Cheokjin faded behind Nao-Zai like all the other towns did since coming out of the Imperial City. It had been days since he had left the busy town, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. He glanced behind him, not allowing his muscles to relax even when all he saw for a meter's radius were the undergrowth and the faint beams of sunlight shining through the canopies.

Where was he supposed to go next? The dignitary who was supposed to meet with him in Cheokjin didn't show. Nao-Zai could only guess they had been caught or, worse, killed for trying to help the heir escape. That left him on his own, with barely an inkling about how to get to Chaebeon on his own.

He glanced at the sky. Instead of the usual blue he was used to, he was greeted with various-colored leaves crowding for the spot closer to the sun. The trunks, ranging from dark brown to pale gray, dotted his eye-level, shielding whatever might come at him from the front. Let him hope they did the same to the people behind him.

He's yet to encounter someone in this path in the forest he took. Unlike the defined trail paved through Cheokjin, the forest he walked on boasted no such paths. His boots crunched against grass and low-lying bushes, the amount of color of the fruits and flowers growing in their branches whizzing unperceived in Nao-Zai's periphery.

Kai-Se remained out of it, the only movements he made was whenever Nao-Zai jostled him every now then as he trekked up and down the slopes. Nao-Zai looked behind him again, regretting the decision in leaving his horse behind in Cheokjin. It made him slower and more vulnerable, but it also lightened his load and the things he needed to worry about. He would also be harder to track considering Zhi-Xen probably identified him faster because of the color of the horse's coat. It would also allow him to slip through narrow roads, crevices, and other little gaps in between things a man tugging along a horse would not.

With the advantages outweighing the disadvantages, Nao-Zai thought it better to leave the mare in the capable hands of a stablemaster. Perhaps, he'd give Mang-Zhao some sort of compensation for it when they see each other again. He'd also have to pay his respects for Dong-Seol. May she rest in peace.

Nao-Zai gritted his teeth, tightening his hold on Kai-Se's limp body. The last news he'd had on Dangrao and the Imperial Palace was when he overheard that conversation in Cheokjin, right before he got recognized by Zhi-Xen's platoon. How was the Imperial Palace holding up? They'd have less to worry about now that Zhi-Xen was assigned to pursue him and Kai-Se. Which brought Nao-Zai to the heart of his worries.

How in Mirchaek was he supposed to deal with Zhi-Xen while making sure Kai-Se reached the shaman in Chaebeon? The woman was a tireless hunter, known to keep her eyes on the prey until they lost hope and dropped dead or until they ran into a closed end. For Nao-Zai, going into the shaman's temple, wherever that was, was going to be his cul-de-sac. And wandering around alone inside thick forests with an unresponsive prince was his calvary. Was Zhi-Xen watching all this time? Had she sent spies after him? If so, where were they? Why couldn't he see them, running through the foliage, or hear them rustling leaves or breaking branches as they went?

What did Zhi-Xen have up her sleeve that made her know each and every one of Nao-Zai's steps like she had seen it in the future? Just the thought of the woman suddenly developing divining magic sent flickers of fear down Nao-Zai's limbs. His fingers itched to find the comfort of his sword's hilt, but with his both arms occupied by making sure Kai-Se was a few feet off the ground, he couldn't.

His throat felt scratchy. It had been a long time since he had last drank or eaten something. Leaving his horse meant taking only what was essential so as to not tire himself on the journey on foot with the burden. His waterskin had long dried up, and there were no streams or brooks anywhere in this forest.

The air was cold, much to his near-nonexistent relief. If he was sweating alongside his thirst, he might have dropped dead already. His stomach growled, begging for food, but he ignored it. Perhaps, he'd eat before he camped out for the night. At dawn, he'd start walking once more. He really should have not given his horse away.

Seconds bled into minutes, which in turn, bled into hours. Soon, the sunlight changed from bright streams to dim shades. The stars replaced the seamless carpets of clouds, the latter reduced to sweeps of gray swatches across the sky. The light from the gray moon did nothing to make the dark night easier to navigate in.

He came across the lip of a bamboo grove, the ruins of an ancient temple still standing in its shadows. The design of what's left of the foyer was nowhere near what he recognized in the city temples in Izeryeo, but architecture was another thing he should be least concerned about. A ruin meant there was some sort of establishment nearby. What followed an establishment was usually a body of clean water capable of supporting daily living.

Sure enough, the sound of running water rang from a distance. He entered the bamboo grove, keeping the wide stalks away from Kai-Se's head and legs. The temple ruins passed him by, giving him a complete look of its state.

The roof and ceiling had long caved in, crashing through the rickety floorboards gathering molds and lichen. The shutters from the windows sat askew, with some missing, characterized by the gaps in their arrays. The sign bearing what's supposed to be the name of the temple had already faded, leaving behind an impression of the information it once contained.

Nao-Zai pursed his lips, tearing his eyes away at the pair of creatures with fanged grins carved into stone, standing guard by the ruins' sides. He wasn't a big reader of the myths, so he had no idea what or who those were. Their beady and chipped eyes seemed to pin him on the back, following him and Kai-Se as he carried the prince straight deeper into the grove.

The sound of running water intensified. He's getting close. Maybe he'd rest beside the river or something. Damn, his legs hurt. His arms hurt. Everything hurt. He had been walking and traveling for days on end, after all. Was Zhi-Xen feeling the same, after trailing after him for as long as she did? Should he play her own game against her and see if she liked it?

