Night blanketed the forest shrine like a velvet curtain, stars peeking through its folds. Hana couldn't sleep.
She sat near the edge of the glowing pool behind the shrine, trailing her fingers through the water's strange warmth. The pool shimmered with reflections of fire that weren't there—tiny foxes made of flame dancing on the surface before vanishing like dreams.
Footsteps padded softly behind her.
"I thought foxes were nocturnal," she said without turning.
Taemin sat beside her, his expression unreadable. "We are. You're the one who needs sleep."
Hana exhaled, curling her knees to her chest. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I see flashes—flames, faces, tears. But I don't know them."
"You will," he said quietly.
"What if I don't want to remember who I was?" she whispered. "What if I like who I am now?"
Taemin paused. Then: "Then that's who you fight for."
She looked at him. "Is that why you didn't tell me everything sooner? About… us?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"The truth doesn't always protect people, Hana. Sometimes it breaks them faster."
Silence stretched between them.
Then the pool's surface rippled—once, twice. A strange, melodic hum echoed from below, and golden letters rose in a spiral like smoke.
Hana blinked. "That's… the same script from my pendant."
Taemin stood, suddenly tense. "The fire is speaking."
The Shaman appeared from the shrine, her face unusually grim. "The Echoes of the Pact are stirring."
Hana touched the air where the letters danced. Her foxfire reacted, surging upward like a flare. Then—a vision hit her.
She stood in a burning temple. A younger version of herself—Aran—was kneeling over a wounded fox spirit with Taemin's face. A voice rang out:
> "By my flame, I seal this bond. Let our hearts burn together, even through death."
She gasped, stumbling back as the vision shattered.
The Shaman caught her. "You just witnessed your first pact echo. More will come now. Memories too deep to resist."
Taemin's eyes met Hana's. "You remembered."
"Just one," she said shakily. "But it felt like… everything."
The Shaman stepped closer.
"This is the true beginning. The pact has not just been reborn—it's reawakened. And soon, others will feel it. Allies. Enemies. Even those who were meant to stay dead."
From the shadows of the forest, unseen eyes gleamed red.
Watching. Waiting.
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