"Hwansa □□□□."
Again, the young man's low, firm voice echoed.
"What… what is he saying?"
Do-yoon was the first to react.
Following him, Young-beom and Young-ho simultaneously turned their heads.
"I don't know about anything else, but didn't that guy call the lady 'Hwansa'?"
"Aye, that's what I heard."
At that moment,
the young man took a step forward and silently knelt on the ground.
"…Hwansa □□□."
He repeated the same words once more.
As if confirming, as if certain.
Then he turned his head slightly and pointed in one direction.
And he spread his palm, slowly beckoning.
It was a gesture to 'follow me'.
Gab-su quietly studied the young man's face.
Silence for a few seconds.
And then—
"He doesn't seem to have bad intentions."
His voice was low and firm.
"It's better than staying here… We should follow him."
"Coach, will it really be okay?"
Do-yoon asked, carefully stroking the child's head in his arms.
Gab-su nodded.
"This young man, he wasn't aiming for Dam-bi earlier. On the contrary, he saved her."
He met Sang-cheol's eyes, who stood beside him.
And silently nodded.
"Alright, let's move Min-chan and Dam-bi."
Sang-cheol gave a brief command.
"Tae-geon, carry Min-chan on your back.
Young-ho, take care of Dam-bi.
Young-beom, guard the rear. Do-yoon, keep protecting the child."
No sooner had the words fallen than everyone moved in perfect coordination.
And—
following the unfamiliar young man, they carefully began to move deeper into the forest.
The forest was deep.
The sky was still dark, but under the moonlight, the bushes sparkled like silver leaves.
[Shuffle… Shuffle…]
Only footsteps led the quiet procession.
The young man led the way without saying a word,
and those who followed also kept silent.
"…He must have been very tired."
Do-yoon carefully moved his steps so as not to wake the child on his back.
The child had her eyes quietly closed, as if asleep.
Gab-su constantly observed the young man's back and the surrounding terrain even while walking.
"Given that his steps show no hesitation, he's not just leading us blindly."
"It's dark… but he walks so well."
Young-ho murmured.
Just then, the young man in front suddenly stopped.
[Thump]
He took out a small horn pipe from his waist and put it to his lips.
A short, low breath sound.
[Phew—]
It was a quiet pipe sound, almost inaudible.
Then,
from within the dense bushes, as if responding to a signal,
a rock slid sideways,
revealing a hidden passage.
"Something like this… in the forest?"
Do-yoon's eyes widened.
Inside was a small structure roughly built with old logs and mud bricks.
There was a chimney with faint smoke rising,
and beside it, the shadows of two people stood guard.
"A hidden… village, perhaps."
Sang-cheol muttered lowly.
"Yes… that's why he guided us."
Gab-su also nodded and said.
The young man stopped in front of the structure.
And he shouted loudly towards the inside.
"Noya! Hwansa □□□□!!"
"Noya…?"
Young-beom tilted his head.
Then, someone rushed out from inside.
It was an old woman.
Her back was bent, and in her hands, she held a pouch filled with bundled root herbs and talismans.
The moment she saw Dam-bi, she paused, then—
[Hush-hush-hush—]
Without even catching her breath, she knelt on the ground,
and brought both hands together above her head.
"Hwansa □□□□…"
The old woman, called Noya, stood up
and guided the group into the shrine.
Inside the shrine,
the air was completely different from outside.
The subtle scent of herbal medicine wafted from a boiling pot on a small brazier,
and dried herbs and clean cloths were neatly arranged on wooden shelves.
The old woman quickly cleared a spot,
then pointed to the floor with gestures and hand motions towards Tae-geon.
Tae-geon nodded silently,
and carefully laid Min-chan down.
Next, Dam-bi was moved to the adjacent room.
A moment later,
the old woman examined Min-chan's wound.
Min-chan was carefully laid on the shrine floor.
The deep wound on his side was stained with blood,
and his skin had turned bluish.