Nao-Zai shook his head. He shouldn't provoke the woman. Apart from her prowess in combat, she was also famed for her impatience. If she willed it, she would attack. In ways one least expected it.

He couldn't let his guard down. Not even for a second. Not even in the middle of nowhere, no matter how tranquil it seemed to be.

Just how long to Chaebeon? How many more towns must he go through before reaching this famed shaman temple? He couldn't wait to see this mission through, since it's proving to be so...cumbersome.

As if the heavens decided to hear his silly wish, an arrow whizzed past his periphery before embedding into a bamboo stalk a few inches from his eye. He whipped towards the source to find a soldier with his bow drawn, the next arrow already nocked. A curse flitted out his lips. How come he hadn't seen them coming, or even felt them coming? This was ridiculous. Nao-Zai wasn't this ignorant.

Still, he couldn't do anything about it now. They've found him. So, he threw Kai-Se over one shoulder despite the soreness in his neck and hooked his arm over the prince's back to keep him from tipping over. Then, he lowered himself into a stance, and with a grunt, launched himself forward.

His legs pumped with what energy he had left; his chest puffed in and out like a labored horse. The striped green stalks of the bamboo trees melded in one, smooth curtain in his periphery. Only the sounds of his soles screeching against the shorter blades of grass, his breaths ringing in his ears, and the rustling of leaves made by the blowing wind were his companions.

Behind him, the pursuing footsteps thickened. They would try to fan out and lock him in. He couldn't have that. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of his sword, drawing it to its full-length with a satisfying swish. Then, he set to work, slashing through random stalks he could swing his blade against. Some snapped and fell sideways, blocking the path either by rolling on the ground or getting tangled with the leaves on its way down, forming some sort of an impromptu barricade behind him. Good. Not quite what he imagined, but it did what he intended.

He continued slashing his sword, cutting more and more stalks as he went. The loud crashes of leaves and wood hitting each other complimented the growing screams of distress and annoyance ringing from the crowd chasing him. Just a few more.

He drew his sword back to strike another when a streak of silver flashed from his cheek. Metal clashed against metal, the impact sending a few sparks burning bright in the air. A stinging sensation throbbed from his cheek as he recoiled, parrying the blade away from his face. He regained his footing, turning around to come face-to-face with a woman with messy braids on the back of her head and a wide, manic grin on her face.

"Paekdora," Chiang Zhi-Xen brought down her sword and angled it the way she was comfortable with. The blade reflected some of the moonlight, making it glint against the darkness. Such a shame we meet under these circumstances."

Nao-Zai tightened his hold on Kai-Se. "What do you want, Zhi-Xen?" he stepped backward with every step the woman took towards him. "If it's another sparring session, I'm afraid I have my hands full."

Zhi-Xen chuckled. "Thankfully, I want the very thing that makes them full," she angled her sword at him. "Hand over the prince."

"So you're still acknowledging his title," Nao-Zai narrowed his eyes, gauging the distance between them Zhi-Xen seemed to be trying to close. If he turned back and ran now, she would run him through. He needed to be in a place where he could have enough time to at least pivot. "The Imperial City must still be standing strong."

The woman bared her teeth. "The Emperor will fall eventually," she said. "Don't get in my way, Paekdora. You know how I am with those who do. And with you staining my winning streak every time, know I won't go easy on you."

Nao-Zai eyed the bamboo stalks from his periphery. "What did Pyeongjeon promise you?" he said. "What did he promise Jin-Ai to get a hold of the fortress that easily?"

"I'm glad you asked," Zhi-Xen's eyes gleamed with all the malice he never thought he'd ever see in a person's gaze. "The old fool knew how to bargain, I'll give him that."

He reached some sort of reprieve from the bamboo stalks. A clearing. It's a good chance to turn around and run, but it also gave Zhi-Xen less obstruction in pinning him down. "Power, Paekdora," the woman continued, smacking her lips. "He promised all of us endless, infinite, power."

Nao-Zai knitted his eyebrows. If it's wealth, then they've been thoroughly misled. Riches fade. Soksen rot and horo rust. Wealth could get stolen. It's not might, either. The body would grow old. Beauty would crumble. "There's nothing infinite in this world, Zhi-Xen," he said. His grip on the hilt of his sword was so tight his wrist started hurting. "Remember that."

With a quick swing, he whirled towards the nearest stalk, letting his blade cut cleanly through it. As he had calculated, the stalk's tall body groaned and swayed. When it snapped and crashed to the ground, it slammed into the line of soldiers waiting for Zhi-Xen's order. They crumpled like walls with loose bricks pulled free.

By the time Zhi-Xen realized what was going on, Nao-Zai had already turned and started scrambling for the lip of the bamboo grove peeking through the distance. From behind him, Zhi-Xen growled and screamed, "You're a coward, Paekdora Nao-Zai!"

Nao-Zai huffed. Better be a coward than dead. Zhi-Xen wanted killing Nao-Zai to be a challenge, hence why he was still alive right now. She wanted a brutal fight, and he wasn't about to give in to that. He had Kai-Se to save. He couldn't do that if he's locked in a pointless battle with her.

So, he ran, and didn't bother stopping even through Zhi-Xen's frustrated shrieks behind him. He slapped branches out of the way, leaped through rotting logs and aerial roots, and swerved through dizzying patterns of trunks and bushes creeping from the horizon as if to test how quick he could react. The effort kept him from noticing a lithe figure darting alongside him, moving too fast that she was just a blur of black and silver.

Then, like a streak of lightning raining from the sky, his retribution came for him.