Since that day, Sua couldn't sleep.
The image of the dragon I'd seen in the river and the blue pattern on its chest kept coming back to me. No matter how much I washed it, it wouldn't go away, and under the light, it shone softly.
And then strange things started happening.
People's footsteps, heartbeats, breathing... small things sounded unusually loud, and somehow the world had become unfamiliar.
Late one evening, Su-ah was walking home alone when she came across a dark alley. A cold, grinding sound, like metal grinding, echoed from there.
“……Who’s there?”
I asked cautiously, but instead of an answer, two glowing eyes appeared in the darkness.
It was a white tiger.
Eyes flashing like white flames, the sound of steady footsteps approaching from the shadows.
“You emanate the energy of the eastern bastard.”
A strange man's voice rang out.
The man who emerged from the darkness was a tall, white-haired young man. He exuded a rough yet captivating aura. His shadow overlapped that of a large tiger.
“Who are you?”
Sua asked with a trembling voice.
“Guardian of the West.”
His lips curved bitterly.
“It’s a white tiger.”
Silver eyes pierced Su-ah. For a moment, her heart raced as if it were broken. Was it fear, or the overwhelming power in those eyes?
“If you have received the imprint of the Azure Dragon, you can no longer live as a human.”
He said nonchalantly.
“The balance has been broken. We are all reawakening.”
Sua shook her head.
“I’m just… an ordinary person. I didn’t even want this!”
At that moment, Baekho took a step closer and grabbed her wrist.
“Don’t lie.”
His grip was cold and strong, but strangely enough, it wasn't entirely terrifying. Instead, an inexplicable shiver spread from deep within my chest.
After a while, he let go of my hand and walked towards the end of the alley.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of. I have no intention of harming you right now.”
His silhouette disappeared into the darkness, along with the afterimage of a white tiger.
Su-ah, left alone, knelt down and gasped for breath.
The pattern engraved on his chest was shining even more intensely.
“Blue Dragon… White Tiger… Why me…?”
The city was shining with peaceful lights, but Sua already knew.
Now her daily life can never go back to the way it was before.
At that moment, a strange light came into view in the distance, turning the night sky red.
The red light spreading along the river was not just a neon sign.
My heart fluttered again. Something... a new power, a feeling calling out to me.