Chapter 7: The Crater

  The three hooded figures of the Council sat behind their obsidian desks, their silhouettes swallowed by the oppressive shadows of the chamber.

  In the center of the room stood General Shin Gaeul. Dressed casually in a white shirt and baggy grey pants, she kept her hands in her pockets, her posture radiating a calm, defiant confidence.

  "General Gaeul," the middle council member began, his voice echoing. "You have successfully prevented the abduction of our trainees. However, is it truly necessary to halt the processing program now?"

  Gaeul scoffed, the sound sharp in the cold air. "Until we stop ANTI, these kids are sitting ducks. Look at what happened to Leeseo—something you haven't even bothered to investigate. It isn't worth the risk."

  "And the examinations?" the figure on the left interjected. "We must determine what the traitors did to them."

  "I said no."

  Gaeul’s voice didn't rise, but it carried a weight that made the walls tremble. Nearby paintings rattled against the stone, vibrating under the sheer pressure of her command. "You are not touching those trainees. Not until I say so."

  "But General..."

  "After what happened to them, what they need right now is comfort and rest." Gaeul’s voice was surprisingly soft—a low, melodic hum that contrasted sharply with the trembling walls.

  A heavy silence followed before the Council members sighed in unison, offering a reluctant nod of submission.

  "You also sent Yaejin to the Outlands," Gaeul continued, her eyes narrowing. "I thought Cheol and Soyeon were handling that. Yaejin will kill her, you know."

  "Despite their history?" the right council member asked.

  Gaeul shook her head, turning to walk away. "Oh, man." She paused at the door, glancing back over her shoulder. "Lessen your greed, masters. We’re not just weapons, you know."

  With that, she disappeared into the hall, leaving the Council to their shadows.

  ***

  Leeseo stepped into the room, pausing. It was warm, decorated—nothing like the sterile white box she was used to.

  A pale man in a tactical suit, his layered hair falling over dull eyes, set her things down.

  "Since you’re not ready for training, our top priority is your well-being," he said flatly. "Well—my top priority. I am Ren."

  "Ren." Leeseo stepped closer. "Where is Seonho?"

  "Choi Seonho is on a tracking mission with Han Rin." Ren pulled out a remote, his expression unchanging. "Would you like to watch some TV, Ms. Leeseo?"

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Leeseo tilted her head, confused by the hospitality. "Are you... a butler or something?"

  Ren let out a faint, weary sigh. "No. I am not a butler. But I do try to be useful." He reached into his pocket and held something out. "Gum?"

  The next day.

  The pantry at Flux HQ was unusually quiet, save for the sound of Rin and Seonho aggressively working through a box of glazed donuts.

  "No Leeseo today?" Rin asked, her mouth half-full.

  Seonho sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You tell me. She hasn't come out of her room all morning. Did you do something to her again, Rin?"

  Rin immediately flashed back to the dark room, the crawling spiders, and Gaeul’s icy stare. She shuddered. "Absolutely not! I was already disciplined, okay? I am not going through that torture again. I’m a changed woman. A saint, even."

  Before Seonho could retort, a group of maintenance workers pulled back a heavy velvet curtain near the lounge area. A new monument had been added to the hall.

  "Oh, it’s out," Seonho said, standing up.

  Rin followed him as they approached the fresh marble. "What’s out?"

  "The 7th Hall of Heroes—Mansu."

  They stopped before a statue of a man with flowing hair and light, ceremonial robes. He wore almost no armor, looking more like a philosopher than a soldier, holding a graceful crescent-shaped sword.

  "He... died at the Ven War, right?" Rin asked, her voice dropping an octave.

  Seonho nodded and read the inscription on the plaque:

  Park Mansu – A hero. A brother. An Elite. Died after being pinned and stabbed in the heart by the Lady in the Gold Mask. Special Ability: Telekinesis.

  "Yeah, well, he was a goner to face her alone," Rin remarked, crossing her arms. "He was a General, but dang... that spectre woman was built different."

  Seonho shook his head, a trace of bitterness in his eyes. "No... Mansu was powerful. His telekinesis allowed him to crush buildings and topple towers with a single thought. But this crimson-robed witch... she did him dirty. She obviously cheated. His poor brother had to leave town, handling that grief."

