---
Chapter 6: The Masked One's Mark
That night, Ji dreamt of chains—silver ones, wrapped around his wrists and ankles, dragging him into darkness. The voice returned, deeper now, colder.
"Every Guardian breaks. You will be no different."
He woke with a start, heart pounding, and the moonlight from his window pale and dim. They had camped outside the ruins, near a stream. Duri slept with a rice cake stuffed in his mouth, and Yeonhwa was sharpening her blade nearby.
"You screamed again," she said softly.
Ji nodded. "He was there. The masked one."
Yeonhwa paused. "Then we can't wait any longer. We have to find out who he is."
By dawn, they resumed their journey, heading toward the next sacred site marked in Duri's map: the Temple of Threads — where the threads of fate were said to be woven and revealed.
But as they reached the foot of the northern cliffs, they found a village burned to ashes. Smoke still curled from crumbled rooftops. The people were gone.
A child's toy lay half-buried in the dust.
Ji's throat tightened. "Who did this?"
A voice answered from above. "He did."
They turned. A woman in dark robes stood on a rock ledge. Her hair was long and silver, eyes hidden by a blindfold. Her presence crackled with power.
"You're the Oracle," Duri whispered.
The woman stepped down slowly. "I've seen the threads. The one in the mask... he was once a Guardian. One who fell."
Ji stepped forward. "Who was he?"
She turned her blind eyes toward him. "Your ancestor."
The air went still.
"My... what?"
"Centuries ago, a Guardian named Baek Rin turned on the moon. He desired power without limits. He severed his bond and forged a mask to hide his fading light. He is your bloodline's shadow."
Ji staggered. "Then... it's my fault."
"No," she said. "It is your choice."
The Oracle reached out and touched his chest. A mark flared — a crescent moon inside a circle, edged with cracks.
"He has marked you already. But you are still whole. For now."
Duri floated closer. "What do we do?"
"Find the Threads. Learn who you are. Or fall into who he wants you to be."
The wind shifted. The Oracle was gone.
Ji looked down at his chest, where the mark glowed faintly. The path ahead was darker than ever. But now he knew the truth:
The Masked One wasn't just an enemy. He was family.
And the light Ji carried would either redeem their legacy—or destroy it.
---
To Be Continued in Chapter 7: The Temple of Threads