Chapter 27 — Shadows of Forgotten Bonds
The sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the crumbling skyline. Joon walked silently, every step echoing against the hollow shells of abandoned buildings. His mind was heavier than ever — not because of the battles they fought, but because of something he couldn't explain, something gnawing at the edges of his thoughts.
Beside him, Sohyun paced quietly, occasionally glancing at him with worried eyes. Rin was a few steps ahead, her senses sharper than usual, while Daehyun and Minji trailed cautiously behind.
"Joon," Sohyun finally whispered, "Are you… hearing something again?"
Joon shook his head. "No… it's different this time."
Ever since his powers awakened, there were people — faces, voices — that flitted in and out of his memory like smoke. As if he had met them, cared for them, and then... they slipped away. Forgotten.
Why?
He clenched his fists unconsciously, frustration biting into his palms.
Rin stopped abruptly, her hand raised.
"Someone's nearby," she said, voice low. "Watching us."
They huddled into a defensive stance, eyes scanning the debris-strewn road. But there was no movement, no sound — only the whisper of the cold wind weaving through the broken windows.
"We keep moving," Joon ordered, trying to shake off the sense of unease growing in his chest.
As they continued, the city's ruins seemed to thicken, narrowing into alleys barely wide enough for two people to pass. It was here, deep within the labyrinth, that the shadows began to twist strangely.
In the fading light, Joon's eyes caught something — a flicker of movement too purposeful to be the wind. He grabbed Rin's shoulder, pulling her back just as a sharp object whistled through the air, missing her by inches.
"We're not alone!" Rin hissed, pulling out a short dagger she had hidden at her belt.
From the darkness, figures emerged — not people exactly, but not fully monsters either. Their bodies were warped, hollow, like puppets with empty eyes and slack mouths.
"The Architects' servants," Minji gasped.
"More like their leftovers," Daehyun growled.
Joon raised his hand, tapping into his power. For a moment, he felt it — the cold prickling at the edges of their minds, like a thread he could yank — but then, something blocked him. The hollow beings had no real minds left to read.
"They're just... echoes," he muttered. "We have to destroy them."
The group sprang into action. Sohyun's blade flashed in the dim light, slicing through the creatures with swift, graceful movements. Rin fought like a storm, fierce and unrelenting, while Daehyun and Minji covered their backs.
Joon stayed slightly behind, focusing on disabling more than killing — energy bursts aimed at immobilizing rather than annihilating. His mind wandered in spite of himself: Why did these things feel so familiar?
The way they moved, the way they stared blankly...
Like those around him.
Like the city's survivors.
Like himself, sometimes.
One of the hollow creatures lunged at him, and instinctively, Joon dodged, grabbing it by its twisted wrist. His powers flared — and for a heartbeat, a memory flickered.
A girl.
Long hair tied with a red ribbon.
A smile — wide, hopeful.
"You'll forget me one day," her voice whispered, heartbreakingly gentle.
"But you must move forward anyway."
The memory shattered the next second, and the hollow puppet dissolved in his grasp, crumbling into dust.
Joon stumbled back, breathless.
"What… was that?"
"Joon, look out!" Sohyun shouted.
Another shadow dove toward him. Reacting purely on instinct, Joon unleashed a wave of force, blasting it apart before it could reach him. He stared at his trembling hands, feeling a cold sweat drip down his spine.
Sohyun rushed to his side. "Are you hurt?"
He shook his head numbly. "No... just... memories."
They finished the battle swiftly after that. The last of the hollowed-out servants disintegrated into ash under Daehyun's finishing blow.
Silence settled again. But it wasn't peaceful — it was loaded, heavy with unanswered questions.
As they caught their breath, Minji broke the silence.
"This world is falling apart faster than we thought," she murmured.
"The Architects must be desperate," Daehyun added grimly.
Rin wiped her dagger clean, her expression unreadable.
Joon said nothing. He couldn't.
The weight of the half-remembered girl — and her sorrowful voice — hung over him.
He knew instinctively:
The road ahead wasn't just about survival anymore.
It was about understanding — what had been given to him… and what had been taken.
The setting sun bathed the broken city in blood-red hues.
Far in the distance, on the horizon, something stirred.
A new threat... or a forgotten one, resurfacing.
Joon exhaled shakily, glancing at the faint memory still burning behind his eyelids.
Who were you? he wondered.
And more importantly—
Why did you choose me?
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