Vena’s POV The two messages remained on my screen.
“If you want the truth…
don’t go to Blackwood Chapel.” And beneath it…
“If you don’t go to Blackwood Chapel tonight…
everyone dies again.” I read them over and over.
Neither message felt fake.
Neither felt trustworthy.
It was like two invisible hands were pulling me in opposite directions.
I slipped my phone into my pocket and looked toward the forest beyond the city skyline.
The clouds had almost swallowed the moon.
A storm was coming.
“…If this is a trap…” I whispered to myself.
“…then why does it feel like I already know the ending?” The words escaped before I could stop them.
Maybe because…
I had already died once.
Or maybe…
Some part of me remembered something that my mind refused to accept.
Instead of going home, I walked toward the bus stop.
The streets were still crowded.
Cars honked impatiently.
Food stalls filled the air with the smell of spicy noodles and grilled corn.
College students laughed while recording videos for social media.
Everyone looked…
Normal.
And I hated it.
How could the world continue so casually…
When mine had fallen apart twice?
My phone vibrated again.
This time…
It wasn’t an unknown number.
It was Nikhil.
I stared at his name until the phone almost stopped ringing.
Finally…
I answered.
“Hello?” “Where are you?” His voice sounded calm.
Too calm.
“I’m…
with a classmate.” A lie.
There was a brief silence.
“I see.” “I came to pick you up.” “I’m sorry.” “I forgot to tell you.” “No problem.” He chuckled softly.
“Just don’t be late.” “Mom worries when you stay out.” His words sounded caring.
But something about them bothered me.
He never asked…
Which classmate?
Where?
Or when I would return.
Almost as if…
He already knew.
“I’ll be home soon.” “Alright.” “And Vena…” “Yes?” “If someone invites you somewhere tonight…” “…don’t go.” The line went silent.
Before I could ask anything— He disconnected.
I slowly lowered the phone.
The same warning.
Again.
Why?
If Nikhil wanted to stop my awakening…
Shouldn’t he want me to go?
Unless…
He knew someone else would be waiting there.
The bus arrived.
I got on without thinking.
Only after sitting near the window did I realize…
This wasn’t the route to my house.
I looked up.
Route 17.
Blackwood District.
“…What?” I never boarded this bus.
I was certain.
Then why…
The driver closed the doors.
The bus started moving.
I hurried toward him.
“Excuse me!” “I need to get off.” Without taking his eyes off the road, he replied, “Next stop.” His voice sounded strangely mechanical.
Almost rehearsed.
I turned around.
Every passenger was staring at me.
No one blinked.
No one spoke.
Just…
Watching.
An uncomfortable feeling settled in my chest.
I walked back to my seat.
The passengers slowly looked away.
As if nothing had happened.
“…I’m seriously starting to lose my mind.” Twenty minutes later…
The city lights disappeared.
Concrete buildings became old warehouses.
Warehouses became abandoned factories.
Factories became trees.
The forest surrounded the road.
Rain began falling against the windows.
The bus slowed down.
A robotic voice echoed through the speakers.
“Final stop.” The doors opened.
Outside…
There was no station.
Only a cracked road leading toward the forest.
I looked back at the driver.
“Is this Blackwood District?” He smiled.
For the first time.
“You’ve arrived.” Something about that smile…
Made me step off the bus immediately.
The moment my feet touched the ground— The doors shut.
The bus drove away.
I quickly took out my phone.
No signal.
Perfect.
The forest was unnaturally quiet.
Not a single insect.
Not even the sound of birds.
Only the rain.
I switched on my flashlight.
The beam cut through the darkness.
Old stone markers lined the narrow path.
Some had names.
Others were completely blank.
As I walked deeper…
The pendant around my neck became warm again.
Then warmer.
Until it almost burned.
I grabbed it instinctively.
The silver symbol glowed faintly beneath my fingers.
“…You’re reacting again.” For the first time…
Instead of fear…
I felt curiosity.
Almost as if the pendant was trying to guide me somewhere.
I followed the narrow trail.
Ten minutes later…
The trees suddenly ended.
In front of me stood an old chapel.
It wasn’t grand.
It wasn’t beautiful.
It looked forgotten.
Its stained-glass windows were shattered.
Vines covered most of the stone walls.
The large wooden doors hung slightly open.
A rusted cross leaned sideways on the roof.
This…
Was Blackwood Chapel.
I stepped closer.
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
The air around the building felt…
Heavy.
As if invisible eyes watched from every direction.
I reached for the door.
Just before touching it— A voice spoke behind me.
“Don’t.” I spun around immediately.
No one.
Only darkness.
