Night had fallen early.
The stars were covered in clouds, and the fire crackled quieter than before — as if the island itself had started to listen.
Vera sat closer to Jiwoon tonight, her fingers absently tracing the mysterious pendant they found. Kaelya watched them both, frowning but saying nothing. Even she could feel it.
Something had shifted.
Jiwoon finally spoke.
"There's a ritual site inland. Someone — or something — carved it. It wasn't natural."
Kaelya leaned forward. "Like a shrine?"
"No," Jiwoon said. "Like a warning."
⸻
Flashback: The Boy in the Jungle
Jiwoon closed his eyes and saw the boy again — ancient eyes in a young face.
"You carry too much sin to stay here," the boy had said.
"Or maybe… this place just remembers."
⸻
Back in the present, Vera stood suddenly.
"If this island remembers… then we find out what it remembers."
Jiwoon raised an eyebrow. "You want to go now?"
She nodded.
"No more waiting. If we don't move, it'll come to us first."
Kaelya sighed. "Great. First real vacation we get, and we're back to ghost-hunting in the jungle."
⸻
Jungle Path – Midnight
Their torches flickered unnaturally as they reached the circle of ash again.
The symbols glowed faint red now — pulsing like a heartbeat.
Kaelya crouched, brushing her fingers over the stone. "These aren't just runes. They're binding marks."
Vera turned sharply. "Binding what?"
Just then, the ground trembled. Wind whooshed through the trees like breath from a sleeping beast.
Jiwoon stepped into the center of the circle—
—and the ground opened.
⸻
[System Interruption Detected]
Entity Type: Sealed Sin Avatar – Class Unknown
Warning: Island threshold compromised
⸻
From the darkness below, eyes opened. Dozens of them.
Something was waking up.
Kaelya reached for Jiwoon, but he didn't move.
"It was never just a memory," he said.
The island wasn't remembering.
It was summoning.