When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 124
Chapter 124
Choi Deokmun hesitated, unable to answer her unexpected request.
“…Minister Jung Seung-taek is already in grave danger after failing the rain ritual three times. You might face unnecessary trouble if you get involved.”
“Why do you think I’ll fail?”
“Haven’t you noticed? This isn’t an ordinary drought. A sinister spiritual power is lurking everywhere. It means something is controlling the rain.”
“Yes, there is something. That’s why it’s even more important to bring the rain.”
“What?”
Choi Deokmun gasped in surprise.
‘What is she saying… bring the rain…?’
“You’re going to bring the rain?”
Choi Deokmun unconsciously tried to sense Sehwa’s spiritual power.
He couldn’t sense any spiritual energy from her slender form, as if she were an ordinary human.
It could mean that her spiritual power was far beyond his ability to sense, however…
‘…No. She hasn’t become a Divine Beast yet.’
Only dragons, the rulers of all life, could control nature.
While her spiritual power was unusual, she didn't seem to have transformed into a Divine Beast.
Then how was she going to bring the rain?
“That’s not something you need to know. Anyway, I’ll be performing your son’s exuviation tonight, so have him bring the Spirit Stones to the Minister of Rites’ residence by the hour of the rat.”
He didn’t understand how she was going to bring the rain, or why she needed so many Spirit Stones for it.
But what did it matter?
All he had to do was prepare what she had asked for.
After Sehwa left, Choi Deokmun directed the household servants, quickly gathering the necessary materials.
Choi Jangmyung was doing the same.
He felt as if he were reliving his childhood.
Endlessly gazing at the gate to the Mystic Realm, handing heavy pouches of money to the gatekeepers…
Unable to cross that gate…
Trying to guess what it was like on the other side from the occasional sounds that drifted through…
Wondering what his homeland, the place he couldn’t return to, was like…
He was so nervous he felt like he was about to throw up.
His head was spinning, and his fingertips were cold.
When the carts loaded with goods were finally ready, Choi Deokmun approached his son.
Choi Jangmyung was holding a box filled with the highest quality Spirit Stones, patiently waiting.
“Are you nervous?”
“…A little. I never thought I would be able to set foot on the land of the Mystic Realm.”
“I’m sorry…”
At Choi Deokmun’s apologetic tone, Choi Jangmyung shook his head with a gentle smile.
“I didn’t say that to blame you, Father. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t even be alive.”
Choi Jangmyung tightened his grip on the box of Spirit Stones.
“I never thought I would receive such undeserved fortune.”
“A vassal contract might not be as good as you think. It’s…”
Choi Deokmun’s voice was heavy as he spoke, having seen various records about vassal contracts before being exiled from his homeland. But Choi Jangmyung simply smiled and shook his head.
“No, Father. You don’t understand.”
‘How much I’ve longed for this day.’
Ever since he first met her…
Dressed in white, her small face filled with concern as she looked down at him…
The one who had instantly taken away the pain that had been crushing him like a weight…
The one who had given him a new life that day…
That moment had been the brightest of his life.
He had cherished the memory of that fleeting, dreamlike night, vivid in his mind.
To become her vassal…
He hadn't dared to hope to see her again, yet here he was, about to become hers.
What greater fortune could there be?
But he knew his place.
He hadn’t even dreamed of possessing her, so he quietly suppressed the anticipation that filled his heart.
“Everyone, be quiet while transporting the goods.”
If the starving people knew what they were carrying, they would surely swarm them like a pack of wolves, thinking it was food.
As the hour of the rat arrived, Choi Deokmun, accompanied by guards composed of exiled mystics, quietly headed towards the Minister of Rites’ residence.
To avoid being noticed, they all wore black and walked through the dark night without torches.
Sehwa was waiting for them at the entrance of the Minister of Rites’ residence.
Her beauty, unconcealed even by the dim moonlight and the deep darkness, momentarily captivated those walking towards her.
Sehwa approached them with light steps and said to Choi Deokmun, “Place all the goods inside the residence.”
Her crimson eyes, gleaming in the darkness, shifted to Choi Jangmyung.
“Let’s go. We have to cross the gate to the Mystic Realm before the hour of the ox.”
Cross the gate.
At those simple words, he followed Sehwa, mesmerized.
To cross the gate to the Mystic Realm, the gate that had always been a source of longing and frustration for him.
And so, he stood before the gate he had only ever gazed at from afar.
Before passing through the shimmering portal, Sehwa extended her hand towards him.
“Take my hand.”
“!”
Without a moment’s hesitation, he instinctively took her hand.
“Let’s go.”
Her small, slender hand held his.
Her hand was warm.
Choi Jangmyung looked at Sehwa’s back, his face a mixture of laughter and tears.
And then, hand in hand, they walked towards the shimmering rift in the air.
As Choi Jangmyung stepped into the rift…
‘But… is that man… not coming with us?’
The question briefly crossed his mind as they passed through the gate.
But it was only a fleeting thought.
Closing his eyes tightly, Choi Jangmyung passed through the strange, disorienting barrier, and instinctively opened his eyes as soon as her hand left his.
“......”
He blinked.
‘What… is this place?’
He had always imagined the Mystic Realm based on his father’s stories.
A new world where beasts revered as gods in the Human Realm roamed freely, wielding special powers…
Where unseen flowers bloomed, strange trees grew, and mystical stones like Spirit Stones lay scattered about…
But what he saw before him was a stone building.
