Chapter 36

Chapter 36. Fate of the Guardian (5)

That one soft, delicate flower petal became the signal.

Countless flowers began raining down from the sky.

A wave of pale-purple blossoms filled the air.

When Seongha breathed in, he smelled a clear, gentle fragrance.

The evil spirits approaching Seongha and the monkey god suddenly stopped.

Flower petals lightly drifting from the sky touched their bodies.

The instant they made contact, brilliant light erupted.

The evil spirits began burning.

They screamed.

Some collapsed onto the ground.

Others stumbled awkwardly as their bodies twisted and broke apart.

A powerful protective spell shielded Seongha from danger.

As flower rain continued endlessly falling around him, Seongha remembered who had once used this spell.

That familiar fragrance whenever he had been held in someone's arms.

That longing.

That painful tenderness.

Memories of his mother slowly returned.

A young Seongha sat on the floor of a shabby hut, playing with a toy.

His face was still tiny and childish, but even then his neat and clear features carried a noble air.

After a while, the back door opened.

The person Seongha had been waiting for appeared.

A woman who was both beautiful and mysterious, like the scenery of a frozen lake.

His mother.

Hoeryeon.

Her next words shocked the young Seongha.

[Seongha, listen carefully.]

[We're going to leave this village soon. Until now, I've hidden here because I needed to protect you, but we no longer have much time.]

Hoeryeon frequently left Seongha in the slash-and-burn farming village and went somewhere alone.

Whenever she returned, she was either completely exhausted or injured.

To young Seongha, everything beyond the village seemed frightening and dangerous.

He could not understand why his mother wanted to leave.

[We're going to meet your father soon. Let's get ready.]

Seongha blinked.

[Father? Who is my father?]

He had never seen his father even once since being born.

Rather than wanting to meet him, Seongha felt uncomfortable toward this unknown person.

He tightly held Hoeryeon's hand.

Hoeryeon spoke calmly.

[He is the most powerful man in the Hui Kingdom. Perhaps even more powerful than the king. From now on, he will take care of you.]

Young Seongha immediately resisted.

[I don't want to meet Father. I want to stay here with Mother.]

Perhaps he had instinctively sensed that leaving the village meant being separated from her forever.

Seongha stubbornly protested.

Hoeryeon gently hugged him.

[There is something I absolutely have to do.]

[What is it?]

Hoeryeon leaned close and whispered into his ear.

Her voice was quiet and gentle, like she was sharing a secret only the two of them could know.

[The people of our clan are born with the power to protect someone. I'm going to use that power for this world.]

[Who are you going to protect?]

The words were far too difficult for a child to understand.

Seongha's eyes widened.

Hoeryeon smiled.

[You'll recognize that person the moment you see them. Their surroundings will be filled with mysterious light.]

At that moment, several arrows shot into the hut.

The people who had been slowly tightening their grip around Hoeryeon had finally discovered their hiding place.

Hoeryeon reached toward the child, intending to pull him away from the arrows.

Instead, Seongha grabbed the wooden sword lying on the floor and awkwardly took a sword stance toward the enemies outside.

Hoeryeon's lips curved into a sad smile.

[You'll grow into a brave man.]

But there was no time for sentiment.

Her expression immediately became determined.

[Get on my back. While we're escaping through the forest, you must never raise your head.]

Hoeryeon tightly tied Seongha to her back with rope.

Then she covered her face with cloth.

She brought both hands together before her chest.

Then she began chanting the most powerful spell she knew.

The hut disappearing far behind them.

The forest.

Blood-red shadows.

That pale-purple fragrance...

How had his mother managed to escape from the village through a rain of arrows and endless pursuit that day?

Seongha could not remember.

But he did remember one thing.

Flowers had rained everywhere.

Before parting from Seongha, Hoeryeon had spoken to him.

[I'm sorry I couldn't fulfill my role as your mother.]

Even that incredibly strong woman had tears in her eyes during their final farewell.

She clutched her chest as though her heart were being torn apart.

[The moment I held you after you were born, I realized something.]

[The reason I lived my life was so that I could meet you.]

Young Seongha's quiet sobbing soon turned into loud crying.

He buried his face against Hoeryeon and cried desperately.

Hoeryeon held his face between both hands.

Then she said,

[I want to change the fate of this world.]

[Because it is the world you will have to live in.]

Was protecting someone impossible without carrying a greater desire to change the world itself?

Holding onto the heart his mother had passed down to him, Seongha opened his eyes.

A single tear ran down his cheek.

The Nameless Taoist's voice returned.

“Are you prepared to accept the fate of a guardian?”

The trial was not yet over.

Seongha, who had been lying on the snow, pushed himself upright and picked up his sword.

The evil spirits that had temporarily retreated began rushing toward him again.

But Seongha now stood before them with a calm expression.

The atmosphere around him had completely changed.

Suddenly...

the monkey lying beside Seongha spoke.

“You've become a different man. Now you're finally somewhat useful.”

Seongha stared at it.

The horn in the center of the monkey's forehead transformed into a large wart.

Its golden fur became long white hair.

Its enormous body shrank into that of a thin little old man.

Once the transformation ended...

the creature was clearly the Nameless Taoist.

Seongha stared at the perfectly healthy Taoist.

He suddenly felt betrayed after desperately risking his life to protect him.

He glared.

“You completely deceived me.”

The Nameless Taoist chuckled.

“A trial should feel real, shouldn't it?”

He stepped in front of Seongha.

Then he breathed in deeply as though enjoying the flower fragrance around him.

