Heart of the Abyss| Hwang Hyunjin

The Forbidden Tome

---
The library was silent, but something tugged at Mina's senses, pulling her toward an isolated alcove in the back. She couldn't explain it, only that this place felt familiar—like she had been here a thousand times. The air grew heavy as she spotted a blood-red book resting on a stone pedestal. It seemed alive, the silver etchings shimmering in a rhythmic pulse. Without thinking, she reached out and opened it.

Light flooded her vision, blinding and intense. She stumbled as the ground gave way beneath her, falling through a dark void until she hit solid ground. When she looked up, she was no longer in the library. Shadows blanketed the landscape around her, the sky swirling red and black. She stood alone, in a strange world that seemed both terrifying and oddly comforting.

"Well, well. You're back sooner than I expected," a voice said smoothly, each word rolling out like a taunt.

Mina turned to see a tall figure with dark, glinting eyes and an amused smirk. Something about him made her chest tighten. "Who... who are you?"

"Hyunjin. But perhaps that name won't mean anything to you now." He took a step forward, his gaze assessing. "Tell me, Mina. Do you know why you're here?"

"I—I don't even know where *here* is!" she replied, her pulse racing. "This place feels... wrong. But I can't explain it."

"Of course you can't. Humans aren't supposed to understand this realm," he said, eyes narrowing as he studied her face. "Then again, you're not entirely human, are you?"

She blinked, his words striking something deep within her, like a distant memory. "Not... human?"

A flicker of a smile appeared on his face. "Maybe you'll remember soon. It's been five thousand years, after all."

"Remember?" Mina's mind spun, trying to process his words. "What are you talking about?"

Hyunjin took another step closer, his eyes never leaving hers. "You weren't always like this, Mina. You once belonged here, in Hell, as one of us."

She shook her head, feeling the absurdity of his words clash with an undeniable familiarity. "That's impossible..."

"Is it?" he challenged, a dark edge to his tone. "Then tell me, why do you feel so drawn to this place? Why does it feel like you've come home?"

Mina's breath caught as flashes of memories—strange and fragmented—suddenly appeared in her mind. Shadows, fire, a pair of piercing eyes... She looked up at him, feeling the shock and fear mix with something she couldn't name.

"Hyunjin," she whispered, his name slipping from her lips without thinking. He looked surprised, then amused.

"So you do remember me—at least a little." He reached out and gently took her hand, his touch warm despite the darkness surrounding them. "But it'll take time. Your powers, your memories... they've been hidden for millennia."

"Powers? Memories?" Her mind reeled, her heart pounding with both fear and excitement. "I don't understand."

"You will," he said, his voice softening slightly. "But it won't be easy. Every five thousand years, a human awakens to their true nature as a devil. It's my duty to help them remember and return to who they once were." He paused, his gaze intense. "You were... different. My equal. My lover."

Mina's heart twisted at the word, and despite her confusion, she felt a strange familiarity, a pull that defied logic. She was silent, struggling to accept what he was saying.

"Why me?" she finally asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"Because you chose to live among humans long ago. But now, it's time to choose again." He leaned in, his voice barely above a murmur. "Will you embrace who you were meant to be? Or cling to a life that's no longer yours?"

The choice hung heavy in the air, both a promise and a warning. And as Mina looked into his eyes, she felt the pieces of her past and present colliding, leaving her with a question that would shape her destiny.

---