Infinite System Inheritor Return From The Abyss

Jinhyu walked slowly into the quiet room and in the center of the room, bound to a wooden chair, sat Hannah—her head hanging low, her wings folded tight against her back and tied down like a bird kept from the sky, her arms strapped to the armrests and her body unnaturally still, as if even breathing had become too heavy.

He stepped closer as his eyes darted around, Seojun can't be seen, but the room was empty, just him and her, and something about it felt wrong.

"…Hannah?" he called out, his voice barely above a whisper,

She moved slightly, just her head, and then came a soft voice that trembled with pain and fear.

"…It hurts."

Jinhyu froze where he stood, his heart pounding harder now, because that voice—it was hers, it sounded like Hannah, the way she did when she was tired, when she was scared, when she needed someone to stay.

"…Hannah?" he said again as he took another step forward, and his voice cracked with emotion as he knelt down in front of her, his eyes wide and full of hope, and her head slowly lifted, eyes dull and cloudy like someone trying to wake up from a long and terrible dream.

"…Is that you… Jinhyu?"

"It's me," he said quickly, already reaching out with shaking hands, trying to untie the ropes that held her down, feeling his chest tighten with each knot he loosened, "You're okay now, I'm here, I'll get you out of this, just hold on."

"It's dark," she whispered softly, voice shaking, "I can't feel my body right… I'm scared…"

"You're going to be okay, Hannah," he said, swallowing back the fear building in his throat, his hands fumbling faster, "We're gonna fix this, I promise, you're going to be alright."

As he leaned in to undo the last strap around her shoulder near the neck, his hand brushed lightly against her neck, and his fingers caught on something thin and familiar—a necklace he tugged it loose, and it fell gently to the floor with a soft clink that echoed in the still room.

His eyes dropped to it, and for a moment he stopped moving.

It was the necklace she always wore.

The one her sister gave her.

The one she never took off.

"H-Hannah…" he whispered, but something in his voice had changed, like a thread of doubt had slipped in.

Then she laughed.

It started quiet, almost like a hiccup of relief, but it grew louder, more twisted, rising in pitch until it didn't sound right at all, and Jinhyu's heart stopped as he slowly looked back up at her.

"Hannah…?" he said, voice breaking.

She was smiling now, but it was too wide, stretched too far across her face, and when she spoke again, it was her voice layered with something else, something cold and cruel and echoing from somewhere too deep to be human.

"…You really believed that?" she whispered with a tilt of her head.

He didn't answer.

"You poor, stupid boy."

Jinhyu began to step back, just one slow step, his breath catching, his hands still raised like maybe if he didn't move too fast, none of this would be real.

"She cried," the creature said, still wearing Hannah's face, her voice soft but sharp as a knife, "She begged me not to take her, screamed until her throat broke, fought like a little girl who still thought someone would come save her… but she was weak… full of guilt… full of fear… she gave in so easily, and now she's gone."

"Stop…" Jinhyu whispered, shaking his head hard, as if he could knock the words out of his ears, as if denial could keep them from being true.

"You should've heard her," the creature continued, eyes gleaming with something evil, "She thought about her friends and family even at the end. She wanted to be stronger. For you. For Minseok. But none of that mattered in the end… because now? She's not here anymore. Only I am."

"No… no, I don't believe you," Jinhyu said louder, trembling, "You're lying!"

"Then look into my eyes," the creature said, leaning forward slightly, "Tell me if you still see her… tell me if you still see Hannah."

And he did.

And something inside him broke.

Because those eyes weren't hers anymore.

They were empty and glowing faintly and full of something rotten, something that looked back at him like he was prey, and even then, even knowing what he saw, his hands still reached out, desperate, as if some part of him still thought he could save her, still believed he could bring her back.

But she moved faster than he could think.

Her hand snapped up and grabbed his throat, squeezing tight before he even realized what was happening.

He gasped, choking, grabbing at her wrist, his legs kicking as he struggled to breathe, the shock of betrayal and confusion and pain twisting in his chest all at once.

"Fool," she hissed, her grip tightening as she pulled him close, her eyes glowing brighter now, her voice cruel and delighted, "You came here alone… you untied me… you gave me everything… just like she did… just like you will."

He struggled harder, his vision blurring, tears running down his face as his eyes flicked to the necklace on the floor, just inches away from his hand, and even though it was small, it felt like the last piece of Hannah that might still be real.

"…H-Hannah…" he choked out, barely a whisper.

But the voice that answered was cold and final.

"She's dead," it said, as the grip on his neck tightened again.

"And soon… you'll be with her."

From the shadowed side of the room, "Step away." A faint hum of mana flickered as Seojun walked out of the dark, his presence calm but suffocating.

Hannah's head snapped up. The moment she saw him, her entire body stiffened in fear. She quickly flew up to the corner of the ceiling like a trapped animal, her wings spreading wide as she screamed, "YOU!"

Jinhyu, still on the floor after nearly being choked, looked up weakly and reached out, "M-Master…" he whispered, hoping that somehow Seojun would know what to do.

[That didn't work, Host. Chances of retrieving the original consciousness are now below 2%. Hannah Go's cognitive identity has been devoured. This vessel is beyond saving.]

Seojun didn't speak right away. He just looked up at her, perched on the ceiling beam like a twisted predator, and finally spoke in a quiet voice, "She's really gone, huh."

Hannah laughed then, a sharp, terrible laugh that sounded like broken glass and poison mixed together. "Gone?" she mocked, her voice switching between Hannah's sweet tone and the insect's voice beneath it.

"You thought she was still in there? You sent that little idiot boy to talk to her like she could hear anything? You're too late. She's all mine now!"