The Rune Behind the Mirror
The Rune Behind the Mirror
Min Jae had seen plenty of runes in his time.
Explosive runes, echo runes, emotional runes (those sucked), even a cursed karaoke rune once.
But this one… this one felt different.
It didn't buzz or shimmer or pulse. It just was. As if it had always existed. As if the wall had been built around it.
He stared at the faded etching—seven curved strokes intersecting a spiral, surrounded by microglyphs so old they looked like pre-script language.
Goji sniffed it and backed away, ears flat.
Sunwoo squinted. "It's not reacting to anything?"
"Nope," Min Jae muttered. "But it's definitely enchanted."
---
Minji Joins the Investigation
Min Jae called Minji. She arrived via mirror twenty minutes later with an armful of scrolls, detection lenses, and something that looked suspiciously like a magical waffle iron.
"Why do you have that?" Min Jae asked.
"Sometimes runes are hungry," Minji replied, dead serious.
They got to work.
Minji scanned the rune with prism lenses, then waved her hand over it with a chant. Nothing. Then she applied a whisper-stone—a device that echoed historical mana resonance.
A faint sound emerged.
A heartbeat.
No… a knocking sound.
As if someone were gently tapping—from the other side.
Sunwoo took a step back. "Nope. I'm out. I've seen too many horror dramas for this."
Minji looked pale. "It's… pre-Guild."
"What does that mean?" Min Jae asked.
"It means the rune was placed before the major magical civilizations. Before modern mana systems. This is founder magic."
---
Dangerous Knowledge
Minji touched the spiral.
Nothing.
Then she whispered, "Reveal."
And the rune shifted.
Lines expanded. A second layer appeared—hidden beneath the first. It wasn't just a rune—it was a locking mechanism.
Minji's voice dropped. "Someone sealed this. And not just to hide it. To contain it."
Goji began pacing nervously.
Min Jae's mouth was dry. "What happens if we break it?"
"Depends," Minji said. "Best case? We learn who's watching you. Worst case? Something ancient wakes up and eats your laundry."
Goji stopped chewing on a mana sack and bleated in alarm.
---
A Call for Backup
Min Jae activated a rarely used crystal—his emergency signal for Master Jin, an old-world glyphmaster who owed him a favor after Min Jae saved his enchanted koi fish from market sabotage.
Within an hour, Master Jin arrived—sandal-wearing, sunburnt, and carrying a gourd of probably-illegal spirit brew.
He sniffed once, then stared at the wall.
"Oh," he said. "One of those."
"One of what?" Sunwoo asked.
"The old wards," Master Jin said. "Placed by the first Gatekeepers. Meant to keep something out."
"Out of the basement?" Min Jae asked.
"Out of the world."
---
A Brief History of the Gatekeepers
Master Jin drew a circle on the floor and sat.
"Long ago—before the markets, before trade hubs, before even portal theory—there were Gatekeepers. Not businessmen. Not smugglers. Actual guardians."
Min Jae blinked. "Like… chosen ones?"
"Chosen doors," Jin corrected. "There were portals scattered across the dimensions. Most unstable. Some malicious. These Gatekeepers were tasked with guarding one each."
"And this one…" Min Jae looked at the mirror.
"It may have chosen you," Jin said softly. "Or maybe your family."
---
The Trigger
Min Jae stood.
"We open it."
Minji hesitated. "Are you sure?"
"No," Min Jae said. "But if someone's already broken through, if that girl—Rina—could piggyback off my tech, then someone smarter can do worse."
He placed his hand on the rune.
It was warm.
Then he said, clearly:
"I am the Gatekeeper. I claim my key."
The spiral glowed.
There was a click.
And the wall cracked open.
---
The Hidden Chamber
Behind the wall was a small alcove. Dusty, lined with old stone. A single table, and on it—a book.
Leather-bound. No title. Sealed by a chain.
Min Jae stepped in slowly. The moment he crossed the threshold, the lights dimmed.
Minji's whisper echoed: "This… this isn't just a storage room. This is a vault."
Master Jin bowed his head. "You were never just a kid with a portal."
Sunwoo muttered, "This is either the coolest day of our lives or the beginning of a very expensive funeral."
Min Jae walked to the book.
The seal unlatched at his touch.
---
The Book of Locks
The first page read:
> "To the One Who Opens Doors — Beware. Each door you unlock unlocks you in turn. Each gate reveals a part of what you are, and what hunts you."
Min Jae turned the page.
Hundreds of maps. Gate schematics. Portal types he'd never seen before. Notes in ancient script, and diagrams of runes identical to the one behind his mirror.
This was a manual.
A guidebook.
And in the center?
A folded letter, addressed:
> To Min Jae