> Even when broken, a guardian doesn't stop protecting. But when the ones she failed return... how does she forgive herself?
---
[Hanseong Infirmary – Evening]
The first thing Taerim felt was warmth.
Soft sheets. A faint scent of lavender. Quiet voices.
Her head throbbed, but she didn't want to move. The weight in her chest had lifted—only to be replaced with something heavier.
Hope.
A trembling hope she didn't know how to hold.
She opened her eyes slowly.
"...She's awake."
The voice was low, familiar, and trembling.
Joonbyul.
She turned her head—three silhouettes hovered by the bed.
"Hey," whispered Joonhyuk with a soft grin. "Still a light sleeper, huh?"
"You're real..." she croaked.
They nodded. "Yeah. We're real."
"Then... I'm not dreaming?"
"No," said Joonseok, kneeling beside her. "Not anymore."
She sat up, and the world tilted for a second.
But then arms surrounded her.
A tight embrace. Safe. Familiar. Unshaken by the years.
Taerim sobbed.
"You died. I thought I killed you—I felt you burn—"
"You didn't," Joonseok said firmly. "We got out. Barely. But we did. Because of you."
"I couldn't protect you."
"You did. You just don't remember the whole story."
---
[Flashback – 7 Years Ago]
The explosion ripped the lab apart.
As Taerim's powers surged, Juwon, Siyoon, and the others broke free from their cells.
But it was the three older brothers—already half-mutated, already in pain—who carried the younger ones out through a back tunnel.
"You have to live," Taerim had screamed as her body cracked with power. "Run—NOW!"
The last thing Joonseok saw was Taerim's face, bloodied, smiling, before the flames swallowed her.
---
[Present]
Back in the infirmary, silence lingered.
"You all... escaped because I exploded," Taerim whispered. "How is that not my fault?"
"Because we were meant to die," Juwon said, now leaning on the door. "They made you explode. They forced the mutation. You saved us by breaking the cycle."
"But you disappeared."
"We were taken in by a hidden division. We trained. We survived. We searched for you for years. And now..." He reached out a hand. "We found you."
Taerim looked at it.
Her fingers trembled.
Then, slowly, she reached forward—and placed her hand in his.
For the first time in years, she felt anchored.
---
[Dormitory Rooftop – Later That Night]
The group sat under the stars. Their dorm building had been specially assigned to the "special cases." Each student had their own room, but the top floor was a shared living space.
"I still can't believe you're here," Taerim said, hugging her knees.
"I can't believe you cut your hair," Hajoon teased, lying across the beanbag.
"She didn't cut it," Harin corrected. "It got burned when she tried saving a fox last year."
Taerim blushed. "Shut up."
Everyone laughed.
Even Siyoon cracked a smile.
But the joy was short-lived.
"So... what happened to them?" Taerim asked. Her voice lowered. "The scientists."
Silence.
"Some escaped," said Yulseung. "Others vanished. And some... changed."
"Mutated," added Joonseok. "Their own experiments turned on them."
"They're building something," Juwon said. "A second phase. A new generation of monsters. That's why we're here."
Taerim's blood ran cold. "A second generation?"
"F-class to A-class mutants. Some don't even look human anymore."
"We joined the Guild to stop them," said Harin. "But... we needed our leader."
Taerim flinched. "I'm not your leader anymore."
"You are," Joonhyuk said softly. "You always were."
"I can't even control my powers."
"You can. You just haven't had to, in years."
She looked away.
But her fingers curled into fists.
---
[The Next Morning – Hanseong Cafeteria]
"Taerim-ssi!" the lunch lady smiled. "You want the same tiny breakfast again?"
"Yes, please," Taerim said with a shy bow.
Behind her, Harin rolled her eyes. "You have to eat more. You look like you'll blow away in the wind."
"Maybe I want to," Taerim muttered.
Yulseung laughed. "Too bad. We're your weights now."
She sat with them, quietly nibbling on toast. Across the table, Juwon leaned forward.
"We're going to need your help soon."
"With what?"
"The first mutant... has been spotted near campus."
Taerim's eyes snapped up.
---
[Later – Strategy Room, Guild Tower (Hidden inside school grounds)]
A hologram projected a shadowy figure.
Code name: RAVEN.
Class: Unknown.
Formerly human.
Now... unrecognizable.
Taerim felt sick.
"We've seen this before," she said. "In the labs. Project Harpy. They were trying to graft wings—"
"RAVEN is their success," Siyoon finished grimly.
"It's targeting students. Low-level awakeners."
"Why?" Harin asked.
"To force evolution," Taerim said softly. "It's what they always did."
Everyone turned to her.
She clenched her fists.
"I'll stop it. I won't let anyone go through what we did."
---
[Night – Outside the Forest Edge]
Moonlight bathed the trees in silver. The group stood ready. Each wore their old gear—now upgraded with Guild tech.
Taerim stood between Juwon and Siyoon, her hands glowing faintly.
"Scared?" Juwon asked.
"Terrified," she admitted.
"But still standing," Siyoon said with a rare smile.
A rustle echoed through the trees.
Then—
SCREEEEEEEEECH!
A hulking figure dove from the sky. Black wings spread like razors. Its body was twisted, skeletal, and humming with unstable energy.
"Contact!" Joonbyul yelled.
"Split formation!" Joonseok commanded.
Harin and Hajoon flanked from the side. Joonhyuk jumped to the trees.
"Taerim, you're center!" Juwon shouted. "Light barrier—NOW!"
She hesitated—
Then screamed—
"Radiant Shell!"
A burst of golden light exploded from her hands. It pushed the mutant back mid-air.
"Nice shot!" Yulseung whooped.
The fight began.
---
[Later – After the Battle]
The monster dissolved into ash.
Taerim collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Her arms shook. Her veins pulsed with pain.
But she was alive.
And no one had died.
They surrounded her—grinning, bleeding, panting.
"You're amazing," Harin whispered.
Taerim laughed.
Then cried.
And no one stopped her.
---
[Final Scene – Elsewhere in the City]
A shadow sat atop a ruined building, watching the battle replay through a drone.
"She's alive," said a voice behind him.
"Of course she is," the figure replied. "The First Light never goes out."
The scientist stepped into the moonlight.
His face was burned. His eyes, glowing.
"Begin Phase Two. We'll bring her back. Whether she wants to come... or not."
---