The city lights of Neo-Seoul bled into streaks of blue and violet through the rain. It had been two days since Jae-Won escaped Sub-Level 9 with the glitch humming in his veins louder than ever. Two days of silence—no Cipher, no Serin. Just the echo of her name clawing at the back of his mind.
He hadn't told Min-Jun or Ari the truth yet. Not the full truth. That Serin had been the one to push the dagger in—figuratively and literally.
But the silence was starting to break.
"Someone accessed an encrypted terminal on Layer 3 under your alias," Min-Jun reported, his fingers dancing across the portable grid-link device. "It wasn't you… but it was definitely your code."
Jae-Won didn't need to guess. He already knew.
"She's calling me."
"You sure you're ready for that?" Min-Jun asked, eyes narrowing.
"No," Jae-Won replied. "But that's never stopped me before."
---
Layer 3 was nothing like the sterile, death-trap labyrinth of Sub-Level 9. This one was colder in a different way—abandoned metro tunnels laced with digital ghosts and forgotten experiments. The glitch reacted immediately, the pulse in his temple syncing with the static hum of nearby terminals.
She was here.
The closer he stepped into the derelict station, the more the glitch flared. Memories—half-forgotten and cruel—rushed in pieces.
"Do you trust me?"
Her hand on his, the fake warmth.
"With everything."
He gritted his teeth.
A motion-sensor flickered on, dim light revealing the station's heart. Dust. Rust. Shadows.
And then—her voice.
"You finally came."
She stepped from the far tunnel, no longer dressed in Resistance black but something sleeker, sharper. Like the new Serin had shed the past like skin and was now only blade.
Her hair, once tied back in hasty knots during missions, now flowed freely. Her eyes—once soft, curious—burned with something unreadable. Guilt? Defiance? Regret?
"Serin," Jae-Won said, his tone as cold as the glitch in his blood.
"You've changed," she said softly. "The glitch obeys you now."
"You gave me no choice."
A beat of silence.
"I didn't come here to fight," she said. "But I won't run either."
The air warped between them. His fingers twitched near the dagger hilt at his side. Not drawn. Not yet.
"You lied to me," he said. "For how long? Since Day Zero?"
Her eyes lowered. "You'll get your answers."
Lightning cracked above the shattered tunnel ceiling.
"But not here," she added. "Not like this."
He stepped forward. "Then where?"
"There's a place. You'll remember it when you see it. The glitch will lead you." She paused. "Tomorrow night."
Jae-Won scanned her face. For a brief second, she looked like the girl he once trusted. But only for a second.
And then she was gone, a shimmer of tech-displacement tracing her escape.
---
Later that night, back at the hideout, Jae-Won sat alone, fingers pressed to his temple, feeling the glitch twist with unease.
Ari entered quietly. "You okay?"
He nodded. Lied.
Min-Jun leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. "Was it her?"
Jae-Won opened his eyes. "Yeah. And tomorrow, we end this."