Ji-hyeon took a step back, the grass crunching beneath his worn shoes. The woman stood silent, unbothered by the wind that now circled them like a quiet whisper.
Her hood shadowed most of her face, but Ji-hyeon could see enough — her eyes glowed faintly, like coals buried beneath ash. Not entirely human. Not entirely something else either.
"Who are you?" he asked, voice low but steady.
"I am a Seeker," she replied calmly. "And you, Ji-hyeon, are the one who is meant to awaken."
His heart skipped. "How do you know my name?"
The woman raised her hand. Not in threat — but in reverence. On her palm shimmered the same silver ink as the message in his notebook. Identical script. Identical aura.
"I am not here to harm you," she said. "But others will come. Some will not be as gentle."
---
The forest fell silent, unnaturally so. No rustling leaves. No birdsong. Just the sound of his heartbeat and the gentle sway of the woman's cloak.
Ji-hyeon didn't trust her. Not fully. But he didn't sense hostility.
Still, years of being underestimated had taught him to be careful — even before this life.
"Why now?" he asked. "Why appear to me?"
"Because the seal is weakening," she said. "And when it breaks, those who remember who you were... will either hunt you, or kneel."
Ji-hyeon blinked. "What... I was?"
"You do not remember fully," she said, gently, almost with pity. "But you were once called by many names. Some feared you. Others worshipped you. All of them... lost to time. Until now."
The wind shifted again. This time, carrying whispers.
---
Suddenly, the woman turned, cloak flaring. "They've found us."
From the trees, black shapes emerged — robed, masked, fast. Not human. Or no longer.
Without thinking, Ji-hyeon grabbed his staff.
"I—I'm not ready," he muttered.
The woman didn't answer. She stepped forward.
"I'll hold them. You run," she ordered.
"But—"
"Go! If you fall here, everything ends before it begins."
---
Ji-hyeon hesitated. He hated running. It was against his pride, his instinct.
But something deep inside — that old, ancient whisper — told him this was not the time to fight.
Not yet.
He turned and ran.
As he fled, the sound of magic exploded behind him — light clashing with shadow, the trees groaning under the weight of their power.
He didn't look back.
He couldn't.