The heavy air inside the fortress seemed to press down on Yeon-ah's chest as she opened her eyes to the dim morning light filtering through the cracked stone walls. Every muscle in her body ached from the cold, hard floor, but it wasn't just the physical discomfort that unsettled her—it was the silence.
The woman, her mentor, was gone.
Yeon-ah sat up sharply, scanning the small room where she and Juna had huddled the night before. Her sword lay within arm's reach, a habit she had never broken, but the familiar, steady presence of her mentor was missing. Juna stirred nearby, still asleep, her brow furrowed even in unconsciousness.
Yeon-ah stood cautiously, gripping the hilt of her weapon as she moved toward the doorway. The woman never left without saying anything.
Her mind raced with possibilities—had something happened to her? Or had she gone deeper into the fortress, searching for answers? No. She wouldn't leave me without a word.
The woman was cold and calculating, often distant, but never reckless. She moved with purpose, each step and decision methodical. If she was gone, it meant something was very wrong. Yeon-ah's chest tightened at the thought. She realized now, despite all the time spent together, she didn't even know the woman's name. How could I trust someone so completely when I don't even know her name?
Before Yeon-ah could fully process her thoughts, Juna awoke, rubbing her eyes groggily. "Where is she?" Juna's voice trembled, still thick with sleep.
"I don't know," Yeon-ah replied, her voice sharper than she intended. She kept her gaze fixed on the doorway, trying to detect any movement in the shadowy corridor beyond. "Stay here. I'm going to find her."
Juna nodded weakly, though her fear was clear. Her hands fidgeted nervously with the edge of her cloak, eyes wide and brimming with uncertainty. "Be careful," she whispered, barely audible.
Yeon-ah nodded, but her thoughts were already elsewhere, calculating the risks. She could feel the weight of the fortress pressing down on her as she stepped into the cold hallway. The air had changed since the night before, becoming thicker, oppressive. It was like the fortress itself had awoken, watching her, waiting.
The narrow corridors twisted and turned like a labyrinth, and the further Yeon-ah ventured, the darker it became. The fortress groaned around her, its ancient stone walls shifting as though they were alive, waiting to close in at any moment. This place is a trap, she thought, her fingers twitching against the hilt of her sword.
As she moved cautiously, the cold seemed to seep into her bones. Her breath clouded in front of her, and with each step, the sense of unease grew stronger. It was as though the fortress was whispering to her, its dark corners murmuring secrets too low for her to hear. Yeon-ah paused, pressing her hand against the wall. It was faint, but she could feel the slight vibration under her palm. Is it alive?
Suddenly, the air seemed to shift, carrying a sound. Not footsteps—no, it was subtler, more like a whisper, something soft and fleeting. It brushed against her ears like the sigh of wind, but it held a darker weight.
She froze, her heart pounding in her chest. "Are you there?" she called softly, her voice echoing down the corridor. But there was no response, only the cold, oppressive silence that followed her deeper into the fortress.
As she walked, the whispers grew louder, more distinct. They were forming words now—fragments of sentences that made no sense. She is... trapped... one voice murmured. Taken... deeper... another added, cold and harsh.
Her pulse quickened. The further she moved, the more the whispers surrounded her, as if they were pulling her into the heart of the fortress. Is it calling me?
Yeon-ah rounded a corner, and her breath caught in her throat. Standing just beyond the reach of the dim light was a familiar figure—the man from before, the one who had warned them.
Instinctively, Yeon-ah drew her sword, holding it steady before her. The blade gleamed in the faint light, ready for the slightest movement.
"Looking for someone?" The man's voice was smooth, almost mocking, sending a chill down Yeon-ah's spine. His smile was cold, his eyes glinting with a cruel amusement as he stepped from the shadows.
"What did you do to her?" Yeon-ah's voice was low, dangerous, but the fear underlying it was palpable.
The man chuckled, the sound reverberating off the walls. "Me? I didn't do anything. This place... it has its own way of keeping people."
"Where is she?" Yeon-ah demanded, taking a step forward, her blade unwavering.
The man remained still, his expression calm, almost bored. "She went deeper, looking for something. Answers, perhaps? But answers here don't come without a price. She's lost now, like all the others."
Yeon-ah's heart pounded. Lost? No, that can't be true. She's stronger than that.
"You're lying," she hissed, her eyes narrowing.
"Am I?" The man raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with condescension. "You've felt it, haven't you? This place isn't just stone and dust. It remembers. It keeps."
His words sent a shiver down her spine, but she refused to show weakness. "Tell me where she is!"
The man tilted his head, his smile growing colder. "If you want to find her, you'll have to go deeper. But be warned... the woman you knew might not be the one you find."
Before Yeon-ah could respond, the man melted back into the shadows, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the relentless whispers that clung to the walls.
Yeon-ah hurried back to the small room where Juna was waiting, her mind racing. Could it be true? Has she been taken by this place? She didn't want to believe it, but the man's words echoed in her mind, feeding her doubts.
"She went deeper into the fortress," Yeon-ah told Juna as she stepped back inside, her voice tight.
Juna's face paled. "Is she... is she okay?"
"I don't know." Yeon-ah's response was more curt than she intended, but she couldn't hide the fear gnawing at her gut. "But we have to find her. We can't stay here."
The fortress felt different now, more alive than before, and it was as though the walls themselves were urging them forward, toward something unknown and dangerous.
Juna nodded, her eyes wide with fear. She trusted Yeon-ah implicitly, and that trust was the only thing holding her together.
As they gathered their belongings, the whispers grew louder, more distinct, as though they were closing in on them. The walls seemed to pulse with energy, and the cold air had grown colder still, biting into their skin like invisible claws.
"Stay close to me," Yeon-ah instructed as they stepped back into the hallway. The corridor ahead was dark, twisting, and the walls seemed to press in on them, narrowing with each step they took. She could feel the fortress tightening its grip, as though it was alive and eager to consume them both.
The floor beneath them groaned, and Yeon-ah felt a sharp tremor run through the ground. She stopped, grabbing Juna's arm to keep her from stumbling.
A sound echoed through the hallway—louder than before. It was no longer just whispers. The fortress was shifting, moving, like a beast stirring from a long slumber.
"Don't listen to them," Yeon-ah said through gritted teeth. "Focus on me, on getting out of here."
But deep down, she knew the truth: there was no way out. Not until they found her mentor, and not until they discovered the true nature of this cursed place.