Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Inside the underground laboratory, the monitors suddenly began to react.
One of the scientists froze.
"Her finger moved."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then—
BEEP!
The monitor's sound grew louder.
Everyone in the room immediately became serious.
Doctors wearing black laboratory coats rushed toward Grace's bed.
"Her heartbeat is increasing!"
"Prepare oxygen!"
"Hurry!"
One of the doctors placed an oxygen mask over her face.
Grace's body trembled.
Slowly...
Very slowly...
She sat halfway up.
Then collapsed back onto the bed.
The doctors exchanged nervous glances.
Again.
Grace suddenly sat up.
Then fell back.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Four times.
As if her body was fighting against death itself.
Then—
She sat upright.
This time she didn't fall.
Silence filled the room.
A cold pressure suddenly spread through the laboratory.
Everyone's eyes widened.
Grace's eyes had turned crimson red.
A dark red energy emerged from her body like smoke.
The lights flickered.
Crack.
Several glass tubes shattered.
The pressure inside the room increased dramatically.
Scientists found it difficult to breathe.
Some couldn't even move.
It felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing their bodies.
The red energy continued expanding.
And inside Grace's mind...
Memories returned.
---
Rain poured from the dark sky.
Grace ran through the forest.
Branches scratched her skin.
Her breathing was uneven.
Behind her, footsteps echoed through the darkness.
She kept running.
Faster.
Faster.
Then—
A hand grabbed her neck
Her body was violently pulled upward.
She crashed onto the muddy ground.
Pain shot through her body.
Several shadowy figures surrounded her.
She couldn't see their faces.
Only their cold eyes.
Without hesitation, they dragged her toward a deep pit.
"No..."
Grace struggled.
"Please..."
Nobody listened.
The next moment—
They threw her inside.
Her body struck the bottom.
Pain exploded through every bone.
Above her, the shadows stared down silently.
Then they filled it with mud after that they disappeared.
The rain continued falling.
Hours passed.
Grace couldn't tell.
Everything became dark.
Cold.
Silent.
Then...
A figure appeared.
A man dressed completely in black stood at the edge of the pit.
His face was hidden beneath a hood.
Only his sharp eyes could be seen.
He looked down at muddy ground
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he dig into the pit.
Carefully, he lifted her unconscious body.
And carried her away.
The forest blurred around them.
After some time, a glowing portal appeared among the trees.
The man stepped through it.
The world changed instantly.
It was another place
A hidden town deep within the forest.
A place forgotten by the outside world.
The man ran through narrow streets and entered a large laboratory.
The moment the scientists saw Grace—
Everyone froze.
They recognized her.
Not because they knew her.
But because she looked exactly like someone else.
Her mother.
Without wasting time, they began treatment.
Day after day
Night after night.
Refusing to let her die.
---
Back in the present—
Grace remembered everything.
Even while unconscious, fragments of those memories had remained inside her mind.
Now they had fully returned.
The red energy surrounding her body slowly disappeared.
Her crimson eyes faded back to normal.
The crushing pressure vanished.
The room finally felt breathable again.
Everyone released the breath they had been holding.
One scientist nearly collapsed from exhaustion.
Another wiped sweat from his forehead.
Nobody spoke.
They simply stared at Grace.
As if they were witnessing a miracle.
Grace slowly looked around.
White walls.
Machines.
Unknown faces.
The oxygen mask rested against her cheeks.
Confusion filled her eyes.
A young woman stepped forward.
Her black hair reached her shoulders, and her expression was gentle.
"Grace..."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"How are you feeling?"
Grace blinked.
Her throat felt dry.
Everything hurt.
Yet somehow...
She was alive.
"I'm alright..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She looked at the unfamiliar faces surrounding her.
Then her gaze stopped on the young woman.
"Who are you?"
A moment of silence passed.
Grace lowered her eyes.
"Why did you save me?"
The room became quiet once more.
The young woman looked at her.
Then a small smile appeared on her face.
"Because..."
Her eyes softened.
"You're one of us."
The smile vanished from Grace's face.
And for the first time since waking up—
She felt that something far bigger than her own death was waiting for her.
Grace sat in the dim light, her eyes fixed on the girl in front of her.
The air between them felt heavy, like something unspoken was pressing down on the room.
Slowly, Grace spoke.
"…Are you Kryzheon?"
The girl didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
A long silence followed.
Somewhere far away… reality shifted.
Inside the hospital room, Hazel sat on the sofa beside Eyrx's bed.
The letter was in her hands.
Her fingers tightened around it.
