Minsu's senses flared, and she fought to steady herself as the darkness enveloped her. Her surroundings were an oppressive void, the familiar sounds of the forest and Hyowon's presence now absent. She couldn't move, couldn't speak—it was as if her body had been frozen in place, bound by an unseen force.
A soft rustling broke the silence, and the temperature dropped, sending a chill through her spine. The shadows seemed to pulse around her, as if the darkness itself were alive, shifting and breathing. Minsu felt a pressure building in her chest, as if the air itself were thickening.
"Hyowon?" she whispered, her voice barely audible, but there was no response.
The voice that had spoken to her earlier returned, this time louder, clearer, as though it were coming from all directions at once. "You are not meant to find the truth."
Minsu's pulse quickened. She tried to call out again, but the words were caught in her throat. The voice continued, each syllable laced with an eerie calmness.
"Your journey began long before your return."
Minsu's mind raced. Her aunt. Her return to the village. The strange occurrences. It was all connected—she knew it, but the pieces still wouldn't fall into place.
Her heart hammered in her chest as the figure from before materialized before her—shrouded in darkness, a silhouette that seemed to flicker like a ghost. Its form was indistinct, a blur of shadows that seemed to shift with every passing second. But its voice, sharp and chilling, was unmistakable.
"You should have never come back."
Minsu wanted to scream, but the words wouldn't come. She felt trapped, as if the very air around her was growing heavier, suffocating her.
The figure raised its hand, and in that instant, Minsu's body felt weightless. She was being lifted, pulled away from the ground. The sensation was disorienting, and panic surged in her chest.
"Stop!" she cried, though no sound escaped her lips.
The figure's presence seemed to grow larger, and then, it spoke again.
"Your past is a cage. And you are its prisoner."
Minsu's mind spun, trying to grasp at the fragments of memories that floated just out of reach. Prisoner? The word echoed in her mind, sending a jolt of realization through her.
Her aunt. The village. The shrine.
Everything she had been searching for, the answers she sought—it was all tied to the past, to the reason she had returned.
In that moment, she felt a sudden, overwhelming wave of understanding. The figure, the voice, the feeling of being trapped—it was all a warning, a part of something much larger, something she wasn't meant to uncover. Yet, here she was, unwilling to back down.
But what if the truth was darker than she could ever imagine?
The pressure on her chest eased, and she fell to the ground with a hard thud, the air returning to its normal density. She gasped for breath, her heart racing, and scrambled to her feet. The clearing around her was still and quiet, the shadows receding into the trees.
Minsu's mind swirled with confusion and fear. She looked around, but there was no sign of Hyowon, no sign of anyone. Only the oppressive silence remained, the weight of her discovery heavy on her shoulders.
She staggered forward, her legs unsteady as if the encounter had drained every ounce of energy from her.
"Hyowon!" she called again, but her voice cracked in the empty air.
The wind stirred, and then, out of the silence, she heard it—the sound of footsteps behind her. She spun around, heart leaping into her throat.
Hyowon stepped into the clearing, his face tense but unharmed. He had no expression of surprise, only one of quiet concern.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft but firm.
Minsu nodded slowly, though her mind was still racing. "What... What happened? Where were you?"
"I was never far," Hyowon replied, his eyes scanning the area, as if assessing the danger that still lurked in the shadows. "We need to leave. This place... it's not safe."
Minsu hesitated, still reeling from what had just happened. The words of the shadowy figure echoed in her mind. "You are its prisoner."
She couldn't ignore the sense of dread gnawing at her insides. The truth—whatever it was—was still eluding her, just out of reach. And yet, it felt like it was closing in on her, surrounding her in ways she couldn't understand.
But one thing was clear now: she had to keep moving forward. No matter what the truth was, no matter how dangerous it might be, she couldn't stop. Not now.
"Let's go," she said, her voice steadying as she turned toward the path that led out of the forest.
Hyowon gave her a nod, his expression unreadable but his eyes filled with a quiet resolve. They both knew there was no turning back now. Whatever awaited them in the village, in the shadows—they would face it together.