Stay close," Ravion whispered.
"From this moment, every shadow has its eyes on you."
He tightened his grip on her hand, and the world shifted.
A hum, deep and ancient, vibrated under Hana's feet, like Seoul's concrete veins pulsed with hidden magic. The city lights blurred, stretching into streaks of color as the air thickened, pressing against her skin. Her breath caught; the sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt.
"Ravion… what's happening?"
"We're leaving the surface world," he said without looking back. "Crossing the boundary."
"What boundary?"
"The one humans aren't meant to see."
A single step forward changed everything.
The alley dissolved.
The ground dipped.
The air turned cold.
And suddenly, they were standing inside a vast tunnel beneath Seoul, older, darker, and brimming with energy that felt both alive and watchful.
Blue flames hovered along the walls, floating like silent sentinels. Carvings, symbols, runes, faces,ran across the stone in intricate patterns. The ceiling arched impossibly high, supported by pillars that pulsed faintly like beating hearts.
Hana swallowed.
This wasn't a tunnel.
This was a world.
"Where… where are we?"
Ravion glanced at her, eyes glimmering in the ghostly light.
"The Umbral Veins. The hidden arteries beneath Seoul. The place where demons walk and shadows breathe."
"Is this your world?"
"One of them," he said. "But not the worst."
She shivered.
He noticed.
Without a word, he stepped closer, brushing his hand lightly down her arm. Heat, warm and steady, spread through her as if his touch pushed the cold away.
"You're trembling," he murmured.
"You just dragged me into a secret demon world, Ravion. Of course I'm trembling."
His lips tugged into the smallest, softest smile she had ever seen on him,a smile that didn't belong to a cursed demon, but to a man who cared too much.
It vanished quickly.
"Stay alert," he said, all softness gone. "The Umbral Veins have their rules. And their dangers."
They started walking again.
The path was long and winding, illuminated by the eerie blue flames. Strange whispers echoed faintly, like voices trapped in the walls. Hana felt eyes on her, unseen, unblinking, curious.
"Are they… watching us?" she whispered.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"You're a human," he said. "And humans don't come here unless they're offering themselves to a demon."
She stumbled. "Offering...what?!"
He shot her a sharp look. "You're not offering anything. You're with me."
"Is that supposed to make me feel safe?"
"It should."
"But it doesn't."
"It will."
"How can you be so sure?"
He stopped walking.
Turned to her slowly.
And then, with a voice that wrapped around her like velvet:
"Because I won't let anyone touch what's mine."
Hana froze.
His.
Mine.
The words burned hotter than the air around them.
"Ravion…" she whispered, suddenly breathless.
But before she could say more, a low rumble echoed through the tunnel.
Ravion stiffened. "Someone's coming."
"Someone?"
"No. Something."
The blue flames flickered violently.
A shadow peeled from the wall, tall, skeletal, crawling on elongated limbs. Its head turned toward them with a slow, cracking movement. Hollow sockets glowed a sickly red.
Hana's breath hitched. "What is that?"
"A sentinel," Ravion said. "Guardians of the Veins."
The creature hissed, its voice like scraping metal.
"Prince…"
"You return… with a human…"
Hana's heart stopped. Prince?
Ravion's jaw clenched.
"Stand down," he commanded.
The sentinel's limbs contracted, then extended with a sickening snap.
"She is marked…"
"She does not belong here…"
"She's under my protection," Ravion said coldly.
The sentinel tilted its head, studying them with an intelligence far too sharp.
"The Court will not like this."
"Let them choke on it," Ravion growled.
The air thickened.
The sentinel hesitated.
Then it bowed, bowed to Ravion, before melting back into the stone.
Hana stared at him.
"Ravion… why did it call you 'Prince'?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he walked forward, motioning for her to follow.
"Ravion."
Silence.
"Stop ignoring me. What are you?"
Finally, slowly, he turned.
"I am the last heir of the Shadow Court," he said quietly. "The cursed prince of a dying realm."
Her pulse thudded painfully.
"Prince… of demons?"
"Prince of shadows," he corrected. "Not all shadows are demons, and not all demons serve shadows."
"So you're… royalty?"
His expression darkened.
"A prince with no throne. A ruler of nothing but a curse."
