Chapter 2:lost,confused and probably cursed

Joon-ha tumbled through darkness, his stomach lurching as if he were plummeting through an endless void. The wind—or whatever it was—rushed past him, clawing at his skin, dragging at his limbs. His heartbeat slammed against his ribs, panic rising with every second.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

He hit the ground hard. Not pavement. Not dirt. Something damp. Something soft but not in a comforting way. It clung to his hands as he pushed himself up, slick and strangely warm. He swallowed down the sick feeling curling in his stomach, his fingers instinctively wiping against his clothes. He didn't want to think about what it was.

The air around him was heavy—thick with the scent of damp earth and something else, something faintly metallic. The darkness stretched endlessly in every direction. It wasn't just the absence of light. It felt deeper than that, pressing in on him, suffocating.

Joon-ha forced himself to take a breath. His mind raced, trying to piece together what the hell had just happened.

Then, the first flicker of light appeared.

A pale blue glow pulsed to life, crawling across the floor in thin, spidery lines. It spread outward, illuminating his surroundings bit by bit. His eyes followed the glow until they landed on something that made his breath hitch.

Bones.

Not just scattered remnants. These were arranged. Deliberate. Laid out in careful, intricate patterns, stretching in a wide, circular formation. They gleamed in the cold light, far too clean, too undisturbed. And the worst part? Now that he was up close, he could see them for what they were.

Human.

Joon-ha clenched his teeth, a harsh curse slipping out under his breath. His pulse roared in his ears, but he forced himself to move, to step back—careful not to disturb anything.

Then, the light flared brighter.

His gaze was drawn upward, past the ritual circle, past the eerie markings carved into the stone walls, until he saw it.

A tree.

But not just any tree.

It was massive—its gnarled trunk rising impossibly high, its roots digging deep into the ground, weaving through the cracks in the stone like ancient veins. The leaves shimmered an unnatural shade of amber-gold, shifting in the dim glow as if they were alive. A dome of glass stretched above, cracked in places but still intact, letting in a faint stream of light that illuminated the space like a forgotten temple.

Joon-ha exhaled slowly, his chest tight.

The garden surrounding the tree was lush, too perfect for a place like this. Flowers bloomed in unnatural colors, deep reds and purples twisting around old stone relics. Some were broken, half-buried in the dirt. Others stood tall, carved with symbols he didn't recognize.

At the far end of the space, a towering door stood closed. Its carvings were intricate, swirling patterns bleeding into figures that seemed almost alive in the flickering light. A faint golden glow pulsed from its edges, like something beyond it was waiting.

Joon-ha didn't know what was worse—the feeling that he wasn't supposed to be here… or the feeling that something else already was.

His hands curled into fists, grounding himself.

Whatever this place was, whatever the hell had just happened—he needed to get out. Now.

And then, behind him, something shifted.

A breath.

A presence.

Joon-ha turned, his pulse spiking.

He wasn't alone.

The air went deathly still.

Then—

Pain exploded at the back of his head.

Joon-ha's vision shattered. The world tilted, the light from the tree warping, twisting, breaking apart into meaningless colors. His knees buckled. His body hit the ground again, but this time, he couldn't move. His limbs felt disconnected, his thoughts sluggish, slipping through his grasp.

He was being dragged under.

Darkness swallowed him whole.

---

A sharp breath tore from his throat as consciousness slammed back into him.

Joon-ha's eyes snapped open. His body jerked upright—only to hit solid stone.

His breath came in ragged gasps as he scrambled backward, his hands pressing against the cold surface beneath him.

Walls.

Narrow. Endless. Looming high above him, stretching in every direction. The ground beneath him was smooth, unnervingly perfect.

A maze.

Joon-ha's stomach twisted.

What the hell just happened?

And more importantly…

How was he going to get out?