The ground still trembled from the fall of the stone giant, and the air was thick with the heavy scent of dust and broken stone. Min Joon stood frozen, his body still buzzing with the raw, dark energy that had surged through him moments before. The weight of what he'd just done hit him all at once. That power... he didn't know how to control it, but he knew it was dangerous.
"Min Joon," Astra's voice was soft, but sharp, pulling him from his thoughts. He turned to face her, and she stood a few feet away, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was still gripping her sword, but her posture had softened—no longer tense, but still guarded.
"What was that?" she asked, her voice steady but filled with disbelief.
Min Joon swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. The echoes of the giant's collapse still reverberated in his mind. "I... I didn't mean to do it. It just happened," he muttered. His hand, still trembling from the exertion, brushed through his hair, and his gaze darted around the now-ruined battlefield. "The Eye—it reacted. I felt... something."
Astra's expression softened for a moment, but she was still wary. "Something powerful, whatever it was. You nearly tore that creature apart with your bare hands."
"I didn't want to hurt it," Min Joon said quickly, his mind still spinning. "It was just... instinct. And the Eye, it—" His words faltered as he glanced at the broken stone that had once been a towering giant. There was a part of him that felt unsettled, and he wasn't sure if it was the power that had surged through him, or something darker inside the ruins.
"You can't rely on instinct when the stakes are this high," Astra replied, her voice low. She stepped closer, her gaze never leaving him. "That power, Min Joon... it's dangerous. If you're not careful, you could lose control. You could kill us both."
Min Joon clenched his fists. He wasn't so naïve that he didn't understand the gravity of the situation. The magic was tied to him now, but how long would it take before it consumed him entirely?
"I'll learn to control it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I have to."
Astra sighed, looking away. Her tone was softer when she spoke again. "I don't know if you can control something like that. The Eye of Mortanis isn't just any relic—it's a curse. And once it's bound to you, it doesn't let go."
Min Joon's chest tightened. He could feel the weight of those words settle on his shoulders, a burden he didn't fully understand yet. But he had no choice. He couldn't go back. Not now, not after everything he had learned. "Then we'll figure it out," he said, more to himself than to her.
Astra didn't respond immediately, but her eyes softened with understanding. After a long moment, she nodded. "We'll figure it out. But we need to keep moving."
Min Joon glanced back at the ruins, the faint glow of something hidden deep within the stone catching his eye. He could feel it—a tug, a pull. The magic. The Eye. Something about this place was calling to him.
And there was no turning back now.
---
They continued deeper into the ruins, passing by crumbled buildings that were little more than faded memories of a long-forgotten civilization. The quiet hum of magic in the air only grew louder the further they went, almost as if the ruins themselves were alive, waiting for something. The oppressive silence of the Darkwood pressed in around them, the weight of ages and forgotten secrets filling every breath.
After a while, they came to what appeared to be the central chamber of the city—a wide, circular space surrounded by tall, broken pillars. At the center stood a massive altar of black stone, the surface covered in strange, ancient symbols, some of which glowed faintly in the dim light.
Min Joon felt the pull again, stronger this time. His heart beat faster as he moved toward the altar, drawn by something deep within him. As his hand reached out to touch the stone, a sudden jolt of energy shot through him, and he gasped, stumbling back.
"What the hell was that?" he whispered, his breath quick and shallow.
Astra was beside him in an instant, her eyes wide with alarm. "What did you feel?" she demanded, her grip tightening on her sword.
Min Joon shook his head, still reeling from the surge of energy. "I... I don't know. It was like... the Eye reacted to this place."
Astra's gaze flicked to the altar, suspicion clouding her expression. "That's no coincidence. This place, these ruins—they're connected to the Eye somehow. This might be where it all began."
Before Min Joon could respond, the air shifted. A sudden chill crept through the chamber, and the faint glow from the altar flared brighter. Shadows began to dance across the walls, flickering and twisting unnaturally.
From the darkness emerged a figure—a woman, tall and clad in tattered robes, her face obscured by a hood. Her presence was commanding, almost oppressive, and as she stepped into the light, Min Joon felt a rush of cold, bitter energy.
"You are the one who bears the Eye," the woman said, her voice like a whisper on the wind, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
Min Joon froze, his heart hammering in his chest. He could feel the Eye stirring within him, responding to the woman's presence. "Who are you?" he demanded, though his voice faltered under the weight of her gaze.
The woman's lips curled into a faint, cryptic smile. "I am a keeper of the old ways. And I've been waiting for you."
Astra instinctively moved to stand between Min Joon and the woman, her hand on the hilt of her sword. "What do you want with him?" she demanded, her voice edged with caution.
The woman's gaze flicked briefly to Astra, then back to Min Joon. "You, boy, are part of something far larger than you realize. The Eye you bear is the key to a world's salvation—or its destruction. And now, fate has decided you are the one to wield it."
Min Joon's breath caught in his throat. The weight of her words crashed into him like a tidal wave. Salvation or destruction? How was he supposed to choose between those two?
The woman's gaze softened, a glimmer of something—regret, perhaps—flickering behind her cold eyes. "But there is still time. The decision is not yet made. You can still walk away from this, Min Joon. You can still choose your path."
Min Joon didn't know how to respond. His mind raced, but no words came. Everything he thought he knew—everything he had believed about this world, this Eye—was unraveling before him. And as the woman stepped closer, her presence seemed to fill the room, the air thick with power and ancient knowledge.
"Come," she said softly. "There is much to show you."
And without another word, she turned and began walking toward the farthest edge of the chamber, her robes trailing behind her like a shadow.
Min Joon hesitated, his eyes flicking to Astra. She didn't speak, but the look in her eyes was clear—be cautious. But there was something in the woman's words, a promise of answers, that he couldn't ignore.
"Let's go," he muttered, taking a step forward.
Astra's hand briefly touched his arm, but then she sighed, nodding. "If we're going to do this, we do it together."
They followed the woman into the depths of the ruins, uncertain of what awaited them but knowing that they couldn't turn back. Not now. Not when the threads of fate were already tangled around them.
---
As they walked deeper into the shadows, Min Joon couldn't shake the feeling that he was stepping into something far greater than himself—something that might either save him or destroy everything he held dear.