The ruins don't appear all at once.
They emerge.
Stone by stone.
Pillar by broken pillar.
As if the forest itself is reluctantly pulling them back into the world.
Massive slabs of rock rise from the earth, cracked and overgrown with moss, carved with symbols that no modern language claims. Half-collapsed stairways spiral downward into darkness. The air smells old—dust, damp stone, and something faintly metallic.
Wu Suo Wei lets out a low whistle.
"Okay… that's definitely not tourist-friendly."
Wei Ying squats near one of the carvings, tracing it with his fingers—but not touching fully.
"These aren't decorative. They're warnings."
Jungkook folds his arms.
"Warnings for what?"
Wei Ying glances back at him.
"For people like you."
Taehyung hides a smile.
Unspoken Roles
Without discussion, the group rearranges itself.
Wei Ying moves to the front, eyes sharp, mind already half in ritual mode.
Wu Suo Wei stays slightly behind him, scanning for pressure plates, hidden mechanisms, anything that feels wrong.
Taehyung drifts between them—never leading, never lagging. Watching everything.
The CEOs fall into step behind.
Jungkook notices it first.
They're not being protected out of kindness.
They're being managed.
Like fragile assets.
That realization irritates him.
And unsettles him.
The First Mark
They reach a circular platform at the center of the ruins.
In the middle lies a stone slab etched with a massive sigil—split cleanly down the center, as if something once forced its way out.
Lan Zhan kneels, studying it carefully.
"This was sealed."
Wei Ying nods.
"Was."
Chi Cheng looks around.
"So where is it now?"
Taehyung answers softly.
"Deeper."
Everyone looks at him.
Jungkook narrows his eyes.
"You're certain."
Taehyung meets his gaze calmly.
"I don't guess."
There's something in his voice—quiet confidence, completely unshaken—that makes Jungkook's chest tighten.
He doesn't like that it does.
The Ritual
Wei Ying straightens.
"This place requires acknowledgment."
Wu Suo Wei groans.
"Ugh. I hate polite ancient magic."
Wei Ying ignores him and pulls chalk, thread, and a small vial of dark liquid from his pack.
Lan Zhan steps closer instantly.
Jungkook watches.
"You're letting him do this?"
Lan Zhan replies evenly,
"You don't have a choice."
Wei Ying draws a partial circle around the slab, symbols glowing faintly as they connect.
"The ruins are sentient," he explains calmly.
"They test intent."
Chi Cheng scoffs.
"And if they don't like us?"
Wu Suo Wei grins.
"Then we run."
Wei Ying finishes the final symbol.
The air drops.
The ruins wake up.
Stone groans.
The sigil pulses.
A voice—not sound, but pressure—pushes against their minds.
WHO SEEKS WHAT WAS BURIED?
Jungkook clenches his jaw.
Before anyone can speak—
Taehyung steps forward.
"We're not here to take," he says gently.
"We're here to return balance."
Wei Ying's head snaps toward him.
Wu Suo Wei's grin fades.
Lan Zhan stiffens.
The ruins hesitate.
YOU LIE.
Taehyung doesn't argue.
Instead, he places his palm on the cracked sigil.
The symbol responds.
Light flares—soft, pale, almost reverent.
The pressure eases.
Wei Ying whispers, stunned,
"…It recognizes him."
Jungkook stares.
"You didn't tell us that part," he says quietly.
Taehyung doesn't look back.
"You didn't ask."
What Taehyung Is
The ruins settle.
A hidden stairway grinds open at the platform's edge, spiraling downward into pitch-black depth.
Wu Suo Wei exhales.
"Well. That's new."
Wei Ying turns to Taehyung slowly.
"You've done this before."
Taehyung nods once.
"How many times?" Wei Ying asks.
Taehyung hesitates.
Then answers honestly.
"Too many."
Jungkook's voice is low.
"You're not just a specialist."
Taehyung finally turns, eyes calm but tired.
"I'm what they send," he says,
"when things go wrong."
Silence.
Then the ruins shudder.
Something moves far below.
Not awake.
Not asleep.
Waiting.
Lan Zhan draws his blade.
"We go down."
Wu Suo Wei cracks his knuckles.
"Guess caves are next."
Wei Ying smirks at Taehyung.
"Besties already?"
Taehyung smiles faintly.
"Obviously."
Jungkook watches him descend into the darkness—
and for the first time, he realizes:
This mission is no longer about an object.
It's about keeping Taehyung alive.