Jiah dashed forward with lightning speed, her daggers slicing through the air as she attacked the monstrous Wanderer. The twin brothers flanked her from either side, coordinating perfectly, but their attacks barely made a scratch. The creature—tall, icy, and cursed—moved like a ghost, immune to their combined strength.
Suddenly, Haa Rin stepped forward, his energy flaring. He raised his arm, conjuring a burst of violet energy and hurled it straight at the Wanderer. But the creature spun just in time—narrowly dodging—and retaliated.
From its crystalline body, several razor-sharp ice spikes shot out like missiles. Two of them struck Haa Rin directly in the side, sending him crashing to the ground.
"Rin!" Haa Jin yelled and rushed toward him, but before he could reach his brother, the cursed energy from the spikes had already begun spreading rapidly through Haa Rin's body, turning his veins a chilling shade of blue.
Seeing this—seeing her found family in danger—something snapped in Jiah.
Her pupils dilated, her fists clenched around her daggers. "They are my family," she growled. "How dare you try to hurt them?"
In that moment, the air around her shifted. A strange red glow emerged faintly from her chest—as if a dormant flame had been reignited.
Even the twins, mid-battle, paused for a second in astonishment.
Jiah's eyes burned a fiery crimson, glowing like Ryuhwan's had once done. And in a single flash of instinct, she swung her arms and her daggers transformed—elongating and morphing into twin swords. But they weren't normal blades anymore.
They were fire-forged weapons, blazing with orange and gold flames that roared louder with her fury.
She didn't wait. Jiah surged ahead with newfound power, her swords leaving trails of fire in the air. Each strike she delivered to the Wanderer was now scorching, burning through its icy armor.
The Wanderer, once impervious, howled in agony. Its screech pierced through the trees—a chilling, otherworldly cry—as Jiah's final blow landed across its chest. With a flash of blue light and a hiss of evaporating mist, the creature disintegrated into glowing fragments of ice, vanishing into the wind.
Only one thing remained where it once stood: a beautiful, haunting blue icy core, still faintly glowing.
Panting, and slightly trembling, Jiah stepped forward and slipped it into the small pouch she always carried—one specifically designed to safely store cursed cores without making physical contact.
Silence settled.
Her swords extinguished. The red glow faded from her chest.
But the questions in her mind began to burn brighter.
> What just happened to me...? That fire... my eyes... my heart... none of it makes sense.
She turned toward the twins. Haa Jin was already kneeling beside Haa Rin, using his healing energy to stabilize his brother. The ice was melting from Rin's veins, but both of them looked drained.
"Noona," Haa Jin said weakly, "We need to go home. We can't walk like this. Put your hand on ours—we'll teleport."
Jiah nodded silently, still dazed, and placed her hands on theirs. In a flash of white light, they appeared in the apartment living room.
Ember flapped anxiously toward them, visibly worried. He chirped and muttered, trying to ask what had happened—but none of them replied.
Jiah, still reeling from the fight, said softly, "I'm going to my room. Don't worry, I'm not leaving. But... if Ryuhwan returns, tell him to see me."
She turned to the twins, her voice steady despite her storming thoughts.
"Please rest. This battle drained both of you because of me."
The twins nodded silently.
Jiah walked away without another word.
Once inside her room, she closed the door and leaned against it, heart still racing.
> What was that glow in my heart? My swords—how did they turn to fire? My eyes… what's happening to me?
She pressed a hand against her chest where the red light had flickered. A strange warmth still lingered, like an ember that refused to die.
She didn't know the answers yet.
But she had a feeling everything had just changed.
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