Hyunwoo drifted through the dreamscape, his breath ragged from the last encounter. The echo of that man's words—'control it completely, make it yours'—still rang in his skull like a curse. His chest burned with the memory of that wild red aura trying to devour him whole.
He still in the same empty space, no sign of consciousness yet. That's when Hyunwoo knows that this is not over.
And then, the space around him shifted.
From the black void, stone pillars rose out of nothing, cracked and ancient, encircling him in silence. At the center stood a door—colossal, towering, as if it had been standing here since the beginning of time itself. Its surface bled with faint crimson lines that pulsed like veins, each beat syncing with his own heart.
Hyunwoo's throat tightened. He didn't want to move, yet his feet carried him forward, step by step, until he stood before the door.
His hand shook as he reached out, pressing against the cold surface. The instant his skin touched it, a violent pulse surged through him.
—thrum—
Ugh, what is this?!!
Images crashed into his head, jagged shards of memory that weren't his own.
A man's shadow. Hyun Kim. His father.
The figure bent down, placing something—an object—into Hyunwoo's smaller hands. His father's face was blurred, swallowed by light and shadow, but his voice...
"You'll... need this. When you ###### use it. After ####"
The words tore at Hyunwoo's ears, distant, muffled, as though the world itself was trying to silence them.
"What is it?!" Hyunwoo shouted into the dark.
Another vision slammed into him. His father turning away, his back heavy with unspoken weight. His steps echoed like the march of someone heading toward their final battle.
Hyunwoo clawed at the image, desperate, but it splintered like broken glass.
"Tell me!" His scream cracked. His fists slammed against the unmoving door.
And then—like a whisper from the grave—one word broke through.
"Relic."
Hyunwoo froze, breath caught in his throat. His eyes widened, trembling.
"...Relic...?"
The word seared into him, a brand on his very soul. The door before him pulsed once more, as if acknowledging his recognition, before falling back into silence.
He pressed his palms harder against it, his voice breaking.
"What relic? What are you trying to show me?! Hyun Kim, Father—what did you give me?!"
No answer came. Only the heartbeat of the door, steady, patient... waiting.
Hyunwoo's fists pounded against the door, the word Relic still burning in his mind like fire.
The crimson veins across the door throbbed once—then again—before splitting with a jagged crack down the middle.
His breath hitched.
It was opening.
With a groan that sounded older than the world itself, the door shifted just enough for light to spill through, flooding the dreamscape in a searing glow. Hyunwoo squinted, raising his arm against the brilliance—until he saw it.
Suspended in that golden haze, beyond the gap in the door, lay a single ring.
It floated weightlessly, yet its presence crushed him. A faint aura shimmered around it—something not red, not green, but deeper, older. A resonance that felt... familiar, as though it was calling only to him.
Hyunwoo staggered back, heart racing. "A... ring?"
For a heartbeat, he swore he could see his father's silhouette reaching toward that very object, lips moving soundlessly, as if urging him to remember.
His pulse thundered. His hand shot forward instinctively, desperate to seize it—
—but the door slammed shut with a deafening finality.
The crack sealed, the light vanished, and the ring was gone as though it had never existed. Only the echo of its weight remained in Hyunwoo's chest.
"No... no, damn it!" Hyunwoo pressed his forehead against the door, his voice raw. "What was that? What did you leave me, Father?!"
The dreamscape remained silent.
Only the memory of that glimpse—the ring, glimmering like it carried the weight of an entire world—lingered, searing itself into his soul.
Hyunwoo blinked—
—and the blinding light was gone.
____
The golden haze, the ring, the massive door—all of it dissolved as if it had been an illusion. In its place, Hyunwoo's eyes fluttered open, the harsh fluorescent light of the hospital room cutting through the remnants of his dreamscape. Murmurs of concern reached him, muffled yet unmistakable. His body ached in every corner—muscles screaming, bones stiff, and a throbbing in his left arm that refused to respond to his desperate mental commands. The world felt heavy, his left eye blurry, as though it had been silenced along with the red aura that had so recently consumed him.
"W-what happened to him?" Ruby's voice was tight, her worry evident as she leaned closer, her hands trembling slightly.
Jiwon and Jisoo exchanged a look, their calm demeanor taut with restrained urgency. "The fight... with the humanoid Grimm," Jiwon began, voice low, "the same type that appeared during the Forever Fall incident."
Jisoo added, "It wasn't just the Grimm—they targeted him specifically. The way they moved, their attacks... it's like they knew exactly how to break him down."