  "Yeah, well..." Rin leaned in closer to the statue, her voice dropping to a jagged whisper. "You think she's bad? At least the Gold Mask looks human. Have you heard the reports from the outer rim? About the shrouded skirmisher?"

  Seonho raised an eyebrow. "You mean the Ashen Ghost? I've heard of him."

  "They call him Xin," Rin said, her eyes darting around the empty hallway as if the name itself might summon him. "The scouts say he doesn't have a face—just a bleached human skull fused into a dark hood. White pupils dilate as they stare into your soul. They say if you hear the rattle of his teeth, you’re already dead. He’s not a soldier, Seonho... he’s a reaper."

  Seonho felt a cold draft hit the back of his neck. "A skull for a head? That’s just a campfire story to keep trainees in line, Rin. The Lady in the Gold Mask though? Very real."

  Rin sighed and tapped his shoulder. "Well, from what I heard, Flux isn't the only one looking for her. The Silver Mask is on the hunt, too."

  Seonho perked up. "Right. Because that lady stole the Gold Mask from his master. It's a personal vendetta for him."

  "Yup. That leaves the Bronze Mask up to whatever—unknown. The Covenant is weird, man." Rin's eyes drifted to someone standing behind Seonho. "Speaking of ghosts..."

  Seonho turned and saw Leeseo standing at the entrance of the lounge, looking pale and fragile. "S-Seonho-ssi," she whispered.

  Before Seonho could move, Rin sprinted over. Leeseo flinched, expecting a strike, but instead, Rin pulled her into a tight, slightly awkward hug.

  "Leeseo, I’m sorry," Rin muttered into her hair, her eyes tearing up. "I'm so sorry about what I did. I was a jerk."

  ***

  Later that afternoon, the sun was beginning to dip, casting long shadows over a local park. Seonho and Leeseo sat on a bench, each holding a melting ice cream cone.

  "Leeseo, you don't have to worry about me," Seonho said, breaking the silence. "I am powerful. Truly."

  Leeseo nodded, though her eyes remained distant. "I uhm... I've seen things. I don't remember everything, but I know they want to hurt you to get to me. I don't want them to hurt you."

  Seonho finished his ice cream in two bites and stood up. He reached out and took Leeseo’s hand. His eyes began to glow a deep, pulsing blue, and a faint hum of energy surrounded them both.

  "Hold on to me. This will take some time," he warned.

  For a full minute, the air vibrated. Then, with a massive pop of displaced air, they vanished.

  They materialized on the edge of a titanic crater. The ground was razed, a graveyard of shattered concrete and twisted rebar. It looked like a city had been put through a blender.

  "Where are we?" Leeseo whispered, clutching his hand tighter.

  "This is... the Ven City," Seonho said. He looked out over the ruins. "We were a team of four once, too. Me, Rin, Yiren, and S-Sungmin."

  Leeseo pouted slightly, hearing the names.

  "We lost two of our teammates here," Seonho continued. "I still remember Yiren’s sharp eyes... and Sungmin’s cross necklace. They were powerful, Leeseo. But the Ven War was something else entirely. It wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter."

  "I'm sorry," Leeseo murmured.

  "Leeseo, I survived the Ven War, and I will keep surviving. I have this weird curse with the universe. I am always burdened with... responsibility. I can't die as long as that responsibility exists."

  Leeseo looked at him and finally gave him a small, genuine smile. "Okay."

  Seonho squeezed her hand. "Right now, that responsibility is you. And I’d die fulfilling it."

  ***

  The next night, a man in a silver mask and flowing white robes leaned against a lamppost in a dark alleyway. His outfit was bright, yet he seemed to melt into the shadows.

  An ANTI soldier walked by, unaware.

  In a flash of silver, the man unsheathed his katana. One clean strike. The ANTI soldier collapsed without a sound. The Silver Masked man knelt, pulling the soldier's mask off to reveal a face he didn't recognize.

  "Not you either," he whispered.

  He stood up, flicking the blood from his blade with a sharp motion before sheathing it. As the sword clicked into place, a small silver cross necklace tied to the hilt swayed in the moonlight—the exact twin of the one Seonho had just described from his lost teammate.

  Chaos.