ECLIPSED VEINS — Episode 7: "Moonbound Fugitive"
Rain began to fall before dawn broke, a thin, icy drizzle that coated the rubble of Yuna's collapsed home. Smoke clung to the air like a memory that refused to leave. The ground was still warm from the Lightkeeper's destruction, and the moon-sigil on Seong-min's chest glowed faintly through his torn shirt. He slept fitfully beside Yuna under the remains of the broken roof, his breathing shallow, every exhale clouding pale in the cold air.
Yuna sat awake, her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Her hair stuck to her damp cheeks where tears had dried without her noticing. She kept watching Seong-min's face, terrified that the moon mark would stop pulsing, or that his veins would flare again, or that he would slip away from the world while she wasn't looking. She didn't dare blink.
Her grandmother had fallen asleep first, though it was less sleep than collapse. The ritual had drained everything from her veins, and her breaths carried the sound of rusted chains scraping inside her lungs. She lay on a pile of blankets made from torn curtains, the staff still gripped loosely in her hands. Even in unconsciousness, she guarded them.
The storm thickened. The sky lightened into a dull gray morning. Birds did not sing. Even the insects stayed silent, as if the world held its breath.
Yuna wiped her face with trembling fingers. It wasn't just fear for Seong-min. Somewhere beneath the pain was guilt so loud it felt like it screamed in her bones. She remembered the Lightkeeper's command. She remembered the blade in her hand. She remembered the moment his blood touched her palm like liquid moonlight. Her body had tried to kill him. Her own arm had betrayed her.
She didn't know if she was more afraid of losing him… or of herself.
A weak groan broke the silence. Yuna crawled to him immediately, her hand finding his. His eyes opened slowly, the silver in them sharper now, calmer, as if he was seeing through both worlds at once.
"You're awake," she whispered.
He took a moment to steady his thoughts, then nodded. The movement hurt him, but he pretended it didn't. The shadows at his feet shifted like restless animals trying to stand.
"What… time is it?"
"Early morning," she answered softly. "We made it through the night."
The moon-sigil on his chest pulsed once, as though agreeing.
Seong-min tried to sit up. Yuna reached to help him, her hands sliding under his shoulders. Shadow rippled faintly across his skin when she touched him, but it didn't burn or recoil. Instead, it folded away from her touch, as though giving her space. He leaned against the remains of a pillar, breathing slowly through the pain.
"What happened to the Lightkeeper?" he asked.
"He left," Yuna said. "More accurately… Halmeoni forced him to."
Seong-min looked to the old woman. The realization stung him like a cold needle.
"She's hurt because of me."
Yuna shook her head, firm despite exhaustion. "She chose to protect you. Because she believes your life matters."
He lowered his gaze. The idea still felt unreal.
"She didn't protect me," he whispered. "She protected you. Because you wanted me alive."
Yuna didn't deny it. Instead she said, "Then we're both worth saving."
Light crept into the sky, a pale golden wash that bled slowly through the clouds. It should have signified a fresh start, but it filled Yuna with unease. Dawn belonged to the Sunwardens, and the Sunwardens now hunted them.
A rustling noise disturbed the quiet. Halmeoni dragged herself upright, leaning on her staff. Pain etched deep lines into her face, but her voice was steady.
"We must leave before the Lightkeeper reports back to the Sanctum. Once they hear an Eclipsed survived a Command Seal, they will send more than executioners."
Yuna's breath caught. Seong-min stared at the ground, fists tightening.
"So they're coming for me," he said.
Halmeoni met his eyes. "No. They're coming for both of you. Sunwarden and Eclipsed are never meant to interfere with each other's fates. You two did more than interfere. You altered it."
Yuna didn't understand. Seong-min did.
"When the blade hit me," he murmured, "something changed."
Halmeoni nodded, though sorrow clouded her gaze. "Light fused with shadow. The Eclipse Veins awakened. You are no longer a threat to only shadow or only light. You are a threat to balance."
The wind cut sharply between them. Seong-min hugged his arms close, cold settling deep into his bones. He wasn't afraid of being hunted. He was afraid of what he might become if caught… or if not caught.
He spoke quietly, voice hoarse. "Then where do we go?"
Halmeoni tapped the wood beneath them. "There are places beneath the cities. Veins. Corridors of old power. Shadows once lived there peacefully, guided by Eclipsed who retained control of themselves. We go down. Into the Dusk Hollows."
Yuna frowned. "That sounds dangerous."
Halmeoni smiled bitterly. "Everything else is worse."
Before they could respond, a sharp hum pierced the air. Seong-min rose too quickly, staggering. Yuna caught his arm, but his eyes were fixed on the street beyond the broken wall. The morning mist rippled unnaturally, vibrating like struck glass.
Halmeoni hissed, "They found us already? Impossible…"
A figure appeared through the mist—not radiant, not glowing, not armored. He wore a black coat lined with silver thread, his face expressionless and pale. Cold blue eyes observed the broken house with no emotion. A sigil hung around his neck—a dark sun partially eclipsed by a crescent moon.
Seong-min didn't recognize it. Halmeoni did.
Her grip tightened on her staff. "Eclipse Hunters. The Moonbound Order…"
The man stepped forward, boots silent on the wet stone. He stopped just outside the ruins, bowing his head slightly toward Seong-min, not Yuna, not Halmeoni.
"Moon-Touched," he said calmly. "We are here for you."
Yuna stepped between them immediately, her golden sigil sparking with a warning flash. "You're not taking him anywhere."
The man's eyes shifted to her with mild curiosity. "Sunwarden. You misunderstand. The Order does not kill Eclipsed. We refine them."
Seong-min felt something icy coil around his heart. Refine was worse than kill. Refine meant control. Ownership. Chains.
"No," he said quietly. "I'm not going with you."
The man blinked once. "Choice is irrelevant. The moon has marked you. You belong to us now."
Shadow seeped out from Seong-min's feet in violent, jagged movements. Yuna's golden aura rose in defiance beside him, brighter than any dawn. The stranger of the Moonbound Order reached into his coat, drawing a blade unlike sunlight or shadow. It shimmered like mercury, flexible like water, yet sharp enough to split raindrops.
Halmeoni raised her staff.
Rain turned to mist. Mist turned to silver threads drifting through the air.
The Eclipse Hunter smiled faintly.
"Let the moon decide."
Yuna grabbed Seong-min's hand. This time, neither of them hesitated.
"We decide," she whispered.
The moon-sigil on his chest blazed once, casting a ripple across the hunter's face.
The battle for ownership of Seong-min's fate was about to begin.
And neither light nor shadow would get to claim him without a war.
END OF EPISODE 7