The field was scorched, the wind heavy with the scent of burning grass and shattered pride. The remnants of the defeated sect limped into the forest, dragging bruised egos and fractured bones behind them. Sun-Ho's party stood quietly, not in triumph, but in reflection.
Yeon sat on a broken log, eyes on the horizon. His shirt was torn, and a small trickle of blood dried near his temple. He hadn't spoken since the final blow was delivered.
So-Ri walked over and gently sat beside him. "You okay?"
Yeon nodded slowly. "He said I wasn't meant to exist. Just a pawn…"
She placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're no pawn. You're family."
From a few feet away, Ma-Rok and Yul-Rin silently shared tea. Ma-Rok sipped awkwardly from a tiny porcelain cup that looked far too delicate in his bear-like hands.
Yul-Rin stifled a laugh. "You drink like a noble lady."
He stared at the cup. "It's the only one left. You crushed the other mugs."
"I accidentally kicked them during the fight!"
"Five of them?"
Sun-Ho stood at the edge of the field, his white coat fluttering faintly in the breeze. Behind him, Master Jang and Ji-Mun arrived from scouting the perimeter.
"Nothing but cowards fleeing into the hills," Ji-Mun reported, brushing ash from his robe.
Master Jang eyed the horizon. "They'll regroup. That clan doesn't lose quietly."
Sun-Ho nodded. "And they'll come back smarter, with reinforcements. We won't be this lucky again."
Ji-Mun grinned. "Then let's be less lucky, and more terrifying."
---
That evening, the group made camp near a sloped cliffside, the fire pit nestled between flat boulders like an amphitheater.
So-Ri stirred a stewpot. "We've had fewer arguments lately."
Ji-Mun chuckled. "Because you always win them."
She smirked. "Only because you surrender too easily."
Sun-Ho stretched out beside the fire. "Enjoy the peace. We might not get more of it."
Yul-Rin looked up from polishing her needles. "Do you think they'll start targeting civilians next?"
"They'll do worse," Sun-Ho replied. "They'll try to frame the Sovereign for it. We're gaining attention fast. Too fast."
Ji-Mun pointed his stick at Sun-Ho like a sword. "Then maybe the Sovereign needs a double, or an understudy!"
Sun-Ho smirked. "You volunteering?"
Ji-Mun flipped his hair dramatically. "Only if I get a flowing cape and tragic backstory."
Master Jang coughed. "Let's focus. We need allies. That hidden sect from earlier may have contacts in the border provinces. Maybe even the old Shattered Pines faction."
Sun-Ho raised an eyebrow. "I thought they dissolved."
"Power never dissolves," Master Jang muttered. "It just hides."
---
Elsewhere…
In a candlelit hall carved from jade and obsidian, five figures gathered beneath a tapestry of a burning phoenix.
A man cloaked in violet gestured to the center. "The Sovereign grows bold. He's not just interfering—he's inspiring."
A woman with a scar down her cheek grinned. "Then let's bait the flame. Use one of the old ruins. Leak it. Let him come."
Another nodded. "And bury him there."
They raised their goblets in unison.
"To shadows reborn."
---
Back at camp, Yeon quietly approached Sun-Ho as he checked a map.
"I… I want to learn more," Yeon said. "Not just fighting. How to protect people."
Sun-Ho looked down, surprised. Then he smiled. "Then I'll teach you. But not just techniques. You'll learn why we fight."
Yeon hesitated. "Will it hurt?"
"Oh yes," Sun-Ho grinned. "But you'll laugh, too. Eventually."
---
Later that night, the fire crackled as Moonlight bathed their camp. Master Jang sat beside Sun-Ho, watching embers dance.
"You still doubt this double life of yours?" the master asked.
Sun-Ho nodded. "It feels dishonest. Like I'm lying to those I want to lead."
Jang poured himself a cup of tea. "And if you wore no mask, would you still have the freedom to fight as you must?"
"…Probably not."
"Then don't think of it as deception. Think of it as protection. Until Murim can see truth without fear, let them see only what they can handle."
So-Ri added from behind, "And when that day comes, you won't need a mask."
Sun-Ho gave a small nod. "Then let's make sure that day comes."
---
Meanwhile…
Ji-Mun stood by the river, shirt sleeves rolled up, holding a fishnet filled with powder.
"What are you doing?" Yul-Rin asked suspiciously.
"Fishing with knockout powder. Heard it's faster than bait."
"Ji-Mun, that's poison—"
SPLASH!
The pouch exploded prematurely, covering Ji-Mun in blue dust. He staggered back, sneezing violently.
"Kchoo! KCHOO!"
Ma-Rok dragged him back to camp by the collar. "If you kill all the fish, we'll eat you instead."
Moments later, Yeon silently walked into camp holding a perfectly caught trout.
Everyone stared.
"…Did you punch it?" Yul-Rin asked.
Yeon shrugged and handed it to Ma-Rok.
Dinner that night was fish—burnt and underspiced, thanks to Ma-Rok's culinary assault.
So-Ri gagged. "You seasoned this with what? Regret?"
"I thought it was sugar."
"Ma-Rok, that's powdered ginseng!"
The entire party groaned in unison.
---
As laughter finally faded, Sun-Ho returned to the fire and spread out a weathered map.
"There's an abandoned structure in the eastern gorge. Rumors say it once belonged to the Five-Element Order. If anything still exists, it's hidden there."
Ji-Mun narrowed his eyes. "Let me guess… ancient curse, secret vault, spooky music?"
Yul-Rin deadpanned, "And probably more cultists."
So-Ri leaned back. "I hope there's at least a hot spring this time."
Ma-Rok sighed, "Or real pillows. I'm still sleeping on tree bark."
Crack...
A twig snapped in the distance.
Everyone tensed.
But it was only a rabbit.
The moment passed.
Sun-Ho stared into the fire. "Back then," he murmured, "I died believing Murim could be fixed. That strength should never be used to dominate."
So-Ri looked at him. "Then let's fix it together. Even if the world burns again."
He didn't reply. But his eyes held a fierce gleam.
In the east, a ruin waited. And beneath it, something old had begun to stir.
---
End of Chapter 44