Chapter 27

Chapter 27. Twins of Light and Darkness (2)

Startled by the unexpected meeting, Eunseong stared at Cheongyeon with wide eyes.

Dressed for the ritual in a scarlet silk robe that flowed beneath a golden headdress, Eunseong looked dazzlingly beautiful.

The unusual red makeup painted in the center of her forehead and across her lips made the gentle lines of her face stand out even more.

"I'm Cheongyeon, the Heavenly Maiden of Beopsindang. Do you remember? We greeted each other on the day of the fundraising event."

"Get away from the shaman at once! We'll drag this woman out immediately."

The Hae family's private soldiers grabbed Cheongyeon by the shoulders and arms and forced her to her knees.

"Wait."

Eunseong rose and stepped in front of them.

Her bearing was graceful and dignified.

"This lady is the Heavenly Maiden of Beopsindang. Do not treat her rudely."

Eunseong ordered the attendants to help Cheongyeon back to her feet.

"I will personally take her to the elders. You may leave."

In front of the place where Eunseong had been sitting, countless colorful gourd bottles stood among rows of candles.

Perhaps because of the disturbance just now, several of the bottles had shattered into pieces.

"The spirits inside the gourds have scattered, so today's ritual will end here."

After sending everyone away, Eunseong led Cheongyeon down a path where fluorescent insects drifted through the air.

Whenever one of the insects touched a hand, it softly folded its wings and its light faded.

"Heavenly Maiden, I'm sorry for the late guidance. Please follow me this way."

After Eunseong said that, a long silence fell between the two women.

Cheongyeon remembered the Eunseong she had seen at the Beopsindang event.

She could still clearly picture her smiling as she handed a gift to Priest Son.

That shy and beautiful noble lady had actually been a shaman who summoned evil spirits within the Hae family.

For a while now, Eunseong had been avoiding Cheongyeon's gaze.

Perhaps she was suffering because her true identity had been revealed.

When Eunseong opened the heavy iron door built into the cave wall, a hidden passage leading to the Hae family's residence appeared.

It was a completely different world from the cave where ghosts had been summoned.

The enormous mansion where the nobles of the Hae family lived had an exotic atmosphere.

Instead of tiles, the roofs were covered with thin slabs of stone, while scarlet silk embroidered with unusual designs hung throughout the estate.

Whenever the wind blew, the silk fluttered beautifully.

With the wide, open scenery stretching in every direction, the place looked like an oasis in the middle of the desert.

"Family Head Haemora is currently away. We will speak with the six elders instead."

Eunseong guided Cheongyeon into the inner residence.

When they entered a private room, the six elders of the Hae family were already sitting around a round table.

They wore scarlet silk robes and had long beards hanging from their faces.

The elders openly sneered at Cheongyeon's shabby appearance after being caught in the sandstorm.

They did not seem interested in treating her as a guest at all.

Thanks to that, the meeting reached a unanimous conclusion without much argument.

"We cannot give you the Hae family's crest."

"A Heavenly Maiden who descended from the sky? You expect us to believe such a story? Get out of Pasa."

"Beopsindang exists in name only. It is nothing more than a government office without any real power. The Hae family has no reason to grant such a request."

Cheongyeon had expected a negative response, so she was not particularly surprised.

She could not find even the smallest opening among the elders.

Their attitude suited the Hae family perfectly, a clan known for strongly rejecting outsiders.

"I understand what the elders are saying, but..."

Cheongyeon carefully began.

"I would like to speak with the person who truly represents the Hae family. Please allow me to speak with that person."

It was a bold statement.

She was openly saying that she wanted to speak not with them, but with someone who could truly represent the Hae family.

Before leaving for the Sacred Sites, Cheongyeon had spoken with Seongha many times about the current situation in the Hui Kingdom.

Among those conversations were discussions about the Hae family.

For generations, the Hae family had been ruled through discussion between a female family head and six elders.

As a rock mountain shaman serving the gods, the female family head carried out the clan's spiritual duties while also appearing at public gatherings as the representative of the Hae family.

However, despite how things appeared from the outside, the family head was little more than a puppet of the elders within the clan.

The elders were the leaders of their respective branches and also presided over clan meetings.

Their positions were inherited without effort, and they maintained their power by keeping the family head under control.

Haemora, however, was different from the family heads who came before her.

She had become a loyal subordinate of King Nampyeong and had taken many shocking actions that broke away from tradition.

Because of this, even the elders did not dare treat Haemora carelessly.