A simple, austere structure, like a border outpost, built solely for defense.
There were no elegant roofs or pillars, just sharp weapons scattered on the old stone floor.
‘W-Wait… weapons?’
Just then, a low, gentle voice spoke from the side of the building.
“Did you bring him?”
The man who had warned him earlier was already there, watching him.
His gaze briefly flickered to Choi Jangmyung’s hand, which had been holding Sehwa’s.
Then he smiled, his eyes curving.
But his expression wasn't gentle.
His dark eyes, gleaming within his curved eyelids, were sharp and cold.
Choi Jangmyung felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had stumbled upon a mountain god while crossing a mountain at night.
The oppressive aura emanating from the man only softened when he looked at the woman standing before him.
“Did you confirm that all the outpost soldiers are down?”
“Of course.”
The man strode forward and stood between Sehwa and Choi Jangmyung.
Then he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her towards him possessively, and kissed her forehead.
‘…!’
Choi Jangmyung’s face flushed crimson. He had never seen such a public display of affection, given the customs of his country.
He had witnessed the debauchery of untransformed mystics a few times, catering to their desires and attending their wild parties and banquets.
But what he saw before him was different.
The passionate affirmation of their bond…
The intimate gestures that spoke of a deep, overflowing affection…
She didn't seem to mind his touch, her lips curving into a soft smile.
Sehwa seemed to come to her senses first, as Choi Jangmyung averted his gaze.
She gestured towards Choi Jangmyung and said, “I should have mentioned this earlier, but there’s something wrong with my spiritual power, so the exuviation might not go as planned. I’ll help you if that happens, so…”
Sehwa hesitated slightly and added, “Tell me if you’re uncomfortable with it.”
As if that were even a possibility.
Choi Jangmyung shook his head. The man interjected in a gentle voice, “Yes, ask him again if he wants to cancel the contract. Such an important decision should be made carefully. Or how about I perform the contract instead? I don’t mind at all, so feel free to say so.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“I wasn't asking you.”
“I know.”
“......”
As Choi Jangmyung and the man exchanged tense glances, Sehwa stepped between them.
“I need to place the seal. Choose a spot and tell me where you want it.”
Choi Jangmyung willingly offered his neck.
By offering a place she couldn’t avoid seeing, he wanted to give her complete control over him.
Of course, Sehwa, unaware of his feelings, seemed to think nothing of it.
But the man, seemingly understanding his intentions, instantly turned icy cold.
Before he could even intervene, Sehwa's slender, white finger touched Choi Jangmyung’s skin, imbued with warmth.
It was at that moment.
“!”
Space distorted around Choi Jangmyung.
A blinding white light flashed before his eyes.
A whirlwind and flames of spiritual power surged around him.
He felt as if he were being enveloped by a torrent of water, and bathed in golden sunlight.
When he opened his eyes amidst the burning heat, he saw a strange beast standing before him.
In the Mystic Realm, there were many small, insignificant creatures that had never transformed into Divine Beasts, aside from the beasts of the Seven Clans.
Earthworms, field mice, crayfish, and even more insignificant creatures like pillbugs.
Even these creatures possessed human forms thanks to the Mystic Realm’s ancient spiritual power.
But they were forced to do menial and dirty work due to their low status.
Choi Deokmun had been the same before being exiled.
Born with the blood of a field mouse, he had been subservient to the Seven Clans.
No matter how much he cultivated his spiritual power, he couldn't possess significant power due to his innate limitations.
Choi Jangmyung, having heard these stories from his father, knew his true form.
But what was this?
It resembled a dragon… a deer… a white tiger… a turtle…
As he looked at the beast, a form he had never seen before, his body seemed to swell.
His mind went blank.
His throat burned, and an unprecedented surge of power, transmitted through their point of contact, lifted and expanded within him.
His back burned. His vision blurred, then something burst from his back and spread wide.
“......”
Sehwa, witnessing the mystical and fantastical sight, couldn't hide her surprise and confusion.
She blinked and swallowed, asking, “W-What…?”
“......”
“…Why… why did he transform into that? Is it because of my spiritual power?”
A large hawk with five-colored feathers was flapping its wings in the air.
“…He was a field mouse…”
But he had become a hawk?
Suddenly?
As she stared in bewilderment, Baek Giha also watched the scene, frozen in place.
The giant hawk possessed abundant spiritual power.
As strong and solid as that of the Seven Clans who controlled the Mystic Realm.
To transform into such a form, despite not being a member of the Seven Clans…
‘A new… mystic… has been born?’
Sehwa didn't seem to grasp the implications of this phenomenon yet.
But Baek Giha, already a Clan Head, couldn't miss it.
No one could change their true form.
If someone could, they could completely change the lives of all the clanless mystics in the Mystic Realm, those who were forced to live at the bottom of society.
‘…But it’s possible…’
He had already sensed the changing times from Sehwa’s exuviation.
But this scene clearly proved it.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder and excitement.
The era of new mystics was truly beginning.
The time when the Seven Clans controlled the Mystic Realm was ending, thanks to those who had changed their true forms, and a new era, free from discrimination and oppression, was about to begin.
The newly born five-colored hawk cried out.
Its high-pitched cry filled the Ju Clan outpost in the Mystic Realm, where the gate to the Human Realm was located.
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