Sometimes, when I thought life was finally calm, when I convinced myself that everything around me was normal, I only needed to look closer to realize how wrong I was.
The school yard was filled with students dressed in black uniforms, moving back and forth in small groups, laughing, arguing, living what looked like ordinary lives. But deep down, I knew the truth now—not all of them were students. Some only wore the skin of students. Some walked among us with ancient eyes and borrowed faces.
They said the world was deep, darker than the ocean floor, and only mysterious beings could truly walk through it without drowning. Standing by my window that afternoon, I finally understood what that meant.
I leaned against the window frame after classes, watching shadows stretch across the compound as the sun slowly dropped. My eyes searched the crowd again and again.
Jan was nowhere to be seen.
That alone unsettled me. Jan never stayed away this long without telling me. Turning to the other side of the room, my thoughts drifted to Yoon. Since the incident, she had locked herself indoors. She didn't attend class. She didn't step out or maybe she did.
And then there was the tree.
I stared at it for a long time, my chest tight. I never knew a tree could hold such power—could hide truths, protect secrets, or serve as a boundary between worlds. Raven's presence around it now felt less strange and more terrifying.
Bang.
A sudden sound shattered my thoughts.
The door opened roughly, hitting the wall as someone collapsed inside.
"Jina…"
Yoon's voice trembled as she sat on the floor, tears streaming down her face.
I turned sharply, shock flooding my body.
"Yoon… what's wrong?"
She didn't answer immediately. Her shoulders shook as she cried, her hands trembling against the floor.
"Jina," she finally said, her voice breaking, "Eunwoo's mother is dead."
The words hit me like a blow to the chest.
My eyes widened, my breath catching painfully in my throat. For a moment, I didn't know whether to scream, cry, or run. Questions crashed violently in my head.
Was she really Eunwoo's mother?
Was everything a lie?
Was everything true?
I stood frozen, staring at Yoon. Part of me wanted to rush forward, to pull her up and hold her, but the memories of the night—the dream, the blood, the fear—flooded back. My body reacted before my heart could decide.
I stepped back.
Yoon noticed immediately. She lifted her head slowly, surprise and pain flashing across her face as she stood up to face me. It felt like a silent confrontation.
"Jina," she said, her voice sharp now through the tears, "a woman who risked her life to tell you the truth has been murdered. She was found in a nearby bush this morning. And you're standing there, staring at me?"
Her words cut deep.
"They're looking for Eunwoo now," she continued, her voice shaking again. "They know he's alive. And I don't know how to protect him anymore."
A tear slipped down my face before I could stop it.
Could she be telling the truth?
"Oh no…" I whispered, my legs giving way as I sank onto the bed.
Yoon pulled out her phone with shaking hands and turned the screen toward me.
The image burned itself into my soul.
Eunwoo's mother—her body butchered, her head severed. Blood everywhere. Her two children lay beside her, alive but screaming, frozen in terror.
I screamed.
The sound tore out of my chest as I jumped up and grabbed Yoon.
"Oh no… oh no…"
It was real.
She was dead.
"Was she really Eunwoo's mother?" I cried, clutching Yoon desperately.
Yoon pushed my hands away gently but firmly.
"You still think I deceived you?" she asked, pain lacing every word. "You think I lied? I risked that woman's life because she trusted your father—Lee. Because she believed in you."
My knees buckled.
I collapsed to the floor, guilt crushing me.
"Oh no… what have I done?" I whispered.
I had failed again.
First Hae.
Now Eunwoo's mother.
I stood up unsteadily and held Yoon's hands, tears pouring freely.
"I had a dream," I confessed. "In the dream, you were chasing me with a sword… and the woman was with you. I thought you lied. I thought you were trying to deceive me."
Yoon's expression softened as she pulled me into an embrace. This time, I didn't resist.
"They already know why I am here," she said quietly. "And even if we don't say it out loud, the walls have ears. They'll do anything to separate you from me."
I pulled back, staring at her.
"Jina," she continued, her voice lowering, "have you ever wondered why they haven't killed you yet?"
I shook my head slowly.
"You have special powers," Yoon said. "Powers you haven't awakened. They're tied inside you, buried under fear and ignorance. If you could trust me, I would help you build them."
I stared at her, my heart pounding.
"With those powers," she went on, "these hopping cops would be nothing to you. You could see them. Command them. Send them back to the underworld where they belong."
My breath trembled.
"But it takes time," Yoon added. "And someone else will help you too. Someone you already know."
Her words echoed in my mind.
"For now," she said softly, "you need to get yourself together. Remove the fear. Build yourself. When you're ready, I'll tell you a story. And when you hear it, you can go ask your mother if it's true."
She tapped my shoulder gently and walked out, closing the door behind her.
I sat heavily on the bed, the image from the phone replaying over and over in my mind.
Blood.
Screams.
Death.
"Oh no…" I whispered.
Another life lost because of me.
Another innocent soul dragged into darkness because I didn't know enough, didn't act fast enough, didn't understand the truth soon enough.
Would it be better if I ended everything?
If I disappeared?
Why did everyone close to me keep dying?
Tears soaked my pillow as I sank deeper into despair, knowing one thing for certain now—
There was no turning back.