The light did not welcome her.
It resisted.
Pressed against her skin like something trying to push her back where she came from.
But Rue Yim stepped through anyway.
Because there was no going back.
Not anymore.
The world formed slowly this time.
Reluctantly.
Like something being forced into shape.
Stone.
Cold.
Dark.
A chamber.
Deep beneath everything.
Not a place meant to be seen.
Not a place meant to be reached.
Her breath steadied as her feet touched solid ground.
"This is it."
She knew it instantly.
Not from memory.
Not from logic.
From instinct.
The core.
The center.
The place where everything began—
And where everything could end.
The air felt heavy.
Thick.
Like it was carrying something alive.
Something breathing beneath the surface.
Her gaze moved slowly across the chamber.
And then—
She saw her.
Chang Seol.
Lying at the center.
Unmoving.
Peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Her chest tightened.
Because this—
This was wrong.
