Every time she remembered that day, her chest tightened as if the air around her had become heavier than it should be.

  Her breathing quickened, and her mind returned again and again to that moment that changed everything.

  To the day after her eighteenth birthday in Pyun-wan.

  That night, she felt something strange happening inside her…

  A subtle sensation, as if an invisible force had begun pulling her toward a place she did not know.

  It was not pain that frightened her, but that mysterious feeling that her body was no longer as light as it used to be… but lighter than the air itself.

  She could not explain what was happening.

  So she decided to sleep, thinking that some rest might disperse this strange feeling.

  She closed her eyes.

  But sleep did not come.

  On the contrary…

  Everything began to grow stranger.

  She murmured anxiously:

  “What exactly is happening to me?”

  Suddenly, she felt a heavy pressure sweeping through her body, as if a tremendous force had pressed down on her from within.

  In a fleeting instant… she completely lost control of her body.

  Her mind was fully awake.

  She was aware of everything happening around her… yet unable to do anything.

  She watched as her body began to fade slowly.

  Gradually… it started to grow dim…

  Then disappear.

  As if she had become transparent.

  The blood in her veins froze.

  Her heart trembled with terror, and her eyes filled with tears.

  She was unable to move even a single finger…

  Not even to close her eyes.

  It was as if she had become a prisoner inside a body that was no longer hers.

  She made an enormous effort, trying to move…

  to close her eyes…

  to do anything at all.

  And finally…

  after a long struggle with her body, she managed to close her eyes.

  And when she opened them again…

  she was no longer in her room.

  She was standing in a place of intense cold.

  The icy air struck her face sharply, while snow covered the ground around her completely.

  The air itself carried the cold scent of pine, as if the forest were breathing around her.

  She was standing on a mountain slope.

  She looked around cautiously.

  She did not recognize the place at all.

  And yet… there was a deep feeling inside her telling her something strange:

  She was now… somewhere in China.

  Towering mountain peaks surrounded her from every side, like massive white walls.

  As for the sky, it was black as ink, illuminated only by a few scattered stars.

  The silence was frightening.

  The only sound breaking that stillness was the howl of the wind as it passed between the rocks.

  She whispered to herself, fear creeping into her depths:

  “What am I doing here?

  How did I get to this place?

  What is this darkness?”

  Only minutes ago she had been trying to take a nap in her room…

  And now…

  she was standing alone on an unknown mountain.

  Her body trembled.

  Not only because of the cold…

  but because of the terror that had begun to fill her chest.

  She was still wearing her light silk pajamas, completely unsuitable for such harsh weather.

  And her bare feet had sunk into the cold snow.

  Was this a dream?

  Or reality?

  But the most terrifying thing…

  was that her body began to move on its own.

  As if it knew the way.

  As if it had known this place for a very long time.

  After a few steps, an ancient temple appeared before her.

  Its stone walls were covered with faded drawings and ancient Chinese symbols.

  The lanterns hanging at the entrance swayed with the wind, as if whispering the secrets of the past.

  The place was saturated with something mysterious…

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  something that could not be explained with words.

  Elena stood in front of the temple while the snow fell slowly around her.

  Then suddenly she felt…

  a silent call.

  As if something were calling to her.

  She slowly turned around.

  And there…

  she saw a massive tree standing alone in the snow.

  Its ancient trunk bore the marks of time, and its branches swayed in the cold wind.

  But it was not just a tree.

  There was a strange feeling…

  as if it were a living being watching her.

  Elena approached slowly.

  Her bare feet sinking into the snow.

  She felt something connecting her to this tree…

  something deep… ancient… as if it were a part of her.

  Without realizing it, she extended her hand.

  And touched the rough trunk of the tree.

  Suddenly…

  she felt a strange warmth flow into her body.

  A warmth that completely contradicted the harsh cold around her.

  Then something happened that she did not expect.

  The tree began to glow with a soft golden light.

  Thousands of luminous particles burst out from it…

  like the rising of a small sun.

  Those lights danced in the air.

  Then they began to enter her body.

