Scene: Seoryun Temple – Night
Jiwoon sat alone in the inner courtyard. The stars above him pulsed unnaturally, each one representing a "node" in the system — and one of them… was flickering.
[System Notification]
You now hold 91% access to the Locked Archive
Entry requires: 100% Emotional Alignment
Status: Pending…
Vera entered quietly.
"You've been staring at that data node for hours."
Jiwoon: "Because it's watching back."
Kaelya appeared from behind a tree, flipping an old data scroll.
"You sure you want to open that?"
"Every time you dig deeper, something uglier climbs out."
Jiwoon looked at them both.
"If I stop now, I'm just polishing chains."
Flashback – System Creation (Vision Sequence)
As Jiwoon touched the archive, a vision surged into his mind:
A group of cloaked figures gathered around a black orb — the original system seed. They weren't gods. They were terrified humans.
"It must punish sin," one whispered.
"No… it must absorb it," another argued.
The third, cold and distant, murmured:
"It must survive — even if we don't."
Suddenly, the orb opened a crimson eye — the same one now on Jiwoon's chest.
Back in the present:
Jiwoon reeled back from the vision.
"It wasn't divine. It was desperate."
Vera: "What do you mean?"
"The system wasn't built to judge."
"It was built to delay something."
Archive Unlocked – 100% Access Achieved
The air shimmered. A gateway opened in midair — not physical, but emotional. Only Jiwoon could pass through.
"Where does it go?" Kaelya asked.
Jiwoon: "To what they tried to bury."
And without hesitation — he walked in.
Inside the Archive:
He found something impossible — an exact replica of himself, bound in chains, eyes hollow.
[Prototype: Jiwoon_Zero]
Status: Pre-System Host
Memory Integrity: 2%
It looked up slowly.
"I was the first attempt… you're the last."
Jiwoon stepped closer.
"What were they trying to erase?"
The Prototype's answer was simple:
"The truth."
"That sin… was never the enemy."