Chapter 4 – The System and the Silence
The sound of graphite scratching paper filled the hospital room.
Seated on the bed with a drawing board resting on his legs, Jin Ha-Joon drew with focused determination.
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks on the white walls. But to him, it was just background noise. His world now existed in lines, expressions, and blank pages waiting to be filled.
The pencil moved confidently.
Every stroke seemed to come from instinct.
— "Let's all go on a mission together, aye, sir..." — he murmured, smiling softly.
It was the first mission of the Fairy Tail team. Lucy with her celestial key in hand. Natsu, grinning, his fist aflame. Happy flying behind them with his silly catchphrase and wings outstretched.
He was redrawing the iconic moment — not from memory alone, but from something deeper.
"It's not just remembering. It's like they're guiding my hand."
With each page he finished, he felt a strange tension in the air.
A light pressure. A subtle hum at the edge of his awareness.
It wasn't dangerous.
But it wasn't normal either.
"It's like the manga itself is... waiting for something."
He was halfway through the fifth page when voices echoed from the hallway.
— That hunter's out of his mind. Been working out like a lunatic since early morning... — said a nurse.
— Think he's traumatized from his last raid... or just losing it... — another whispered.
Curious, Jin Ha-Joon raised his head. He walked over and slowly pulled the curtain aside.
Down in the hospital's training courtyard, Sung Jin-Woo stood alone.
Sweating, breath heavy, posture tense.
His hands were clenched, as if gripping something invisible.
But what stood out most was his eyes.
He was staring at nothing. Empty space.
And yet, Jin Ha-Joon knew immediately.
— He's looking at the System... — he whispered.
He stayed there, silent, watching.
— Looks like he's already started doing System missions... — he murmured. — His journey will begin soon.
There was no movement. No noise.
Yet the scene felt alive.
Awake.
Jin Ha-Joon turned away from the window and returned to his bed.
The manga lay before him. The freshly drawn pages glowed faintly in the afternoon light. But something had changed.
It wasn't just ink and paper anymore.
His thoughts returned to the moment with Jin-Ah.
Her smile.
Her voice.
> "I really like it."
The drawing had responded.
Light. Wind. Heat.
He gently ran his fingers across the page.
Dry.
But warm.
Almost... pulsing.
"Maybe... I've never really understood this power."
"Not even after my memories came back."
He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the weight of that truth sink in.
— Maybe... just maybe... — he whispered, eyes on the fading sunlight outside — this summoning ability of mine has a far greater potential than I imagined.
Maybe... it could be the key to living well in this new world...
...this exciting and dangerous place.
He opened his eyes again.
Took a deep breath.
Sat back down, adjusting the board on his legs.
Outside, the sky had shifted. The morning brightness had faded into the rich gold of late afternoon. Sunset light spilled into the room, stretching the shadows across the walls.
He picked up his pencil again.
And began to draw another scene.
No planning.
Just feeling.
He wasn't just telling a story anymore.
He was giving life to something beyond fiction.
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"Thank you for following this fanfic. I invite you to discover my original work, Spirit of Gods and Demons: The Legend Continues, where a new and powerful journey awaits you."