When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 118
Chapter 118
Sehwa, unable to comprehend what she had just heard, was momentarily stunned.
‘Her body was taken over?’
How was that even possible?
As she blinked in confusion, Baek Giha’s brow furrowed.
His large, strong hand clenched tightly, his knuckles turning white.
He had a hunch.
It was from when he had infiltrated the Mystic Ruler’s residence after the Ju Clan banquet a while ago.
He had been cautiously navigating the hallways, searching for the hidden chamber where the Mystic Ruler took the missing children and killed them.
And he had seen someone there, dressed in fine clothes.
That person had looked remarkably similar to one of the children who had gone missing from the Baek Clan when they were young.
But he hadn’t suspected anything.
He already knew from his past life that the Mystic Ruler drained the children's spiritual power and killed them.
Moreover, he hadn’t sensed any trace of Baek Clan spiritual power from that child.
Only the Ju Clan's spiritual power had filled her.
So he had dismissed it as a mere resemblance and turned away, but…
‘What if… it wasn’t?’
Baek Giha’s face darkened.
In the realm of Divine Beasts, more things were possible than one might think.
Many things that were considered absolutely forbidden, things he hadn’t even dared to consider…
But someone was doing it.
Looking at the Madam, Baek Giha asked, “Then… is the original soul of the body completely gone?”
“I can’t be certain. But once the control of the body is completely taken over, the chances of the original soul recovering on its own are slim to none.”
“…I see.”
Baek Giha’s eyes turned cold, and he said with a grim expression, “The Red Dragon… the Divine Beast we thought was gone… was still in the Ju Clan.”
“!!”
Sehwa’s eyes widened in surprise, and Baek Giha added gravely, “And that Divine Beast is doing something it shouldn’t.”
Cheon Sua agreed, nodding.
“Indeed.”
Sehwa was dumbfounded, hearing these unbelievable stories.
A Divine Beast was still in the Ju Clan? How was that possible?
If there was a Divine Beast, why had it been hiding for so long?
And a Divine Beast could take over someone else’s body?
It was hard to believe, but her mother and Baek Giha were too serious for it to be a mere fantasy.
It meant that these unbelievable stories weren’t far-fetched at all, at least from their perspective.
“How did you know, Mother? That a Divine Beast could do that?”
“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened in the history of the Mystic Realm.”
Cheon Sua brought up records she had seen before marrying Ju Myoungyoon and joining the Ju Clan.
Long ago, when Divine Beasts were abundant in the Mystic Realm, marriages within bloodlines were common practice to prevent the mixing of blood.
Divine Beasts, with their immortal bodies, could heal any physical abnormalities on their own.
But after the Divine Beasts disappeared, the remaining mystics were no different from humans, except for their slightly longer lifespans and limited abilities.
They began to intermarry with other clans to avoid the risks of inbreeding.
The Ju Clan had only married into the Cheon Clan, which possessed reddish-brown spiritual power, to prevent the dilution of the red color, the symbol of the Red Dragon, due to the mixing of spiritual powers from other clans.
Thus, the Cheon Clan had more records about the Ju Clan than other clans, and the Cheon Clan Head had always shared these records with the daughters who were marrying into the Ju Clan, cautioning them.
Among them were a few long-standing mysteries.
One of them concerned clan members who seemed to have completely changed overnight, from their personalities to their spiritual power.
“Witnessing such cases repeatedly, some Cheon Clan elders speculated that these individuals might have had their souls swapped. Otherwise, it didn’t make sense for even their spiritual power to change.”
“......”
“If it were true, it would have been a terrifying revelation that could have shaken the entire Mystic Realm, but we didn't have the time to delve deeper into the truth. Around that time, the Divine Beasts began to disappear.”
Cheon Sua frowned, recalling the documents she had read.
“Since such incidents stopped occurring afterwards, we speculated that it might have been the Divine Beasts’ doing. Divine Beasts were immortal, but perhaps something went wrong related to this soul-swapping, leading to their disappearance.”
“But it’s strange. If there’s a Divine Beast protecting the Ju Clan, why isn't it revealing itself?”
“That’s what I find strange as well. Especially considering the Mystic Ruler's personality, he wouldn’t allow you, Baek Giha, to be revered as the only Divine Beast in the Mystic Realm. Why would he endure such humiliation and remain silent?”
“…Baek Giha.”
Baek Giha’s ears turned red as he savored the way his name was spoken in the midst of such a serious conversation.
As if realizing how strange he must look, he quickly composed himself.
“Aside from body-switching, there must be another important and unsavory reason for their secrecy.”
“Speaking of which, Baek Giha…”
“…Baek Giha…”
Baek Giha’s ears turned red again as his name was repeated.
“Those around the Mystic Ruler switch bodies, but what about the Mystic Ruler himself? Has he never switched bodies?”
“......”
Baek Giha froze, as if he had heard something completely unexpected.
“If our Mystic Ruler were a selfless, benevolent person who fought for justice, we wouldn’t need such speculations, but…”
“But Madam, the Mystic Ruler is—.”
“Call me Mother.”
“…Mother.”
Baek Giha’s face flushed as he addressed Cheon Sua.
“But the Mystic Ruler is very old. If he could switch bodies, wouldn’t he have done so already?”
