Blood trickled from Jahyeon's lips. His body slumped, barely clinging to life. He had thrown himself in front of the others, taking the blow meant for someone else. The spear had pierced so deeply that his once steady frame now trembled, teetering on the edge of death.
The group stood in stunned silence, the horror of the moment sinking in. Jahyeon's thoughts swirled in confusion and pain.
Why was this happening? Why were they here?
The questions blurred in his mind like a choking fog.
Minji, Seo, and Han Kyun stood frozen. Fear had drained the color from their faces, leaving them pale and trembling. None of them could move, their bodies paralyzed as though the nightmare unfolding before them had stolen their strength.
The sharp whoosh of another spear tore through the air, snapping them out of their stupor. The force sent Jahyeon's body tipping backward. His form wavered on the edge of the tomb before plummeting into the abyss below.
Minji let out a scream, breaking the tense silence, but before anyone could react, the chamber shifted. At the far end, a shimmering portal flickered to life. The ethereal gate radiated a strange light, its glow otherworldly yet hauntingly familiar.
Hope flickered in Han Kyun's chest. Could this be their way out? Could they escape this hell?
"Jahyeon, hold on!" Hyun's voice was sharp, cutting through the chaos. He moved quickly, gripping Han Kyun's arm and pulling him toward the portal.
But before they could reach it, the ground trembled beneath them. The statues lining the chamber began to shift, their once still forms moving with an eerie synchrony. Massive weapons in their hands blocked the path to the gate, their presence as foreboding as the darkness of the abyss.
Minji and Seo were still frozen, their wide, terrified eyes darting around the room. Hyun pushed forward, his movements slow and labored under the suffocating pressure that filled the air.
Suddenly, the heavy silence broke as a voice echoed through the chamber.
The sound was chilling—soft and melodic, yet suffused with a power that froze them in place.
["Great survivors of the Crucifix Tower..."]
The words reverberated through the space, laced with an authority that felt older than time itself.
From the heart of the portal, light exploded outward, blinding in its brilliance. The group shielded their eyes, unable to see past the radiance. And then, from within the light, a figure emerged.
She was magnificent and terrifying. Her every movement was deliberate, her presence ethereal. A grail of exquisite beauty rested in her hands, its intricate design almost too perfect to be real. A veil of golden silk obscured her face, but her garments shimmered as if caught in an unseen breeze. There were no visible wings, yet the very air shifted under the weight of their implied presence.
The angelic figure surveyed the group, her voice calm yet unnervingly commanding.
["Welcome" ] she said, her words cutting through the silence.
"[Welcome to the beginning of your journey."]
Minji's voice broke first, trembling as she stepped forward. "Who are you? Did you bring us here? Please... send us back! This place—"
The angel tilted her head, almost curiously. Her faint smile was colder than anger, a ghost of pity that chilled the air.
"Back?" she said softly.
[ "There is no going back. You came here of your own accord. Your choices, your actions—they led you here."]Her words struck like a slap. No one moved. No one spoke. Our own choices? the group thought. This hadn't felt like a choice. It had been survival—a desperate series of moments strung together by sheer will.
Hyun's fists clenched as he stepped forward, his fear replaced by anger. "What are you talking about? We didn't choose this! We were forced into this nightmare!"
The angel turned her gaze toward him, her veiled face unreadable. Her stillness was oppressive, more suffocating than any spoken threat.
"Humans," she said, her voice almost amused.
"[Always blaming others for the paths you walk. Fascinating creatures, really. So quick to fight for survival, yet so reluctant to pay its cost."]
The words stung, their truth biting deeper than any weapon. The group felt her gaze sweep over them, each of them weighed and judged. Finally, she spoke again, her tone solemn.
["Now, I will offer you two chances."]
Her words hung in the air like a double-edged sword, both a lifeline and a noose.
"You can escape," she continued, her voice unyielding.
["But not without sacrifice. One of you must stay behind. One life for the rest. That is the price of freedom."]
She paused, letting the gravity of her decree settle in.
["Or you can all die."]
