When the Black Moon Rises - Side Story 32
Side Story 32
It seemed spring had not forgotten to visit again. The sky, which used to lose its light before early evening, now held onto the day a little longer.
No matter how the seasons changed, Sehwa's daily routine was always the same.
She would wake before sunrise, converse with Baek Giha, and be attended to by the three sisters.
When the children arrived, she would have breakfast with them, and afterward, she would sit at her desk in her office, The Hall of Majesty, until late at night.
It was the same as any other day, yet she must have been a little tired today.
To think I dozed off like this.
It felt as if she had only closed her eyes for a moment.
When she came to her senses and looked out the window, it was already approaching noon.
But didn't I just have a dream? I feel like I saw something, but what was it I dreamt of?
........
Unable to recall it, she sat blankly for a moment.
She moved her hand, imbued with spiritual power, and the force flew out to open the window.
A cold wind rushed in fiercely. Only then did her head seem to clear a little.
At the same time, the great Mount Baekseon, visible from anywhere in Baek Residence, came into her view.
......Ah, that's right.
That was the dream I had.
It must have been a day during the ten years she had stayed at the Baek Clan.
At the time, she was trying to sever her growing feelings for Baek Giha, avoiding him, who was like her only friend.
Moreover, despite having stayed there for ten years, her clan showed no sign of sending a letter for her return.
No matter how resolute she was, she couldn't help but be swayed a little by the encroaching melancholy.
It was at such a time that she heard the voices.
“They say if you shout a wish from the top of the snow-covered Mount Baekseon, it will come true. Do you think the high-ranking people lock it with a barrier every winter to stop us from making wishes?”
“You fool. Mount Baekseon is vast and high as it is; they do it because it's dangerous to climb a snowy mountain. Don't even think about breaking the rules and climbing it. You'll be punished.”
Hearing the conversation of the attendants passing below her window, Sehwa took a proper look at Mount Baekseon for the first time that day.
But shouting a wish from the top of a snowy mountain??
Is the person who started that baseless rumor in their right mind? It would be the perfect situation for an avalanche.
With such words circulating, it was necessary to place a barrier on Mount Baekseon in winter.
Understanding the reason for closing off access, Sehwa had nodded.
But perhaps because she had a wish.
Even knowing it was more than a baseless rumor, a dangerous act that should never be done, she found herself thinking about it.
If she went up there and shouted her wish.
'Wouldn't I finally be able to return to my family?' she had thought.
Recalling that memory, Sehwa gazed for a moment at the massive, snow-covered mountain, which hadn't changed at all since then.
To make up for the morning she had wasted, she would have to focus even more on her work.
............However.
Putting down the brush she was holding, she took something out from her sleeve.
It was a very small sachet.
It seemed to have been carried for quite some time, as it was a little worn, and the center bulged slightly as if holding something small inside.
She looked at it quietly in her hand before slowly rising.
Then, avoiding others, she slipped out of Baek Residence through the back gate.
She walked briskly through the garden, beautiful with its myriad flowers. Soon, Mount Baekseon, which had been visible from her window, revealed its magnificent form.
Mount Baekseon, where the snow never melts even in midsummer, was especially dangerous in winter, so a thick barrier was placed around it to control access.
The mountain's grandeur was so immense that it couldn't be taken in with a single glance.
Gazing up at some unseen point on the summit, she finally seemed to make up her mind and took her first step onto the steep mountain path.
She passed through the useless barrier and began to walk up the snow-covered mountain path.
Normally, she would have used her spiritual power to walk as if flying over the snow, but today, she didn't want to.
She bound up the spiritual power she used as naturally as breathing.
Immediately, her shoes sank deep into the thick snow.
She couldn't completely erase her spiritual power, so she received some help from it, but because the slope was steep, her legs grew heavy quite quickly after climbing just a little.
Nevertheless, she walked the crunchy, snowy path without slowing down.
How far had she climbed, pushing aside the dry branches?
“Hah. Hah.”
Where was she?
Looking around, all she could see were towering trees that seemed to block out the entire sky.
As her breathing grew more ragged, misty vapor flowed from between her lips.
“Hah. Huu.”
Sehwa took a deep breath, trying to catch her breath for a moment.
The winter winds racing down the ridge from the summit were fiercely harsh.
Since she wasn't wearing an overcoat, her body quickly grew cold.
But she still had no intention of using her spiritual power.
This is hard, isn't it?
The thought came to her unconsciously, and a small laugh escaped.
