Eternal Bonds

Chapter 12 Arc 2

After discussing the message, the two ended their conversation with a promise to protect everyone. Ji-hoon and Sun-woo returned to their respective homes. Ji-hoon slid into bed beside Min-ji, his arms instinctively wrapping around Min-ji's waist as he drifted into slumber, his thoughts consumed by the enigmatic riddle and the looming specter of an ancient darkness that threatened to encroach upon their fragile sanctuary.

Meanwhile, Min-ji found himself drawn deeper into the labyrinthine corridors of the dream realm, the oppressive darkness pressing in on him from all sides. The solitary light of the hanging lamp offered scant comfort, its feeble glow casting elongated, ominous shadows that swayed and shifted along the chamber's walls.

The plaintive cries of a baby sliced through the thick silence, setting Min-ji's heart pounding in his chest. Driven by an urgent need to protect, he charged through the murky haze toward the source of the anguished wails, his mind reeling with a mounting sense of dread.

The dimly lit recesses of the chamber unveiled a ghastly tableau—an otherworldly female figure, evocative of a haunting nymph, cradling a small, fragile form in her ethereal embrace. Min-ji's breath caught in his throat as he bore witness to the surreal scene that unfurled before him, each moment etched into the tapestry of his consciousness with harrowing clarity.

The lulling cadence of the nymph-like monster's voice drifted through the chamber, laden with a melancholic undertone that reverberated through the very fabric of the dream realm. Her words, infused with a profound sense of longing and despair, wove a tale of an ancient bond that transcended the boundaries of time and space.

"Child of the abyss, bearer of the forgotten light," the nymph-like creature intoned, her voice a haunting melody that enveloped the chamber in a spectral shroud. "In the ebb and flow of time's cruel embrace, you remain a beacon of hope amidst the encroaching shadows."

The monstrous figure, a hulking presence shrouded in obscurity, emitted a guttural growl in response, his primal protectiveness echoing through the confines of the chamber. Min-ji detected a fierce resolve within the creature's primal timbre, an unwavering devotion that transcended the nightmarish realm in which they found themselves entwined.

"Guardian of the endless void, vigilant sentinel of the forgotten realm," the monstrous figure rumbled, his voice a thunderous resonance that echoed through the chamber's oppressive gloom. "In your visage, the echoes of ancient vigils resound, a testament to the enduring legacy of our primordial kin."

As Min-ji grappled with the tumultuous clash of emotions that threatened to consume him, the plaintive cries of Eunwoo, punctuated the haunting discourse that enveloped him, a poignant reminder of the fragile balance that existed between the forces of light and darkness within the recesses of the dream realm.