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Yangdong Village

"Han Nari,"

He whispered.

"Come back."

He pleaded.

Her eyes, which were devoid of emotions, looked up at him. Her chapped lips formed a small smile. A smile that conveyed nothing but a goodbye, a bittersweet end, a farewell.

Soon, her feet were no longer touching the ground. The body floated in the air as the earth started to tremble in fear. All the forces, all the energy surrounded the flesh in a typhoon. He struggled to stay put in his place fighting the strong wind. The energy from her body drained til a white light flashed with a blast.

His eyes snapped open. The perspiration was trickling down the back of his neck as little beads formed on his forehead. He sat up, panting heavily. His eyes were laden with palpable grief and fear.

But the man was well aware of his surroundings because not even once he glanced around the room to confirm if he was still dreaming or not. As if he was used to such abrupt dreams and waking up in the middle of the night.

His gaze followed the direction where his flute, made of white jade, was placed on top of his well folded white outer robe beside his bedding. He scoured the petals of roses drawn on it. The bright red colour on the bland white flute, the combination looked so odd, yet so beautiful.

Grabbing the flute he got up and stood near the window where the moon shined bright. He brought the flute over his lips as he struggled between his heart and mind. One part of him was reluctant to do it but the other half wanted to play. It had been a long time since he played that melody. The one he held close to his heart.

The night seemed to be in deep slumber. The inn where there was supposed to be an uproar of people arriving and leaving even this place was calm. He couldn't hear any noises from other rooms. As if someone crooned a lullaby and the whole village fell asleep. Since his childhood he had always been the one to maintain tranquillity and look at him now, there he was standing with a flute trying to break that silence.

His lips barely touched the cold surface of the flute as he blew his breath inside it and his fingertips danced over the gaps carved on it creating an idyllic melody.

His heart felt heavy at every sound the hollow tube made, his agony at not having the only person he wished would listen to it roared in his melody.

But unaware of the presence of someone in the same surroundings as him. There she was laying on the floor with only a small window at the top corner of the room allowing the moonlight to penetrate the darkness, illuminating her face.

Her lifeless lips dared to tremble before slightly parting and her unconscious mind only uttered one name.

"...Suga."

********

"Cheondung-Shin?!" Exclaimed the boy with his mouth gaping wide enough for his jaw to touch the ground beneath.

"Hae-Bong," Min Baram, leader of the young lads said, hitting playfully under his chin, indicating to stop his exaggerated expression.
"He stayed at the same inn we did last night. But by the time I arrived at his room to greet him he had already departed." He added.

"Then we have nothing to worry about. If we find ourselves in danger while capturing the monster we can send the signal and the master will come to help us." Hae-Bong clapped his hands together thanking the heavens.

"Haha, yesterday someone was saying he feared no one, not even the demonic queen." Said one boy making the others join him in the teasing laughter.

As they arrived at the house of the village's head, one person escorted them inside the house and towards the hall where the tables were set for each of them to have their first meal of the day. The head and his wife bowed to the group of young lads and they returned the greetings with a well mannered bowing posture that showed the grace and teaching of the Min clan.

All the boys sat on the cushion placed beside the wooden table waiting for the head to start with his concerns.

"Thank you for coming all the way here on our one request." The head started first showing his gratitude, "Our village is facing a horrendous plight. At first we thought of it as an ailment and turned a blind eye to it." He shook his head not trying to remember the dismay his ignorant behaviour had caused them.

"Earlier, children were suffering from cough and fever but later their bodies stopped responding to any herbs. Now they couldn't even talk or move."

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Baram leaving his utensils beside the bowl of rice.

"They are all in vegetative state. Some of them even took their last breath. There's not a single house in this village who didn't go through it. Even my child is in the same condition."
He looked at them with a pleading look, "Help us. Please. What would happen to our children, our village? Only the cultivators can help us. Whatever is the cause of this disastrous happening, please find it and free us from this curse."

"Do you also believe it's caused by her?" Hae-Bong raised the question, earning all the attention of the people present at the hall.

"I don't know. But whichever method can give us our children back we are eager to follow that path."

"We would like to see the conditions of the victims first. Only then we would be able to say anything concerning the reason for these circumstances." Baram stated, standing up from his seat as the other lads followed him respectively.

********

The gnawing pain in the head dewelled into her memories. Memories of loss. Memories of partition. Memories of death.

One sharp breath forcefully escaped her mouth as she gasped for air, eyes opened wide.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Long breaths she inhaled before registering the fact that she was back. She was alive, again.

Gathering all her force to finally shift her body posture, which didn't move at all for ages, she sat while folding her legs as she heard the clanking of chains. Her ankle was trapped in layers and layers of iron chain further connected to the wall on the right.

A hollow chuckle escaped her dull lips before forming a menacing grin. She looked up as her hair swayed back revealing her face smeared in black and red stains.

"Who motherfucker dared..."

She groaned in a low voice.

Her hand clutched the chain before wrapping it around her palm and snatched it with one blow as it broke and the tattered iron links flung hither and thither vigorously.

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A/N :-

Cheondung-Shin - Suga's Title

Cultivator - Mythical martial artist, a person who practices mystical arts to attain powers.

(For Titles and names refer sect and character page)

I would be explaining the unknown terms at the end or before the chapter starts.

Hope you liked this chapter:)

Stay happy💜💜