The sky turned gray as thunderclouds loomed above the shrine. Hana stood at the boundary where the moss ended and the forest began, her fingers brushing over the petals of a strange flower.
It hadn't been there yesterday.
Black. Velvet. Its edges shimmered with flickers of foxfire—her foxfire—but something was wrong. It pulsed with cold, not warmth.
Taemin crouched beside it, eyes narrowed. "This flower doesn't belong here."
"I know. It feels… corrupted," Hana whispered.
The Shaman arrived moments later, her staff glowing faintly.
She hissed through her teeth. "A Shadow Bloom."
"What is it?" Hana asked.
The Shaman tapped the ground with her staff. "A cursed flower. It feeds on fractured bonds and dying promises. Wherever it appears, the boundary between our world and the Veil thins."
Taemin looked up. "It's how he's getting through."
The Shaman nodded grimly. "The Crimson Fang is planting them. If enough bloom, the Veil will tear—and he will return fully."
Hana clenched her fists. "Then we destroy them."
The Shaman shook her head. "You cannot simply burn it. It's made from your own pact's energy—twisted and inverted. If you try to destroy it with foxfire, it could backlash."
Taemin stepped forward. "Then we freeze it."
He raised his palm, calling on his inner frost. Ice crept up the stem—slow, beautiful, and sharp. The flower resisted, curling its petals, but the frost took hold.
With a snap, it froze completely.
But instead of falling apart, it shattered with a scream—high-pitched and not human.
Hana flinched. "What was that?"
Taemin grimaced. "A memory fragment. Someone's pain is trapped inside."
The Shaman raised her staff, capturing the last echo of the sound. "He's feeding off forgotten grief… the kind strong enough to echo through lifetimes."
Hana suddenly felt cold. Her pendant burned against her chest.
"…Do you think he's using my memories to fuel them?"
Taemin looked at her solemnly. "If he is, that means you're more important to his return than we thought."
The Shaman turned away. "We must find the source. If more Shadow Blooms appear, even your fire won't be enough."
Hana's voice was quiet. "Then we go to the place I died."
Both the Shaman and Taemin froze.
She met their eyes. "If my past is tied to this curse… then I need to face it."
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