All the memories of that Rift punched into Jaemin's skull like lightning—The way the Maiden stared into him. The way Hana had to gamble with her life.The veil. The Core fragment. That look.
And now, she was here again.
The veil over her face lifted. Her pupils blazed bright as the sun. Hair lifted unnaturally, floating like it belonged to something not human. Black blood whipped from her eyes, thick like tar.
And on her cheek—half-embedded into skin, jagged and gleaming—was the Core fragment. Still there. Still alive.
Jaemin moved. Fast. Ducking out of her line of sight. Keeping to the edge. The walls crumbled around them like paper.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"
Her scream ripped reality more wailing. No sadness. It was a demonic roar.
A rupture.
The sound shattered the pillars, the walls, and the floor. Every inch of stone cracked and split. His teeth buzzed from the force. His knees dipped.
She lifted her palms. Her fingers twisted mid-air—Long, black, curled talons snapped out of her skin.
She charged. Her movement wasn't fast. It was instant.
Jaemin met her head-on.
CLINK!
Her talons slammed into his daggers. Sparks flew. He had his eyes closed. He didn't need to see. He knew what had to be done.
"Finish it. Fast."
He twisted—sidestepped with a sharp pivot, blades sliding apart from her claws. Created just enough space.
She screamed again. Not just a scream—A command.
It grabbed his spine.
He stopped. Mid-step.
Arms frozen. Neck twitching. His body started to twist—his foot lifted without permission. He was fighting himself. Every muscle. Every nerve.
"Shit."
"She's got telekinesis… and it's way stronger than mine."
He grunted. Veins flared. Fingers spasmed against invisible pressure.
With a guttural roar, he wrenched his left arm free and blasted a wave of compressed aura forward.
BOOM—!
The force smashed into her chest. She flew back, crashing into stone, leaving a body-shaped crater.
Jaemin dropped to one knee, panting. His muscles twitched like they'd been electrocuted.
But she didn't stay down.
She crawled forward on hands and feet like a spider. Hair hanging, blood still dripping from her eyes.
She was grinning.
He stood up, blades ready.
"Come on…"
He breathed.
"Come on, bitch."
She lunged again.
This time, he ran toward her.
The Maiden moved. Fluid. Sudden. A blur of pale skin and black hair.
Jaemin ducked low under her swipe, grit in his teeth, and grabbed her arm mid-lunge—her skin was cold, wet, like touching something freshly dug out of a grave. He twisted, planted his foot—
"HRAAAAH!"
—and with a full-body swing, he hurled her.
SPLASH!!
She crashed into the pool behind them, the water exploding upward like it had been struck by lightning.
Jaemin stumbled back, panting, hands on his knees.
"FUCK!!!"
His voice echoed against broken stone and crumbling columns. His chest was burning. His core flared hot under his ribs.
The water began to ripple.
Bubbles rose.
Then, she rose.
Standing.
On the surface.
Not floating. Not levitating.
Standing. On water.
Her hair hung soaked, veil torn fully off now. Her smile—wide, cracked, and filled with joy. She wasn't angry. She was ecstatic.
Jaemin's heart dropped.
"She's not a Rift illusion. Not some twisted echo."
"She's here. In our world. Real."
Even her reflection in the pool didn't ripple or resist—Because she wasn't trapped anymore.
She had crossed over.
Jaemin inhaled deeply, thinking more. No more fear.
His heel scraped back against the ruined floor. Dust lifted. Wind curled around him. He bolted forward—a streak of black coat and silver fang.
Same tactic as before. Same trick he used on Gyeongnim. A fast feint, right hook in low, dagger sweep high.
"You're in for it now, you little bit—"
His voice caught.
His eyes widened. Too late.
"GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"
Another roar. Worse than before.
This one didn't just crack the walls. It lit the air on fire.
A demonic blastwave tore out of her mouth—pure black-red pressure laced with Core corruption. The entire field around the pool ignited.
BOOM—
The shockwave hit him mid-sprint.
Jaemin flew backwards, body flipping through broken debris and flame. He crashed into a crumbling pillar—stone shattered behind his spine.
He gasped, body twitching, coughing up blood. His daggers were scattered across the floor.
The field was blazing. Flames licking upward. Water sizzles to steam.
And from the centre, the Maiden stood.Unburnt.Grinning.
She tilted her head.
And walked forward. Step by step.
The hunt had flipped.
Jaemin lay panting on the scorched ground, his breath ragged, every muscle screaming. Then, something cold and sharp pressed beneath his arm.
A paper.
A sigil.
His eyes snapped open.
The same sigils scrawled around the chamber, glowing faintly before, now crumpled and dirty in his hand.
His mind sparked—a gamble. A risk. A chance, just like Hana took before.
He forced himself up, clutching the paper tightly.
Ahead—she waited. The Unholy Maiden. The nightmare made flesh.
With a burst of speed, Jaemin closed the distance.
His dagger arched through the air—fast, precise.
CLINK!
Her fingers caught the blade effortlessly. Cold, steady, like iron.
Jaemin's other hand shot out, two fingers gripping the sigil paper tightly.
