The guild's HQ vibrated with the pulse of danger.
Red lights flashed across the ceiling. Sirens blared. Screens lit up with the message: "LEVEL 6 BREACH – ENEMY WITHIN."
Taerim stood frozen for only a second before instincts kicked in.
Juwon's voice cut through the alarm again. "South Wing. Two intruders. High-level threat. All active agents report immediately."
Joonbyul grabbed his twin blades, eyes sharp. "We'll handle the left flank."
"No," Taerim said firmly. "We go together."
Her brothers hesitated. She met each of their gazes—resolute, fierce, unwavering.
"I'm not a child anymore. If they're here for me, I'm not running."
Joonseok smirked faintly. "She's still stubborn, huh."
Joonhyuk cracked his knuckles. "Just like always."
They moved as a unit, storming down the corridor as the floor trembled beneath them.
They weren't the only ones.
Kim Yulseung launched through a window, twin pistols blazing. Ryu Hajoon skated across the walls with wind-enhanced speed, intercepting a black-clad attacker with a roundhouse kick. Ryu Harin summoned a fiery whip from thin air, striking with ruthless precision.
Siyoon was already fighting at the front—calm, efficient, brutal. Shadows curled around his limbs, forming claws that slashed through enemy tech like paper.
Taerim's heart pounded. These weren't just kids from school.
These were soldiers. Survivors.
Just like her.
---
The intruders wore black suits with silver insignias: the mark of the Rebirth Corps, a rogue faction formed by remnants of the original scientists.
Taerim narrowed her eyes.
"They're not here to scout. They're here to extract."
"Then let's make sure they leave empty-handed," Juwon growled, appearing beside her.
He didn't wear a mask this time.
His face was bloodied, but his resolve burned like wildfire.
He tossed her a compact comm-link. "Stay connected."
"What's the plan?" she asked.
"We burn them out."
---
The battle raged.
Sparks flew as Taerim summoned her energy burst, detonating the corridor behind her and blasting three Rebirth agents into the wall.
"Go left!" Joonseok shouted, shielding her with a glowing barrier. Joonhyuk dashed forward, grabbing one of the downed agents and slamming him into the ground.
"Where is your commander?" Joonbyul roared, sword at the agent's throat.
The man smirked. "She's already inside."
Taerim's stomach sank. "She?"
Footsteps echoed behind them.
A woman stepped through the smoke—tall, elegant, eyes cold as steel.
She wore a lab coat.
"Dr. Elya," Juwon hissed. "One of the Four."
The scientist smiled. "Ah… Subject S001. You've grown."
Taerim's entire body tensed.
"You… experimented on us."
"Yes," Elya replied smoothly. "You were beautiful prototypes. Some of my best work."
"You ruined our lives."
Elya tilted her head. "And gave you power."
With a snap of her fingers, the floor opened beneath them.
Taerim fell.
Darkness swallowed her whole.
---
She hit the ground hard, rolling onto a cold metal surface.
A circular chamber. Empty, except for her.
Her comm crackled with static.
Trapped.
Her breath came fast.
She looked around for exits—none. The walls were smooth, seamless. A containment cell.
Memories surged.
The screams. The injections. The pain.
Her hands trembled.
Focus. You're not that girl anymore.
Then—static shifted.
A voice rang out overhead.
"Subject S001. Welcome home."
Taerim snarled. "This place was never my home."
"Wrong," said Elya's voice. "It's where you were born."
The lights flickered.
In front of her, a hologram activated.
Footage played—of her, at six years old, sobbing as they strapped her down.
Another clip: her brothers, restrained and injected.
Her friends—one by one—screaming, convulsing, changing.
Taerim fell to her knees.
"I didn't ask for any of this," she whispered.
"No," Elya said softly. "But you survived it."
Taerim clenched her fists.
"And now I'll destroy it."
She slammed her palm into the floor, channeling raw energy into the chamber.
Cracks formed.
The hologram shattered.
The walls splintered.
With one final scream, she exploded out of the room, hurling herself upward.
---
Above, chaos reigned.
Her brothers fought side by side, holding back waves of Rebirth agents. Siyoon stood wounded, shielding Harin. Yulseung covered their backs with a storm of bullets.
Juwon fought Elya.
The two clashed in a whirlwind of blows and power. She was fast, precise. He was brute strength and instinct.
But she was winning.
Until—
Taerim shot through the ceiling, slamming into Elya with a burst of blinding light.
The scientist crashed into the far wall.
Taerim stood between her and Juwon, eyes glowing.
"No more," she said.
Elya rose, wiping blood from her mouth.
"Then come, Subject. Show me what I created."
Taerim stepped forward, energy surging around her like a storm.
And this time… she fought not to survive.
But to end it.
---
Twenty minutes later, the Guild's South Wing lay in ruins.
But Elya was gone.
She'd vanished in the final blast, wounded but alive.
The team was battered. Bleeding. But they stood tall.
"We'll rebuild," said Joonbyul, voice rough.
"We'll find her," Juwon promised.
"And next time," Taerim said coldly, "she won't escape."
As the group stood together—siblings, friends, survivors—one thing was clear.
The past had burned.
But from its ashes… they would rise stronger.
Together.
---