truth.

I know how much it must have hurt."

—

I raised the spear.

But this time,

instead of piercing,

its light wrapped around the lingering form of the words—

not stabbing, but embracing.

And gently, the form dissolved.

—

Final Phase – Dissolution of Wounding Words / Mirror-Zero Vanquished

My honest confession

blanketed his words,

and Mirror-Zero melted into it—

fading slowly.

His final words were—

> "Thank you…

for finally saying it."

—

Trial of the Mouth – Gate II Complete

Emotional Weapon: Spear of Veritas – Resonance of Sincerity Awakened

Function: Emotional Wave Resonance upon Expression / Assists in Wound Healing

Emotional Growth: Forgiveness +17 / Acceptance +9

—

I took a deep breath.

And for the first time—

my words felt light.

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I thought the wounds had healed.

But the moment my fingers brushed the skin—

it still burned. Still ached.

Still remembered.

> "Skin is the boundary of sensation.

It's the last place where the truth escapes, even without words."

Temple of the Senses – Gate Six.

Trial of the Skin: Where pain and memory overlap.

There, Zero will face

the memory of Joo-hee's final embrace—

and the real pain his skin still remembers.