Her eyes scanned the words again and again.
Then she whispered under her breath.
"So… that's why Grandma said she belongs to the Kryzheon clan…"
The paper trembled slightly in her grip.
Eyrx slowly opened his eyes.
"Grace…"
His voice was weak… broken.
"Grace…"
Hazel reacted instantly.
In a quick motion, she slid the letter into her pocket.
The envelope lay folded on the sofa as if nothing had happened.
She stood up and walked closer to him.
"Eyrx… are you okay?"
He didn't answer properly.
His eyes searched the room desperately.
"Grace… she…"
His voice cracked.
"She's dead."
A heavy silence fell.
Hazel lowered her gaze.
"Everyone dies one day…"
Her voice softened.
"But that doesn't mean you stop living."
She looked at him directly.
"You need to control yourself."
Eyrx's hands trembled.
"But I love her…"
His voice broke completely.
"I can't forget her…"
Hazel shook her head immediately.
"I never said forget her."
She stepped closer.
"I said control yourself. If you keep breaking like this, you'll lose yourself."
A tear slipped down Eyrx's face.
Slowly, he turned his head away.
"…Take me home."
Hazel hesitated.
"I can't leave you here like this."
"I don't want to stay here."
Her voice softened.
"You're being discharged at 9. It's only 7:37. Wait a little."
She pointed toward the food tray she brought earlier.
"And you haven't eaten since morning."
Eyrx didn't respond.
Hazel turned and left the room for a moment.
The room became quiet again.
Eyrx slowly pushed himself up.
His body was still weak, but his eyes drifted toward the window.
The sunset poured through the glass.
Golden light filled the room.
He stared at it for a long time.
Then—
A tear fell.
He quickly wiped it away with the IV still attached to his hand.
Outside, the sunlight hit his pendant.
It suddenly shimmered.
Eyrx frowned.
"…Why is it shining?"
A memory hit him like a storm.
Gunfire.
Chaos.
A battlefield buried in smoke.
He was running.
People chasing him.
Then—
A man on a high chair.
Five bullets fired at him at once.
Eyrx gasped.
His breathing quickened.
"What happened after that…?"
He looked down at his body.
No wounds.
No scars.
Nothing.
"…Did I dream it?"
He shook his head slowly.
"No… I was shot."
His voice dropped.
"Five bullets…"
He swallowed hard.
"…Then what happened?"
He forced himself to sit properly again.
The door opened.
Hazel returned with food.
"Sit properly."
She placed the tray in front of him.
"Eat."
Eyrx stared at the food, then at her.
"…Who brought me here?"
Hazel paused for a moment.
"Darven."
Eyrx's eyes sharpened.
"…Darven?"
He leaned forward slightly.
"…Where is he now?"
Hazel hesitated.
"…Police arrested him."
Eyrx froze.
"For investigation. Illegal cases."
Hazel's voice lowered.
"He got three years in jail."
Eyrx frowned.
"…He accepted it?"
Hazel nodded.
"I tried to help him, but he said… he deserves punishment."
Eyrx leaned back slowly.
"…He's weird."
A faint frustration entered his voice.
"He does illegal things… then accepts punishment like it's normal."
Hazel didn't answer.
She quietly started cutting fruits.
Eyrx's voice dropped again.
"…When I was in the hospital… someone cleaned bullet marks from my body."
Hazel stopped cutting instantly.
"…Bullet marks?"
Eyrx nodded.
"Five. Maybe four. I'm not sure…"
His fingers clenched slightly.
"I don't understand how I survived."
Hazel looked at him sharply.
"…Four? Five?"
"Yes."
He rubbed his temple.
"Something happened… but I can't remember."
Hazel's eyes slowly shifted toward his pendant.
"…Did your pendant shine?"
Eyrx frowned.
"No. But earlier… it did."
Hazel's voice turned low.
"…What is it made of?"
"I don't know."
She went back to cutting fruit, but her focus was gone.
"Stop thinking about it."
Her tone was strict now.
"The more you think, the more confused you become."
She looked at him.
"When I saw you screaming… I was scared I'd lose you too."
Eyrx looked down.
"…My soul feels dead."
"But I'm still alive."
A pause.
"…Without emotion."
Outside the room.
A shadow stood still.
The investigator.
He had heard everything.
His eyes narrowed.
"…Not enough information."
He turned slowly.
"But I'm getting closer."
He walked down the corridor, disappearing into the hospital silence.
Outside in the parking area, he stopped.
Looked back at Eyrx's room.
A faint smirk formed on his face.
"You… are becoming interesting."