The silence that followed was unbearable, pressing down on them like a physical force. The weight of her ultimatum was suffocating, each word sinking like a stone in their chests.
Hyun's grip on Jahyeon's arm tightened, his knuckles white. His voice trembled as he whispered.
["No... no way. She can't be serious. This can't be real."]
Minji's face was pale, her lips quivering as she stared at the angel. Seo's wide eyes darted frantically around the room, searching for some unseen answer—some loophole to escape the nightmare.
The angel stood unmoved, her gaze unrelenting. If she felt any sympathy for them, it did not show. "This is not a game," she said, her tone sharp.
["It is your trial. Survival demands a cost."]
Her next words cut deeper than a blade. ["So choose."]
The group fell into silence, the weight of her command like a storm pressing down on them. One life. One sacrifice. How could anyone make that decision?
Jahyeon, still trembling from his wounds, took a step forward. Blood dripped from his lips, his breathing shallow. Yet, his gaze was steady, filled with a quiet resolve that made the others' hearts ache.
"If it's a sacrifice you want..." he said, his voice unwavering. "Take me."
"No!" Minji's cry tore through the chamber, her voice raw with anguish. She reached for him, but he shook his head.
"It has to be me," he said softly. "I won't let any of you die. Not after everything we've been through."
"Jahyeon, no!" Hyun shouted, his voice breaking. "There has to be another way!"
But Jahyeon didn't falter. He didn't even look at them. His focus remained on the angel. "Let them go. I'll stay."
The angel studied him for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then, slowly, she nodded. "So be it."
Before anyone could react, a force swept over them, yanking the group backward. The portal flared to life, its light consuming everything in its path.
"Jahyeon!" Hyun's voice cracked, his scream piercing the air as he reached for his friend.
Jahyeon stood still, a faint smile on his bloodied face.
The angel approached him , the closer she got the more the pain started to grapple over hisbody eyes red blood spweing out of his mouth .
"You know, most humans who end up here either sacrifice someone they know to escape. But you're the only one to ever do it voluntarily.""Is that so?" Shawn replied, the name still feeling foreign on his tongue. "Guess I am very kind in nature." The irony of the statement wasn't lost on him. Kindness was a luxury he couldn't afford in his past life, a life that now felt like a distant, hazy dream."Kind," the woman scoffed, her voice dripping with disdain. "It's a word that mere mortals like you don't deserve. To be honest, you really don't care about them, do you?"Her accusation pierced through the fog of his amnesia, stirring a deep-seated anger within him. "Just enough..." he growled, his voice raw with suppressed fury. The phantom pains of wounds he no longer possessed were nothing compared to the burning resentment that coursed through him. He had clawed his way through life, alone and desperate, and he would be damned if he let some celestial being judge him for it.The angelic being's's expression shifted. A cruel curiosity gleamed in her eyes as she reached for his head. He could sense her intent – to delve into his memories, to expose his vulnerabilities and exploit them. But as her fingers brushed his skin, a surge of crimson energy erupted from his very being, manifesting as a network of writhing red strings."What...what is this?" she gasped, recoiling in surprise.The red strings lashed out, seizing her outstretched hand with preternatural speed. Before she could react, they severed it completely, the clean cut cauterized instantly."What...?" she breathed, seeing the string's jayeon laughed for a secondunconcious , the angelic beings fell face now a mask of shock and intense curiosity. It wasn't anger that filled her, but an insatiable hunger to understand the source of this unexpected power."It's already strange for a non-magical being to be stuck here," she mused, her voice laced with wonder. "And now these strings...Shawn, you're not a filthy human like the others, are you? I hope you show me much more."Driven by an insatiable need to understand, she healed her severed hand and reached out to touch the crimson threads. They pulsed with an alien energy, spreading across Shawn's body, weaving a macabre tapestry of forgotten memories and newfound power.A voice, ancient and chilling, echoed through the chamber, "You really should have gone back."The red strings coalesced, forming a towering figure with bloodshot eyes that burned into the woman's soul. It seized Shawn, lifting him towards the swirling portal that promised escape.Paralyzed by the being's overwhelming