The thread between us

The sun was high when Ji Ah and Ryu Hwan prepared to leave. But just before stepping outside, Ji Ah suddenly stopped.

"Ryu Hwan," she asked, her voice low but firm, "You're the leader of this place, aren't you? Then how can there be an abandoned area here? How could something that dangerous exist in your territory? And… why has it never come out before?"

Ryu Hwan's eyes narrowed. His expression turned unreadable.

"Even if I am the leader," he said slowly, "there are still things beyond my control. Places where even my powers don't work. I may be a fully evolved dragon… but there's something that binds my abilities."

Ji Ah listened quietly, processing each word.

"And as for why it never escaped," Ryu Hwan added, "That creature was sealed inside that cave by the guardian spirits. That jungle… it's not just any jungle. It's a place swarming with ancient, unknown powers."

Ji Ah nodded silently, still trying to grasp the scale of what he meant.

"Come," he said, holding out his hand.

She raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you're planning to teleport us again—"

Before she could finish, a sudden whoosh of energy engulfed them, and they vanished.

---

In the blink of an eye, they landed deep within a dense jungle. Before them stood a massive, pitch-black cave. A sacred rope sealed the entrance, decorated with talismans fluttering in the wind.

Ji Ah stepped back slightly, uneasy.

"How… how are we even going to enter this?"

"Stand back," Ryu Hwan instructed calmly.

He closed his eyes and began chanting an ancient incantation. Ji Ah watched in awe.

(That language… it sounds like ancient Chinese. How does he even know this?)

As the spell intensified, the talismans began to glow and slowly burned away. The rope seal disintegrated into particles of light. Ryu Hwan opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Stay close to me. Don't wander off, no matter what."

Ji Ah nodded.

(Why is he so worried for me today?) she thought.

They stepped inside. The deeper they went, the more twisted and unnatural the air became. Ji Ah glanced around the wide cavern.

"This place is way bigger and darker than I imagined," she whispered.

Ryu Hwan remained alert, scanning the shadows.

"I remember this creature being sealed… but breaking the outer spell might've awakened it."

Suddenly, Ji Ah spotted something glowing faintly in the distance. She motioned silently to Ryu Hwan.

He gave her a firm nod.

"Stay alert."

As they moved forward, Ji Ah unsheathed both her draggers, gripping them tight.

And there it was.

A hulking figure bound by massive chains, half-human, half-abomination.

Its original human skin was cracked like dry earth, glowing veins of red, purple, and sickly green pulsing through the fissures. One eye appeared lifeless. The other — a rotating core, glowing and humming within his skull. His body was twisted. One arm made of jagged black stone and shattered cores fused in failure. The other — burned and stretched, melting from within.

In his chest, where a heart should've been, glowed a large crystal, embedded like a parasite, pulsing with every shallow breath.

Ji Ah stumbled back, shaken.

"What the hell is that… how do we even kill something like this?"

Ryu Hwan didn't answer immediately. His thoughts raced.

(We have to defeat him. But... can we extract the truth we need without killing him?)

Suddenly, the creature — the Wanderer — began to stir.

"Ji Ah," Ryu Hwan said sharply, "As long as he's chained, we have one shot. We need to target the cores in his body. Use your dragger to strike them directly."

Ji Ah's gaze locked onto the creature's left eye — the glowing core.

Without hesitation, she launched forward. Her dragger flashed, slicing the air, aiming precisely for the eye.

As it struck, the Wanderer let out an unearthly scream — the cave shook violently.

He writhed, muscles swelling, veins bulging, the chains straining.

Ryu Hwan reacted instantly. A red glow surged through his eyes as he reinforced the chains with ancient dragon power.

"Not so fast, darling," he muttered coldly.

Meanwhile, Ji Ah managed to extract one of the cores from its body — but the damage had been done. The Wanderer's strength surged, and the chains shattered.

"Ji Ah—get back!"

Before she could react, Ryu Hwan yanked her away in a flash. They both hit the ground hard as the Wanderer roared and cracked his neck. The cave trembled once more.

The chains fell to the floor. He was free.

Ryu Hwan stood, eyes locked on the monster. Without words, he pointed.

"His heart. Go for the heart!"

Ji Ah gritted her teeth, gripping her draggers tighter. She sprinted forward. Ryu Hwan stayed close, deflecting the creature's wild attacks.

She flipped into the air, aiming her blade directly toward the glowing heart — but just before impact, the Wanderer slashed her mid-air, sending her crashing to the ground.

"Ji Ah!" Ryu Hwan caught her just in time, but blood seeped from her side.

"You okay?" he asked, voice low with concern.

She nodded, trembling.

The dragger embedded in the creature's chest had weakened him. Seeing her rise despite the pain, Ryu Hwan reached for her hand.

"You're not doing this alone."

Together, they charged. As their blades connected, Ryu Hwan channeled his energy into her weapon, fusing their strength.

But the Wanderer, in one last desperate move, slashed at Ji Ah's waist again — separating her from Ryu Hwan. She collapsed.

That was enough.

With blazing fury, Ryu Hwan plunged his dragger through the creature's chest.

The Wanderer let out one final, soul-ripping scream as his body crumbled into golden dust.

Five glowing cores floated in the air.

Ryu Hwan collected them carefully, slipping them into a sealed pouch, then rushed to Ji Ah's side.

She had passed out — her waist bleeding, her arm scratched and raw.

But worse, the wound had been inflicted by a corrupted core being… his magic wouldn't work.

Suddenly, a faint shimmer formed nearby — a spirit.

The soul of the Wanderer.

It hovered near Ryu Hwan and whispered:

"I know Dragon... why you've come here with this girl — what answers you're chasing.

But I'm bound. I can't tell you much.

Still... there's one thing you must know.

The chambers you were told about — they aren't just storage or labs. They're a cracks.

A dimensional fracture.

Think of it as a gate — one not meant to exist.

And there's only one person who knows its true location...

The man who created them.

The scientist.

The reason all of this… madness exists.

Remember this, Dragon…

The girl with you — she is in danger.

If not today, then someday soon…

That scientist will come for her.

Because she carries something — something he once wanted, and still does.

And he will stop at nothing to get it back."

And just like that, it vanished.

Ryu Hwan stood in silence, clenched jaw, furious and helpless.

He gently lifted Ji Ah in his arms and disappeared into the shadows.

---

Later...

A dim room. A faint light bulb. Silence.

Ji Ah lay unconscious in Ryu Hwan's arms.

Blood stained her jacket. A deep wound across her waist throbbed with lingering core energy. His hands trembled slightly as he cleaned the wound — antiseptic stinging against corrupted skin.

This was beyond his magic now.

His eyes — usually playful and glowing with charm — were now cold, heavy with guilt.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, brushing her hair from her face.

"I couldn't protect you completely.

"

He listened to her heartbeat — faint, but steady.

And in that single beat, something ignited within him.

"No matter what I have to do... I'll never let you fall again."