Chapter 15: The Song That Never Ends

The shattered glass crunched beneath Jungkook’s fingers as he braced himself against the floor. His breath came in short, ragged gasps. The others were just as shaken, their wide eyes reflecting the broken pieces of the mirror.

But the shadow… it was gone.

Or at least, they hoped it was.

Namjoon exhaled, his hands trembling as he wiped sweat from his brow. “We need to figure out what’s happening.” His voice was steady, but Jungkook could hear the tension beneath it.

Yoongi sat back against the wall, rubbing his temples. “We took the song. We left the Archive. But…” He swallowed hard. “Something came with us.”

Hana didn’t answer immediately. She was still staring at the glass shards, her jaw tight, her knuckles white. “I should’ve known,” she muttered. “Songs like Moonlit Echo aren’t just erased for no reason.”

Jin shifted uncomfortably. “What do you mean?”

She turned to them, her voice quiet but firm. “A song that opens a door doesn’t just let people in. It lets things out.”

Jungkook’s heartbeat stuttered. “So we—”

“We didn’t just bring back the missing song.” Hana’s gaze flickered toward the broken mirror. “We brought them back too.”

A heavy silence fell.

Taehyung, who had been eerily quiet, finally spoke. “Then what do we do now?”

No one had an answer.

The lights flickered again, and everyone tensed.

Jimin exhaled shakily. “Please don’t do that again.”

But before anyone could move, a sound filled the air.

A soft hum.

Faint. Distant.

But undeniably real.

Jungkook’s stomach twisted. He knew that melody.

It was the missing half of Moonlit Echo.

Only… no one was singing it.

Jin shot to his feet. “Where is that coming from?”

They spun in different directions, but the sound wasn’t coming from one place. It was everywhere—seeping through the walls, the floors, the very air around them.

And then—

Jungkook’s phone vibrated.

He jumped, fumbling to pull it from his pocket. The screen was black, but the notification light was blinking.

A single message appeared.

No name. No number. Just one line of text.

"You cannot stop the song."

A cold chill spread through his veins. “Guys…” He held up the phone, his fingers trembling.

Hana’s expression darkened as she snatched it from him. “This isn’t good.”

As if on cue, the hum grew louder.

Jungkook’s head throbbed. He clutched his ears, but it didn’t help. The melody wasn’t just heard—it was felt. It crawled through his skin, wrapped around his bones.

And then—

A voice whispered in his ear.

"Sing it."

Jungkook’s vision blurred. He stumbled forward, his mouth opening before he even realized what he was doing. A note slipped from his lips, perfectly matching the haunting tune in the air.

The moment his voice joined the song, the room shifted.

The walls bent. The air grew thick, like reality itself was unraveling.

“Jungkook!” Taehyung grabbed him, shaking him hard. “Don’t—”

But it was too late.

The song had started.

And it wasn’t going to stop.

Chapter 16: The Melodies We Cannot Escape (Coming Next)

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