The Path of Shadows

Jin-Won felt weightless as the glowing light consumed his entire body. The world around him twisted and warped, making it impossible to tell if he was falling or floating. Then, suddenly, everything stopped.

He landed on solid ground, gasping for air, while the others appeared beside him, each trying to catch their breath.

"Where… are we?" Lyria murmured softly.

They stood inside a vast hall of black stone, with towering pillars stretching toward a ceiling shrouded in darkness. The air was heavy, filled with the weight of forgotten voices. At the far end of the hall sat an ancient throne, pulsing with a faint silver glow.

A masked figure stood at the base of the throne. "This is where your true journey begins."

Jin-Won clenched his fist. "Enough riddles. What do you want from us?"

The masked man tilted his head slightly. "It's not what I want, but what you seek."

The throne pulsed with energy, and the entire hall seemed to come alive. Shadows began to shift and take form, molding into humanoid figures wrapped in darkness.

Yun-Su took a defensive stance. "We're not alone."

The shadows moved closer, whispering incomprehensible words that filled the air with an eerie hum.

Then, the masked man spoke once more.

"Face your past… or be consumed by it."

The moment he uttered those words, the shadows attacked.

Jin-Won barely had time to raise his sword before one of the figures lunged at him with unnatural speed. He cut through it, but another replaced it immediately.

Hori fought beside him fiercely, his sword slicing through the darkness. "They won't stop coming!"

Lyria cast a spell, sending a burst of light that shattered some of the shadows, but the rest only grew stronger.

Jin-Won's breathing became heavier. "This isn't a normal fight—there's something we're missing!"

Then, realization struck him—the shadows weren't attacking randomly. Each one was a reflection of something buried deep within them. Their fears. Their regrets.

He gripped his sword tightly. "We can't fight them with strength alone—we have to accept them!"

The others hesitated, but one by one, they understood.

Hori took a deep breath and let go of his anger. Lyria faced the shadow of her past mistakes. Yun-Su embraced the burden he had carried for so long.

As for Jin-Won, he finally confronted his greatest fear—that no matter how hard he fought, he would never be enough.

And the moment he accepted it, the shadows turned into light.

Silence filled the hall. The masked man observed them, then slowly nodded.

"You are ready."

The throne glowed intensely, revealing a hidden doorway behind it. The path forward was clear.

But just as they were about to move, a familiar voice echoed from the fading shadows.

"I didn't expect you to reach this place so soon."

Jin-Won turned sharply, his eyes widening as he saw the figure stepping out from the remnants of darkness.

Seo-Yeon Park stood there, her eyes glowing with a mysterious blue light. She gazed at them with a faint smile, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

"You're late."

—To be continued…