The wind carried whispers through the trees, but Jin Mu-Won stood still, listening. His fingers lingered on the scroll’s edges, as if afraid the secrets within might slip away. Beneath the moonless sky, the night stretched out like a boundless void—unending, empty, and yet filled with a presence that tugged at his soul.

  The Silent Moon Sect. The name alone sent ripples through his thoughts. It wasn’t a mere name—it was a burden. A lineage steeped in silence and hidden power. But what did it mean? What was the true purpose behind the Void that had awoken inside him?

  He closed his eyes, feeling the air settle around him. In the silence, he sought the pulse of the world—the faint heartbeat of the earth beneath his feet. Every movement, every change, was like a ripple in water, subtle but undeniable. It was then that he felt it: an unfamiliar presence, not far from the temple, watching.

  Before he could react, a voice called out from the shadows.

  “Mu-Won…”

  The boy turned, the scroll still in his hands. A figure stepped forward, tall and cloaked in midnight robes. The newcomer’s presence was both imposing and graceful, like a storm waiting to break. The figure’s hood fell back, revealing a young woman with sharp features and piercing eyes.

  “Who are you?” Mu-Won asked, his voice low and cautious.

  “I am someone who seeks answers,” the woman replied. Her tone was cold, but not unkind. “And I believe you may hold them.”

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  Mu-Won’s grip tightened around the scroll. “You’re from the Silent Moon Sect?”

  The woman nodded once, her eyes scanning the scroll in his hands. “I’ve been searching for the last piece of what was lost. That scroll… it’s the key to everything.”

  Mu-Won stepped back slightly, instinctively clutching the scroll tighter against his chest. “What do you mean, everything?”

  She took a step closer, her gaze unwavering. “The Void… it’s not just an art. It’s a weapon. One that could reshape the world—or destroy it. You don’t understand what you’ve uncovered.”

  Mu-Won’s heart quickened, and he felt the familiar pull of uncertainty. “I only want to understand it. I don’t want to fight. I never asked for this power.”

  The woman’s expression softened, though her eyes remained intense. “No one asks for power. But sometimes, it chooses you.” She paused, then took a long, steady breath. “You don’t realize it yet, but you’ve stepped into something much larger than yourself. The world isn’t as simple as you think. And there are forces that would do anything to control the Void.”

  “Then they can try,” Mu-Won replied, the faintest trace of defiance creeping into his voice. He was still unsure of what the woman’s intentions were, but one thing was clear—there was danger in her words. And with that danger, came an inevitable decision.

  The woman studied him for a moment, as though gauging his resolve. Then, in a voice that was almost a whisper, she said, “You may not want revenge, but the world doesn’t give you that choice. You’ll soon learn that silence is the most dangerous weapon of all.”

  With that, she turned and melted into the darkness, vanishing as quickly as she had appeared.

  Mu-Won stood alone again beneath the stars. The scroll hummed faintly in his grasp, as though calling out to him. It was only then that he realized the truth of her words. He had not asked for the power within him, but it had chosen him, just as the Silent Moon Sect had once chosen its heirs.

  And now, it was only a matter of time before the world came to claim him.