  They slipped through the pores of her skin…

  and rushed into her veins.

  Until they settled in her lower back.

  She felt a slight sting.

  It was not painful…

  rather, it was like a strange energy flowing through her body.

  She did not realize that a glowing symbol had begun to form on her lower back.

  An ancient symbol…

  as if it had been a part of her long ago.

  Then…

  the tree disappeared.

  As if it had never existed at all.

  And before it vanished completely…

  a voice echoed in the air:

  “You have reclaimed what was yours.

  And when you find the truth… be strong.”

  Elena suddenly regained control of her body.

  She gasped sharply as she touched her body anxiously.

  Everything seemed hazy.

  She whispered in a trembling voice:

  “Zel…

  Zel, what is happening?”

  Zel’s voice came calm but exhausted:

  “Elena…

  the mark of your ancestors has returned.”

  Elena frowned in confusion.

  “Ancestors?

  What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

  Zel hesitated for a moment before saying:

  “That… is all I know.”

  And at that moment…

  Elena realized something terrifying.

  Everything that had happened…

  was only the beginning.

  She raised her gaze toward the temple once again.

  Then she began walking toward it slowly.

  Each step sinking into the snow, producing a faint sound beneath her feet.

  And when she reached the massive wooden door…

  it opened slowly.

  As if the place…

  had been waiting for her.

  Elena entered the temple with hesitant steps.

  The air inside was slightly warmer, but the silence filling the place was heavy in a strange way.

  The ancient temple walls were illuminated by dim lanterns, their golden light reflecting on the polished wooden floor.

  She stood for a moment, looking around cautiously.

  And suddenly…

  she noticed a group of monks standing at the far end of the hall.

  They were wearing dark traditional robes, and their faces were calm but alert, as if they had been expecting her arrival.

  One of them stepped forward.

  He was an elderly man, with a long white beard and eyes that shone with the wisdom of many years.

  He observed her for a moment, then said in a calm voice:

  “You are a stranger to this place…

  but do not be afraid.”

  He paused for a moment, then continued in a deep tone:

  “Fate is what led you here.”

  Elena hesitated before speaking.

  Fear still controlled her heart, yet she felt something strangely reassuring in their presence.

  She said in a low voice:

  “I… don’t know how I got here.”

  Her words sounded uncertain, as she herself was not sure what she should say.

  Then she quickly added:

  “Can I use a phone?

  I just need to make a call.”

  The monks exchanged silent glances.

  Then one of them took a small phone from his pocket and handed it to her with a gentle smile.

  “Here.”

  Then the old monk said:

  “You may make your call…

  but after that, you will be our guest here.”

  His eyes paused on her for a moment before he continued:

  “Until fate allows you to leave.”

  Elena did not hesitate for a moment.

  She quickly took the phone.

  There was only one person who could help her now.

  Ryo.

  Somewhere else…

  Ryo was sitting on the couch in his room, scrolling through his phone without interest.

  Suddenly, an unknown number appeared on the screen.

  He frowned.

  “A call from China?”

  he murmured to himself in surprise before pressing the answer button.

  He did not speak at first.

  But the voice that came through the phone made him sit up straight immediately.

  “Ryo…”

  It was Elena’s voice.

  But her voice was broken… choked with tears.

  His eyes widened.

  “Elena?”

  He was silent for a moment, then said in confusion:

  “Are you joking with me?

  Why are you calling from a Chinese number?”

  But she did not answer.

  Instead, she started crying harder.

  The kind of crying he had never heard from her before.

  Ryo suddenly felt panic rising inside him.

  “Stop crying!”

  he said sharply, mixed with worry.

  “I can’t understand you like this!”

  He quickly opened the camera on his phone.

  A moment later, Elena did the same.

  Her image appeared on the screen.

  She was wiping her tears with trembling hands.

  Then she turned the camera to show the place around her.

  The temple.

  And the monks standing behind her.

  Ryo slowly swallowed.

  Then said in a hoarse voice:

  “Elena…

  where exactly are you?”

