The mark on Jiwoon's wrist pulsed in rhythm — but it wasn't just his own heartbeat.
Something older echoed beneath his skin.
Each flicker came with a whisper. Faint, ancient, undeniable.
"Take back what was stolen."
"Rewrite the world, Sovereign."
Temporary Shelter – South Sector
Vera sat across from Jiwoon, arms folded tightly. Kaelya paced the cramped room like a tiger too long in a cage.
"You're saying the system gave you that mark?" Kaelya asked, narrowing her eyes.
Jiwoon shook his head. "No. The system doesn't recognize it. It flagged it as 'unknown.'"
Kaelya stopped mid-step. "Then what is it?"
"I don't know," Jiwoon said, staring at the faint glow. "But it feels… older than the system itself."
Flashback – Echo from a Lost Age
A single moment pierced Jiwoon's mind.
A battlefield of shattered stars.
A throne made of bone and flame.
A crown he once refused to wear.
He gasped.
"I've seen this mark before…"
SYSTEM ALERT: CORE INTERFERENCE DETECTED
The air thickened. The shelter's lights blinked in distress.
A jagged, corrupted hologram burst into the room:
"⚠ ERROR – Sovereign Signature Interfering With System Code ⚠"
Kaelya instinctively reached for her weapon.
Vera stepped between Jiwoon and the projection.
"I didn't trigger anything," Jiwoon said.
But the mark burned again. Brighter.
Outside — the sky tore open.
INCOMING THREAT: SYSTEM WARDEN 'TALIS' DEPLOYED
From the breach descended a silver figure — faceless, armored in raw code.
It spoke with mechanical clarity:
"Subject Jiwoon: Identified."
"Sovereign anomaly: Confirmed."
"Immediate erasure protocol: Initiated."
Vera: "Of course it couldn't just talk to us."
Kaelya: "Get behind me."
But Jiwoon didn't move.
He stepped forward.
Still a child. Still small.
But the mark on his wrist erupted — black flame shaped like language long forgotten.
"System Override: Denied."
The Warden's body convulsed. Code shattered.
With a scream of corrupted logic, it collapsed midair — disintegrating into nothing.
Jiwoon dropped to one knee. Smoke rose from his skin.
But he looked up, calm and steady.
"…It's not just a mark."
Vera and Kaelya stared.
Jiwoon touched his wrist.
"It's a key."