His breath was barely a faint thread.
The old woman hastily untied her herb pouch.
She selected roots with a pungent scent
and fragrant leaves,
put them into a stone mortar, and immediately began to crush them.
[Tap-tap-tap— Swish-swish…]
The sound of roots being crushed,
and Min-chan's ragged breathing mingled.
"Will he be okay, Coach…?"
Tae-geon asked softly.
"At this point, all we can do is trust."
Gab-su's voice was low and heavy.
The old woman placed the herbs on the clotted wound,
and immediately began to unwrap the cloth tied around her hand and bind it.
Her movements were surprisingly skilled.
The smell of blood, the smell of herbs, and sweat.
The shrine was quiet, but
the will to live was breathing there.
In the other room…
She lay quietly.
Her hair bleached white, her face pale.
Her breathing was faint but steady.
The old woman knelt and placed her palm on Dam-bi's forehead.
[Hoo…]
She exhaled,
then took out a small bronze bell from her waist.
And carefully shook it.
[Cling… Cling…]
The sound was clear and gentle,
and the talismans in the room trembled without any wind.
"…It looks like a ritual or ceremony."
Sang-cheol muttered.
Words weren't exchanged,
but he vaguely understood what she was doing.
The old woman put the bell down again,
and dabbed the tip of her finger in a small bowl of green herbal juice.
And she applied it to Dam-bi's forehead, solar plexus, and both wrists,
as if dotting.
[Dab, dab…]
At that moment—
Dam-bi's fingertips trembled minutely.
No one spoke.
They simply, quietly held their breath
and waited for her to awaken.
Inside the shrine, quiet time passed.
Min-chan was still breathing heavily,
and Dam-bi was silent, as if wandering in a dream.
Amidst this—
Beyond the door, a faint stirring.
[Tap. Tap.]
The old woman quietly entered, carrying a wooden tray.
On the tray were
three earthenware teacups with faint steam rising,
palm-sized roasted grubs giving off a savory smell,
and root vegetables that looked like potatoes
steaming warmly.
"Is this… for us?"
Young-ho mumbled cautiously.
The old woman smiled and silently bowed her head.
"Ah! Smells delicious. I was getting hungry after relaxing from all the tension anyway."
Do-yoon, who had been sprawled on the floor, jumped up and looked at the tray.
[Hesitate!]
"Ahaha… Delicious things for the hyungs first…"
Do-yoon looked at Tae-geon.
[Nudge. Nudge.]
Then Tae-geon kicked Young-ho and Young-beom with his foot,
frowning.
"But still… isn't there a priority in courtesy?"
"Right, we are the land of Eastern courtesy! Attack the elder!"
Young-ho and Young-beom looked at Gab-su.
"You can just think of them as silkworm pupae and eat them."
Even Sang-cheol said, looking at Gab-su.
Gab-su hesitated for a moment, then picked up a grub.
[Hoo…]
A savory aroma tickled his nose.
[Crunch]
It had a savory taste and texture like shrimp.
He didn't find it particularly off-putting.
"I think it's okay to eat."
When he said that softly,
Sang-cheol and Young-ho also picked up grubs.
[Crunch]
One bite.
A savory taste warmly enveloped his tongue.
Moist and chewy.
The feeling of deep hunger in his body being satisfied.
"Delicious."
Tae-geon also held grubs in both hands and nodded.
Only then did someone laugh.
It was the old woman.
Although words were not understood,
her faint smile
contained a warmth of 'It's alright'.
As everyone,
for a moment, soothed their heavy hearts,
and one by one, their heads began to droop.
[Gasp…]
A sharp intake of breath
cut through the quiet of the shrine.
Do-yoon's head snapped up.
"Min-chan hyung…?"
Min-chan's fingers
trembled faintly.
"Coach! Min-chan hyung!"
Gab-su and Sang-cheol both rose simultaneously.
