The ground split wide open beneath them, dark energy pouring out like a gaping wound in the earth. Ji-ho, Hwan, and Elysia barely managed to keep their balance as the ruins around them shook violently. The figure watched, its expression a twisted satisfaction as chaos unfolded.
— The mountain is angry, — it hissed, voice reverberating with dark power. — You have defied it, and now you will suffer.
Ji-ho’s heart raced, her decision not to surrender her memories still ringing in her ears. She had refused the mountain’s cruel demand, and now they were paying the price. She could feel the weight of the ancient power pressing down on them, oppressive and cold. The air grew thick with a suffocating pressure, and the very stones around them seemed to groan under the force.
— We need to move! — Hwan shouted, grabbing Ji-ho’s arm and pulling her toward the edge of the crumbling platform.
The ground was breaking apart in jagged sections, chasms opening up beneath their feet. Elysia’s eyes were wide with fear, her usual calm shattered by the sheer magnitude of the destruction.
— This is getting out of control! — she yelled, her voice barely audible over the roar of the collapsing mountain. — If we don’t stop it, everything’s going to fall apart!
Ji-ho’s mind raced. They had come this far, faced every danger, but now it felt like they were on the verge of losing it all. The figure had warned them—defying the mountain came with consequences. And now, it was unleashing its wrath.
— What do we do? — Ji-ho asked, panic creeping into her voice.
— We fight, — Hwan said, his jaw clenched. — We’re not giving up now.
But as the ground continued to shake, cracks spreading across the platform like a web of destruction, Ji-ho felt a sinking dread. This wasn’t a fight they could win with swords or spells. The mountain was too powerful, too ancient. It had watched over this land for millennia, and now it was striking back with all its fury.
The figure stepped closer, its voice rising above the chaos.
— You cannot run from this. The mountain will claim what is owed. You will either pay the price or be consumed by its anger.
Hwan turned, his grip tightening on his sword, ready to face the figure. But Ji-ho grabbed his arm, stopping him.
— Wait, — she said, her mind racing. — This isn’t about fighting. We can’t win this by force.
Elysia, struggling to keep her footing, looked at Ji-ho with desperation in her eyes.
— Then what do we do?
Ji-ho took a deep breath, her heart pounding in her chest. She had made her choice, refusing to sacrifice her memories, but that didn’t mean she was powerless. There had to be another way—a way to satisfy the mountain without losing everything.
— The mountain wants balance, — Ji-ho said, her voice steadying as an idea began to form. — It’s not just demanding payment for the sake of it. It needs to restore balance to what was taken.
Hwan frowned, not understanding.
— What are you saying?
Ji-ho looked at the figure, its eyes glowing with malevolent intent.
— My memories aren’t the only thing the mountain wants. It wants the lives it lost—the lives of my parents, and everyone else who disappeared. The imbalance is because they were taken, not because of me. If we can return those lives to the mountain, maybe we can calm its anger.
Elysia blinked, realization dawning on her face.
— You mean… we need to find a way to free everyone? To give them back to the mountain?
Ji-ho nodded, though she wasn’t entirely sure how they would pull it off. But it was a plan—one that didn’t involve losing herself in the process.
The figure sneered, clearly unimpressed by their realization.
— You think you can undo what has already been taken? Foolish mortals. The mountain’s price cannot be bargained with.
Ji-ho set her jaw, her resolve hardening.
— We’ll find a way.
But even as she said it, the mountain’s fury intensified. The ground beneath them shifted violently, sending them stumbling. Ji-ho reached out to steady herself, her hand brushing against the stone altar at the center of the ruins. And as her fingers made contact, a pulse of energy shot through her, a deep, resonant hum that vibrated in her bones.
She gasped, her mind suddenly flooded with visions. The mountain, towering and ancient. Her parents, trapped in the Veil. The lives that had been lost, swirling in a dark void, disconnected from the world. And at the center of it all, a single glowing orb—a beacon of hope.
— Ji-ho! — Hwan shouted, snapping her back to reality as another tremor rocked the ground.
But Ji-ho was no longer afraid. The visions had shown her the way. The mountain’s anger could be soothed. The lives could be returned. But they needed to reach the heart of the mountain—the core where all the lost souls were trapped.
— I know what we have to do, — Ji-ho said, her voice steady despite the chaos around them.
Hwan and Elysia looked at her, uncertain but trusting. They had come this far, and they would follow her wherever this path led.
— We need to reach the core, — she continued. — That’s where the lives are being held. If we can release them, the mountain will let us go.
— And how do we get there? — Hwan asked, his eyes scanning the crumbling ruins around them.
Ji-ho looked at the altar, the energy still pulsing faintly beneath her hand.
— We go through here, — she said, her voice filled with determination.
The figure’s laughter echoed through the air, but Ji-ho didn’t waver. The path was clear now. They had to reach the core, no matter what stood in their way.
— You cannot win, — the figure taunted. — The mountain will devour you.
Ji-ho stepped forward, her eyes blazing with resolve.
— We’ll see about that.