The red-haired and the master

Part One __by Seva__ The corridor was long and dark, echoing faintly with hushed voices. A tall man and a woman were speaking in whispers. “Good that you’ve come,” the woman said softly. “Have you told Su Jin about this?” “No,” the man shook his head gravely. “I thought it best she didn’t know. After all, it may not be what we fear.” “Do you have any other guess then?” Man Vol asked, glancing nervously down the corridor before continuing. “No… but we must hope for the best,” he sighed. “Whatever happens, Su Jin must not be allowed near the school. Strengthen the guard at every corner.” His voice faltered, betraying the fear he tried to conceal. “And tell me—where are the spirits now?” “This way…” the woman murmured, leading him down the stairway. They descended into a vast hall — the training ground for warriors and chosen children. The chamber was immense, wide enough to swallow two entire villages, its ceiling crowned by a chandelier so heavy it might have crushed twenty elephants. Tonight, however, all was quiet; the students slept in their quarters. All, save one. Her name was Yon Su Jin. In her own world, she drew little attention, except for her impossibly long crimson hair that spilled down her back like fire and the restless haste with which she always moved. Her scarlet locks, present from the day of her birth, made passersby pause in wonder. Yet her true gift lay elsewhere: Su Jin could see what others could not. Have you heard of parallel worlds? Perhaps you’ve seen them in films, but dismissed them as fiction. Su Jin once did too—until she was chosen. It had happened four years ago. She remembered it as clearly as yesterday. She had been brushing her long red hair before the mirror when suddenly, a withered old woman’s face appeared in the glass. Before Su Jin could scream, the crone stepped right through the mirror, as though slicing through a veil. That was how she first met the Witch Mago. The encounter had been both terrifying and extraordinary. Mago explained that Su Jin was bound by fate—marked as the Talisman, the living gate between worlds. At the time, Su Jin had been only twelve, and the revelation thrilled her. But the old witch taught her quickly, and when she passed on to the other side, Su Jin discovered how heavy the burden truly was. Assassins came for her daily, each seeking to claim the Talisman’s power. Friends bled to protect her. The mirror in her room became the door between realms, a passage leading to this hidden academy where gifted children and their guardians were trained. Here, Su Jin was exceptional. She mastered the secrets of the Talisman in mere months, earning both admiration and envy. She was known not only for her rare abilities but also for her kindness, her readiness to help anyone in need. But in her own world, things were different. There, she was mocked. Even younger children jeered at her. The school’s worst troublemakers found delight in tormenting her. Among them was a boy named Min Jun. Curiously, he was the very reason Su Jin still attended that school. She adored him beyond reason, though she could not explain why. Perhaps because, once, when others mocked her ill mother, Min Jun had defended her. That moment, though long past, had carved itself into Su Jin’s heart. Even later, when he himself cruelly laughed at her mother, she forgave him. She lived for the faintest glance from him—a glance that could make her heart race like madness. And yet, now her mind was troubled by far stranger matters. One evening, Su Jin rushed to intercept the school’s director as he returned from speaking with Man Vol. “Teacher, look at this,” she said, thrusting several newspapers into his hands. “What is it?” he asked impatiently. “The news. Don’t you notice something strange?” He raised an eyebrow. “What, that your favorite music group isn’t featured again?” “No,” Su Jin retorted. “Su Jin,” the director sighed, “I’m in a hurry. Go and sleep. In fact, you may stay away from school for a while. You’ve already mastered your lessons. Better you spend time with your mother.” “That’s true,” Su Jin admitted, “but I’ve mastered everything in my own school as well. And besides, I can balance both. You can’t deny something unusual is happening here.” “Enough!” he snapped. “I am the headmaster. My word is law.” “And I,” Su Jin shot back, eyes blazing, “am the Talisman. Without me, there is no school. Tell me, what is missing here?” “I don’t know,” he muttered. “I don’t read the papers.” “You should,” she replied sharply. “These are from your world, yet not one carries reports of the killings. But in the past week alone, fourteen spirits have appeared at our gates—all tied to the families of our students. Coincidence? Impossible. And still, not a single article, not a single word online. Why? Unless even the press fears the killer. Are you not curious who would dare such a thing—who has set his eyes upon us?” The director’s voice hardened. “If you meddle in matters that are not yours, Su Jin, you will be expelled.” The girl merely smiled faintly and turned away. She knew he would never cast her out. Not because of her talent alone—but because he cared. Once, when she had been kidn*pped by those seeking her power, the director himself had embraced her upon her rescue, unable to hide his affection. Su Jin, however, had mistaken it for nothing more than an elder’s fondness. But Director Kim Nam knew better. And that was why he feared for her now—for she was already chasing the trail of the monster who wished her dead. Elsewhere, in a shadowed chamber, a young man sprawled lazily upon a velvet couch. Before him, his followers dragged in a bloodied captive and forced him to his knees. “Master…” the broken man whimpered. “Did he agree?” the youth asked, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his voice drawling with indifference. “Yes… though he claims not to know the way.” “I see,” the Master murmured with a faint smile. “Fortunate for you, I’ve just eaten. Now tell me—how can a man not know the school his own child attends?” “I know, I know!” the captive babbled desperately. “But the place—only the chosen can see it. Forgive me, Master!” He crawled forward, pressing his lips to the boy’s shoes. The Master recoiled in disgust and laughed coldly. “Do you know why I will destroy thes worlds? Because the people in them are already rotten—cockroaches, willing to sacrifice their own children to save themselves.”