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Mu-deok had been saved.
Dragged free from the grip of the illusion relic, she was shaken, but alive. The danger had passed-for now. Songrim would breathe easier tonight.
But not Na-ra.
As she walked quietly beside Yul on the winding path back to Songrim, her mind was anything but quiet. She barely registered the crunch of gravel beneath her feet or the breeze rustling the leaves overhead.
Her thoughts looped endlessly, caught on the same question:What was that presence in Jinyowon?
It hadn't just been an illusion. She had felt it-something pulling, cold and dreadful, like fingers brushing across her spine. The kind of feeling that didn't just vanish once you left the room. It lingered, burrowed beneath her skin.
Even now, itwas still there. Faint, but undeniable.
Dang-gu had gone ahead with Master Park, leaving her and Yul walking alone beneath the open sky. It should have been peaceful. But even the silence felt stretched, fragile.
Then Yul's voice cut through it.
"What did you see in your illusion?"
Na-ra faltered. Just a step. But it was enough to give her away.
She looked at him. He wasn't watching the horizon anymore. His eyes were on her-calm, but with a quiet sharpness behind them. Like he was searching for something he already half-knew.
Her mouth went dry.
The question was simple. The weight behind it was not.
She swallowed, throat suddenly thick. He was suspicious. Or maybe... certain.
Did he see the same thing I did? Or something worse?
The silence dragged for a moment too long.
"Why do you ask?" she inquired, lightly. Then added, feigning ease,"What was in your illusion?"
Yul hesitated. His expression didn't shift, but she could tell he was choosing his words carefully."She was... unnatural,"
" Unnatural? "Her brow furrowed-not at the word itself, but at what it might reveal.
"She said things I didn't quite understand," he added, his voice quieter now.
Before either of them could say more, the clatter of boots on stone drew their attention.
"Na-ra!"
She turned-and wasn't surprised to see Go-won approaching, flanked by guards. His usually pleasant expression was absent, replaced by a seriousness that didn't suit his face.
