The thread between us

The morning skies were heavy with storm clouds as Ji Ah returned to Seoul. The air felt colder than usual, laced with the kind of silence that follows after something you can't yet explain. Her mind raced, but her steps were steady — she knew exactly where she had to go.

Without wasting a second, Ji Ah made her way to Shin Joo's apartment.

The door opened, and before Shin Joo could greet her properly, Ji Ah's voice cut through the tension.

"Shin Joo, I need to talk. It's urgent. Can you go to the clinic a bit later today?"

Shin Joo stared at her, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"Ji Ah? You're back? Of course, come in."

He stepped aside, letting her in.

"When did you return from the mission? Here—have some water. Sit down, breathe."

She nodded, but her hands were already in motion. Without a word, she pulled something from her coat and placed it gently on the table between them — the Arcane Core.

Its faint glow pulsed against the dim light of the room.

Shin Joo's eyes widened in recognition.

"So this is it… The one I've been studying."

Ji Ah looked up, brow furrowed.

"Studying? What do you mean?"

He picked up the crystal with careful hands, rotating it slowly, watching the shifting glimmers within.

"After your co-hunter informed me about a potential relic being recovered, I started digging through old archives. Cross-referencing obscure records… and I found something. Mentions of a core like this—tied to ancient events. Painful ones."

"What kind of events?"

Shin Joo hesitated for a moment, as if searching for the right words.

"This isn't just a crystal. It's a remnant… forged from betrayal, incomplete bonds, and death. A long time ago, fallen Guardians — powerful beings — were said to pour their final essence into objects like this. What remains... is unstable, sacred, and dangerous."

Ji Ah's fingers twitched slightly. Her eyes remained fixed on the core, but her thoughts drifted elsewhere — to red eyes, a thread that burned, and the strange calm in a stranger's presence.

Shin Joo studied her face for a beat, then asked carefully,

"Ji Ah... when you touched it — did anything happen? Something... you couldn't explain?"

Her gaze dropped to her hand — the one that had held the core first.

A brief silence stretched between them.

"Yes," she finally whispered.

"Something happened. I felt… something inside me shift. But I don't understand it."

Shin Joo's expression darkened slightly, thoughtful and uneasy. Then he leaned forward.

"Did you… feel drawn to anyone? Some presence… someone that didn't feel like a stranger?"

Ji Ah tensed. She didn't answer immediately — her walls went up, just as quickly as her pulse raced.

"Shin Joo, what are you trying to say?" she asked, her voice firm but uneasy.

"I have to take this core to headquarters. They're waiting."

She reached out, took the core, and slipped it into her coat pocket.

Just as she stood up, Shin Joo called out again — his voice gentler now, laced with quiet concern.

"Ji Ah… if this core has reconnected something — someone — to you… it won't be an ordinary bond. Please be careful. And no matter what happens, if you ever need help... you know where to find me."

She paused, her hand on the doorknob. She didn't turn around.

But her face betrayed something — a flicker of thought, of uncertainty — before she stepped outside.

Shin Joo watched the door close and exhaled slowly.

"Looks like the time has come," he murmured.

"And the unfinished bond… has started to awaken."

---

Outside, Ji Ah walked away, unaware of the eyes following her from above.

Hidden amidst the dense branches of a tree near the apartment, a small figure crouched silently — wings tucked, eyes glowing.

It was Ember.

His gaze never left her.

"So this is where you ran to..." he muttered, tail flicking sligh

tly with suspicion.

This time, it wasn't on Ryu Hwan's orders.

He came on his own.