Sahara Desert – Gate #3
The sandstorm had ceased.
Now, there was only stillness.
The bone tower stood taller than ever—fifty meters of pale white structure spiraling into the clouds, carved with glyphs that flickered when no one was watching.
And at its base…
The throne had formed.
Black stone. Carved from shadow and bone. A twisted shape that seemed too perfect—like it had been waiting for its master.
And then… a figure began to form on it.
Piece by piece.
Not born. Assembled.
A ribcage emerged from thin air.
A skull split open—empty inside.
Hands curled as if testing the weight of the world.
The creature wasn't alive. Not yet.
But it was remembering how to be.
---
Suwon – Morning, Jung Household
The weather was sunny, but Ha-Joon's thoughts were clouded.
He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing his teeth in slow, deliberate motions.
His crimson eyes flickered faintly under the light—but only for a moment.
He rinsed his mouth, stared at his reflection, and whispered:
> "Who was I… before I became nothing?"
---
Kitchen Table
His mother hummed as she prepared rolled omelets. Ha-Rin read through an online order form. His father tapped his phone screen trying to enter a food coupon.
Life was normal.
But Ha-Joon couldn't shake the growing feeling that it wouldn't last.
> "I'm going out after school," he told them.
> "Another part-time gig?" Ha-Rin asked.
> "Just… helping someone."
---
Meanwhile – Seoul, Unknown Surveillance Room
Multiple screens filled the dark room, each showing different footage: traffic cams, school gates, shop corners.
All focused on Ji-Yun.
She walked quietly through Suwon's streets, visiting parks, watching families, sometimes standing for hours at a corner with no one around.
A man in a grey suit stood in front of the monitors, sipping coffee.
> "She's not one of us," he said.
> "No aura. No Gate signature. No identity."
A second man—scarred, older—folded his arms.
> "She's from wherever he's from."
> "Then we watch both."
---
Suwon High School – After Class
Ha-Joon waited at the back gate, leaning against the brick wall.
Ji-Yun arrived like always—quiet, unreadable, focused.
He handed her a pouch of steamed buns.
> "You eat?" he asked.
> "Sometimes. When I want to remember I'm still human."
> "Are you?"
She looked at him.
> "Are you?"
They ate in silence under the trees.
Even without words, something passed between them. A familiarity that couldn't be faked.
---
Meanwhile – Sahara Tower Interior
The throne groaned.
The figure on it twitched for the first time.
Its jaw moved.
But no words came—only vibrations that made the air ripple across continents.
Deep inside the bone walls of the tower, ancient symbols shifted.
One phrase repeated again and again:
> "RETURN HIM TO THE THRONE."
---
Nightfall – Suwon Rooftop
Ha-Joon stood at the edge, staring out at the horizon. The pendant hung around his neck now.
Not hidden.
It pulsed gently, warm against his chest—like a slow heartbeat.
Ji-Yun joined him again.
> "They're watching me now," she said.
> "Who?"
> "Not monsters. Not humans. Something else."
Ha-Joon's expression didn't change.
> "They'll come for me soon."
> "Will you fight?"
> "Only if they touch my family."
She nodded.
> "That's the part of you that never changed."
> "And the rest of me?"
> "You used to be afraid of your power."
> "I still am."
> "Then you're not ready to sit on that throne again."
Ha-Joon turned to her.
> "What throne?"
But she didn't answer.
---
Elsewhere – Top Secret Communication Between Guild Commanders
> [CODE 77] S-Class Entity forming at Gate #3
Status: Not yet awakened
Recommendation: Observe only
Next Step: Monitor Suwon and surrounding cities for resonance spikes
> Addendum:
The girl and the boy are not ordinary.
One holds power.
The other remembers what we forgot.
---
Final Scene – A Dream Ha-Joon Can't Explain
That night, he slept deeply for the first time in days.
And he dreamed.
Not of monsters. Not of death.
But of a wide plain under a violet sky, where he once stood with thousands of soldiers behind him and Ji-Yun by his side.
A war had ended.
A Gate had closed.
And he had said:
> "Bury the throne. Let it be forgotten. If I return, let me return as no one."
He jolted awake, gasping.
The pendant glowed brightly beside his bed—then slowly dimmed.
And outside, in the far reaches of the Sahara,
the creature on the throne... opened its eyes.
---