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Chapter 11: Crimson Moon Sister
The wind howled as the girl with crimson tattoos stepped forward. Her eyes were hollow, her presence radiating twisted lunar energy. She said nothing, only twirled her twin sickles with deadly grace.
Duri gasped. "That's not just a corrupted Guardian... that's Soo-min, Baek Rin's sister."
"Sister?" Ji whispered.
Seora stepped in front of him, blade raised. "They said she vanished during the Moonfall Rebellion. Baek Rin must have turned her."
Soo-min moved like lightning. Yeonhwa blocked the first strike but was thrown back. Seora darted in, clashing steel with steel. Ji summoned a wall of moonlight just in time to protect Duri.
The battle raged.
Soo-min's tattoos pulsed, reacting to Ji's light. She screamed, not in rage—but in pain.
"She's resisting!" Duri shouted. "Part of her is still in there!"
Ji didn't hesitate. He pushed forward, deflecting her blades with his glowing hands.
"I'm not your enemy!" he shouted. "You were a Guardian once. You protected people!"
For a heartbeat, her eyes flickered. Her blades trembled. Ji reached toward her.
> "Let me help you."
Soo-min's body shook. Then—she slashed the air and vanished into shadow.
Silence fell. The shrine's stone walls were scorched, mirrors shattered.
Seora exhaled. "She didn't kill us. That means she's fighting it."
"She's a prisoner," Ji said softly. "And I'm going to free her."
Duri nodded. "You just made another enemy… and maybe a future ally."
Yeonhwa tightened the straps on her sword. "Let's get to the third shrine before Baek Rin makes his next move."
As they turned to leave, Ji looked at the moon—clouded, flickering.
And somewhere in the shadows, Soo-min watched them go.
A single tear slid down her cheek.
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To Be Continued in Chapter 12: Threads of Memory