The burning place
The wind moved softly through the endless field of white dandelions.
Liu stood frozen.
The sky above her was impossibly clear. Not a single cloud. Not a single sound.
Only silence.
A silence so complete it almost hurt.
Liu slowly looked around, her breathing uneven. The grass beneath her feet swayed gently like waves. Far away, tall silver trees stood under the sunlight, their leaves glowing faintly like glass.
"This isn't real…"
"Silver tree... What is this place?"
Her voice sounded small here.
No answer came.
Liu took one step forward.
Then another.
The dandelions moved around her ankles as she walked. The air smelled strange. Clean. Warm. Almost comforting.
But underneath that comfort…
Something felt wrong.
Very wrong.
Liu stopped walking.
She noticed something ahead.
Someone.
A figure sitting beneath one of the silver trees.
Her heartbeat immediately quickened.
The person sat quietly with their back facing Liu. Long black hair moved gently in the wind. A white dress touched the grass around them.
Liu didn't know why…
But her chest suddenly tightened painfully.
Like her body recognized this person before her mind did.
The figure slowly spoke.
"You finally came."
The voice was soft.
Gentle.
And completely unfamiliar.
Liu's throat felt dry. "Who… are you?"
The figure didn't answer immediately.
Instead, they slowly stood up.
Liu's breath caught instantly.
Because the moment the woman turned around—
Liu froze.
Dark eyes.
Pale skin.
A face that looked horrifyingly similar to hers.
Not identical.
Older.
Sadder.
But similar enough to make Liu's blood run cold.
The woman smiled faintly.
And somehow…
That smile hurt more than the screaming woman in flames.
Liu stepped backward instinctively. "No…"
The woman tilted her head slightly.
"You...really don't remember anything."
Liu's heartbeat became louder.
"What are you talking about?"
The woman looked at her quietly for a long moment. Then—
"You opened the ..first seal."
The world suddenly became silent again.
Liu stared at her. "I don't understand."
"I know."
The woman began walking slowly toward her.
Liu immediately felt fear crawl up her spine.
Not because the woman looked dangerous.
But because every instinct inside Liu screamed that this person knew everything about her.
Every secret.
Every fear.
Every hidden thing.
"You've been hearing them more often recently, haven't you?" the woman asked softly.
"The voices."
"The fire."
"The crying."
Liu's expression changed immediately.
"How do you know that?"
The woman stopped walking.
For the first time, sadness appeared in her eyes.
"Because they were never outside of you."
Liu's stomach dropped.
"What…?"
The wind suddenly became colder.
The peaceful field shifted slightly.
For one horrifying second—
Liu saw black burn marks spread across the ground beneath the flowers.
Then they vanished.
The woman looked down.
"They're waking up...again."
Liu felt fear slowly gripping her throat now.
"What are you talking about… who are 'they'?"
The woman looked directly into Liu's eyes.
And whispered—
"The people your family buried."
"Or should I say the family which adopted you"
The moment those words left her mouth—
The world violently shook.
Liu stumbled backward.
A loud scream suddenly echoed through the field.
Not one scream.
Thousands.
Pain. Agony. Rage.
The sky darkened instantly.
The white dandelions around Liu began burning black one after another.
Fire exploded across the field.
Liu covered her ears immediately.
"STOP—!"
But the voices became louder.
"Monster—!"
"Murderer—!"
"She opened it again—!"
Liu's breathing broke apart.
"No… no no no— stoppp stopp it hurts stopp noooooo!!"
Liu screamed it hurted her so bad so hurtful.
The woman in front of her remained still.
Even as flames surrounded everything.
Her expression became hollow.
Broken.
Then Liu realized something horrifying.
The woman was burning.
Just like the woman from her visions.
Fire slowly spread across her white dress and skin.
Yet she didn't scream.
Didn't move.
Only watched Liu with empty eyes.
Tears slowly rolled down her face.
"You ..were never supposed to exist."
"Why, why did you have to live?
Why whhyyy were you born
You ruined my life
You are a monster a fucking walking monster--"
Liu felt her entire body freeze.
The woman slowly raised her shaking hand toward Liu.
"Run
RUN! before the door fully opens."
CRACK.
A massive sound split the sky apart.
The silver trees twisted unnaturally.
The ground beneath Liu shattered open.
Dark blue energy burst violently from underneath the earth.
And then—
Liu saw it.
Far away in the darkness beyond the broken field—
An enormous iron door.
The same door from Hall C.
But here…
It was far bigger.
Ancient.
Covered in chains.
And something behind it…
Was breathing.
Liu stopped breathing completely.
The door slowly trembled.
Then-
BOOM.
Another violent shake.
One chain snapped.
The woman's eyes widened in horror.
"No—"
The whispers behind the door suddenly became clear.
"LET US OUT."
Liu's Shilon eyes activated instantly.
Dark blue light exploded inside her eyes.
Pain shot through her entire body.
The woman immediately screamed—
"WAKE UP NOW LIU—!"
Everything shattered.
The place was burning.
People crying Echoes through that field.
—
Liu woke up violently.
Her body shot upright from the bed.
Her breathing was uncontrollable.
Cold sweat covered her skin completely.
The dorm room was dark now.
Nighttime.
Liu grabbed her chest painfully.
Her heart wouldn't calm down.
Then—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Liu froze.
Someone was outside her dorm room.
A familiar voice came from the other side.
"Kid."
Diana.
"Open the door."
Liu's blood ran cold.
Because Diana's voice…
Didn't sound calm anymore.
It sounded serious.
And slightly disturbed.
"…We need to talk about what just escaped from Hall C."