“He might have been waiting.”
“For what?”
“For him to inherit the position of Mystic Ruler, the body he switches to must be the successor. And the successor hasn't undergone his exuviation yet.”
“!!”
Baek Giha froze, then shook his head.
“No way… that’s… even if it’s for his own son… I don’t think he would do that.”
“Would he not? I thought of the Young Lord the moment I learned about souls being consumed and bodies being taken over.”
Cheon Sua added with a grim expression,
“It’s no secret that he’s obsessed with spiritual power. He’s always been wary of anyone possessing a Spirit Orb that wasn’t theirs. But he never hesitated to give Spirit Orbs to his son. Why?”
“Because… he’s the successor of the Ju Clan, the next Mystic Ruler.”
“But if he had consumed all the Spirit Orbs he gave to the Young Lord, he wouldn't be so frail now. And the missing children from the Six Clans were supposedly killed. He absorbed their spiritual power, yet why hasn’t he recovered at all?”
“......”
“Even if his body had some issue preventing him from benefiting from the Spirit Orbs, it’s impossible for him to remain unchanged after absorbing so much spiritual power. So perhaps… he hasn’t absorbed any of it into his current body.”
“......”
“So I suspect… the Young Lord might be his next body.”
Cheon Sua looked at Sehwa and asked, “Do you remember injuring the Mystic Ruler?”
“Of course. I intended to kill him. But someone rescued him, right?”
“Someone rescued the Mystic Ruler?”
“It was just before you arrived. A huge vortex of spiritual power suddenly appeared, and the Mystic Ruler and Ju Suyeon disappeared before my eyes.”
“I lost consciousness soon after, so I don’t remember clearly, but the last thing I saw was the Mystic Ruler in the same state as that Fifth Madam. Even with medicine, it’ll be difficult for him to recover from that.”
Cheon Sua recalled the image of the old man, his body burning from the Divine Beast’s spiritual power, and added, “So we’ll see. He’s not the type to abdicate as long as he’s alive, so if the Young Lord suddenly ascends to the position of Mystic Ruler…”
“......”
“......”
Even Baek Giha, let alone Sehwa, who still couldn’t believe what she was hearing, was speechless.
He had never considered such a possibility, as it was unthinkable to him, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.
“If that’s true… if the Mystic Ruler has been prolonging his life like that…” Baek Giha said, his face contorting into a grim expression, as if making a vow to himself, “then I have to end his life as soon as possible.”
The sky, nearing the new moon, was dark, but the lack of clouds allowed the faint moonlight to illuminate the earth sufficiently.
Now that Sehwa was awake, they intended to head straight for the outpost in Igang Province, where her brothers were stationed, without further delay.
However, her mother, who had been dragged around for so long with the suppression seal, wasn’t as well as she appeared.
Since her vital points had been forcibly sealed, her accumulated spiritual power needed to be released regularly, or she would revert to the state she was in when she was wearing the seal.
So they had no choice but to delay their departure for another night.
Unable to obtain proper medicine, Cheon Sua had to stabilize her spiritual power herself with acupuncture.
After confirming that her mother had fallen asleep, exhausted, Sehwa and Baek Giha quietly left the room, taking advantage of the darkness.
They stood on the roof, gazing at the blue, glowing scenery below.
“By the way, do you remember transforming into a beast?”
“Yes. But I didn’t see what I looked like. Did I become a white tiger? I definitely wasn’t a dragon, since I had legs.”
“......”
“Why?”
As he remained silent, Sehwa’s eyes widened slightly.
“…Did I turn into something even stranger? What was it this time?”
“Well…”
“......”
Baek Giha hesitated, unable to describe what he had seen.
Sehwa closed her eyes in resignation.
‘…I should have mixed my Spirit Orbs better.’
She could guess her own state.
‘Considering the heightened vision and speed, I don’t think I was a turtle…’
Not a white tiger, not a dragon…
If it wasn’t a turtle or a deer either…
It wouldn't be strange if various beastly forms had manifested, mixed together, like her mixed spiritual power.
Sehwa imagined a horrifying beast with the head of a deer, the shell of a turtle, the legs of a white tiger, and the tail of a dragon.
“…I guess I’m doomed to live with my spiritual power sealed.”
She didn't care about being gossiped about, but she was worried about such rumors affecting her parents, so she spoke in a subdued voice.
As if concerned about her, Baek Giha’s strong arm gently wrapped around her slumped shoulders.
His warm lips pressed against her temple, as if to comfort her.
Turning to look at him, she met his worried gaze, unconcealed even by the dim moonlight.
“......”
She could feel the depth of his feelings for her in his tender gaze.
His dry lips gently brushed against hers.
Another kiss, and then another.
Her eyes reddening, she reached for the back of his neck.
Their lips pressed closer, deepening the kiss.
Their moist breaths mingled between their slightly parted lips.
He was her support, her happiness.
She no longer knew when or how he had become so deeply embedded in her heart.
She didn’t want to let go, didn’t want to be apart from him.
Sehwa pulled him closer, embracing his strong back tightly.
What more could she ask for?
The heavens had already bestowed upon her such great fortune.
They had allowed her to reunite with her family, whom she thought she would never see again, and had given her this man.
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