Then…
The voice came again.
Closer this time.
“If you open that door…” “…you’ll never be able to return as the person you are now.” “…Who’s there?” Silence.
A cold wind rushed past me.
The chapel doors creaked open by themselves.
Inside…
Everything was pitch black.
Except…
For a single candle burning at the far end of the hall.
One candle.
In an abandoned chapel.
That should have been impossible.
The flame flickered once.
Twice.
Then suddenly— Every candle inside the chapel lit up.
One after another.
As if someone invisible was walking through the darkness, lighting each one in perfect sequence.
My heartbeat echoed in my ears.
The pendant suddenly became so hot that I almost pulled it off.
Then…
It stopped.
Completely.
The warmth disappeared.
The symbol no longer glowed.
It was as if…
It had recognized this place.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I stepped across the entrance.
The heavy wooden door behind me closed on its own.
Bang.
I turned instantly.
The door wouldn’t move.
No matter how hard I pulled.
Locked.
From the outside.
Or…
From something else.
I took a deep breath and turned back toward the candlelit hall.
My footsteps echoed across the cracked stone floor.
At the center of the chapel…
A large circular symbol was carved into the ground.
The exact same symbol from the pendant.
The envelope.
And the photograph.
Except this one…
Was much older.
Much larger.
Almost as if everything else had been copied from it.
I slowly knelt beside it.
Running my fingers across the carving.
The stone felt…
Warm.
Just like the pendant.
Then…
I noticed something beside the circle.
Fresh footprints.
Someone else…
Had entered this chapel before me.
And judging by the wet mud…
They had arrived only a few minutes earlier.
I slowly stood up.
The footprints disappeared into the darkness behind the altar.
I switched off my flashlight.
The candlelight was enough.
Taking one careful step after another…
I followed the trail.
…
Every step echoed through the abandoned chapel.
Tap…
Tap…
Tap…
The footprints disappeared behind the old altar.
I stopped.
There was nothing there.
Only a cracked stone wall covered with dust.
“…That’s impossible.” I looked down again.
The muddy footprints ended exactly in front of the wall.
No return footprints.
No hidden doorway.
Nothing.
It was as if the person had simply…
Vanished.
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
Slowly…
I placed my hand against the cold stone.
Nothing happened.
I knocked on it.
Solid.
“No secret passage…” Then where did they go?
Suddenly…
The pendant around my neck vibrated.
Not once.
Three times.
I quickly stepped back.
The circular symbol carved into the floor began glowing with a faint silver light.
One line…
Then another…
Until every carving inside the circle was illuminated.
The air inside the chapel grew heavier.
Almost impossible to breathe.
A low humming sound echoed from beneath the floor.
I looked around.
“What is happening…?” The humming became louder.
The stone wall in front of me trembled slightly.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Then— Click…
A small piece of the wall slid backward.
A hidden scanner.
No bigger than my palm.
In the center…
The same symbol.
Only this one had a tiny hole shaped exactly like the pendant.
“…No way.” My heart started racing.
Was this…
A key?
I slowly removed the pendant from my neck.
The silver chain trembled in my hand.
Every instinct told me not to do it.
Yet…
I couldn’t stop myself.
Just as I moved the pendant closer— A loud voice echoed through the chapel.
“Don’t.” I froze.
The voice wasn’t behind me.
It came from everywhere.
The walls.
The ceiling.
The floor.
Everywhere.
“Who are you?” Silence.
Then…
A calm voice answered.
“If you open that door today…” “…you’ll give them exactly what they want.” “Them?” “Who are ‘they’?” No reply.
Instead…
The candles suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed everything.
My phone flashlight turned on automatically.
I hadn’t touched it.
The screen displayed only one sentence.
TURN AROUND.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I turned.
Someone was standing at the entrance of the chapel.
A man.
Tall.
Dressed in black.
The same long coat.
The same gloves.
The same mask.
The mysterious man.
He hadn’t moved.
He simply watched me.
For a moment…
Neither of us spoke.
Finally…
I gathered the courage.
“You…” “You were at the warehouse.” He gave a small nod.
“And after my rebirth…” Another nod.
“Who are you?” Instead of answering…
He looked toward the hidden scanner.
His voice remained calm.
“You were about to make your biggest mistake.” I frowned.
“Then tell me the truth.” “What is this place?” He slowly walked toward me.
His footsteps made no sound.
“This chapel…” “…doesn’t exist.” I blinked.
“What?” “It was erased from every map.” “Every government record.” “Every satellite image.” “Even people who live nearby don’t remember it exists.” I looked around in confusion.
