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Chapter 30 - Chapter 30 – The Iron Banner’s Trial

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]

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