  She whispered:

  “In China.”

  He froze in place.

  “What?!”

  he said, almost shouting.

  “Elena…

  you were with me just one hour ago!”

  He ran his hand through his hair nervously.

  Then he said in a tense sarcastic tone:

  “Are you an intercontinental missile?

  How did you get to China?!”

  Elena closed her eyes for a moment.

  Then she said in a tired voice:

  “I can’t explain it now…

  just… trust me.”

  Ryo looked at her for a long moment.

  The confusion was clear in his eyes.

  But despite everything…

  he could not doubt her words.

  She said in a faint voice:

  “I’m at Mount Hua… inside an ancient temple.

  I don’t have a phone…

  or a passport…

  or even proper clothes.”

  Ryo placed his hand on his head.

  He felt like his head was about to explode from the number of questions.

  But there was one clear truth in front of him.

  Elena was scared.

  And that alone was enough.

  His voice suddenly changed and became firm.

  “Elena… stay where you are.”

  Her breathing stopped for a moment.

  Then he said:

  “I’ll come get you.”

  She said anxiously:

  “But… my mother—”

  He interrupted her immediately:

  “Don’t worry about that.

  I’ll handle it.”

  Then he added:

  “Send me your location.”

  He paused for a moment.

  “And I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

  After he ended the call, Ryo quickly stood up.

  He grabbed his phone and called one of his contacts.

  “Book me a flight to China within an hour,”

  he said firmly.

  “The price doesn’t matter.”

  After that, he called Elena’s mother.

  Rosie.

  When she answered, he tried to sound normal.

  But his heart was beating fast.

  He said with artificial calm:

  “Hello Aunt Rosie, how are you?”

  But she interrupted him immediately.

  “Ryo… say what you want quickly.”

  She paused for a moment.

  Then she said:

  “I’m about to go into labor.”

  His eyes widened.

  But he tried to stay composed.

  He said with a smile:

  “As you know… Elena just turned eighteen.”

  He paused briefly.

  “And I wanted to take her on a short trip for two days.”

  A brief silence followed.

  Then Rosie said seriously:

  “Ryo… you are eighteen too.

  Doesn’t that seem a little dangerous?”

  He answered confidently:

  “You know how much Elena means to me.”

  Then he added:

  “And I’ll take one of my father’s bodyguards with us.”

  Rosie sighed.

  “Alright… but send me the trip details.”

  He said quickly:

  “Of course.”

  Then he ended the call.

  Minutes later…

  Ryo was in Elena’s room.

  He took some of her clothes.

  And her passport.

  Then he left the house quickly.

  Everything was happening fast.

  The road to the airport felt like a race against time.

  And when he finally arrived at the plane…

  he sat in his seat, breathing heavily.

  But his mind did not stop thinking.

  How did Elena get to China?

  What happened to her?

  He could find no answers.

  But one thing was clear.

  He would reach her.

  No matter the cost.

  Hours later…

  Ryo arrived in China.

  From there, he rented a private helicopter.

  “Take me to Mount Hua,”

  he said to the pilot.

  The ground was covered with snow.

  And the cold was severe.

  But Ryo did not care.

  As soon as the helicopter landed, he jumped out.

  And ran through the snow.

  Then he entered the temple.

  And called out loudly:

  “Elena!”

  The monks turned toward him in surprise.

  And suddenly…

  fast footsteps echoed across the wooden floor.

  Elena appeared.

  She stood for a moment.

  As if she could not believe what she was seeing.

  Then she ran toward him.

  And threw herself into his arms.

  She buried her face in his chest, breathing heavily.

  Ryo wrapped his arms around her tightly.

  He felt the warmth of her body despite the cold.

  And heard the rapid beating of her heart.

  Then he whispered gently:

  “I’m here.”

  He paused for a moment.

  Then said:

  “You’re safe now.”

  And at that moment…

  it was as if all the fear that had filled Elena’s heart

  began to slowly melt away.

  But one thing remained clear in her mind.

  What happened tonight…

  was only the beginning of a story far greater than either of them could imagine.