For the first time, the balance of power between the family head and the elders had been reversed.

[The only weakness of the Hae family that we can guess is the strange power struggle between the six elders and the family head. Their oppressive traditions remain unchanged, but the new power that has emerged has grown far too strong.]

Cheongyeon's decision to point out the incompetence of the six elders and provoke the internal conflict of the Hae family came from Seongha's suggestion.

He believed that doing so would make it easier to obtain the crest.

Even so, coming to the Hae family alone and openly provoking the elders was no ordinary act.

It was only possible because Cheongyeon had only recently descended from the heavens and had no instinctive fear of the powerful people of the Hui Kingdom.

The elders' faces turned red as they cleared their throats awkwardly.

"What do you think you'll accomplish by meeting Lady Haemora? If you expect the Family Head to help you, you're mistaken. She values the interests of the Hae family above everything else."

"Once you meet Lady Haemora, you will never again dare speak her name so casually."

It was exactly as Cheongyeon had expected.

Every one of them was nervous about Haemora even though she was not present.

They were afraid of her.

"Wait."

Until then, Eunseong had remained seated with an expressionless face.

Now she finally spoke.

"While Lady Haemora is absent, I also possess the authority to make decisions as her representative."

"Lady Eunseong..."

Her voice trembled, as if she had struggled to gather the courage to speak.

"I believe the Hui Kingdom is a nation of many religions, and for harmony among them, we should acknowledge the Heavenly Maiden of Beopsindang. By giving her the crest, the Hae family can also show its tolerance."

The elders immediately tried to silence her with arrogant expressions.

"You would give the Hae family's crest to an outsider? Have you forgotten the punishments you received when you were young?"

"What exactly do you think you can do while Lady Haemora is away? If you continue protecting the people of Beopsindang like this, even Lady Haemora may cast you aside."

"Do not forget that the time has come for you to choose your fate for the sake of the family."

The elders wanted to suppress Eunseong, who was one of the most likely candidates to become the next family head.

They believed that once Haemora stepped down, they would once again be able to create a world ruled by themselves.

Eunseong might have appeared gentle and obedient on the surface, but deep inside her was a strong will.

As the meeting dragged on, the light of dusk began to enter the mansion.

Another day in Pasa was coming to an end.

At that moment, Eunseong seemed to sense something.

She wrapped her arms around herself, her face twisting as if she were in pain.

"The hour of the Black Sun is drawing near. I can almost hear the cries of the spirits from far away."

Her words sounded like a warning.

She was making it clear that she wanted the conversation to end here.

"Is there anything else you wish to say?"

Bang!

The elders slammed the table and began rising from their seats one after another.

"I believe we have made our intentions clear enough. We will end this meeting here."

They hurried out of the room as though something were chasing them.

To think they would show such an ugly side after being frightened only a little.

In the real world, those six elders ruled as powerful figures of Pasa.

But in the spiritual world, they were nothing more than ordinary people with no power at all.

Only the female family heads could control the terrifying power of black magic.

At that moment, Cheongyeon's eyes met Eunseong's.

Eunseong gestured for Cheongyeon to follow her.

The two women left the Hae family's mansion and returned to the shrine inside the rock mountain.

When Eunseong pulled aside the red curtain inside the shrine, a hidden space appeared.

Portraits and spirit tablets belonging to the former family heads of the Hae family were enshrined there.

Every person in the portraits was a beautiful young woman around Eunseong's age.

Cheongyeon asked,

"Why are the lives of the women of the Hae family bound to the clan? What kind of choice are you expected to make, Lady Eunseong?"

Eunseong lowered her head and began to explain.

Women of the Hae family received harsh training from childhood.

Even minor mistakes could result in punishment, such as being whipped or thrown into pits filled with snakes.

All of it was done in the name of clan tradition.

Their purpose was to raise obedient dolls who would never disobey.

Once they came of age, they were forced to choose one of two fates.

The first was to marry into a powerful noble family.

The second was to become the rock mountain shaman and the next family head.

However, a body exposed to ghostly energy would gradually weaken until it became impossible to bear children.

Their lifespan would also become much shorter.

And that was not all.

For the rest of their lives, they would suffer from guilt and hallucinations after hurting people through black magic.

Neither future was something Eunseong wanted.

No matter which path she chose, she would still be used for the prosperity of her family.

"Lady Haemora often told me that she and I were alike."

On the day Haemora said those words, Eunseong had been slapped hard across the face.

