Chapter 46: Shadows and Secrets

Two days later, Jinyoung found himself standing at the entrance of the Ruins of Eldrion, the massive, crumbling structure towering above him. The ruins were older than anything else on Earth, their stone walls etched with runes that had long since faded into obscurity. The air was thick with mana, heavy and oppressive, and the silence of the surrounding forest only made it worse.

Yuna stood beside him, her expression sharp as she scanned the ruins with a cautious eye. Minah was nearby, her flame sword drawn, flickering with anticipation. But despite the danger that lay ahead, Jinyoung felt a strange calm settle over him. He had faced worse than this, and he had come out alive.

But that calm was interrupted when his All-Knowing Eye flickered to life. There was something—or someone—inside the ruins. A presence that wasn’t part of the ruins or their group. His body tensed, his senses sharpening as he extended his awareness.

"I’ll go ahead," Jinyoung said, stepping forward before either Yuna or Minah could react. "There’s something I need to check out alone."

Yuna’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped toward him, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Alone? You’re not thinking of going in without us, are you?"

Jinyoung shook his head. "I won’t go far. Just give me a few minutes."

Minah crossed her arms, her fiery magic flickering around her. "Don’t get yourself killed. We need you alive if this whole ‘save the world’ thing is going to work out."

Jinyoung nodded, offering them both a small, reassuring smile before slipping into the ruins.

The moment he stepped inside, the air grew colder. The walls of the ruins were tight, the narrow corridors twisting and turning, creating an almost maze-like structure. Jinyoung moved silently, his All-Knowing Eye guiding him as he followed the faint mana signature deeper into the ruins.

Then, without warning, he came across her.

A figure stood at the far end of the corridor, bathed in the pale light of the dungeon’s eerie glow. She was tall, her long dark hair cascading down her back, and her presence radiated a quiet but undeniable strength. She wore light armor—sleek, practical—but it was her eyes that caught his attention. They were sharp, focused, and filled with something he hadn’t expected—recognition.

She looked up at him, her expression unreadable as she took a step forward. "I was wondering when you’d show up, Jinyoung."

Jinyoung’s heart skipped a beat. How did she know his name?

He didn’t move, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. "Who are you?" His voice was calm, but his muscles were coiled, ready for action.

The woman smirked, a glint of amusement in her eyes. "We’ve met before, though you might not remember it. You’ve been chasing the cosmic entities for a long time. I’ve been chasing them too."

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes. "I don’t remember you."

She shrugged, stepping closer. "That’s the thing about timelines. You don’t always remember the people who played a role in them. But I remember you, Jinyoung. You and I… we have more in common than you think."

He watched her carefully, his instincts warning him to be cautious, but something about her was familiar. Not in the way Eunwoo had been, but in a way that tugged at the edges of his memory, as though she had been part of something important, something forgotten.

"What’s your name?" Jinyoung asked, his voice steady.

She hesitated for a moment before answering. "Sohyeon."

The name didn’t stir any memories, but her presence felt important. She didn’t seem hostile, but Jinyoung wasn’t one to let his guard down easily.

"Why are you here, Sohyeon?"

Her eyes softened slightly, and she took a step forward, her voice dropping to a quieter tone. "I’m here for the same reason you are. I want to end this. The cosmic entities—the Weaver of Fates—they have to be stopped. And I believe you’re the one who can do it."

Chapter 47: Unseen Connections

Sohyeon’s words lingered in Jinyoung’s mind as he continued to watch her, his instincts battling with his curiosity. There was something about her—something that made him feel like she was more than just another stranger caught in the chaos of the dungeons. But the mystery of her sudden appearance didn’t sit well with him.

"You seem to know more about me than I know about you," Jinyoung said, keeping his tone measured. "If we’ve crossed paths before, I’d like to know how."

Sohyeon met his gaze, her expression softening slightly. "It’s complicated. I’m not aligned with the entities, if that’s what you’re thinking. But I’ve been affected by them—just like you."

Before Jinyoung could respond, Sohyeon’s eyes flicked to the entrance behind him. "Looks like your friends are coming. We’ll talk more later, Jinyoung."

With a quiet smile that carried more meaning than she revealed, Sohyeon stepped back into the shadows, vanishing into the ruins as if she had never been there.

Chapter 48: Reunion

Jinyoung barely had time to process Sohyeon’s departure before Yuna and Minah appeared, both of them eyeing him with a mix of curiosity and frustration.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Yuna asked, her voice edged with concern.

Jinyoung nodded but didn’t offer any more information. "Yeah, I did. But there’s more going on here than I thought."

Minah stepped forward, her flame sword still crackling with energy. "Then let’s get this over with. The faster we clear this place, the faster we get answers."

As the group continued deeper into the ruins, Jinyoung’s mind was a storm of thoughts. Between the tension with Yuna, the reappearance of Eunwoo, and now this mysterious woman, Sohyeon, things were growing more complicated by the moment. And yet, there was a strange sense of calm—he had allies, even if their paths were clouded by secrets.

And in the depths of these ruins, he would begin to uncover the truth that had been buried for far too long.

