When the Night Stands Guard

Jin woke with a sharp inhale.

For a moment, he didn't know where he was.

The room was dark, lit only by slivers of moonlight through a cracked window. Shadows stretched long across the walls, and the silence pressed in heavy, like the calm before a storm.

He sat up slowly. His back ached, his mouth was dry, and his limbs felt like someone had swapped them with lead.

Was it a dream?

The fight. The seed. The portals. Seo. Aestros.

It all felt too surreal, too distant—like a fever memory clinging to the edges of his mind.

Jin rubbed his face with both hands, trying to blink the haze away. The classroom was still intact, though rough around the edges. The door creaked softly as the wind outside nudged it open just a bit.