Two Days Later – En Route to the Iron Banner Ruins
The path narrowed into a sharp slope flanked by jagged rocks and coiling mist. Ancient trees, half-dead and gnarled, clawed at the sky like they were still begging the heavens for justice.
"So... this is supposed to be haunted?" Ji-Mun asked, arms folded behind her head. "Looks more like a failed herb garden."
Wheeeee — the wind howled through the twisted stone, cold and sharp.
"Don't mock the dead," Yul-Rin muttered, glancing nervously around.
Yeon, walking silently beside Sun-Ho, scribbled something and held it up: "If ghosts exist, can they be poisoned?"
Ma-Rok let out a hearty laugh. "Leave the spirits to me. I'll block 'em with sheer muscle density!"
Sun-Ho chuckled. "Let's try not to anger any lingering souls. We don't want cursed stew for dinner."
So-Ri walked a little closer to Sun-Ho than usual. "You're not scared of curses?"
"Only one thing scares me," he said with mock seriousness.
"What's that?"
"Your handwriting."
So-Ri elbowed him hard in the ribs — kwak! — and he staggered half a step.
"I stand corrected," he wheezed.
---
Midday – Arrival at the Ruins
The Iron Banner Sect had once been a proud fortress of martial justice. Now it was a scattered carcass of shattered stone, overgrown pathways, and eerie silence.
The gate, half-collapsed, bore a single symbol untouched by time: a blazing banner wreathed in five elemental circles.
Sun-Ho stared at it. "That mark... it's almost identical to the diagram in Elder Hwa's scroll."
Jang Cheol-Oh, who had been uncharacteristically quiet since dawn, finally spoke. "There's a reason. This place guarded more than sect records — it was a testing ground."
"A trial?" Yul-Rin asked.
The master nodded. "The Iron Banner believed power without wisdom was poison. They left traps, puzzles, illusions — and one final gate no one ever breached."
Yeon scribbled: "Bet we do."
---
The First Trial – Gate of Will
The party passed through the gate and into a wide chamber of mossy blackstone. The ceiling had collapsed centuries ago, but seven standing stones remained — each marked with a different elemental sigil.
Sun-Ho stepped forward. "It's reacting."
His palm, now familiar with the five elemental flows, began to tingle.
Suddenly, the stones glowed. A barrier shimmered to life behind them, and a voice echoed from nowhere:
> "Only one whose heart harmonizes with all five paths may pass."
A symbol flared above each stone:
⚡ Lightning
💧 Water
🌪️ Wind
🪨 Earth
🔥 Fire
🌑 Void
🌓 Balance
Sun-Ho narrowed his eyes. "I see. The test isn't brute force."
He placed one hand on the fire sigil.
Hummmm
Another on water.
Whmmmmm
So-Ri whispered, "It's like you're aligning the flow of each element…"
"I'm not just aligning," Sun-Ho said calmly. "I'm remembering."
He closed his eyes.
A past life. A high mountain. A scroll with no words, only symbols.
A lesson repeated:
> "To master everything, begin with nothing."
His breath deepened.
Hand by hand, he touched the stones — lightning, earth, wind.
When he reached void, the air grew cold. The sigil resisted him — then, like a gate unlocked by memory, it gave way.
He finally pressed his palm to the last one: Balance.
A sound like thunder without noise — whmp — rolled across the chamber.
The barrier shattered into shimmering sparks.
Behind it, stairs descended into darkness.
---
The Descent – Into Forgotten Depths
The air thickened as they moved downward. So-Ri's lantern flickered, and Ma-Rok's armor scraped against tight walls.
Ji-Mun whispered, "Feels like something's watching."
Yul-Rin replied, "Everything's watching."
Sun-Ho remained focused.
He felt it — a presence.
Not malevolent.
Not welcoming.
Simply... ancient.
At the end of the passage was a chamber lined with scroll racks. In its center: a low pedestal holding a single jade orb, swirling with smoky light.
Jang Cheol-Oh's eyes narrowed. "This is it."
---
The Orb's Vision – Memories of the Iron Banner
When Sun-Ho touched the orb, fwsssh — light erupted.
A phantom scene unfolded: Iron Banner warriors training together, resisting a wave of corrupted martial lords. Then betrayal — allied sects turning on them. A masked figure in black, burning documents, swallowing secrets to preserve something greater.
Then… silence.
The memory faded.
Sun-Ho's voice was low. "They were purged for standing against the founding clans."
So-Ri touched his shoulder. "And they tried to pass the truth forward, through trials, illusions, and you."
Yeon held up his board: "What now?"
Sun-Ho grinned. "We make sure it wasn't in vain."
---
Nightfall – Camp Near the Ruins
As the fire crackled, Ma-Rok finally declared the ghost-hunting mission a success. Ji-Mun offered to paint a spooky mural for intimidation. Yul-Rin was already drawing out records from the retrieved scrolls.
So-Ri sat beside Sun-Ho, quietly scribbling notes.
He glanced over. "You're awfully serious."
"We're unearthing history that could change the world."
Sun-Ho smiled. "True. But I also found out you're scared of ghost bats."
"I wasn't scared. I just don't like… fluttering."
"So noted. I'll ward our next camp with garlic and sarcasm."
She smirked.
Jang Cheol-Oh, half-asleep already, muttered, "Remind me again who's leading this alliance-to-be?"
"Just some humble stew connoisseur with ambition problems," Sun-Ho said with a wink.
---
From the Shadows
Far away, deep within the Crimson Spine fortress, the fox-masked figure watched a glowing orb crack slightly — the same kind as the one Sun-Ho had touched.
He laughed.
"So... you've begun digging up the bones."
His hand closed around a red talisman.
"Then I suppose I'll make sure they bury you alongside them."
---
[End of Chapter - 30]