Yuri pointed toward the royal shrine and spoke with new resolve.
"Princess Somi is very ill. The order came to me, to go to Guidan Temple… to bring back the great monk Dongjin."
Suddenly remembering her errand, Yuri jumped to her feet. But Goi raised a hand, glancing once toward the shrine in the distance.
"Ah, I see. That's the shrine up there?" he asked, then offered her a reassuring nod. "Don't worry. I'll go take a look myself."
"But Dongjin is in retreat," Goi smiled. "He's begun his wall-facing meditation. He mustn't be disturbed."
Rising to his feet, Goi continued. "So there's no need for such a lovely little court lady to make the journey. Just wait here for good news."
He walked off toward the mountain trail, his steps steady, as if the steep incline meant nothing.
Yuri watched his back, a quiet awe rising in her chest.
If it's him…
She lowered herself again, sitting by the stream's edge.
No one knows. But I do. I know that I'm Princess Somi's half-sister.
Mother came to me in a dream the night she died… She said, "Your father is Gahn Shingui."
She said she was sorry for leaving me hidden behind, but it was the only way I'd survive.
For four nights, the dreams had returned, each more vivid than the last.
She had seen her mother as a young girl, prophesying that the eldest prince of Samul Gaya would become its next ruler.
She had seen the moment, five years after his rise to power, when he suddenly remembered the seer who once foretold his destiny—and summoned her to court.
She saw her mother, already pregnant, dreaming of his eventual downfall and fleeing the palace. Her mother had seen assassins sent by his jealous wives in her dream, so placing her in the hands of noble foster parents.
She saw the final dream—her mother's vision of a day when her daughter would climb Mount Sona, encounter the mountain spirit, and be saved in front of the royal shrine.
Mount Sona… the shrine… the spirit...
Could it be… him?
She turned quickly to look back the way Goi had gone, but the path was now empty. Twilight had crept in without her noticing.
The shadows were growing long. Fear began to crawl at the edge of her heart—but strangely, she felt safe.
She slipped off her shoes and beoseons (soft traditional socks), letting her bare feet rest in the stream.
If a mountain spirit's going to save me, she thought with a wry smile, I might as well relax.
The cool water tickled her skin as she kicked gently, sending ripples down the narrow stream—soft, silver lines of light that danced into the dark.
The shadows stretched long across the courtyard of the royal shrine. Humu, Captain of Princess Somi's guard, stood at its edge, watching as the evening sky dimmed. He let out a slow, heavy sigh.
The dusk—it felt like more than just nightfall. It was as though the very heavens were descending to smother the light around the princess.
Two people once recognized my worth. And both... were ruined.
Was it him? Was he cursed?
Tears gathered in his eyes.
No one had noticed him when he first joined the army at fifteen. Not during basic training. Not even when he outperformed his peers in every drill. He was assigned to the supply corps in the rear of the Gado region, a place of no prestige and little promise. It had felt like exile. He had dreamed of becoming a great general, of winning glory for Samul Gaya.
But instead, he hauled crates by day and trained alone by night.
Eventually, a few porters grew curious and joined him in practice. They formed a kind of unit—half jest, half brotherhood—and swore drunken oaths by firelight that if Humu ever made it big, he wouldn't forget them.
A year passed. Then came the surprise attack.
Seraburl's forces breached the border and seized Gado Fortress. Humu and his supply unit were ordered to deliver provisions to the front. At a fork in the road, the designated path led through Yoorim Forest—but something felt wrong.
Ignoring protocol, Humu chose the longer route—three extra days through rough terrain.
The men grumbled, but halfway into the detour, a commotion erupted behind them. From the edge of Yoorim Forest, Seraburl soldiers burst into the open, their ambush foiled.
Relief turned quickly into resolve. Humu didn't run. Instead, he led his men up Huabong Rise, a stony hill nearby. There, he ordered them to take cover behind boulders, distributed weapons and shields from the supply wagons, and reminded them of their drills.
"They won't stop—they'll hound us to the ends to seize these supplies. And if we throw them away and run, even if we survive, the generals will have our heads for losing them. If we want to live, we stand and fight. Here. Now!" he told them.