The smoke hadn't even cleared from their stewpot before the first arrow hit the tree behind Ji-Mun's head.
Thunk!
She didn't flinch. "That better not be the rabbit I was about to eat."
Another arrow whistled past, this time tipped with a burning rune. It struck the ground beside Yul-Rin and burst—
BZZZT-BOOM!
Everyone rolled for cover.
From the forest's northern edge, dark-clad figures charged in, shouting, "Seize the Cloud Veil witch and the leader's heir! Take them alive!"
So-Ri's eyes narrowed. "They know already?"
"No," Sun-Ho growled, rolling up his sleeves. "They're guessing. Let's make sure they regret it."
---
Scene Shift – Nearby Village, One Hour Earlier
The attackers weren't amateurs. They wore no sect insignia—mercenaries, likely paid by corrupted clans. Their orders were simple: raid the village under Cloud Veil's protection and draw the sect into conflict. The village elder had begged Cloud Veil for protection days ago. Sun-Ho had insisted on checking it out personally.
Master Jang had agreed with a familiar smirk. "Go save them, humble hero. Just… don't forget your mask."
Sun-Ho had.
---
Back to the Present – Forest Skirmish
Cloud Veil disciples rushed from the fog, joining the fight. Their coordinated movement—mistlike footwork and tight formation—was elegant and efficient.
But even they were outnumbered.
Sun-Ho ducked under a blade, twisted, and slammed his palm into the attacker's gut—
Whump!
—A suppressed shockwave sent the man flying.
He caught So-Ri's eye as she whipped her ribbon-blades toward three enemies at once.
"Ready to turn the tide?" she said.
He grinned. "Oh, I'm counting on it."
Ma-Rok planted his feet, fists glowing with defensive qi. "I'll hold the front!"
Yul-Rin shouted from behind cover, launching a wave of smoke-laced needles. "I'll blind their flanks!"
Ji-Mun snarled as she twirled two daggers. "I'll ruin their lunch!"
Yeon didn't speak—but when a rogue attacker charged at him, the boy's eyes flared, and a sudden gust of raw qi blasted the enemy ten feet away.
Everyone paused.
Sun-Ho blinked. "Did… did he just roar without opening his mouth?"
So-Ri gasped, "That's what you're worried about?!"
---
Meanwhile – In the Trees Above
A cloaked figure watched from above, crouched on a thick branch.
The Elementless Sovereign's white mask gleamed under the moonlight. He silently leapt down, landing behind a group of mercenaries.
Crack! Crack!
Two went down before they knew someone was behind them.
"Who—!?"
A third turned, only to be caught in a sweeping gust of invisible force. No fire. No lightning. Just will.
"Who fights for the innocent under no banner?" the masked man whispered.
The mercenaries stumbled.
"He's… he's the one from the rumors!"
"The Elementless Sovereign!"
He struck again—each blow controlled, efficient, and impossibly fast.
Wheee… WHUMP!
A spinning palm sent the last of their command group crashing into the river.
---
Battlefield – Five Minutes Later
Cloud Veil disciples regrouped, having broken the mercenary formation. So-Ri and Ji-Mun stood with Yeon and Yul-Rin near the fire-pit, watching as the last of the attackers retreated into the trees.
Then silence.
Then footsteps.
The masked warrior appeared, dragging the enemy leader by the collar.
He tossed the man to the ground and said in a deeper voice, "Tell your masters. The humble will not be hunted... and the shadows are watching."
Ji-Mun leaned toward Yul-Rin. "This guy's dramatic."
Yul-Rin scribbled: Possibly trained in opera.
Sun-Ho, still in his masked persona, turned to the Cloud Veil elder, who had arrived during the battle.
"Your protection worked," she said, raising a brow.
"It was… cooperative," he replied smoothly. "Just as it should be."
She gave a single nod. "Then perhaps... your vision is worth following."
---
Aftermath – Campfire Restored
Later, after a strangely upbeat stew (with no additional arrows), the group sat together as the moon rose.
Yeon rested peacefully, Ji-Mun sharpened her daggers with one hand and roasted skewers with the other, and Yul-Rin poured tea no one trusted but everyone drank.
So-Ri leaned toward Sun-Ho, her voice low. "They're calling your other self Sovereign of Balance now."
He groaned. "Please no."
"You shouldn't have worn the white mask. It makes you look like a righteous ghost."
Ma-Rok added, "We should start selling masks."
Yul-Rin was already doodling something in her notebook. "Limited edition. Flame-resistant."
Ji-Mun, completely oblivious, looked between them. "Am I the only one who thinks this guy's kind of... trying too hard? I mean, fire, fog, a cape? Who does he think he is, a stage actor?"
Sun-Ho buried his face in his hands.
Ma-Rok grinned. "Call them 'Balance-Man!'"
Yul-Rin added, deadpan: "Limited edition. Comes with tea."
Sun-Ho looked skyward and sighed.
---
Campfire Banter
The fire crackled merrily as the party regrouped, bruised but laughing. The smell of victory—or at least half-burnt rabbit—lingered in the air.
Ji-Mun held up a piece of meat and frowned. "Is this leg or... spine?"
Yul-Rin sniffed it. "It's edible. Probably. Ninety percent."
Ma-Rok took a massive bite anyway. "Delicious!"
The masked warrior stood nearby, arms folded, quietly watching the group banter. Yeon looked at him, then at the party, then nodded to himself as if silently approving their strange rituals.
Ji-Mun gestured toward the masked man. "So… this is the mysterious Sovereign backing our humble little group?"
Yul-Rin raised a teacup. "Balance Ghost. Definitely a mistwalker with flair."
"Flair?" Ji-Mun smirked. "His entrance was basically thunder and poetry."
Ma-Rok added, "I like him. Serious. Cool. Probably writes in a secret journal."
Yul-Rin jotted on a page: 'The wind howled through the bamboo, like my loneliness.'
So-Ri giggled. "Stop, he might actually be writing that now!"
The masked Sovereign sighed through the porcelain. Then, in an intentionally deeper tone:
> "You mock a man who just saved your lives?"
Yul-Rin blinked. "Ah, the Sovereign sulks too. Adorable."
Ji-Mun wagged a skewer. "Careful—next he'll start writing poetry in the fog."
Ma-Rok laughed and clinked his bowl with hers. "I'd follow him into battle and buy his poetry book."
So-Ri leaned back beside the Sovereign, eyes playful. "Well, masked hero, if you're going to keep saving us… we'll keep naming you."
Yeon raised his water gourd in solemn agreement.
The Sovereign said nothing more. Just exhaled slowly and turned his gaze skyward.
Behind the mask, Sun-Ho was dying inside.
---
Crimson Spine Clan, Inner Court
The fox-masked figure stood before a glowing map of Murim, small lights flickering to life one by one.
"Cloud Veil has returned. The Sovereign acts in shadow. And now… too many are watching."
A black-robed subordinate bowed. "Shall we… begin eliminating them?"
The masked figure shook his head slowly.
"No. Let him build. Let him lead. Let the world see his light."
"And then…?"
A sharp smile formed behind the mask.
"Then we become the darkness that swallows it."
---
[End of Chapter - 32 ]
---
End of Volume 3 – Ashes and Shadows
---