“But…” “I’m standing inside it.” He looked directly into my eyes.
“Because your blood allowed you to find it.” A cold shiver ran through my body.
Again…
Blood.
Everything always returned to my bloodline.
“What is so special about my blood?” He remained silent.
For several seconds…
I thought he wouldn’t answer.
Then…
“Your blood carries memories.” I frowned.
“What does that even mean?” “Human memories disappear.” “Your blood remembers.” The words made no sense.
“What memories?” “The memories of everyone who came before you.” My breathing stopped.
“No…” “That’s impossible.” “Science doesn’t work like that.” He smiled beneath the mask.
“Neither does rebirth.” I couldn’t argue with that.
The mysterious man suddenly looked toward the entrance.
His entire posture changed.
As if he had sensed something.
“We’re out of time.” “What?” “They’ve found you.” Before I could ask who…
The chapel doors exploded open.
BOOM!
The force threw dust into the air.
Moonlight flooded the hall.
Several figures dressed in black tactical uniforms rushed inside.
They weren’t ordinary people.
Each of them wore an earpiece.
Protective armor.
And carried strange metallic weapons unlike anything I had seen before.
One of them shouted, “Target located!” Another pointed directly at me.
“There she is!” I instinctively stepped backward.
“What…?” The masked man immediately stood between me and them.
“Run.” “I’m not leaving you.” “You don’t have a choice.” One of the armed men raised a strange device.
It wasn’t a gun.
It looked more like advanced military equipment.
The device emitted a sharp blue pulse.
The masked man pushed me aside.
The pulse struck him directly.
Nothing happened.
The soldiers froze.
“…Impossible.” “Why isn’t it working?” The masked man slowly looked up.
“You came unprepared.” Within seconds…
He disappeared.
Not vanished.
Moved.
So fast…
My eyes couldn’t follow him.
A loud crash echoed through the chapel.
One soldier flew across the room.
Another hit the stone pillar.
A third dropped his weapon before collapsing.
I stared in complete shock.
“…He’s human…” “…Right?” The remaining soldiers backed away.
One of them immediately spoke into his communicator.
“Emergency!” “Send the Commander!” “The Guardian is here!” Guardian?
Who were they talking about?
The masked man didn’t chase them.
Instead…
He turned toward me.
“You need to leave.” “Now.” “I won’t leave until you explain!” His eyes met mine.
For the first time…
I saw emotion.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Sadness.
“If you learn everything today…” “…your second life will become shorter than your first.” “What does that mean?” He reached into his coat.
Pulled out a small black box.
And handed it to me.
“Don’t open this.” “Until…” He stopped speaking.
His gaze shifted behind me.
I slowly turned around.
The hidden scanner…
Was glowing again.
Except…
This time…
It wasn’t asking for the pendant.
It was asking…
For blood.
Fresh blood.
Words began appearing across the ancient stone.
One after another.
As though someone invisible was writing them.
BLOODLINE VERIFIED The chapel trembled violently.
The ground beneath my feet cracked.
The hidden stone wall slowly opened.
Behind it…
A staircase descended deep underground.
Cold air rushed upward.
The masked man’s voice became unusually tense.
“No…” “It shouldn’t open yet.” I looked at him.
“You knew this was here?” “I hoped…” “…it had forgotten you.” Before I could understand his words— A deep mechanical sound echoed from beneath the staircase.
Not footsteps.
Not an earthquake.
Something…
Far bigger.
Something…
Awakening.
The soldiers who were still conscious immediately stepped backward.
One of them whispered in fear, “It actually exists…” Another slowly removed his helmet.
His face had turned completely pale.
“We have to leave…” “We’re too late.” The masked man looked directly into the darkness below.
Then quietly spoke words that made my blood run cold.
“…Who opened the First Gate before she was ready?” Silence.
Then…
From somewhere deep beneath the chapel…
A little girl’s voice echoed upward.
Soft.
Broken.
And haunting.
“…You’re finally back…” My entire body froze.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it before.
Not in this life.
Not even in my previous life.
But somewhere…
Far older.
Far deeper.
As if it belonged to a memory that wasn’t mine…
Yet somehow…
Had always been waiting for me.
I took one slow step toward the staircase.
The masked man immediately grabbed my wrist.
His voice was sharper than ever before.
“Don’t look down.” “…Why?” He didn’t answer.
Instead…
He stared into the darkness with visible fear.
The same man who had faced armed soldiers without hesitation…
Was afraid.
Afraid of whatever was beneath those stairs.
My heart pounded.
If the Guardian feared it…
Then what exactly…
Was waiting for me in the darkness?
To Be Continued…