The morning light in Seoul was supposed to be ordinary—thin rays threading through high-rises, buses sighing at curbs, and tired commuters spilling like clockwork into the streets. But the illusion cracked the moment the air itself trembled.

Lin felt it first. The tether inside him pulsed, a violent shudder that nearly buckled his knees. He caught the edge of a railing, gasping as the city skyline wavered like a mirage. His skin prickled with heat. The scar was no longer confined to the abyss. It was here—pushing into daylight.

Min-joon was at his side instantly. "Lin—" His hand gripped Lin's shoulder, firm, grounding. "What is it? The tether?"

"It's… bleeding through," Lin hissed, sweat breaking across his brow. "The scar—it's not waiting for night."

Before Min-joon could reply, a sound cut through the morning traffic: a low, grinding groan, like metal tearing beneath the earth. Every car on the street jolted to a halt as though yanked by invisible wires. Pedestrians stumbled, clutching their ears as the ground shuddered.

Then it appeared.

A split, running jagged down the wall of a high-rise across the avenue. Not a crack from decay, not damage from construction—it was wrong. A black seam carved across the glass façade, opening wider with each second, leaking tendrils of pale smoke that curled like living things.

People screamed. Some ran. Others stood rooted, too shocked to move, phones trembling in their hands as they tried to capture the impossible.

Keller's voice snapped through the comm in Lin's ear. "We've got a breach! Repeat—a surface breach, central district!" His words were clipped, controlled, but Lin could hear the edge of panic beneath. "I thought you said the scar was contained."

"It was," Hwan growled, already pulling a weapon from beneath his coat. The older man's eyes narrowed on the widening seam. "But that tether has changed everything. The scar is feeding off him."

Lin's stomach twisted. The tether inside him flared, threads of heat crawling under his skin. He could feel the seam across the street—like a raw nerve exposed, hungry, reaching.

Min-joon tightened his grip on him. "Lin. Don't let it pull you."

"I'm trying," Lin muttered, jaw clenched. His vision doubled, splitting between the real street filled with terrified civilians and the other side—a warped, shadowy reflection bleeding through the crack. Dark figures twitched and clawed against the seam, pressing forward as though testing the barrier.

And then the first thing slipped through.

It wasn't beast or shadow, not like the monsters they'd faced below. It was human—at least in shape. A figure stepped out of the seam, dressed in a tattered business suit, its face eerily blank. The man—if it could be called that—moved with jerky precision, eyes empty sockets leaking smoke. He tilted his head, scanning the street of frozen civilians, and smiled.

Lin staggered. "No. That's not possible."

"It's adapting," Hwan said grimly. "It's using our image now. To blend. To hunt."

Chaos broke. Civilians screamed and bolted in every direction. Cars screeched as drivers tried to escape, crashing into each other in desperate flight. The figure moved calmly through the madness, ignoring the panicked crowd, its gaze locked solely on Lin.

Keller drew his sidearm, leveling it with icy focus. "Permission to drop it."

"Do it," Hwan barked.

The shot cracked across the street, sharp as thunder. The bullet ripped through the figure's chest—but instead of falling, it simply reeled back, smoke billowing from the wound. Its smile widened, splitting unnaturally across its face. Then it stepped forward again.

Lin felt the tether seize inside him, wrenching painfully, as if trying to pull him toward the creature. He bit back a cry, knees hitting pavement. Min-joon crouched with him, both arms bracing Lin.

"Stay with me," Min-joon urged, his voice fierce, desperate. "Don't let it take you!"

"I—can't—" Lin's voice cracked, the tether burning through his veins like molten metal. He could feel the figure's pull, a terrible recognition. It was bound to him.

Another seam split open beside the first. Then another. The high-rise façade was a spiderweb of fractures now, each one leaking more pale smoke, more silhouettes writhing just beyond the surface.

Keller cursed under his breath. "We're about to have a full-scale breach. We need extraction—now!"

"No," Lin rasped, forcing himself upright despite Min-joon's protests. His eyes locked on the first figure stepping calmly toward them. "If we run, it follows. It doesn't want Seoul—it wants me."

"And what, you're planning to hand yourself over?" Keller snapped, voice taut with fury.

Lin's lips pulled into a grim line. "I'm planning to fight it."

The tether writhed again, but this time Lin didn't resist blindly. He reached for it, gripping the burning thread inside him with raw willpower. The pain was excruciating—like grabbing a live wire—but he held on.

And for a heartbeat, the seam across the street faltered. The smoke recoiled, the advancing figure stuttering in its step.

Hwan's eyes narrowed. "He's controlling it. The tether—he's turning it against them."

Min-joon's voice was low, urgent. "Lin. Listen to me. You're not alone in this. Anchor to me. Don't drown in it."

Lin nodded once, sweat pouring down his face. He closed his eyes, breathing raggedly, and reached deeper into the tether. For a moment the world spun out of focus—sirens wailing, civilians screaming, the earth groaning beneath the unnatural fractures.

And then he pulled.

The seam shuddered violently. The first figure shrieked, a high-pitched wail that rattled the glass around them. Its smile collapsed into a gaping maw as smoke poured from its sockets. The second seam buckled, shadows clawing desperately as if dragged backward.

For the first time, Lin wasn't being pulled. He was the one pulling.

The tether blazed inside him, threads of burning light weaving through his veins. He opened his eyes—and they glowed faintly, an otherworldly white.

The figures froze, as if caught in invisible chains. The civilians who hadn't fled gawked in horror and awe, phones raised shakily as they recorded the impossible.

"Lin…" Min-joon whispered, voice trembling. "What are you becoming?"

Before Lin could answer, the first figure broke free of the invisible hold. It staggered forward, its body contorting grotesquely, features twisting until it no longer resembled a man. Its head split open, smoke pouring like a geyser, and from its chest a new seam tore open.

Hwan swore, raising his weapon. "It's not just crossing—it's creating new scars!"

The tether within Lin convulsed violently, a backlash so strong he cried out. His legs gave way again, and Min-joon caught him, holding him upright against the chaos.

Keller fired again, each shot punctuated by the roar of panicked civilians. Bullets slowed the thing, tearing chunks of smoke and flesh-like shadow, but it refused to die.

The ground beneath them cracked. The seams weren't contained to the building anymore. Thin fissures snaked across the street, glowing faintly, the smell of ozone thick in the air.

Then, from the largest seam, another figure emerged. Taller. Broader. Its suit immaculate, its movements calm, deliberate. Unlike the others, it wasn't blank-faced. Its eyes glowed faintly white—mirroring Lin's.

It looked straight at him.

And smiled.

"Finally," it said, its voice deep and resonant, carrying across the chaos like a sermon. "The tether lives. And so does the key."

Lin's blood ran cold.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.