Episode 3: The Devil's Guest
"You lose people in two ways. Death… and silence."
The ancient castle loomed through the fog.Cracked towers. Shadows curling around the stone.A place that had once been alive—now quiet.Just like him.
Dae-hyun pushed open the great doors.
Aera followed behind, her fingers grazing the cold walls, staring up at the faded murals and broken chandeliers.It felt like entering a dream that had long since turned into a nightmare.
"This… was your home?" she asked softly.
He didn't respond.
Every step echoed with ghosts.
They passed the throne room.
The cracked stained-glass window still had streaks of old blood and ash.And further down—
A door creaked open.
Someone stepped out.
Eyes sharp. Coat dark. A single silver earring glinting under the torchlight.
He froze when he saw Dae-hyun.
The silence was immediate.Like two storms facing each other.Years of pain. Distance. Betrayal.
"…You're back," the man said finally, voice cold.
Dae-hyun didn't stop walking. "Briefly."
The man's eyes flicked to Aera.
His breath caught.
He stepped forward instinctively—like he'd seen a ghost.
"…Iris?"
Dae-hyun snapped, "Don't say that name."
She flinched behind him.The tension in the air thickened.
"I'm not Iris," Aera said, voice soft but sure. "I don't know who that is."
The man looked between the two of them.Fury. Grief. Confusion. It all played across his face.
"I thought you were done with bringing back the dead," he hissed.
Dae-hyun's eyes narrowed. "I didn't bring her back."
"But she looks like—"
"She's not her."
A long pause.
"You shouldn't be here," the man told Aera, his voice quieter now. Sadder. "He ruins everything he touches."
Aera blinked, startled.
Dae-hyun stepped between them.
"She stays. Just for tonight."
Seo-Jin scoffed. "Of course. Always doing what you want, even if it kills the rest of us."
Dae-hyun's jaw clenched. "Are you still angry?"
The man laughed bitterly. "I was never angry. Just… tired."
He turned away.
"Guest room's still where it used to be," he muttered. "Assuming you haven't burned it like everything else."
And just like that, Seo-Jin disappeared into the hall.
The silence after felt heavier than before.
Aera looked at Dae-hyun, confused and curious."Who was that…?"
He didn't answer for a long time.
Finally, he whispered:
"Seo-Jin. Someone who used to be my family.Before I destroyed his too."
[To be continued…]
Chapter 4 "Just like her"