Chapter 49: Deeper into the Ruins

The Ruins of Eldrion stretched before them like a labyrinth carved from the bones of an ancient civilization. Its walls bore the scars of time, the once-grand architecture reduced to crumbling stone and half-buried corridors. But the deeper Jinyoung, Yuna, and Minah ventured, the more it became clear that these ruins were more than just the remnants of an old world—they were a tomb filled with secrets the cosmic entities had tried to bury.

Yet, Jinyoung's mind wasn’t entirely on the mission. His thoughts lingered on the woman he had just met—Sohyeon. The way she had recognized him, the way she spoke about the entities and their war, made it clear she wasn’t just some random adventurer.

More than that, he felt something when he saw her. A flicker of familiarity, an echo of something lost in time. But no matter how hard he tried to place it, the memory wouldn’t come.

"Jinyoung."

Yuna’s voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned to find her watching him closely, her silver-blue eyes filled with an emotion he couldn’t quite place. Concern? Frustration?

"You’ve been quiet since we got back," she said, walking beside him as they navigated the ruins. "Something on your mind?"

Jinyoung hesitated for a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing important."

"Liar," Yuna said, crossing her arms.

Minah, walking ahead, snorted. "He’s always brooding about something."

Jinyoung smirked at her remark but didn’t argue. They weren’t wrong—he had too many thoughts clawing at his mind. The cosmic entities, Eunwoo, and now Sohyeon—the mysteries kept piling up, and he had more questions than answers.

"We should keep moving," he said instead, shifting the conversation. "This place isn’t going to explore itself."

Chapter 50: Echoes of the Past

The deeper they went, the colder it became. The walls, once covered in dust and overgrowth, now gleamed with an unnatural glow, runes lighting up as they passed. It was as if the ruins themselves were reacting to their presence.

Then the whispers began.

At first, it was barely noticeable, a faint murmur on the edge of hearing. But as they pressed on, the whispers grew clearer, twisting into words spoken in an ancient tongue.

Yuna stiffened beside him, her hand instinctively reaching for her dagger. "Do you hear that?"

Minah nodded, her flame sword flaring up in response. "It’s like the ruins are… alive."

Jinyoung narrowed his eyes, activating his All-Knowing Eye. His vision sharpened, peeling away the veil of illusions, revealing the true nature of the Ruins of Eldrion—this wasn’t just a dungeon.

It was a memory, frozen in time.

The walls shifted, revealing flickering images of the past—warriors battling monstrous beings, sorcerers carving spells into the stone, and at the heart of it all, a woman cloaked in white, wielding a sword wreathed in fire and ice.

Jinyoung’s breath hitched. He recognized her.

Sohyeon.

But this wasn’t the woman he had just met. This was a different version of her, from a time long before his own.

"What the hell is this?" Minah whispered, watching the scene unfold like a ghostly projection.

"It’s a remnant," Jinyoung murmured. "A piece of history trapped in this place."

The projection of Sohyeon fought relentlessly, her movements precise, each strike cutting down the monstrous entities around her. But what caught Jinyoung’s attention was the symbol on her chest—a crest he had seen before.

The same crest that adorned the ruins.

And then, just as suddenly as it appeared, the vision shattered, leaving them in darkness once more.

Yuna exhaled sharply. "What… was that?"

Jinyoung clenched his fists. "A warning. Or a reminder."

A reminder that this war had been fought before—and that history had a way of repeating itself.

Chapter 51: The Hunter’s Prey

They pressed on, and soon they came upon the first true challenge of the ruins. A vast, open chamber stretched before them, its floor covered in intricate sigils. And at its center stood a towering figure—a guardian, twisted by the corruption of the cosmic entities.

Its body was made of blackened stone, runes glowing along its limbs, and its eyes burned with an eerie golden fire.

A Guardian of Eldrion.

"This thing is strong," Minah muttered, shifting into a combat stance.

Jinyoung’s All-Knowing Eye flickered, analyzing the guardian’s weaknesses. Its power was tied to the sigils on the floor—disrupt them, and it would weaken.

"We need to break the runes," he said, unsheathing his sword.

Without hesitation, Minah lunged forward, flames bursting from her blade as she struck. The impact sent sparks flying, but the guardian barely flinched, retaliating with a devastating swing of its massive arm.

BOOM!

The force of the attack cracked the stone beneath them, forcing them to scatter.

Yuna acted next, her icy magic surging as she launched spears of frozen mana at the guardian’s joints, aiming to slow it down.

Jinyoung, meanwhile, moved with precision. Using his Temporal Severance, he stepped through time itself, his blade slicing through the runes at lightning speed.

The guardian roared, its power faltering as the sigils flickered and dimmed.

"Now!" Jinyoung shouted.

Minah didn’t hesitate. She leaped into the air, fire swirling around her, and with a final, devastating strike, she brought her sword down on the guardian’s core.

CRACK!

The guardian let out a deafening wail as its body shattered, collapsing into a heap of broken stone.

Silence followed.

Minah exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "That wasn’t so bad."

Jinyoung smirked. "You say that now."

Yuna, however, wasn’t smiling. She was watching Jinyoung carefully, her expression unreadable.

"You’re changing," she said quietly.

Jinyoung turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She hesitated, then shook her head. "Never mind. Let’s keep going."

But Jinyoung knew her well enough to catch the meaning behind her words. She had seen something in the way he fought, in the way he moved—something that unsettled her.

And he wasn’t sure if that was a good thing.