Hana Kim had never believed in magic. Not in the way her grandmother had whispered of it during sleepy afternoons over cups of green tea. The kind of magic woven with gods and spirits, curses and prophecies. To Hana, it was all just... stories. Ancient, whimsical, and deeply entrenched in a culture she never quite understood.
She was practical. Logical. A graduate student at Seoul University, determined to finish her thesis on historical folklore and get out into the world where things made sense. There was no place for the supernatural in her world. No place for the strange and the impossible.
Yet, as the evening sun sank behind the skyline of Seoul, casting long shadows through the ancient library's windows, Hana felt an uneasy shiver run down her spine. Something was wrong. She couldn't quite place it, but the hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she browsed the musty shelves of old manuscripts.
The university's library was vast, but this basement level was where the oldest, most forgotten books were kept—books that no one but a handful of professors and researchers ever bothered with. It was here, tucked away in the back corner beneath piles of ancient texts, that she found it.
A book. A strange one, at that. It was tucked between two thick leather-bound volumes, its cover a rich, deep shade of black, almost too perfect, as though untouched by time. What caught Hana's attention were the markings. Silver symbols were embossed into the leather, symbols she couldn't read, but they seemed to shimmer faintly in the dim light, pulsing as if alive.
Her breath caught in her throat. Hana had never seen anything like it before, not in any of her extensive research into folklore or mythology. She picked it up, the weight of it strange, as though the book itself had a presence. The edges of the pages looked worn, yellowing with age. It felt heavier in her hands than it should have.
A part of her hesitated. She had always trusted her instincts, and they were screaming at her to leave it alone. But curiosity, that insidious thing that had driven so many to their doom, pushed her to open it. The moment her fingers brushed against the pages, a pulse of heat spread through her, a shock of energy that made her jerk back.
The book wasn't just a book.
It was... alive.
Her heart raced, and she held her breath, unsure of what to do. She was about to close it, walk away, pretend it had never happened, when a single word caught her eye. Her vision blurred as the red ink on the next page seemed to bleed into the white paper, the letters shifting and twisting in ways that made her pulse quicken.
"Bound by blood, fire, and sky, the chosen one will awaken the cursed prince of flame. With the kiss of life, fate shall be sealed. But beware, for love brings destruction..."
The words burned themselves into her mind, each syllable wrapping around her chest like a tightening coil. Her throat went dry, her hands trembling as she tried to make sense of what she had just read. Was this some kind of joke? A myth? But why did it feel so... real?
The room grew unnaturally cold, and Hana's breath clouded in the air. Panic gripped her, and she slammed the book shut, but the coldness didn't recede. It stayed with her, settling deep in her bones, a gnawing presence that she couldn't shake. A low, unfamiliar hum vibrated through the floor, and for the first time, Hana felt a chill run down her spine, as though she wasn't alone anymore.
Suddenly, the book fell from her hands, its pages fluttering as if caught in a wind she couldn't feel. The lights above her flickered and buzzed, casting long, eerie shadows across the rows of shelves. Hana spun around, her breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps, but the library was empty. Nothing moved.
Get it together, Hana, she scolded herself. It was just a book, a weird one, sure—but she was just tired. Overworked. Maybe the light had gotten to her.
But even as she tried to calm herself, she couldn't shake the sensation that she was being watched.
Her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts. The text was from Minji, her best friend, who had been waiting for her to finish her late-night research so they could head home together.
Minji: "Girl, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost. Be careful with the library stuff! It's haunted, lol, I'll be heading out for a bit. when you are done, meet me outside"
Hana chuckled nervously, her fingers shaking as she typed back a quick reply.
Hana: "I'm fine, just... tired. Alight I'll be done in a bit, we'll go soon."
She shoved the phone into her pocket and moved to gather her things, but as her fingers brushed against the stack of books, something in the corner of her eye made her freeze. The shadows in the library shifted. Or... no. Someone was there. She could feel it.
A tall figure stood in the doorway, bathed in the dim light from the hall, his silhouette striking and almost ethereal. His features were sharp, his black hair falling in loose waves around his face, and his eyes—his eyes glowed with an eerie, crimson light.
Hana's pulse raced as the air around her seemed to thrum with energy, a crackling tension that sent a bolt of fear straight through her chest. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Her mind raced for an explanation, but all she could do was stare.
The man took a step forward, the shadows seeming to cling to him like a second skin. "You shouldn't have opened it," he said, his voice deep and hypnotic, like velvet wrapping around her senses.
Hana blinked, her heart pounding. "I—I didn't mean to. Who are you?"
He smiled, and the smile was too knowing. Too dangerous. "I am the one you awoke. And now, you belong to me."
Before she could react, the air in the room seemed to twist, and the next thing she knew, he was standing right in front of her, his hand cold as ice around her throat, lifting her off the ground with effortless ease. She gasped, her body struggling to breathe, but the sensation was... electric. Her chest tightened—not from fear, but from something else.
His crimson eyes locked onto hers, and he leaned in, his lips brushing against her ear as he whispered, "Welcome to the world of immortals, Hana Kim. You will never be the same again."