It happened immediately after she was told that she could no longer leave the estate without permission.

She had also been strictly forbidden from visiting Beopsindang.

"I don't want to rely on something like black magic! I can't understand why people gather at the rock mountain just to hear the voices of evil spirits!"

It was the first time the timid and passive Eunseong had gathered the courage to oppose the Family Head.

Until then, Eunseong had respected Haemora as a strong and perfect leader.

But when it came to their opinions about the future of the Hae family, the distance between them was impossible to close.

More than anything, Eunseong could not accept the life forced upon the women of the Hae family.

"If I become the rock mountain shaman, people will blame me and fear me. Just like how they worship Lady Haemora while being terrified of her."

Haemora gently stroked the spider resting on the back of her hand.

"What's wrong with becoming someone people fear? If you don't harden your heart, a person's entire life can be ruined in an instant."

At that moment, a song like a sorrowful sigh slipped from Haemora's red lips.

[Rahabaejijigyeseeodwegajugunuiheugamrajyeoworoyujayeodeurabaddeuldumeo.]

The women of the Hae family passed down messages meant for the girls of the next generation through the Half-Sound Curse, a spell that sounded like words being spoken backward.

Through it, their experience and wisdom in controlling mysterious powers were passed down, along with the resentment and sorrow carried by generations of Hae women.

"Do you know why people rely on black magic?"

Haemora smiled seductively.

"Because they want the power to cover this world in darkness. Light will always stand only on the side of light."

Eunseong's eyes trembled slightly as she looked at Cheongyeon.

"There was a time when I tried to escape my fate."

Eunseong had refused black magic rituals.

She had argued with the elders.

She had even attended Buddhist events held by Beopsindang, causing the members of her family to look at her with disapproval.

But every time she was dragged back to Pasa, suffering worse than hell waited for her.

"But it's too late now. I've already become an accomplice."

Eunseong remembered the people bowing beyond the bamboo curtain.

Whenever she acted as the rock mountain shaman and repeated the words of evil spirits, she felt guilty.

Whenever she used the red flowers to lure people away and offer them as sacrifices, she felt guilty.

In the end, she had no choice but to admit that she had taken part in the deeds of her family.

Eunseong tightly clenched both fists.

"I know I have no right to ask this, but I have one request, Heavenly Maiden. Please don't tell my friends at Beopsindang about what you saw today."

Eunseong was afraid that her friends would discover the truth.

That she was the rock mountain shaman.

Cheongyeon understood how she felt.

She placed her hand over Eunseong's tightly clenched fists.

"When I saw the red flowers blooming on the cliffs of the rock mountain, I had a thought. Even though evil spirits use those flowers as bait to lure people away, and even though the people of Pasa have given those flowers a terrible meaning..."

Eunseong remained silent.

"A flower swaying in the wind simply exists as itself."

There was a sincere power in Cheongyeon's clear eyes that could move a person's heart.

"I'm sure there is another path for you too, Lady Eunseong."

Perhaps those were the words Eunseong had wanted to hear more than anything.

At the same time, perhaps they were also words Cheongyeon wanted to tell herself.

Cheongyeon also wished to escape the fate of the Black Shadow Heavenly Maiden and find a new path that could lead her through the darkness of the Hui Kingdom.

Eunseong stared blankly at Cheongyeon for a moment before hurriedly speaking.

"You should return to your lodging quickly. Nights in the Hae family's territory are even more dangerous for outsiders."

Then she lowered her head toward Cheongyeon and finally gave her answer.

"I'm sorry. I can't give you the Hae family's crest."

When Cheongyeon stepped outside the cave of the rock mountain, countless red flowers were blooming beautifully along the cliffs.

She looked at the flowers with a troubled expression and fell deep into thought.

Isn't there some good way?

Her heart felt heavy.

But she could no longer force Eunseong to make a choice.

Cheongyeon began walking back toward her lodging.

By evening, the sandy landscape surrounding the village had been scattered by the wind, reshaping itself into gray dunes.

The merchants of Pasa who had been doing business throughout the day returned one by one to their tent homes.

Lost in thought as she walked, Cheongyeon unknowingly passed between two tall wooden spirit poles.

Then she heard the ringing of bells.

Along with it came the sound of a child crying.

The sinister energy of black magic swallowed the city.

Cheongyeon climbed to the top of a sand dune in Pasa and stared in shock at the city that had completely transformed.

A massive sun hung in the middle of the night...

At last, the City of the Black Sun had reached its appointed hour.