The hallway lights were dead.
Only the faint glow of Jinu's blade cut through the darkness, outlining the trembling air between them.
Rumi clung to his sleeve, her breath frozen in her chest.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The creature crawled along the ceiling, its joints cracking as it twisted its head upside down—eyes burning red like coals pulled from a furnace.
Rumi's heart stopped.
"W-What is that one?" she whispered, barely soundless.
Jinu didn't take his eyes off it.
"A Spinecrawler," he murmured. "They move fast. Don't blink."
The creature hissed, its limbs scraping against the ceiling tiles.
Jinu tightened his grip on her wrist.
"When I tell you to run, you run. Don't look back. Understand?"
Rumi nodded—though her legs felt like wet noodles.
The creature clung there like a spider, then—
It dropped.
Jinu yanked Rumi backward just as the Spinecrawler smashed onto the floor, claws slicing through the space where her head had been.
Rumi screamed.
The demon lunged at her—
but Jinu intercepted, blade meeting claws with a flash of blue light.
CLANG!
The shockwave threw Rumi back against the wall. Pain shot through her shoulder as she slid down, gasping.
Jinu pushed the demon off him and shouted, "Rumi, GO!"
She scrambled up and ran—her shoes pounding against the floor. The hallway stretched endlessly. Doors blurred past. Every breath burned.
Behind her, she heard the monster shriek and Jinu growl with effort.
She reached a corner—then froze.
Another reflection.
Another mirror.
The hallway mirror beside the vending machine warped—rippled—like something behind it was pressing forward.
"No, no, no—NOT again—"
A hand punched through the glass.
Rumi stumbled backward but tripped over her own foot—
—and someone grabbed her waist, pulling her clear.
It was Jinu.
He dragged her away just as a second demon crawled out of the mirror shards like a newborn nightmare.
"Two?!" Rumi cried.
"They're not supposed to appear in pairs," Jinu hissed. "Something's wrong."
The first demon—Spinecrawler—skittered down the hallway, claws tapping rhythmically.
The second—another Haze Wraith—stood in front of them, blocking the exit.
They were trapped.
Rumi's breathing quickened. Her vision blurred. The air grew heavy, suffocating her.
"I—I can't—Jinu, I can't—"
"Yes, you can," he said firmly, gripping her shoulders. "Listen to me. I won't let them touch you. Ever."
Her eyes met his.
For a moment, she believed him.
The demons lunged at the same time.
Jinu moved faster.
He shoved Rumi through an open practice room door and slammed it shut.
"Stay inside!"
"Jinu!" Rumi screamed, pounding the door. "Don't fight them alone! You'll die!"
"I'm not planning to die!" he shouted back. "Just STAY PUT!"
Rumi's vision swam as she heard the sounds outside:
Metal scraping.
Claws hitting walls.
Jinu grunting in pain.
Something inside her pulsed.
Burned.
Awakened.
Her shoulder mark throbbed beneath her skin, glowing faintly.
Rumi clutched it, wincing.
"What—what is happening to me…?"
Outside, Jinu was losing ground.
Two demons were too much, even for him.
A heavy thud shook the door.
Another.
A vicious snarl.
"Rumi…!" she heard Jinu choke out.
Without thinking, she grabbed a metal mic stand and burst through the door.
"GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
The demons turned at once.
Something flashed across her skin.
The crescent mark on her shoulder burned like fire—
and a wave of invisible force blasted outward.
BOOM.
Both demons screeched, thrown backward like rag dolls.
Jinu stared at her—eyes wide, stunned.
"Rumi…" he whispered in disbelief. "You just—"
She dropped the mic stand, panting, trembling.
"I—I didn't mean to… I don't even know what I did—"
But the mark on her shoulder glowed again, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Jinu stepped toward her slowly, breath unsteady.
"That wasn't normal," he said. "That was… power."
Rumi's knees buckled.
Jinu caught her before she fell, supporting her as the hallway flickered back to life.
The demons were gone—reduced to dust on the floor.
Rumi's head rested against his chest, vision fading.
"Jinu… what's happening to me…?"
Jinu held her tighter, his voice low with fear and awe.
"Rumi… you're not just marked."
A pause.
"You're awakening."
Her vision went dark.