The thread between us

The exhibition hall had descended into chaos. Smoke curled in the air, alarms blared faintly in the distance, and red emergency lights pulsed like a racing heartbeat. Ji Ah and Ryu Hwan sprinted through the ravaged corridors, chasing the shadowy figure who had set the chaos in motion.

Their footsteps echoed as they ascended the final staircase that led to the rooftop. The heavy metal door creaked open, revealing the night sky bathed in a crimson glow. The red moon loomed high above, casting a surreal light across the rooftop, now eerily quiet.

Ji Ah was the first to step onto the open roof. Her gaze instantly locked onto a figure standing at the edge, back turned. The same man she had seen by the elevator just before the explosion. She took a sharp breath and raised her weapon.

"Don't move," Ji Ah ordered coldly. "You'll be dead in a second if you try anything. You're the one behind the blast, aren't you?"

The man slowly turned, a sinister smile spreading across his face. Something about his expression sent a shiver down Ji Ah's spine—it wasn't just malice; it was unnatural.

In the pale moonlight, the man's right arm began to shift grotesquely. His skin peeled back, revealing a monstrous limb beneath—veiny, clawed, and far too large for his frame. His fingers twisted into jagged talons capable of slashing through steel.

Before Ji Ah could react, the figure lunged forward at an impossible speed, lightning trailing in his wake. But just as he was about to strike, a flash of black and red flames erupted in front of Ji Ah, blocking the attack. Ryu Hwan stood between them now, eyes blazing, his presence radiating power.

The stranger halted mid-motion, visibly stunned. "You..." he hissed. There was recognition in his voice—mixed with fear and fury.

Ji Ah didn't wait. She flipped into a crouch and drew twin guns from her right thigh holster, firing rapidly. Bullet after bullet tore through the air, but the creature moved too fast, deflecting the shots with his monstrous arm. He let out a distorted, echoing growl.

He stepped back toward the edge of the rooftop, and his body began to mutate. Bones cracked, flesh shifted, and a grotesque transformation overtook him. His human façade melted away, revealing a full-blown monster with twisted wings, jagged scales, and eyes glowing like burning coal.

"What the hell is that?" Ji Ah muttered.

Ryu Hwan narrowed his gaze. "A Wanderer... but a highly evolved one."

Ji Ah's breath caught. So this was what she had been hunting. The diamond she had been sent for—it wasn't just any artifact. It was the Arcane Core, a source of forbidden power. And now, it pulsed within the chest of this monstrous Wanderer.

The creature let out a shriek and lunged at Ji Ah with terrifying speed. She dodged just in time, though its claws slashed across her arm, drawing blood. She winced but stayed focused, retaliating with rapid, acrobatic strikes—kicks, flips, shots, and smashes.

Ryu Hwan joined the fight, unleashing arcs of his fiery power. With each movement, black and red flames followed, slicing through the air like living blades. The two of them moved in deadly harmony—Ji Ah's brutal precision paired with Ryu Hwan's destructive magic.

But the Wanderer was relentless. Ji Ah found herself struggling to keep up, her breathing heavy, limbs screaming with fatigue. She shouted, "Ryu Hwan! I need backup!"

Just as she turned to reposition, the monster landed a brutal blow, hurling her across the rooftop. She crashed against the concrete, skidding across the floor, blood smearing behind her.

Ryu Hwan's eyes widened. Rage flared in his chest like an inferno. He rose into the air, feet no longer touching the ground, his flames intensifying until they engulfed both arms.

"How dare you touch her?" he growled. "You'll pay for this."

He unleashed a powerful stream of magic, black and red fire coiling like serpents, slamming into the Wanderer. The force was cataclysmic. The monster let out a deafening scream as its body cracked, split, and crumbled into ashes.

Only silence remained.

In the center of the ashes, a crystal-like object floated—glowing faintly, then dimming as it drifted down. Ji Ah stood slowly, bruised but steady, and walked toward it. As she reached out, the Arcane Core floated into her palm on its own, as if it had chosen her.

The glow vanished.

And in the distance, the red moon kept watching.

As soon as the crystal floated into Ji Ah's palm, its glow faded—suddenly and completely. Silence settled like mist.

Ji Ah, bleeding from her right arm, didn't seem to notice the sorrow shadowing Ryu Hwan's face. He stood with his eyes fixed on the sky, where the blood-red moon loomed eerily large.

"What are we waiting for? Should we leave now?" Ji Ah asked, her voice soft but steady.

Ryu Hwan didn't reply. His gaze remained skyward, the pain in his eyes deep and distant.

Finally, he spoke, voice low: "Your mission's complete. You got your diamond—the reason you came. You should go. I'll return when I feel like it."

His words, distant and cold, struck a nerve. Ji Ah's expression tightened with irritation. Without saying more, she turned and headed for the rooftop door.

But before she could take more than a few steps, something warm and flickering coiled around her finger. She froze.

Turning sharply, she found herself tethered—by a thin thread of magic flame, gently pulling her back toward him.

Ji Ah arched an eyebrow. "You tell me to leave, and now you're the one dragging me back?"

Ryu Hwan finally turned to face her. Calm, unreadable.

"I never said I stopped you."

Both of their eyes drifted downward—toward the glowing red thread that now connected them, flickering gently between their fingers like it had always been there.

A stunned silence hung in the air.

Ji Ah blinked. Then frowned. "What the hell is this now? Another one of your weird games? Look—I know you're insane. But not everything is funny. This thread—it's burning my wound."

Ryu Hwan stepped closer. His voice dropped, somber and heavy: "This isn't one of my games. It's not me doing this. This is the universe's cruel joke."

He raised his hand to her bleeding arm, resting it gently over the wound. A soft glow enveloped her skin as the gash sealed itself—his magic, precise and quiet.

The red thread between them shimmered once and tightened ever so slightly, as if acknowledging the bond.

Not just a coincidence. Not just magic.

A connection.

Something neither of them fully understood yet—but both could feel.