Hyunwoo tried to move, even just a finger, but his body refused him. A shudder passed through him, equal parts pain and memory. He could feel the residue of the red aura, the remnants of the original owner's fury still tangled within his veins.
Yang hovered nearby, fists clenched, clearly restraining herself from rushing forward. Weiss' usual icy composure was strained; Blake remained silent, observant, her eyes flicking between him and the windows, as if anticipating another attack.
Jaemin, already bandaged from his own injuries, muttered under his breath, "He's lucky we managed to drag him out before—" He stopped, realizing Hyunwoo's hazy gaze had caught him mid-sentence.
Ruby's hand reached out, hesitating just inches from Hyunwoo's shoulder. "Hyunwoo... hang on. You're safe now. You're with us."
He wanted to speak, to reassure them—or at least say something—but all that came out was a hoarse rasp. Pain, exhaustion, and the weight of the memories pressed down on him. Somewhere deep in the fog, he remembered the door, the ring, and the fragment of his father's voice whispering through the red aura.
Even in his immobile state, Hyunwoo's mind was alert. He understood: the fight wasn't just over. This was the calm before the next storm, and his friends—Ruby, the twins, Team RWBY and JNPR—they were all now part of it.
He inhaled shakily, fighting back the sting of pain and the blur of despair, determined to survive—for them, for the mission, and for the red aura that had already claimed so much of him.
Hyunwoo's chest rose and fell with shallow, ragged breaths. Every inch of his body throbbed with pain, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side, his left eye blurred and untrustworthy. He tried to focus, tried to force the words out, his throat dry and raw.
"Did... the Grimm... leave... any human parts?" His voice was hoarse, almost lost in the sterile hum of the hospital room.
Jisoo and Jiwon exchanged a sharp glance. Jisoo's voice was quiet but steady. "Yes... an arm... and a leg."
The weight of those words pressed down on him, cold and undeniable. His mind raced, recalling the fragments of the Forever Fall battle—the destruction, the remnants, the echo of that terrible presence. "...So... it's really him," he whispered, his voice trembling, barely audible even to those closest to him.
Ruby stepped closer, her own heart hammering in her chest. She lowered her voice, leaning close to his ear, careful not to let the others hear. "You think... it's the same one... from Forever Fall?"
Hyunwoo's lips barely moved, his gaze locked on some distant point beyond the walls, as if he were staring into that memory itself. "...It... targeted me... only one reason for that," he rasped, his eyes flickering with a mix of fear and burning recognition. "...And that voice..."
Ruby's hand shook as she brushed it lightly against his. The air between them was thick, almost suffocating, charged with the unspoken truth. Every sound in the room seemed to fade—the soft beeping of the monitors, the quiet murmurs of Team JNPR and Team RWBY—leaving only the weight of the past and the chilling certainty of what had come for him, and why.
The room was silent, every eye on them, yet none dared speak. In that moment, the memory, the horror, and the bond between them pressed down like a storm ready to break.
Hyunwoo struggled to steady his breathing, the beeping of the machines around him a dull, constant reminder of his state. His body felt heavy, locked down by both pain and weakness. Slowly, his gaze drifted toward the twins, then to the others clustered around his bed.
"...Did the doctor... say something about my left eye?" His voice cracked, a painful whisper. "...And my left arm...? Because I... can't feel it."
The words struck the room like a hammer. For a heartbeat, no one moved, no one breathed.
Jiwon's jaw tightened. Jisoo lowered his gaze, unable to meet Hyunwoo's eye. Jaemin stirred weakly from his own bed nearby, lips parting to speak before closing again.
Finally, Pyrrha stepped closer, her expression a careful balance of composure and sorrow. "The doctors... said the damage is severe." She hesitated, searching for gentler words, but there were none. "Your left arm was broken in multiple places. Nerves were damaged. They aren't sure if you'll regain full movement."
Hyunwoo's fingers twitched instinctively—but nothing happened. He felt only a hollow weight dragging against him.
"And your eye..." Jisoo finally forced out, though his tone was brittle. "They said the injury to your left eye was... beyond what Aura could mend. It's unlikely you'll see from it again."
The words fell heavy, like stones dropping into silence.
Hyunwoo stared at the ceiling, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His throat tightened, but no sound came out. For a long moment, the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own heart monitor, steady and merciless.
"...So that's it," he murmured finally, his voice raw. "A broken arm... a blind eye..." His lips curled faintly, though there was no humor in it. "...Guess I paid the price."
____
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