They began walking again, the silence thick with questions Hana wasn't sure she was ready to ask.
A soft wind blew through the tunnel, though she couldn't tell where it came from. It carried whispers, too faint to decipher, yet impossible to ignore.
"Does everyone in this place know you?" she asked.
"Yes."
"And they all know about… me?"
"They will soon."
"That sounds… dangerous."
"It is."
"Ravion...."
He stopped again.
"Hana," he said, voice low and firm, "the moment you entered the Umbral Veins, you became part of my world. And my world is far more fragile than you think."
"Fragile?" she echoed, confused.
"Yes. Because it's dying."
Her eyes widened.
"What do you mean dying?"
He looked up at the ceiling as if he could see through stone, through city, through sky.
"Magic is fading," he said quietly. "The Veins are collapsing. The Shadow Court is fractured. And the curse that binds my bloodline is tightening with every passing year."
"Your curse…" Hana touched the sleeve of his coat. "What exactly does it do?"
Ravion inhaled, long and slow.
"It devours."
"Devours what?"
"My humanity."
Hana's breath caught.
"Ravion…"
"The curse was placed on my family centuries ago," he continued, voice growing hollow. "We were guardians, keepers of balance between the hidden and human worlds."
"And someone cursed you?"
"Yes. Someone powerful. Someone who wanted the gates between the worlds unprotected."
He looked at her, really looked and his eyes were haunted.
"I am the last of my line. If I fall to the curse… the shadows break free."
Hana took a step closer.
"How long… do you have?"
"I don't know."
That admission hit her harder than she expected.
They reached a wide stone archway carved with symbols that glowed faintly as Ravion approached. Beyond it lay a vast chamber, filled with drifting motes of silver light.
Hana gasped softly. The room was breathtaking, beautiful and eerie, ancient yet alive.
"This," Ravion said, "is the Chamber of Echoes."
"Why bring me here?"
"Because the Court will seek you soon. Here, I can cloak your presence temporarily."
He moved to the center of the chamber. The lights in the air swirled around him like stars caught in a breeze.
"Hana," he said, reaching a hand toward her, "step into the circle."
She hesitated. "Will it hurt?"
"No," he said gently. "It will listen to you."
"Listen?"
"It responds to emotion. To truth."
Her fingers trembled as she took his hand and stepped into the luminous circle.
The silver motes brightened instantly.
Ravion's breath hitched.
"It recognizes you," he murmured, astonished. "Humans shouldn't...."
A deep hum resonated from the stones beneath them.
Light surged.
Hana gasped as warmth enveloped her, soft at first, then intense, then overwhelming. Images flickered in her mind: shadows swirling, a river glowing red under a moon, wings breaking, a crown made of ash.
"What… is happening?" she gasped.
Ravion stepped closer, gripping her shoulders.
"The chamber is showing you its memory. Its truth."
"It's too much...!"
"Hana, breathe. I'm here."
The images shattered.
The light dimmed.
And the chamber fell silent again.
Hana stumbled.
Ravion caught her instantly, holding her steady.
She looked up at him, breathing hard.
"Ravion… I saw… you."
His body tensed.
"You saw… my past?"
"No." Her voice shook. "I saw your future."
Ravion's eyes widened.
"Tell me," he whispered.
She swallowed.
"You were standing alone in darkness… your shadow was bleeding… and someone whispered..."
Her voice broke.
"...The Prince has fallen.'"
Ravion froze.
Every muscle in his body locked.
"Hana," he said quietly, "you should not have seen that."
"Why?"
"Because," he said, pulling her close, his voice a mix of fear and something deeper, "it means the curse is moving faster."
She pressed her palms against his chest, feeling his heartbeat, strong, steady, and yet trembling beneath.
"Ravion," she whispered, "I'm not letting you fall."
He looked at her with an expression so raw, so vulnerable, it stole her breath.
"Hana," he murmured, leaning his forehead against hers, "I don't need a savior."
"I don't care," she whispered back. "You're getting one."
A faint, reluctant smile touched his lips.
But it didn't reach his eyes.
Because in the shadows behind him, unseen by Hana, a new whisper stirred.
"The Prince is not yours to save…"
"…human girl."