Jung Household – Early Morning
Ha-Joon sat on his bed, his hands folded in front of him, watching the pendant spin above the desk.
It no longer shimmered gently.
Now it pulsed.
Bright red light beat in rhythm with something ancient, something far beyond Earth's heartbeat.
He hadn't slept—not truly.
Every time he closed his eyes, memories stirred. Not whole, not clear, but loud. Screams. Stars imploding. The taste of ash and light.
And one phrase echoing louder than any other:
> "Return. Return. Return."
---
Elsewhere – Ji-Yun's Rooftop Apartment
She packed quickly.
Inside her bag: the receiver cube, a black sealed scroll, and a silver knife that glowed faintly when she touched it.
She paused at her mirror, eyes lingering on the reflection.
She still looked human.
But she could feel it unraveling.
> "They'll come for you soon, Ha-Joon."
> "But they'll come through me first."
---
Meanwhile – Suwon Underground Hunter Lab
Baek Seo-Yeon met Captain Ryu in the secure vault below the Guild branch.
On the screen was a waveform.
It looked like audio. But it wasn't.
> "We received this from the Sahara tower six hours ago," he said.
> "And?"
> "The AI tried to decode it. After ten thousand attempts, it produced one phrase."
He turned the screen.
The phrase blinked across the monitor in glowing red glyphs:
> "CRIMSON KEY ACTIVATED."
Seo-Yeon frowned.
> "Key? To what?"
Captain Ryu exhaled, fingers tightening.
> "That boy… Jung Ha-Joon… he's not the threat."
> "He's the lock."
---
Back at Suwon – Abandoned Construction Site
Ha-Joon walked across rusted rebar and broken tiles, guided by a feeling, not a direction.
The pendant glowed brighter with each step.
And then he found it: a circular metal hatch embedded in the ground—sealed, ancient, and not of Earth.
He placed his palm against it.
The metal hissed.
Lines of red light rippled outward, forming concentric runes.
The ground shook.
Dust rose.
The hatch twisted open, revealing stairs that descended into blackness.
He didn't hesitate.
He entered.
---
Underground Structure – Depth Unknown
The tunnel curved. Symbols lined the walls—symbols he couldn't read, yet somehow understood.
Each step down, a memory bloomed.
Fleshless wars.
Thrones of light.
A hand gripping his shoulder—Ji-Yun's, but younger. Braver.
> "Promise me," her voice whispered in his head.
"If the Throne calls again, destroy it."
He reached the bottom.
A chamber waited.
At its center—a second throne.
Not like the one in the Sahara.
This one was alive.
It pulsed with light. Veins of red ran through it like blood vessels. It recognized him.
And floating above it:
A key.
Or rather, a sliver of a crown. Broken. Still burning with power.
---
Ji-Yun – Across Town, Approaching the Site
She felt it activate. Even miles away.
She ran, faster than a car, leaping rooftops and crossing alleys.
> "Don't sit on it…"
> "Not yet…"
---
Ha-Joon – Throne Chamber
He stepped forward. Slowly.
The pendant around his neck lifted, glowing in unison with the crown shard.
The chamber trembled.
The walls began to vanish, revealing stars, galaxies, shattered worlds—and a shadow standing at the edge of everything.
He stopped inches from the shard.
It hovered closer to him.
> "I made a promise," he whispered.
"I gave this up."
And yet, it moved toward his forehead.
> "I'm not ready…"
But the light touched him—
And the world exploded in memory.
---
Inside the Memory
He stood at the height of the universe.
A thousand armies bowed.
Ji-Yun, dressed in royal black, held the Key beside him.
> "You were the judge," she said.
"Not the god."
> "But you listened."
> "And when the stars begged for death, you gave it."
The stars burned.
The throne cracked.
And he walked away, crown shattered in his hand.
> "Erase me," he had said.
"And scatter the keys."
> "All of them."
---
Back in the Present – Underground Chamber
He collapsed.
The shard fell.
He was sweating, gasping, trembling.
But he didn't take the Key.
> "Not yet," he whispered.
"Not again."
The throne dimmed. The crown shard floated away, receding back into the void.
Ji-Yun burst into the chamber seconds later, panting.
> "You didn't take it?" she asked breathlessly.
> "No."
> "Good," she said, collapsing beside him.
"Because the moment you do…"
> "...the others will know where you are."
---
Final Scene – Sahara Tower
The throne figure raised its hand.
The wind across the desert stopped.
And in a voice that shattered radio signals around the world, it whispered one command:
> "LOCATE THE CRIMSON KEY."
---