“Now it's finally my turn. Shall I show you what I can do?”

The Taoist pulled out the Nine-Light Fan.

Then he began moving his body across the snowfield as though dancing in complete joy.

He lightly waved the fan once.

The sun and moon seemed to stop moving.

He stretched out his arm and pointed the fan toward the sky.

A powerful divine wind began blowing.

Because of the mysterious harmony created by the Taoist...

something astonishing happened.

Hundreds of white pieces of cloth descended from the sky.

The spirits of the dead, whose corrupted hearts had somehow been cleansed, grabbed onto those white cloths.

Their souls began rising toward Heaven.

Seongha lowered his head solemnly as he watched them travel toward the afterlife.

A short while later...

Seongha and the Nameless Taoist returned to the mountain slope beside the river where they had originally been sitting.

Everything that had happened felt like a dream after waking from a long sleep.

The Nameless Taoist stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

“What I showed you is the power known as the Moon Arts.”

“It is a power capable of purifying all beings and bringing them into harmony.”

The old man wiggled his bare toes.

He still looked exactly like the barefoot fisherman Seongha had first met.

Yet now, Seongha felt as though he were looking at some ancient mountain god.

The Taoist smiled lazily.

“I'm starting to grow tired of interfering with worldly affairs.”

“Perhaps it's finally time for me to retire and pass my power to a young man.”

Before Seongha could respond, the Taoist threw the Nine-Light Fan toward him.

The fan slowly drifted through the air.

Seongha caught it.

A faint vibration passed through his fingers.

Cool energy followed it.

For some time, he could not look away.

The ribs of the fan were painted in nine dazzling colors.

Even the jade bead hanging from its ornament glittered beautifully.

The Taoist spoke.

“Take good care of it and use it to benefit the world.”

“Purifying beings corrupted by darkness will not be easy.”

He waved his hand several times in farewell.

Then he staggered in a crooked path toward the deeper forest.

Seongha suddenly remembered his original purpose.

“Taoist!”

He called after him.

“You still haven't told me how to tame the giant hawk!”

The Nameless Taoist stopped.

He thought for a moment.

Then he answered,

“Great birds are creatures that dream.”

“If you can share the dream and ideals inside its heart, perhaps you will be able to capture it.”

The Nameless Taoist stepped onto a stone engraved with a strange pattern.

Then he crossed into a world beyond the Ancient Forest.

His body suddenly transformed.

He became a giant sixteen cheok tall.

His brilliant laughter echoed through the air before he disappeared.

Seongha released a long breath.

He carefully placed the Nine-Light Fan inside his clothes.

Then he bowed toward the direction in which the Taoist had vanished.

His final journey to capture the hawk began.

Seongha positioned himself on the slope of a cliff.

He opened all his senses and observed the movements of the birds.

The birds living along the cliff all turned their heads at once and let out ominous cries.

When noon arrived, a brilliant sun rose above the cliff.

A hawk sitting on a rock across from Seongha caught his attention.

Its streamlined body formed elegant curves.

Its feathers were a mixture of blue and grayish white, covered in black horizontal stripes.

A sharp yellow ring surrounded each eye, which looked like a polished black jewel.

Its beak curved dangerously downward.

Unlike the other birds, this hawk showed no interest whatsoever in prey along the river.

It only stared toward the rising sun.

Was it dreaming of flying toward the sun?

Seongha found himself fascinated by the hawk's proud appearance.

Eventually, it spread both wings.

Its shoulders moved smoothly and powerfully.

Then it leaped into the air.

It began circling around the cliff.

Seongha used lightness techniques to run across the high cliff and follow its movement.

A dizzying drop stretched beneath his feet.

He deliberately refused to look down.

Then came the single instant he had been waiting for.

The hawk flew close to the cliff.

Seongha did not miss the chance.

He gathered all his strength and jumped toward its back.

The hawk climbed straight toward the sun while beating its wings powerfully.

For an instant, dazzling light seemed to swallow Seongha's entire body.

Time appeared to stop.

Then...

Thud!

Seongha felt rough feathers against his entire body.

He had succeeded in landing on the hawk's back.

He tightly grabbed the feathers around its neck and pulled himself closer.

Then he began fastening leather straps around its neck and chest.

The hawk clearly disliked having an unfamiliar rider.

It violently shook both wings from side to side.

Compared to riding a horse, this was far more dangerous.

Powerful wind struck Seongha's face and made breathing difficult.

Spiral currents formed around the tips of both wings and produced a deep humming sound.

Whenever the hawk suddenly shot upward or plunged toward the earth, heavy air crushed Seongha's body.

The pressure felt almost unbearable.

So this is what it feels like to fly.

His first flight was far harsher than a child's first steps.

Yet Seongha slowly began adjusting.

He lowered his whole body flat against the hawk's back.

Then he gently stroked its feathers.

“They say giants once lived inside the Ancient Forest.”

“To your eyes, as a descendant of ancient creatures, I must look like nothing more than a tiny human.”

He continued gently.

“There is also a legendary bird called Garu. They say it flies across the world on golden wings and devours monsters with a mouth that spits fire.”

Seongha calmly told the hawk ancient stories.

Little by little, he tried to connect with it.

Then he made a promise.

“I'll show you a world greater than even the ancient world.”

“Let's fly to the very end of the sky with your wings.”

As though it understood Seongha's words...

the hawk stopped trying to throw him off.

Together, they looked toward the blazing sun.

For a moment, Seongha dreamed alongside the giant hawk.

A dream in which they had become one.