The corridor slowly widened ahead.

  Yuna stepped into the next chamber and stopped.

  Something was wrong.

  In the previous timeline this room had been empty. Just another trap chamber.

  Now a monster lay dead in the center of the floor.

  The creature was massive. Thick armored plates covered its body.

  Its skull had been split open.

  Yuna walked closer.

  The stone floor around the corpse was cracked.

  A deep slash had carved a long scar across the wall behind it.

  One strike.

  Clean.

  Whoever killed it had overwhelming power.

  Murmurs rose behind her.

  "Did someone kill it already?"

  "That thing looks huge..."

  Yuna didn't answer.

  Her attention was fixed on the corridor across the room.

  Footsteps echoed softly.

  Someone was coming.

  The players instinctively stepped aside.

  A tall figure stepped into the torchlight.

  Black armor.

  A long sword resting loosely over his shoulder.

  Dark hair slightly messy from battle.

  Jin Lee.

  For a moment Yuna forgot how to breathe.

  He looked exactly the same.

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  Calm.

  Confident.

  Untouchable.

  Memories crashed through her mind.

  Jin laughing after a difficult battle.

  Jin standing beside her as cities burned.

  Jin pushing her toward the portal on Floor ninety nine.

  I can only walk with you this far.

  Her chest tightened.

  He was alive.

  Standing only a few meters away.

  Jin glanced at the monster corpse.

  Then his gaze moved to Yuna.

  It lingered there.

  Curious.

  One of the players whispered behind her.

  "Is he the one who killed it?"

  Jin walked forward slowly.

  The group instinctively moved aside as he passed.

  He stopped beside the corpse.

  His sword lightly tapped the floor.

  A faint click echoed.

  A blade suddenly swung down from the ceiling.

  Several players jumped back in shock.

  Jin hadn't even looked down.

  The trap reset with a grinding sound.

  He rested the sword on his shoulder again as if nothing had happened.

  His gaze returned to Yuna.

  "You handled the wolf in the corridor."

  It wasn't a question.

  His voice was calm.

  Steady.

  Exactly how she remembered it.

  Yuna swallowed.

  "Yes."

  Jin studied her quietly.

  His eyes briefly moved to the twin blades in her hands.

  Then to the players behind her.

  They were watching Yuna.

  Waiting for her to move.

  Waiting for her to speak.

  Jin noticed.

  "You move well," he said.

  Yuna said nothing.

  Her emotions were still tangled inside her chest.

  Jin tilted his head slightly.

  "You also predicted every trap in that corridor."

  The room grew quiet.

  Several players glanced toward Yuna.

  One man frowned.

  "Yeah… I was wondering that too."

  Another player spoke cautiously.

  "You knew where every trap was."

  "Almost like you've been here before."

  Yuna felt their attention shift toward her.

  Suspicion.

  Curiosity.

  She forced herself to stay calm.

  "I was careful."

  Jin watched her silently.

  Then he spoke again.

  "You shouldn't be this far ahead."

  Yuna's heart skipped.

  For a moment she wondered if he knew.

  If somehow he remembered the previous timeline.

  But Jin only looked mildly curious.

  As if she were an interesting puzzle.

  After a moment he turned toward the next corridor.

  He began walking past her.

  As he moved by, their shoulders nearly touched.

  Yuna felt her heart skip.

  Jin paused beside her.

  He glanced sideways with a faint smile.

  "Have we met before?"

  He sounded amused.

  Like he was making a casual joke.

  But the words struck Yuna like a knife.

  In another life they had fought together for years.

  Trusted each other with their lives.

  Loved each other.

  Now he didn't even know her name.

  Yuna shook her head.

  "No."

  Jin studied her face for a moment longer.

  Something flickered in his eyes.

  Then it disappeared.

  "Maybe I was mistaken."

  He continued walking toward the corridor ahead.

  After a few steps he paused again.

  Without turning around he spoke quietly.

  "You should be careful."

  Then he disappeared into the darkness.

  The chamber remained silent.

  One of the players whispered.

  "Who was that guy?"

  Yuna didn't answer.

  She stared at the corridor where Jin had vanished.

  Jin Lee should not have been here yet.

  Yuna had barely changed anything since entering the Tower.

  That shouldn't have been enough to alter the timeline this much.

  Which meant the change didn't start with her.

  Slowly, she looked toward the dark corridor where Jin had disappeared.

  A question surfaced in her mind.

  Did he regress too?