Rain poured over the fractured skyline of Novis Sector 3—a once-thriving city now reduced to rubble. The storm blurred the outlines of collapsed towers and burned-out streets. Under the grey clouds, six shadows dropped silently from a black aircraft, landing in the ghostly silence like whispers of war.
Taerim—code name: Ghost Bloom—adjusted her earpiece. "Unit Six, in position. Commencing recon."
"Copy that," came the commander's voice—Joon Joonseok, though she didn't know him as her brother yet. To her, he was just Commander Vex, one of the Obsidian Guild's elite. "Hostiles confirmed in quadrant C. Extract the civilians. Engage only if provoked."
"Understood," she said curtly.
She didn't need backup. She never had. That was the rule she made after the fire—after she lost them.
Moving swiftly through the rubble, her figure blurred like mist. Her powers—phase stepping and ethereal manipulation—allowed her to move through walls and project spectral vines to trap enemies in silence. She was a phantom on the battlefield, leaving only silence and stillness in her wake.
But she wasn't alone tonight.
Unbeknownst to her, four others watched her from the shadows—four recent recruits she hadn't met yet in this uniform.
Juwon, Siyoon, Hajoon, and Yulseung.
"I thought she'd be taller," Siyoon whispered.
"She's taller than you," Hajoon replied flatly.
"She moves differently in uniform," Juwon murmured. "Like she's—"
"A weapon," Yulseung finished.
They had seen her as the quiet school president. Reserved. Cold. Distant. But here? She was merciless, fluid, deadly.
"She's still the same," Juwon said, eyes narrowing behind his mask. "She just forgot."
---
Inside a crumbled hospital ward, Taerim found the first civilian—a little girl clutching a broken stuffed rabbit.
"You're safe now," Taerim whispered, kneeling beside her.
The girl flinched.
"Are you a ghost?" she whispered.
Taerim hesitated.
Maybe she was.
"No," she said gently. "I'm a protector."
The child nodded, barely brave enough to take her hand. As Taerim guided her through the debris, movement flickered behind her.
Mutants.
Three of them.
Twisted results of failed experiments, their bodies stitched with wires and bone. They growled, dragging themselves toward her.
She stepped in front of the child.
"You're not getting past me."
The first leapt—and was slammed into a wall by a wave of ghostly vines.
The second hissed—but a blast of black flame scorched it before it could strike.
Taerim froze and turned.
Juwon stepped out of the smoke, lowering his gloved hand.
"I had it," she snapped.
"You're welcome," he said flatly, walking past her to kneel by the girl.
The child looked at him. "Are you her friend?"
Juwon didn't answer.
"I used to be," he whispered.
Taerim's brows furrowed.
Something deep in her chest pulled painfully—familiarity, confusion, warmth.
She shook it off.
"I don't need help."
"You do," came another voice.
Siyoon appeared beside them, brushing dust off his coat.
"You're overexerting your energy," he said. "That pulse field you used earlier? Too wide. You're straining."
"How do you know that?"
He smiled. "Let's just say… I've seen it before."
"You're all acting strange," she muttered. "This is a mission, not a reunion."
She pushed forward again, child in her arms.
But her mind was no longer clear.
Their words haunted her.
I used to be.
I've seen it before.
---
Back at the extraction zone, the civilians were safely aboard. The six heroes stood in a circle, battle-worn but victorious.
Commander Vex stepped down from the aircraft, accompanied by two other high-ranking figures—Joonbyul and Joonhyuk.
Three brothers, watching their little sister from behind layers of rank and secrecy.
"She doesn't know," Joonhyuk muttered.
"Not yet," Joonbyul agreed.
Joonseok crossed his arms. "But she will."
"Do you think she'll accept it?" Joonbyul asked.
"She's strong," Joonseok said. "She survived the fire. The abuse. The training. She's more than just our sister now."
"She's Ghost Bloom," Joonhyuk whispered.
---
That night, back at school, Taerim sat alone in the greenhouse rooftop—her secret spot. The rain had stopped, and stars peeked through the clouds.
A box sat beside her.
Inside it—was the photo Juwon had shown her, a broken pendant with a code: S001, and a child's drawing with seven stick figures, all holding hands.
Her.
Three taller ones beside her.
And four others—all smiling.
Taerim bit her lip hard.
What was she forgetting?
Who were they?
And why did her heart ache whenever they looked at her?
---
Elsewhere in the dormitory…
Siyoon stared at his reflection. He pulled out his own pendant: S005. His eyes darkened.
"Soon, Taerim," he whispered. "You'll remember who I am… and what you promised me."
Because second chances always came with a price.
And he still had a secret.
A truth even Juwon didn't know.
---