Liminal Catastrophe {CFB//HNK}

Promises (Prologue remade)

"Master, those people are here."

The crunch of a breaking branch echoed through the stillness as a girl with long blue hair stepped forward. Her movements were slow and deliberate, almost unnatural. Ocean-blue eyes locked onto the back of a cloaked figure, who stood motionless, facing away from her.

The man, his white hair tied into a low ponytail, turned to meet her gaze. His green eyes, tinged with a faint blue hue, shimmered with an ominous depth-like the farthest reaches of the sea. Before him stood a massive amethyst crystal, roughly the size of a sixteen-year-old child, radiating an otherworldly glow.

"Good," he said, a sly smile curving his lips. "Let's move.Doesn't want our friends to catch us here, aren't we?"

The girl nodded silently. Bringing her hands together, she summoned a pitch-black void that rippled into existence beside her. Without hesitation, the two stepped into the swirling darkness and vanished.

A shout pierced the air outside.

"Ma'am, we've got a signal! Someone's been here!"

A soldier clad in a dark blue uniform with golden embellishments called out urgently. Moments later, more soldiers rushed onto the scene, weapons at the ready. A woman with long, fiery red hair strode toward the first soldier, her sharp golden eyes scanning the area.

"Find any evidence of intruders," she commanded, her voice calm but firm.

The soldiers nodded in unison and dispersed, carefully patrolling the surroundings. Their movements were swift and methodical, their eyes keen for the faintest trace of movement.

One of the soldier froze, his gaze fixed on the massive amethyst crystal. It pulsed faintly with light, as if alive. He approached cautiously, holding out his hand to feel the energy radiating from it.

"Ma'am," he called, his voice tinged with unease. "The crystal... it's not just an artifact. There's something inside it."

Jin Hwa strode toward the soldier, her boots crunching against the forest floor. She stopped in front of the crystal, studying its intricate facets, each glowing faintly with a purplish light.

"What do you mean?" she asked, her tone calm but edged with curiosity.

The soldier gestured toward the crystal's core. "Look closely, ma'am. There's... a figure inside."

Jin Hwa leaned forward, her breath fogging the surface. Her sharp gaze locked onto the shape within-a girl. Pale, fragile, and suspended in the crystalline depths like a preserved memory. Her silver hair floated unnaturally, as though she were underwater, and her expression was eerily serene, almost peaceful.

"Contact HQ," Jin Hwa ordered without taking her eyes off the crystal. "We're taking this back with us."

"Is that wise, ma'am?" another soldier asked hesitantly. "It could be dangerous."

Jin Hwa's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Dangerous or not, it's not staying here. Whatever this is, it's coming with us." She rested her gloved hand against the crystal's surface, feeling the faint warmth emanating from within.

At that moment, the hum grew louder, reverberating through the air. The soldiers stepped back in alarm as faint cracks began to form across the crystal's surface.

Jin Hwa's smirk vanished. "Stand back!" she barked, pulling her hand away.

The cracks spread rapidly, and with a resounding crack, the amethyst began to shatter. A wave of energy pulsed outward, forcing the soldiers to shield themselves. As the light dimmed, the girl inside slowly crumpled to the ground, the shards of the crystal scattering around her like broken glass.

Silence fell, broken only by the girl's shallow breaths. Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing unfocused amethyst-colored eyes. She seemed dazed, unaware of her surroundings-or the wary soldiers standing around her.

Jin Hwa crouched beside her, her expression unreadable. "Who are you?" she asked softly, though her tone was firm.

The girl blinked slowly, her lips parting as though to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she collapsed into unconsciousness, her body going limp.

"Secure the area," Jin Hwa ordered, rising to her feet. "And get her on the transport. We're taking her back."

The soldiers moved quickly, their earlier apprehension replaced by methodical efficiency. Jin Hwa lingered a moment longer, gazing down at the girl.

A faint whisper reached her ears, carried by the wind. It was almost imperceptible, but Jin Hwa caught it.

"Perria..."

Jin Hwa's eyes narrowed. "Interesting."