[Ugh—]
Min-chan's eyebrows furrowed,
and he twisted his body as if clutching his side.
"…Ah…"
Cracked breathing,
groans scraping up his throat.
His eyelids were still heavily shut—
but his consciousness was slowly, clearly returning.
'…I'm still… alive.'
In his resurfacing memories,
a red sky, drumbeats, golden flashes…
And—
brothers from the past, and comrades from the present.
'Dam-bi… she must be okay.'
At that moment, as he tried to get up,
a heart-rending pain struck him.
[Ugh…!]
"Hey, hey! Don't get up yet!"
Tae-geon gently pressed down on Min-chan's shoulder.
"It's okay… everyone's alive.
You too, us too."
At those words, Min-chan
forced down all the pain in his body
and slowly opened his eyes.
Mud walls and a wooden roof.
The scent of herbs tickling his nose.
And—
an unfamiliar but strangely warm aura.
'Where… am I…'
[Cling… Cling…]
Faint bell sounds and fervent prayers
stirred through the quiet darkness.
At that sound—
something awakened.
'…This is…'
A familiar yet distant accent.
Vague memories.
Forgotten language.
And—
a very old voice, calling to her.
"O Hwansa…"
That single word
knocked on something deep in her chest.
[Swoosh…]
Dam-bi's eyelashes trembled.
Her fingers slowly fumbled over the blanket.
"Haah…"
Her breath,
slowly began to regain its rhythm.
Beneath the faint light,
the ceiling dimly came into focus—
And the sensation of a warm palm
that had been resting on her forehead being carefully removed followed.
Her head shook slightly.
"…Where… am I…"
The old woman, who had been watching over her,
slowly nodded and spoke.
"You have awakened."
Her language was not unfamiliar.
Rather… it resonated with a sense of longing.
Dam-bi,
muttered quietly as if speaking to herself.
'…That mountain, that red flame.
And Fengbo… Yusa… the transfer formation…'
Sensations etched into her entire body
flashed by like afterimages.
"What happened…"
And,
hearing the familiar voices
from outside the door,
she slowly turned her gaze.
It was then.
The old woman spoke very cautiously.
"Are you… Hwansa, the White-Clad Shaman of the Guryeo Tribe?"
The meaning of those words—
was felt without needing explanation.
Dam-bi nodded slightly.
Like the day she faced Hyun-nyeo,
this language was no longer unfamiliar.
'…My body remembers first.'
Perhaps,
the self that was once a shaman in that era
was slowly, gradually awakening.
However—
the questions remained.
She didn't remember herself,
so why did they know her?
Dam-bi looked at the old woman
and cautiously opened her mouth.
"Who… are you?
How… do you know me?"
The old woman lowered her gaze for a moment,
then took a small breath and said.
"There is a saying passed down from the elders of our tribe."
Dam-bi's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"A saying passed down…?"
The old woman quietly composed herself, then
continued in a calm voice.
"When the bronze bell rings, she shall return.
The White-Haired Proxy and the Red Goblin.
To that place where the two moons first rose—
She shall return."
[Flinch.]
Suddenly, Dam-bi's shoulders trembled minutely.
Something deep in her chest stirred.
These words… she was hearing them for the first time,
yet they invoked a strangely peculiar feeling.
The old woman carefully took out a small bronze bell from her bosom.
An old, faded bell.
But the sensation when it touched her fingertips
was as clear as if she had held it yesterday.
"This bell… has been passed down from my grandmother's time.
Perhaps… do you know the name Hwanno?"
[Clink.]
The moment the bronze bell was placed on her hand—
Dam-bi's eyes widened.
"...Hwanno?"
Her breath, hitched.
That name…
It was a name she shouldn't be able to hear here.
Yet, she heard it.
Without realizing it, her lips trembled.
'No way… Thousands of years have passed…'
And she closed her eyes as if reminiscing something.
At that moment—
the world instantly became quiet.