He slammed it against her skin.
"GLEAM!"
The sigil flared bright white-blue, scorching like a star in the gloom.
The Maiden screamed—a piercing, wild shriek.
"RAAAAHHH!"
Jaemin's heart hammered.
It was working.
He tossed the dagger aside, palm open, eyes wide with focus.
Both his hands began to glow—an icy blue light pulsing with raw telekinetic force.
Around the chamber, the sigils—once lifeless—lifted, swirling slowly through the thickening air.
"HUYYU!"
Jaemin thrust his glowing palms forward, a wave of pure force pulsing out.
One by one, the sigils launched, snapping through the air like razor moths.
They attached to her.
On her arms. Her legs. Her chest.
Each one burned against her pale skin, etching deep, blue-white scars.
Her screech twisted into a howl—far louder, more desperate, rising above the crackling flames.
She shook, her body convulsing violently, but the sigils held fast, chaining her like iron bands forged in light.
Jaemin planted his feet, chest heaving—every ounce of strength flooding through him.
"You're not walking out of here."
Her wild eyes burned with fury and pain, but for the first time, hesitation flickered behind that unholy blaze.
Hot steam hissed from her body, rising like a curse from a boiling cauldron.
Her flesh began to harden, transforming—rock solid, like obsidian forged in agony.
It was a desperate move. A final gambit to end him.
Her burning eyes locked on Jaemin's, wild and furious.
Without hesitation—
STAB!
Jaemin yanked back his dagger and plunged it deep into her eye.
A guttural roar ripped from her throat—raw, animal, feral.
The sigils—still glowing faintly on her skin—shattered like brittle glass.
"There weren't enough."
"Nothing was enough."
"Just how strong is this maiden?!"
Jaemin cursed under his breath, chest heaving.
Suddenly—
WOOOOOOOOO!
A howl echoed from the shadows behind him.
From the darkness, a pack of Gravehoards emerged, snarling and ravenous.
They circled the Maiden's body, teeth bared, claws digging into her hardened skin, sapping her core energy with wicked precision.
"GRAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
With a thunderous roar, the Maiden unleashed a force so powerful it shattered the sigils, snapping them clean from her like brittle chains.
The Gravehoards fell, one by one, lifeless on the scorched ground.
She was free.
But her body was burnt and cracked, smoke curling from her ruined flesh.
Jaemin gritted his teeth, fists tightening like iron clamps.
BOOM!
His fist smashed into her chest with devastating force.
She flew backward, crashing into a ruined wall with a deafening impact.
The stone cracked and shattered, a crater forming beneath her.
She lay still.
"It's over."
Finally, the fight was over.
SHINNN—!
A streak of violet light tore through the dark above like divine lightning.
And from it, descending slow—steady, weightless—came the Core of Shadows.
It hovered above the broken battlefield, pulsing, not like a star… but like a living thing. Twisted. Ancient. A fragment of something older than rifts themselves.
Jaemin smirked. Sweat still on his jaw, blood still drying on his lip.
"Let's see if I can have two Special Cores…"
He reached out—His fingers brushed the surface of the Core.
It shivered, almost like it recognised him.
And then—
It vanished.
Exploded into a spiral of dark violet energy, like ink in water. It wrapped around his arms, his chest, his spine—seeping into him. His body arched slightly from the sudden pressure—his veins flickered. His eyes glowed faint violet, cold and electric.
Then—
"FWIUP-PING!"
A soft ping, low and mechanical, echoed through his skull.
Jaemin froze.
Something was happening.
Light bent in front of him, folding, constructing. Not air. Not aura.
A hologram.
But not just any hologram.
A wide geodesic polyhedron of interconnected light formed around him, almost like he was standing inside a floating dome of data.
Words began to appear in front of his vision in violet, floating clean and sharp:
[ENTERING ENTITY NAME: HAN JAEMIN]
Thin panels began sliding open around him, illuminating the violet-blue interior of the polyhedron.
To the side of his right temple, A ring of iridescent light blinked to life. Subtle. Blue and violet. Hovering.
"What is all this…?"
He murmured, hand slowly rising.
The panels were clean—intuitive. Labelled in simple white text:
[▸ About Entity▸ Stats▸ Skill Set▸ Inventory]
It looked…like a game interface. But it felt real EXP bar. No levels. Just raw data, purposefully built.
"What on earth…"
He tapped the Inventory panel. It slid open with a whispering woosh.
[INVENTORY: (2/1000)]
Eye of the Sun
Type: Katana.
Class: 5.
Binary Stars
Type: Daggers.
Class: 3.
A faint grin crawled across his face. He held his palm toward the listing: Binary Stars.
TING!
The twin daggers materialised instantly, solid in his grip. Perfect weight. Razor sharp.
"Damn… is this what the Core of Shadows could do?"
PING!
A new alert shimmered in front of him:
[NEW PANEL UNLOCKED: QUEST]
You can now receive quests!
>Daily Quests
>Main Quests
>Side Quests
>Errands
Jaemin stared, breath stilling.
This wasn't a curse. This wasn't corruption.
This was a system. A gift. A structure built around shadows.