"YOOHAAA!!!"
Jin's voice cracked the sky.
He caught her in his arms as her body fell limp, blood dripping from her nose, her eyes glowing faintly gold and violet.
"No, no, no—stay with me—!" he whispered, shaking her shoulders gently.
Her breath was shallow. Her fingers trembled.
"I can't… hold it back… Jin," she muttered, eyes dazed. "They're pulling me… from inside…"
Then—a flash.
A mark glowed behind her neck — a forbidden sigil.
Han's face went pale. "That's a curse seal from Ghost Gordon…!"
Meiqi covered her mouth. "She's been marked since the beginning…?"
Bo tried to sit up, still bleeding. "Yooha… that idiot… she kept fighting with all of us while carrying that?"
Lightning cracked the sky again.
Jin stood slowly, his hands shaking, clutching Yooha against his chest.
"She knew…" he muttered. "She knew and didn't tell me…"
He turned to face everyone, his eyes shadowed, voice dark and low.
"They branded her like a tool."
Bo, despite the pain, managed a weak laugh. "You know… if she dies before confessing properly, I'm gonna haunt her into the afterlife."
"She's not dying," Jin said sharply, a divine pulse radiating from his chest. "I won't allow it."
He looked at Han. "Tell me the truth. What is that sigil?"
Han hesitated. Then spoke with a heavy voice: "It's called the Wraith Seal. It turns the victim into a living weapon… or a time bomb. Ghost Gordon used it in the last war. It drains the soul."
Jin's whole body went cold. "How do we break it?"
"There's only one way," Han said grimly. "She has to face her past in a spirit trial. If she fails… she disappears forever."
Jin clenched his fists. "Then we'll go with her."
He looked around at the others. "We've been training for matches. But this? This is war. This is family."
The team nodded.
Even Bo, still coughing, grinned through his bruises. "Damn right. Ghost Gordon's gonna regret messing with us."
Suddenly, Yooha stirred weakly.
"…Jin…"
"I'm here."
"I… remember now…" she whispered. "My mother… she gave me that blade… Silent Veil wasn't just a sword. It's… a key."
Everyone looked at her in shock.
"A key to what?" Jin asked.
Yooha coughed weakly. Then smiled.
"…To the truth."
She passed out.
Jin cradled her close.
"We'll protect that truth… no matter what it takes."
To be continued…