The landing was safely in an empty clearing deep within the forest, a place crowded with thick, twisted roots that rose from the ground like veins. The air there was cold and still, heavy with ancient silence.
Raven descended slowly, carefully,
I was still unconscious when he laid me down gently on the ground. My body was warm, but my breathing was uneven, sharp at intervals, as if something inside me was struggling to settle.
Raven knelt beside me.
His eyes flared briefly with a low flame—not fire, not light, but something older. With a swift movement, he pulled at two long, living roots from the ground. They responded to him instantly, stretching and hardening under his touch.
He wrapped one around my right wrist, then another around my left. The roots tightened on their own, glowing faintly as they bound my hands to the earth.
The moment they locked in place—
Pain surged through my body.
A sharp, violent ache shot through my arms, ripping me out of unconsciousness.
I gasped.
My eyes flew open.
Raven reacted instantly, springing backward and raising both hands in surrender.
"Jina," he said quickly, his voice steady but strained. "I know you're still in there. I know you can hear me. Please understand—we're not here to hurt you."
Before I could respond, Yoon rushed in and froze at the sight before me
My eyes glowing faintly.
My breathing uneven.
"Jina," Yoon said softly but firmly. "We know you're still inside there. You're not alone."
But the moment I truly focused on them, fear twisted into something darker.
In my eyes, they weren't people.
They were monsters.
Creatures with sharp shadows, long teeth, and hunger carved into their forms. My chest tightened as panic surged. My teeth extended instinctively, my fingers curling as claws threatened to tear through skin.
I pulled at the roots.
They burned.
They held.
A low sound rose from my throat—half growl, half cry.
Raven felt it.
He exchanged a glance with Yoon.
Without another word, he gestured for her to follow him outside the clearing.
They stepped away, giving me space, leaving bound but breathing, trembling, alive.
Outside the circle of roots, Raven turned sharply to Yoon.
"What do we do?" he asked, the weight in his voice unmistakable. "I've fought wars, shadows, monsters—but this…" He exhaled. "This is different."
Yoon folded her arms, thinking fast.
"I think," he said slowly, "we need someone she loves deeply. Someone she cannot bring herself to hurt."
"That kind of bond can pull her back," Raven continued. "It can break through the false visions."
Then Yoon frowned.
"But… I don't think Jina is in any relationship. Not like that."
Raven turned to her, his expression unreadable.
"Her mother," he said quietly.
Yoon's eyes widened.
"No," she said immediately. "Raven, I don't think her mother would survive seeing her like this. Not in this state."
Raven stepped closer and placed his hands firmly on Yoon's shoulders.
"We don't have a choice," he said. "We have to do everything possible to bring her back. If Jina tastes blood—just one drop—then it's over. She'll be gone."
Yoon went silent.
She stood there for a long moment, listening to the forest breathe.
Then her expression changed.
"I noticed something," she said slowly.
Raven looked at her. "What is it?"
"That man," Yoon continued. "The wizard. He didn't attack you. He didn't even try. He just watched."
Raven's gaze sharpened.
"You think I could take him?" he asked.
"Or at least confront him," Yoon said. "Force him to undo what he did. He knows something—more than he's said."
Raven watched her for a long moment.
Then he inhaled deeply and reached into his coat.
He pulled out the mask.
He glanced once toward Jina, who had fallen into an exhausted sleep again, her body still tense even in rest.
Then he turned back to Yoon.
"Protect her," he said firmly. "With everything you have."
Yoon nodded without hesitation.
Raven lifted the mask and covered his face.
In the next instant, he leapt upward, vanishing into the trees, moving through the branches with terrifying speed—silent, precise, unstoppable.
The ancient man was about to enter his hut when something made him stop.
The air shifted.
He looked up.
There—standing on the roof of the hut—was Raven.
The man's body stiffened.
His hands dropped instantly to his sides as fear overtook him. Without a word, he fell to his knees and bowed deeply, his forehead nearly touching the ground.
Raven descended slowly, landing in front of him.
"What are you?" Raven asked coldly.
The man trembled.
"M… my master," he whispered, his head still bowed. "Son of Hwanung… forgive me for ever lifting my eyes to your face."
Raven froze.
"I am only a messenger," the man continued, voice shaking. "Wrapped in a shadow that blinded me. I did not see that the one standing beside me was the great son of Hwanung himself."
He swallowed hard.
"Blindness is loud," the man said softly. "True presence is silent."
Raven stepped closer, circling him.
"Hold on," Raven said. "That name—Hwanung—is my father. How do you know him?"
The man did not lift his head.
"Your father was my great master," he said. "I served him for many years before he died. I also served you when you were small. I trained you to become what you are today."
His voice broke.
"Please… spare my life."
Raven stopped walking.
"Oh," he said slowly, a dangerous smile forming. "The great wizard of Gwi."
The man shook violently.
"My father never taught you wickedness," Raven continued. "He never taught you to transform innocent, vulnerable people into things they never chose to become."
Raven leaned down until his voice was inches from the man's ear.
"So tell me," he said calmly, "one reason I should not strike you down right now."
The man sobbed.
"M–my life was threatened," he stammered. "The woman… she has a secret about me. She was about to expose me if I refused."
Raven straightened slightly.
"Which woman?" he asked.
"The woman who sent the message," the man said desperately. "She told me the young girl was coming. She told me exactly what to do."
His breathing became frantic.
"And my son—my son is with her. She threatened to devour him if I didn't obey. I had no choice. I did it to save my family. To save my life."
Raven stood still.
The forest seemed to hold its breath.
He turned slowly back to the man.
"Who is the woman?" Raven asked, his voice low and dangerous. "What is her name?"