How distant had that day of torture become, when her fingernails and toenails were pulled out and her flesh was sliced, for her to feel this way over something so trivial?
Since she had left on impulse, she had to hurry back before others started to worry.
Lifting the hem of her outer robe, which had become wet from sweeping through the snow, Sehwa gauged the location of the summit with her eyes. She began to move her feet busily towards it again.
At that moment, Baek Giha, who had come to get a snack for Sehwa during his work, was flustered by the attendant's words.
“No one saw her? No one at all?”
“Yes, she said she would be in The Hall of Majesty, so we had people stay away so as not to disturb her.”
“Her meal?”
“As usual, we placed it in the side room so as not to disturb her and just sent word, but when we checked later, it was untouched.”
“She left without eating that either?”
It was getting late. Where on earth had she gone?
Baek Giha closed the door to the empty Hall of Majesty and looked around the places she might have gone.
He checked the other pavilions and even went out to the rear garden, but there was no sign of her.
Could she have gone to the Human Realm?
It snowed heavily until dawn, of all days.
The sky had cleared now, but because of the cold wind, the snow on the ground hadn't melted at all.
In truth, such worries about her might have been meaningless.
Sehwa had already fully recovered the flow of her tangled spiritual power, which meant there was no one in this Mystic Realm who could harm her.
But even knowing that, his heart wouldn't follow his head.
And so, a massive White Tiger suddenly appeared, dominating the rear garden.
With its eyes closed, it meticulously tracked the faintest traces of spiritual energy and finally found the one it was looking for.
It was then that he began to fly through the sky.
A step ahead of him, Sehwa was treading on a snow-covered part of the mountain.
Her flustered gaze swept her surroundings.
Is this the summit? It looked like it from below.
It felt like she had reached the top, but she couldn't tell if this was the summit or just a wide, mountainous area.
Thick clouds obscured her vision, and tall trees still surrounded her, making it impossible to gauge her location.
And so, if the massive White Tiger hadn't leaped down from the sky, she might have stood there for a while longer.
The White Tiger landed nimbly on the ground, transforming into a handsome man the moment its large paws touched the snow.
“What are you doing here?”
“How did you know I was here?”
They spoke at the same time, and then, at the same time, let out a low laugh.
She touched Baek Giha's hair.
“To come with your hair like this again. I can imagine how loudly the clan heads must have sighed.”
It was still acceptable when Sanjin did it, but the hasty Sanyul's skills never seemed to improve.
“Isn't it about time you gave up? They say they'll give you time to tidy your appearance every time they see you.”
Just as Sehwa was busy, the Baek Clan Head also had many duties.
He often had to stand before others, and with his hair always like that, they couldn't help but want to point it out.
“By the way, have you been here before?”
“Here? Mount Baekseon?”
“No, this place. Is this the summit?”
“You want to go to the highest place? To Celestial Peak?”
“That's right.”
“Get on my back. I'll take you.”
It meant this wasn't the place.
“Just tell me the way. I want to walk.”
Baek Giha, who had been about to transform into his Divine Beast form, paused.
Walk? Why? ・・・・・・Why?
Such questions were in his gaze as he looked back at Sehwa, but instead of asking, he looked her over and took off his outer robe.
He draped it over her slender body and held her hand firmly.
“This much is alright, isn't it?”
She nodded.
“Celestial Peak is still a long way off. This way.”
Baek Giha walked a step ahead, holding her hand lightly but firmly, as if he would never let go.
She was curious how long 'a long way' was, but she didn't ask, afraid she might want to turn back if she heard.
He frequently looked back, carefully checking on her condition.
He seemed very surprised by her ragged breathing, but when she explained it was because she wasn't using her spiritual power, he quickly looked relieved.
After that, the aura of spiritual power disappeared from his body as well.
Two pairs of footprints began to be stamped side by side on the pure white snowfield.
“But why did you suddenly want to go to Celestial Peak?”
She was already at the point where she wanted to break off a branch to use as a walking stick, so she couldn't answer right away.
She barely caught her breath and let out her voice like a groan.
“Earlier, I was looking out the window, and I remembered. ............A long time ago.”
“A long time ago?”
“Before time turned back. ......Ah, this is really quite hard. Hah. Hah. Back then, I imagined climbing to the summit here.”
“Why?”
Baek Giha swallowed dryly.
It was understandable; at that time, she wouldn't have had any good feelings for the Baek Clan.
Given her personality, it was unlikely she would have had such a thought for reasons like the scenery being nice or the mountain's form being beautiful.
“......Just.”
Sehwa hesitated to answer.
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