As if her ears were filled with water…
The afterimage of red flames swallowed her vision.
[WHOOSH!]
Red flames swallowed the sky.
Zhuolu.
The day Chiyoo fell.
The Guryeo tribe village was burning.
[Clatter! Clatter!]
"Hyah! Kill the men, capture the women and children!"
The sound of hooves and shouts surged from below the hill.
Standing on the hill, I
instantly knew that everything was over.
'Chiyoo… Fengbo, Yusa, my brothers…
You have gone ahead.'
There was no time for sorrow.
The children clutching my clothes
were soaking my collar with tears.
"Waaah… Hwansa-nim… Mother, Father…!"
"Shhh. Don't cry.
If even you are caught… your mothers and fathers won't be able to rest in peace."
With trembling hands, I wiped the children's tears,
and whispered to my disciple beside me.
"Hwanno, let's go to the shrine quickly.
Lead the children well so none are left behind,
and leave the rear… to me."
"Master, you must come too! Right now—"
"I'll be there soon, don't worry.
Wait for me at the shrine."
Hwanno, who had hesitated at those words, gritted her teeth and nodded.
And just as she turned to lead the children.
It was then—
"Hwansa… where are you?!"
The smell of burning flesh.
The wails of parents who had lost their children.
The shouts of soldiers soaked in madness.
The one who had turned the Guryeo tribe village into hell.
'Black Shaman… blinded by greed…'
I looked down the hill.
She was walking through the flames.
A black figure cloaked in chilling energy.
Her eyes, looking at me, were filled only with malice.
I no longer met her gaze.
Clutching the children's hands, I turned away.
"Children, let's go quickly!"
That voice echoed from behind me.
Distorted hatred, as if tearing, followed.
"Catch them! It's fine to kill the children!"
[Clatter! Clatter!]
The soldiers all charged towards the hill.
"Just a little more.
Just a little more strength.
We're almost there."
As the shrine drew near,
the ground vibrated.
The sound of hooves vibrated directly behind me.
"Hwanno, take the children into the shrine.
Until I call you… do not come out."
"Master…"
"Hurry!"
[Clatter! Clatter!]
Soon after, the cavalry burst up to the front of the shrine.
All the children entered the shrine.
The door closed, and I felt Hwanno beginning the sealing from inside.
I slowly turned my body.
In one hand, the bronze bell,
in the other, a red talisman.
As I raised both hands high—
the sky shimmered.
The dismounted soldiers drew their swords.
The encirclement tightened.
"Hwansa! If you resist—"
[RUMBLE!! CRASH!!]
Lightning struck.
Thunder and flashes of lightning scattered in all directions.
Soldiers and horses, unable to even scream,
lay charred on the ground.
'These children…
are the last hope of Guryeo.
As long as the children are safe.
That is… enough.'
I turned my head towards the shrine.
"Hwanno! Bring the children out."
Hwanno opened the door and cautiously appeared.
"Here, take it.
As your master…
This is my last gift to you."
The moment the bell was placed in Hwanno's hand—
her trembling fingertips stopped.
She looked into her master's eyes.
Those eyes, from which clear pearls of tears dropped.
"You, too, are now…
a shaman of Guryeo.
And… please take good care of the children."
Having finished speaking, I,
without hesitation, extended a dagger
and sharply cut off a joint of my index finger.
[SLICE—]
Red blood dripped onto the ground.
With that blood, I
completed the circular formation.
"Quickly stand inside the formation with the children."
"Master…"
"Don't cry.
If you live… we continue."
Hwanno and the children, weeping sadly inside the formation, held their breath.
'Hwanno, I'm sorry…'
And—I
offered my last prayer.
"O Heavenly God Hwanin…
Please, the hope of Guryeo…
Protect them."
From the circular formation, a crimson light surged into the sky.
And, in front of the shrine—
only small, discarded shoes
remained quietly.
The world… darkened that way.