Hope ~After Dystopia~ - Chapter 63

*Please note that this article contains major spoilers, especially for those who have not read the story. If you do not wish to view the spoilers, please move to a different page.*

**Return to the Crypt** (반품 에게 그만큼 토굴, *Banpum ege geumakeum Togul* | モトル・ニ・クリプト, *Modoru ni Kuriputo*) is the sixty-third chapter of Yuhun's Wattpad fan-fiction, Hope ~After Dystopia~. It was first published on December 28th, 2021.

## Characters

* JiU
* SuA
* Siyeon
* Handong
* Yoohyeon
* Dami
* Gahyeon
* Yuhun
* Nyte (mentioned only)
* Tødestrieb
* Vu Endetta (mentioned only)
* Wunder Kammer (mentioned only)
* Junsui & Airashii
* Zetsubou (mentioned only)

## Chapter

It'd been quite some time since Wunder almost died in that fateful battle against the Masked- everyone there had been grateful that Wunder had actually survived the ordeal.

There was just one thing slightly un-nerving the Spirits: Tødestrieb. She and Yuhun were sitting together, Tødestrieb's tail curled up around the young girl as she drew in her book. Once in a while, Gahyeon would enter the room where they were to check on them. However, finding out who Tødestrieb was and what her name meant had frightened the Spirits.

But they all knew that, despite her tough demeanor, Tødestrieb meant no harm to the Spirits. Eventually, Gahyeon decided she would sit down with Yuhun and Tødestrieb, watching as the young girl drew portraits of four dragons, all belonging to what she wrote down in her book as the Tosknir species. Tødestrieb was the second of these four Tosknirs she was drawing, the first one being a partially neon light blue, mostly white Tosknir named *Vu Endetta*.

*Vu Endetta... I have yet to meet her,* Tødestrieb thought. *Clearly I won't kill her, because I have some high praise for that dragon. I reckon she knows of me and thinks I'd kill her if we met... if we do, and I turn out to be correct, I honestly wouldn't be surprised at all.*

"Same," Yuhun replied. "I think if the two of you met, Vu Endetta would be quite surprised to see you. I reckon she knows about you and your infamous legacy."

*Oh? Now I'm starting to think that maybe something in you decided to give me the strength to begin my streak.* Tødestrieb made a guttural half-growling, half-laughing sound. *Maybe you did. Right?*

"I did. You're meant to represent the side of me that has killing thoughts, you know." Yuhun and Tødestrieb locked gazes with each other, and smiled. "The side of me that'd want to hurt someone, mostly out of anger or being approached suddenly, you know. Whether I mean to harm them or not."

*Ah.* Tødestrieb smiled. *Very fitting.* She turned to Gahyeon.*Tell me about everything that has been going on- Gahyeon, is it? Yuhun seems quite... fond of you. She was telling me earlier how you were defeated and destroyed in the war of hope and despair, and for the first time in a long, long while, I felt pity, directed towards both you and Yuhun. You, because of the fate you had to suffer, and Yuhun, because she lost someone very dear to her.*

So Gahyeon told Tødestrieb everything that had happened- her search for Yuhun, the journey to the House of Nightmares, attempting to purify the Core, returning the Tree of Language, and everything that happened in the war of hope and despair- including her death, and her revival afterwards.

*Oh?* Tødestrieb's eyes rapidly shifted colour, then closed and opened. The great Tosknir swiveled her head, and looked away, almost as if she were lost in thought. *There is something forming in my mind. Something odd...* After a short moment, Tødestrieb gasped, her frosty breath spilling from her mouth. Just as the other Spirits entered the room, along with Zuny, she spoke, her voice filled with concern and seriousness.

*It seems that your little journey to defeat the Masked and save the world will only get harder. Paths like the ones you are on, include destruction, strife and a lot of pain. It's tough to get through such things; however, if you are able to get strong enough to overcome such things- which I just **know** you will- you will pass every single one of those challenges.*

*...*

*Hm? You say you saw my real-world counterpart, Junsei?*

Junsei nodded. Her friend was secluding herself, resting at her shrine, but still speaking to her. *I did see her. She's also a spirit, and she says that there was someone named Yuhun who I now believe to be that girl Zetsubou's creator. Zetsubou herself stated that she saw one of Yuhun's friends, and showed her Yuhun's book, in which there was allegedly sufficient evidence that Yuhun was her creator from the real world.*

*Interesting. Is her name Gahyeon, by chance?* Junsei's friend asked. *Lately, I have been conversing with her, giving her some help with a severe situation in the real world that I know that both of us are aware of. The Masked seem to be pressing onwards, trying to kill them all, so that hate can destroy the world. If they succeed, it'll kill us too.*

*Not that I know of.* Junsei sighed. *Maybe this Gahyeon girl will play a key part in saving both the real world- and Arcaea, in a way.*

*...*

Gahyeon and Yuhun were journeying to the Crypt of the Core again. Tødestrieb flew above the two girls, watching out for danger. *I had to go with you,* the Tosknir had said to Gahyeon prior to the start of the journey. *I cannot leave you alone, not when those horrid Masked goons are out trying to kill you. Definitely not.*

"But what about you, Tødestrieb?" Gahyeon asked the dragon. "What if you get hurt as well?" Tødestrieb's response to her question frightened her, but not Yuhun, who almost seemed to predict what she'd reply with.

*Back in my world, I have never let a single one of my victims escape alive. They try to hide from me, I hunt them down until I find them. They try and fight, I could easily kill them. And this whole cycle of sending dragons down the drive towards death and destruction has gone on for a full decade.*

"You must be kidding!" Gahyeon exclaimed. "How?"

*Well, it all went down when I found out what my name meant. Those who watched me emerge on my hatching day saw that I would cause death and destruction, and were too terrified to come up with a name for me. However, I did find a fitting name: Tødestrieb- the drive towards death and destruction. And I decided I'd do what I do now. Do something that references my name's meaning.*

Tødestrieb stopped, and hovered above the pair. *Oh? It looks like we're here. But we've got trouble.*

## Trivia

* This was the last of the 97 chapters of Hope ~After Dystopia~ to be published in 2021.