power, the woman could only watch in terror. Yet, with a desperate surge of will, she channeled all her magical energy into a blinding beam of light, aiming it at the figure."Why is a worm like you even trying?" the being roared, its voice a guttural growl. It turned its head, and its bloodshot gaze met the angelic being's. Her golden eyes, once filled with arrogance, now reflected the crimson abyss of her own impending doom. The beam struck, and the beings agonizing screams echoed through the chamber as she was utterly consumed."It's about time you go," the being declared, its voice fading as the red strings retracted, carrying Shawn towards the portal. He braced himself for oblivion, unaware he was not escaping this strange place, but merely being transferred to another, even more, alien realm.The Kingdom of Ash and EchoesJayeon jolted awake, a sharp pain lancing through his head. "Ow, ow, ow!" he muttered, clutching his temples. He felt like he'd been asleep for a thousand years, and someone had used his skull as a drum in the meantime.Blinking away the cobwebs, he took in his surroundings. It was...grim. He was slumped in a rickety wooden chair, a dusty table at his elbow. The room looked like something out of a history book, all ancient Europe vibes, but with a hefty dose of neglect. Books were piled everywhere, some with pages missing, others half-eaten by bugs. Cobwebs draped the corners, and a thick layer of dust coated every surface."What in the world…" Jayeon rasped, his voice hoarse and unfamiliar even to his own ears. He blinked rapidly, his vision adjusting to the dim light filtering through the cracks of a wooden ceiling that seemed far too archaic to belong to his world. His surroundings were sparse yet orderly—a small table, a rickety chair, and the faint scent of ink and old paper hanging in the air.
His gaze settled on a notebook lying open on the table, its pages yellowed with time. A small, handwritten note peeked out from between the leaves, its edges slightly crumpled. A strange unease prickled the back of his neck, but curiosity outweighed hesitation. He reached out tentatively, his fingers brushing the paper's surface—
And then it hit him.
A deluge of memories, vivid and chaotic, surged through his mind like a violent storm. Faces he didn't recognize, voices he'd never heard, and emotions so raw they left him gasping for air. He clutched his head as the pain of it all burned like fire behind his eyes. Memories of grand halls and quiet despair. Memories of a name—Clark Arcieus.
When the torment subsided, he found himself sprawled on the floor, cold sweat beading his forehead. His breaths came in ragged gulps as he tried to make sense of the fragments now lodged in his mind.
"I've… transmigrated?" he whispered, the words foreign yet strangely apt.
Jayeon—or was he now Clark?—closed his eyes, trying to thread the pieces together. He was an illegitimate son of the Duke of Arcieus, cast out of the family for reasons that felt both unfair and inevitable. Deprived of wealth, power, and privilege, he had been sent to the outskirts of the Veridian Kingdom—a place where the ordinary, the forgotten, and the powerless struggled to survive.
In this foreign body's fragmented memories, he saw himself as a studious outcast, hunched over old tomes in dimly lit rooms, the flickering light of a lone candle his only companion. Study had been his solace, the one path that had not been denied to him. Years of relentless effort had culminated in him becoming a civil servant—an accomplishment.
Clark's—lips pressed into a thin line. Something felt off. The memories were vivid, yet they didn't fit together perfectly. The weight of betrayal and isolation was unmistakable, but there was a sense of something… hidden. A secret, buried deep beneath the surface of these recollections.
As he recollected these scenes, his eyes fell on a small glass sitting on the table. It was filled with some kind of drink, the liquid glinting faintly in the dim light. A strange sense of foreboding crept up his spine, and his gaze drifted across the room, where a small bottle sat carelessly discarded in the corner. Recognition struck like a hammer blow. A bottle of poison.
His breath caught in his throat. An assassination attempt?
Panic surged through him as the realization set in. Who could have done this? Why? His chest tightened, his pulse quickening. He felt as though the walls were closing in around him, suffocating him with their oppressive silence.
"Why… why does everything keep getting worse for me?" he muttered, his voice trembling. He clutched the edge of the table, willing himself to steady his nerves.
Something was clear now: this wasn't just a world of exile and survival. Someone wanted him dead, and he had no idea why.