Shadows In The Ashes

The manor was quiet now. The oppressive darkness that had once haunted every corner of the sprawling estate had lifted, leaving behind only the stillness of victory—and the weight of what they had endured. The air felt different, less suffocating, but still thick with the remnants of what had happened.

Jungkook stood at the center of the main hall, his chest still heavy from the battle. The walls, once consumed by shadows, now seemed to exhale, as if the manor itself was breathing again. It felt like a rebirth, but not one without its scars.

Beside him, Taehyung leaned against a pillar, his face pale, his steps unsteady. The toll of the battle had left its mark, but there was something else in his eyes now—something more than just exhaustion.

Jungkook turned to him, his voice quiet. “Are you alright?”

Taehyung gave a small nod, though the lingering pain in his gaze told a different story. “I will be,” he replied, his voice hoarse. “We both will be.” He pushed himself off the pillar, straightening with effort. “But not yet. There’s still more to face.”

Jungkook’s brow furrowed. He understood the weight of Taehyung’s words. Even after the battle, even after everything they had fought for, there was still a sense of unfinished business hanging in the air.

The manor, with its silent corridors and hidden rooms, felt like a part of them now. A part of their story. And that story had yet to end.

“We need to find the truth,” Jungkook said, his voice steady. “The Hollow was just the beginning. It was a force, a manifestation of something deeper. Something that doesn’t end with us defeating it.”

Taehyung’s eyes darkened, his gaze drifting toward the large painting that had started it all. The one of Annabelle—no, Minjun. Their twisted journey had begun there, and it had ended in the depths of the Hollow. But what if the ending wasn’t so final?

“I’ve been thinking,” Taehyung started, his voice distant. “About Annabelle. About Minjun. The way he... the way he looked, the way he acted in that place. It wasn’t just him. He was lost—changed by whatever the Hollow was. But he’s not the only one.”

Jungkook’s heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean?”

“The manor,” Taehyung said, his eyes now fixed on the grand staircase, as if seeing something just beyond the physical world. “It’s more than just a house. It’s tied to the Hollow, to Minjun, to everything that’s happened to us. There’s a part of it still here, still alive.”

Jungkook felt a chill crawl up his spine, his breath catching. “A part of it?”

Taehyung nodded slowly. “Yes. We destroyed the Hollow, but it left behind fragments—memories, emotions, things that have seeped into this place. Things that are alive in ways we don’t fully understand.”

For a moment, the weight of Taehyung’s words settled over Jungkook like a dark cloud. They had thought they had finished the fight. They had thought they had found their resolution. But now, with this new revelation, it seemed like the battle was far from over.

“We have to go back,” Taehyung said, his voice now firm. “We have to go back to the heart of this place. To where it all began.”

Jungkook nodded, understanding now what needed to be done. The Hollow was gone, but its shadow still loomed over them. The manor itself, steeped in its history, had yet to reveal its full story.

The two of them made their way to the western wing of the manor—the room where the painting of Minjun had once stood, the room where it had all started. It was quiet now, almost eerily so, but Jungkook could feel the weight of the past pressing down on him as they approached the door.

As they stepped inside, nothing seemed to have changed. The easel stood empty where the painting once was, its absence a stark reminder of everything they had fought for. But the feeling in the room hadn’t disappeared. The air was heavy, thick with something unspoken.

Taehyung walked toward the back of the room, toward the locked chest that had once held the remnants of Minjun’s past. The chest had been opened, emptied, but Taehyung’s eyes scanned the room, as if searching for something hidden, something they had missed before.

Then, his eyes fell on the floor—on the crack in the wood beneath their feet.

“I knew it,” Taehyung muttered under his breath.

Jungkook stepped forward. “What is it?”

Taehyung kneeled, running his fingers over the crack. “This wasn’t here before. It’s a hidden passage. A way deeper into the manor.”

Jungkook’s breath caught in his throat. “You think this leads to the heart of the Hollow?”

Taehyung didn’t answer right away. Instead, he lifted a corner of the wooden floorboard, revealing a narrow staircase leading downward into darkness.

“This is it,” Taehyung said, his voice tinged with a mixture of dread and determination. “This is where it all started.”

Without another word, Jungkook nodded. The final step had been taken, and there was no turning back now.

Together, they descended into the unknown.