"Slow down, Ji-an!" Dae-chul called out, struggling to keep pace. The narrow path winding through the mountains finally opened up to reveal a quiet cluster of traditional houses.
"So this is Eunpyeong Hanok Village, huh…" Ji-ho muttered. The place felt deserted, it felt like the places You would use to scare a little child if they were rude. Dust covered windows. Doors slightly ajar but no faces peeking out. A forgotten place of the world. "Looks deserted."
Dae-chul squinted. "How do these people even survive out here?" Ji-ho's mind echoed with Captain Ryu-hwan's voice: "Your first mission, Eunpyeong Hanok Village. Select a leader among yourselves. You return in three days." A sigh left his lips. "Well… this is going to be fun," he said dryly, catching up to Ji-an who had already ran off toward a little girl standing alone by a well.
"What's your name, little girl?" Ji-an asked, her voice softer than usual. The girl gave a shy smile, lips parting to answer but then her body jerked violently. A thin, dark mist slithered from the shadows and wrapped around her neck. She dropped, convulsing. Ji-an screamed and caught the girl just before her head hit the ground. "What the hell?!"
"Was that a curse?" Dae-chul shouted, rushing over. Ji-ho clenched his fists, scanning their surroundings, but saw no one. Just empty doorways and silent homes. They carried the girl to the nearest house and knocked hard. No response. "Open the damn door!" Ji-an yelled, banging with her elbow. "Would you stop that?" Dae-chul snapped.
"And what exactly are you going to do about it?" she spat, not turning around. "Both of you enough," Ji-ho said sternly. "We're not here to fight each other." "Tch." Ji-an huffed but held the child closer. "I don't need to argue with scum." "That's not what I meant…" Ji-ho sighed. "You take that back," Dae-chul growled. The air was thick with tension. But just then, soft footsteps. They all froze.
"Be on guard," Dae-chul whispered, pulling out one of his mana-infused handguns. The metallic hum of energy filled the silence. A figure emerged from behind a nearby house. Ji-an moved as fast as she could, her dagger gleaming in the sun as she lunged, only to freeze inches from the figure's neck.
A child. A skinny boy holding a stale piece of bread, now dropped on the ground. "What's your name?" Ji-an asked carefully. The boy just shook his head. He walked past them silently and knelt beside the convulsing girl. Gently, he placed the bread near her lips. "I think that's his sister," Ji-ho said. "Let me try something," Dae-chul said, stepping forward. Ji-an blocked him. "What're you trying to pull?"
He didn't answer, just crouched in front of the boy and focused. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. He winced and fell backward but smiled. "I got something," he said, wiping the blood with the back of his hand. "What did you do?" Ji-ho asked. "Mind reading. Welll i can only perform it on non-Ascendants for now… like him."
"Don't you dare try that on me," Ji-an snapped. "Relax. Even if I wanted to, I can't," Dae-chul replied flatly. "So what did you find?" Ji-ho pressed. "They're under some kind of suppression spell," Dae-chul explained. "It's not just fear. Something's blocking them from speaking." "That would explain what happened to the little girl," Ji-an muttered. Dae-chul frowned. "Whoever did this, it wasn't just one person. They're organized."
"But we were sent here for a demon attack, not this." Ji-ho said. "Exactly. This is outside our scope. We should report back to HQ," Dae-chul reasoned. Ji-an shook her head. "So we abandon the weak now?" "That's not what I meant." "I'm digging deeper. I don't rely on cowards," she snapped and walked off. "What's her problem?" Dae-chul muttered. Ji-ho shrugged. "We can't let her go alone. She'll get herself killed."
They followed her down a slope into thicker brush. Dae-chul moved up front now, instincts sharpened. Crack! "Get down!" Dae-chul hissed, yanking Ji-ho and Ji-an into the tall grass. Footsteps. Five men passed, clad in ragged clothes. Strange red marks glowed faintly on their arms. Their eyes were… off. They looked different than a normal human. "Do you sense that?" one whispered. "No," another replied. "Let's keep moving. Do you think the village still has food left?"
They laughed low, Ji-an gritted her teeth, shaking with rage. Dae-chul held her arm. "Don't." She pulled free. "They're hurting the villagers. I'm not waiting." She shot up and sprinted toward the group. "Dammit," Dae-chul cursed. "Let's go!" Ji-an leapt into the air, blades glinting. A mist erupted from her fingers, cloaking her descent. She slashed the first man's thigh, spinning midair to land behind him.
Ji-ho barreled through the grass, grabbing one of the men by the waist and slamming him into a tree. Dae-chul fired a round from his mana gun, the blue bolt slamming into a third man's chest. The guy flew back with a sickening thud.
"Behind you!" Ji-ho yelled. Dae-chul ducked just in time as a fourth attacker swung a rusted cleaver. Ji-an's mist whipped around them, cutting visibility but giving her cover. She weaved between two enemies, daggers slicing tendons and dropping them one by one. Ji-ho tackled the last standing opponent, trading blows. The man's fists glowed with dense, unrefined mana, wild and unstable. But Ji-ho was stronger. He took a punch to the jaw, stumbled, then cracked his knuckles.
"You're strong," Ji-ho grinned. "But I'm pissed." He grabbed the man's shirt and lifted him overhead, slamming him into the ground with bone-breaking force. Silence. Ji-ho breathed heavily, blood dripping from his lip. "Everyone okay?" "More or less," Dae-chul muttered, wiping his brow.
Ji-an was about to speak when a scream cut through the air. They turned. One of the injured men was up again, dragging the girl and her brother from earlier, a jagged knife pressed to her neck. "Don't move!" he roared. "Or the kids die!" Ji-ho froze. Ji-an clenched her fists. "Let them go." "I don't think so," the man sneered, his voice distorted now, touched by something darker.
Ji-ho looked at his teammates. They were worn down. The kids were too close. "We surrender," Ji-ho said."What?!" Ji-an growled.
Ji-ho raised his hands. "We'll stand down." "Smart," the man grinned. "Now drop your weapons. All of them." Reluctantly, Ji-an tossed her daggers to the ground. Dae-chul powered down his gun. Ji-ho stepped forward, hands still raised.
The man's eyes gleamed. "Tie them up." Another attacker emerged from the shadows with coarse rope. One by one, they were bound, hands behind their backs, kneeling in the dirt. Ji-ho's jaw clenched as he watched the girl cry silently, blood dripping down her cheek. On my honour… he thought. I'll make this right.