Some memories are buried not to be forgotten, but because they scream when unearthed.
The train ride to Sector 12 was quiet.
It was early morning. Mist clung to the windows, turning the outside world into a blur of gray. Suho sat near the window, eyes focused on the passing tracks. The others sat around him—calm, but tense.
Sector 12 was unclaimed.
That alone made it suspicious.
It had been marked "unstable" by the Hunter Association, and larger guilds avoided it due to strange mana readings. The gates there opened… but didn't behave normally. Some closed without a boss defeat. Others stayed open for weeks with no change.
But Suho knew the real reason he had to go.
[New Objective: Reach the Tomb Core]
[Phase 3– Areum's Soul Fragment Retrieval]
That name again—Memory Tomb—made his chest feel heavy.
"Still thinking about the plan?" Mirae asked gently.
Suho nodded.
Minho leaned back, arms crossed. "We've got twenty undead. And us. I'd say we're better than most guild teams."
"Let's not jinx it," Hojin muttered.
Suho cracked a faint smile. "We don't rush this one. Sector 12 is different."
The train slowed. A mechanical voice spoke over the speakers:
"Now arriving: Sector 12 – Tomb Rail. Please disembark carefully."
They stepped off into silence.
Sector 12: Forgotten Grounds
The gate shimmered in the center of an overgrown platform. Vines curled around the ancient stone. Everything felt… quiet. Too quiet.
Even birds didn't chirp here.
The gate glowed faint green, unlike the usual red or blue.
Suho held up his hand. "Check gear. Then we enter together."
Everyone nodded. Caldran and the Gravekin stood nearby, silent as statues. The rest of Suho's undead waited in formation—some crouched like beasts, others armored like knights.
Above them, circling once was an enormous winged shape—black scales, glowing eyes, and a massive tail dragging wind behind it.
A necrotic wyvern.
Once a monstrous apex predator. Now bound to Suho's will.
It landed softly behind the group, crouching low. The others gave it a wide berth.
Even Mirae shivered a little. "Still not used to that thing."
"It listens to me," Suho said. "It won't harm you."
Minho nodded. "Good. But if that thing breathes fire, I'm hiding behind your undead."
The wyvern let out a low growl. Almost amused.
Suho turned toward the gate.
"Let's go."
They stepped through.
Inside the Memory Tomb
It was cold.
Not physically—but deep, spiritual cold. As if the air was holding its breath. The sky was gone. All around them was a massive underground structure. It stretched endlessly, with cracked marble columns, broken stone altars, and strange glowing crystals embedded into the floor.
[You have entered: Memory Tomb - Core Layer Periphery]
[WARNING: Class-B Anomaly Detected]
They moved forward slowly.
Strange whispers echoed around them. Suho clenched his jaw.
"Suho… Suho… why didn't you come?"
He didn't respond.
Mirae flinched. "Did you hear that?"
"Yeah…" Hojin said quietly. "That was a voice."
"It's starting," Suho said. "This place holds memories. But not just mine."
Minho walked beside him, shield raised. "What does that mean?"
"It means we'll be fighting ghosts," Suho replied. "But not just the dead. Their pain. Their regrets."
They stepped into the central corridor—and the first attack came.
First Encounter: The Hollow Monks
Figures floated toward them—cloaked in ash-gray robes. They had no faces. No feet. Just drifting shadows with long fingers.
They didn't scream. They didn't speak.
They just came forward, whispering in broken voices.
"We waited… you never returned…"
"Your promise… you broke it…"
"Engage!" Suho called out.
Caldran and the Gravekin moved first. The knight sliced through the first monk, but it didn't bleed—it broke apart like paper in the wind, then reformed.
"Regular attacks won't work!" Mirae warned. "Let me try—[Purifying Flame]!"
A wide wave of fire burned across the room. The monks shrieked and crumbled.
"Nice!" Hojin said, tossing knives at the exposed cores in their chests.
But more monks appeared.
Suho raised his hand. "Wyvern—burn them!"
The undead wyvern roared, wings unfurling.
It opened its mouth—and instead of fire, a cone of pale green flame washed forward. Soulfire.
It passed through the monks like wind—then burned from inside.
The monks collapsed, hissing, unable to reform.
"Holy crap," Minho muttered. "That's unfair."
Suho kept walking. "They'll keep coming if we stay. We move."
The Core Gate
At the end of the corridor was a massive stone gate.
It had a symbol Suho had seen before—in one of Areum's photos. It looked like a blooming lotus made of bones.
[Memory Tomb: Core Gate – Locked]
[Requirement: Place 20 Undead Units in the Circle of Remembrance]
Suho nodded.
He called his army. One by one, the undead stepped into a glowing circle on the floor.
1… 2… 3… 10… 18… 19… 20.
The wyvern stepped forward last, tail curling protectively around the others.
The stone groaned.
Then the gate began to open—slowly, loudly, with dust shaking from above.
Deeper darkness waited behind it.
Echoes of Areum
The next chamber was not like the others.
It was a wide circular hall, with a single crystal in the center, pulsing weakly.
When Suho stepped near, the system triggered:
[Fragment Detected: Kim Areum – Echo Core]
Do you wish to interact?
Warning: Emotional Instability Detected.
He nodded.
The crystal glowed… and a figure appeared.
It was Areum.
Not her real self—but an echo. A fragment. Her form flickered like a flame.
"Oppa…?"
Suho froze.
Her voice was small, like a child's as if this memory was from long ago.
"Why did you leave me? I waited in the dorm… and then I… I was so scared…"
"I'm here now," Suho whispered. "I'm here."
But the figure changed. Areum's face twisted in fear—then in anger.
"No! You're not real. You're not the same Suho!"
[Memory Defense Protocol Triggered]
Echo Fragment: Hostile State Initiated
She raised her hand—and shadows burst from the walls.
To Be Continued...