Part I: Bloom of Blood
When the black lotus bloomed, the sky turned red.
From a distance, it looked like nothing more than a strange sunset.But Mujin knew better.
"That flower… it's calling me."
He stood at the ridge, voice low. Elder Gihyeon nodded gravely.
"The Black Lotus blooms only once. Beneath it lies the Hidden Heart."
"Heart?"
"The last remnant of the Skybone Emperor. Only you can retrieve it."
Mujin descended toward the valley, where the lotus pulsed faintly, as if the earth itself was breathing sorrow and dreams.
At its center stood a child.
Dust-covered. Dressed in rags. Eyes too ancient for such a small face.
"Who… are you?" Mujin asked.
The child stared up at him.
"I'm you.The part you buried.The self you abandoned."
Part II: The Forgotten Self
The ground quaked.The lotus vanished.
Only the two of them remained—past and present, tangled like threads in time.
"Can you really keep walking this path?" the boy asked.
"I want to return… but maybe I can't."
"You're right. You can't.Because you already killed me."
The sky cracked.Black flames ignited behind the boy's eyes.
The blade, Skycut Fang, leapt into Mujin's hand.
"You have to fight yourself. All the way through."
But the child didn't wield a sword.
He attacked with memory.
Regret. Love. Shame. Names Mujin had buried in silence.
His wife's tears.His missing junior's final text.The moments he chose to run, not fight.
Mujin dropped to one knee, gasping.
But then—
"If I can't defeat myself… then I can't save anything."
He channeled his breath. The sword shimmered.
But instead of striking, Mujin reached out—and embraced the boy.
"You're a part of me. I don't need to kill you. I need to accept you."
The child dissolved, becoming light.Regret. Memory. Guilt.All of it flowed into Mujin, searing into his blood like a promise.
Epilogue: The Seventh Seal
A burning pain flared across his wrist.
The seventh symbol blazed to life.
Not perfection.But wholeness.
For the first time, Mujin didn't resist the weight.He carried it.
The sky opened.
From the heart of the lotus, a gate rose—woven of roots and silver flame.
From far behind, Elder Gihyeon's voice echoed.
"At last… the true gate has appeared."
Mujin stepped toward it.
This time, his shadow followed.
To be continued...