Episode 4

The morning light in Noctis was nothing like Seoul’s. There was no sun breaking through smog, no horns blaring from impatient drivers. Instead, the sky glowed in shifting hues—violet bleeding into pale gold, as if dawn itself were painted across a canvas. The air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of flowers Jisoo had no name for.

For a second, as Jisoo sat up in the unfamiliar bed, he let himself think it had all been a dream. That he’d wake up to Haneul’s texts spamming his phone, to his sister nagging him to eat breakfast.

Then the glowing vines along the wall pulsed gently, reminding him where he was.

Definitely not Seoul.

He rubbed his face. Great. Stuck in fantasy land with glowing plants and nightmare monsters.

A knock at the door broke his thoughts.

Before he could answer, Taeyun stepped inside. He was already dressed, his clothes perfectly neat, as though he hadn’t even slept.

“You’re awake,” he said simply.

“No, I’m still asleep. This is all in my head,” Jisoo muttered.

Taeyun ignored the sarcasm. “The elder wants you at the square. Now.”

Jisoo groaned but pulled himself to his feet. His jeans were wrinkled, his hoodie stained with dirt from yesterday’s chaos, but he didn’t have much choice. He shoved his hands in his pockets and followed Taeyun outside.

---

The village square was alive with movement. People carried baskets of fruit that glowed faintly, their skins shimmering like gemstones. Children chased after floating lanterns, laughing when the lights darted away just out of reach.

But as soon as Jisoo stepped into the open, the laughter died. Dozens of eyes turned to him—some wide with curiosity, others narrowed with distrust. Whispers followed him like smoke.

Taeyun walked ahead without hesitation. Jisoo tried to copy his calm, but his skin prickled under the weight of every stare.

At the center of the square stood the elder, Yerim beside him, along with a few others Jisoo hadn’t met yet. One, a tall boy with sharp eyes, glared openly at him.

The elder raised his hand. Silence spread.

“This one,” he said, voice carrying easily, “was marked by the Chronicle. His presence here cannot be undone.”

The tall boy scoffed. “So we’re just supposed to accept him? Let a stranger—no, a human—walk among us?”

Whispers rippled again.

Jisoo stiffened. “Uh… hi. Nice to meet you too.”

Taeyun shot him a look that said shut up, but Jisoo only shrugged.

The elder continued, unbothered. “If he is truly chosen, he must prove it. Today.”

Jisoo’s stomach flipped. “Prove? As in… a test?”

Yerim’s eyes gleamed. “Exactly.”

Before he could protest, the crowd parted. Two villagers stepped forward, dragging something between them. At first, Jisoo thought it was a cage covered in cloth. But when they dropped it, the cloth slipped away, revealing…

Nothing.

Or at least, that’s what it looked like at first—an empty cage. But the air inside shimmered unnaturally, bending like heat on asphalt. The closer Jisoo looked, the more he saw it: a shape made of darkness, writhing silently. The same wrongness he’d felt in the forest.

His blood went cold.

“A Wraith,” Taeyun murmured.

Jisoo stumbled back. “Are you kidding me? You want me to fight that?”

“It is bound,” Yerim said coolly. “It cannot escape. But its presence alone will test if the Chronicle chose wisely.”

Jisoo turned to the elder, hoping for mercy. “Look, I’m not a fighter, okay? I barely passed gym class. How am I supposed to—”

But the elder’s gaze was steady. “Step forward, Han Jisoo.”

His legs refused. His whole body screamed run. But the crowd’s eyes pinned him in place, and somewhere deep in his chest, something pulsed—the same pull he’d felt when he first touched the Chronicle.

Reluctantly, he stepped closer.

The Wraith stirred. Its shape twisted, pressing against the bars. The cage rattled violently. Jisoo flinched, his breath catching.

Then he felt it.

A tug—not physical, but inside him. The Wraith’s presence reached into his chest, clawing at his fear, feeding on it. His knees buckled. Panic surged like a wave, threatening to drown him.

No. No, I can’t. I’m not—

And then, warmth.

A hand on his shoulder.

He looked up. Taeyun stood beside him, eyes steady, unflinching.

“You’re not alone,” Taeyun said quietly.

The words sank deeper than Jisoo expected. His heartbeat steadied. His legs stopped shaking. Slowly, he turned back to the cage.

The Wraith hissed, its form thrashing harder. But instead of shrinking away, Jisoo took a breath and stepped closer.

The pull grew stronger, but this time, he didn’t let it control him. He focused on the warmth at his shoulder, on the weight of Taeyun’s gaze, grounding him.

“I don’t know what you want from me,” Jisoo said aloud, voice trembling but firm. “But I’m not afraid of you.”

For a heartbeat, the Wraith froze. Then its form flickered, shrinking back from the bars. The pull on his chest loosened, then broke entirely.

The cage fell silent.

The square erupted in gasps.

Jisoo blinked. “Wait… did I just win?”

Yerim’s eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. The elder, however, allowed the faintest smile. “It seems the Chronicle has not erred.”

Taeyun withdrew his hand, though his expression remained unreadable.

Jisoo, meanwhile, exhaled shakily and muttered, “I deserve a medal. Or at least a nap.”

---

That night, Jisoo sat outside the small house, staring at the violet sky. Lanterns floated lazily above, their light reflecting in the river nearby.

His mind spun with the day’s events. He’d faced something out of nightmares—and somehow, he hadn’t broken.

But more than that, he couldn’t stop replaying Taeyun’s words. You’re not alone.

Simple. Quiet. But it had lit something inside him he hadn’t felt in years.

“Han Jisoo.”

He looked up. Taeyun stood a few steps away, arms crossed.

“You did well,” Taeyun said.

Jisoo smirked. “That almost sounded like a compliment.”

Taeyun didn’t rise to the bait. His gaze lingered, unreadable as ever. “Stay close to me. Whatever the Chronicle has planned… this was only the beginning.”

Jisoo swallowed, the weight of those words sinking in.

Only the beginning.

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