The dark didn't break all at once.
First, flickers of gold appeared in the distance—tiny specks of fire, hovering in an arc too precise to be natural. They hung there in silence, scattered like stars lost at ground level.
Then, one by one, the torches lit.
Soft blue fire spiraled to life inside each brazier, winding upward like it was waking from sleep. The circle expanded around them in eerie calm—lighting nothing but each other, casting long, warped shadows across the broken floor. The light didn't push back the dark.
It made it deeper.
Yujin tensed beside Jin, her eyes narrowing.
Then came the voice.
"Well now… would you look at that."
Not loud. Not harsh. But big. Smooth and sharp, in the way silk hides a knife. The kind of voice that had been waiting for an audience.
Jisoo spun slightly toward it. "Who—?"
A shape peeled out of the mist like it had been painted into the shadows.
