Yoon and Hui turned towards the forest in unison. It was Yirahng. They should have left the island before she emerged to prepare breakfast, but the confrontation with Hui had delayed them.
"Sister!" Hui shouted. "Don't come any closer! Get the Guardian! Sister, get the Guardian!"
"You idiot!" Yoon snarled, cutting him off with a sharp kick to the stomach.
Two of the sailors rushed forward, tackling Hui to the ground and pinning his face to the sand. Yirahng, oblivious to Hui's muffled cries, continued running towards them, her expression hardening as she assessed the situation.
"What do you think you're doing?!" she roared, her eyes blazing with fury.
Yoon smirked. "Isn't it obvious?"
Yirahng drew her sword. "If you were going to run, you should have done it alone and drowned at sea! How dare you try to steal the Black Wings?!"
"I earned this ship!" Yoon retorted. "If you don't know what's going on, shut your mouth! Actually, I'll shut it for you. I might spare that idiot, but you're not getting away."
He gestured to his men, and three of them lunged at Yirahng. She was a skilled fighter, capable of holding her own against even seasoned Soyeolish warriors, but she was outnumbered. They quickly overpowered her, throwing her to the ground before Yoon. One of the sailors raised his sword.
"Brother..." Hui pleaded, spitting sand from his mouth, "don't!"
"Shut up!" Yoon snapped. "I was going to spare you, but you try to betray me?"
"Don't hurt Yirahng!"
Yoon ignored him and nodded to his men. Yirahng, facing the gleaming blade, was surprisingly calm.
"Brother, please!" Hui begged. "She is pregnant!"
"What?" Yoon faltered, his eyes widening in surprise. He gestured for his men to pull Yirahng to her feet. He hadn't noticed before, but now it was clear: her belly was swollen. A pang of unease prickled him, though he couldn't understand why.
"What do you want me to do?" he muttered. "She'll die if we leave her here anyway."
"Please, brother," Hui pleaded. "I'll keep her here until you leave. I won't let her do anything. Just spare her."
Yoon rounded on him. "You were just trying to use her to summon Hwan!"
"I won't do it again!" Hui cried. "I'll keep her here! Just trust me one more time!"
Yirahng, ignoring Hui's pleas, spat at Yoon. "You coward! You spineless fool! Fight your own battles!"
Hui, ignoring her insults, continued to plead with Yoon. "Brother, please..."
Yoon hesitated, his mind racing. He knew that killing Yirahng would eliminate any chance of reconciliation with Hwan. Stealing the Black Wings was already enough to earn Hwan's wrath. There was no need to further provoke him if they couldn't kill him and escape.
"Tie them both up," he ordered.
His men quickly bound Hui and Yirahng. Yoon turned to leave, then paused. Is this the right decision? Will sparing Yirahng appease Hwan? No. It was Yirahng who had fueled Hwan's madness, her bloodlust and cruelty egging him on. He often drew his sword unnecessarily, simply to please her. Yoon looked at her, her eyes filled with hatred, her belly swollen with Hwan's child. Perhaps sparing her would only create further problems. If I'm truly returning to Cheon Seong, there's no harm in proving my loyalty now.
His sword flashed through the air.
"Brother!!!" Hui screamed.
He lunged forward, pushing past the men restraining him. Yoon's eyes widened in surprise, his sword already in motion. A dull thud echoed through the air as the blade found its mark. The impact reverberated through the sword, through the air, through the sand, through the water. The sailors stumbled back, some falling to their knees, their faces pale with shock. Yoon stared in disbelief. The sword wasn't embedded in Yirahng's neck, but in Hui's shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound, staining his robes crimson.
"Brother..." Hui choked out.
Yoon stared at Hui, his face a mixture of disbelief and pity. He couldn't afford to waste any more time. With a swift motion, he pulled the sword from Hui's shoulder, the blade dripping with blood. Hui collapsed onto the sand, his body wracked with tremors.
"We need to leave now," one of the sailors urged.
Yoon snapped out of his daze and shouted towards the forest. "What are you waiting for? Get the ship ready!"
He boarded the small boat, leaving Hui and Yirahng on the beach. Yirahng crawled towards Hui, her hands frantically searching for the wound. Blood gushed from the gaping hole in his chest, staining the white sand crimson. Yirahng's composure finally broke, and she wept, her cries echoing across the deserted beach.
"Hui, no..." she sobbed.
Hui, his face pale, reached out a trembling hand to touch her cheek. "Sister... don't cry... Your anger... will harm... the baby..."
His words were barely audible, his voice choked with blood. Yirahng understood, her heart breaking. She couldn't stop the bleeding, her hands still bound behind her back.
"You foolish boy..." she sobbed, her face pressed against his blood-soaked chest.
Hui's voice was fading, his words lost in the gurgling sounds of blood and approaching death. The Black Wings, its sails unfurled, its black flags fluttering in the wind, set course for Birahng, leaving them behind.
──────────
Yirahng had been gone for a long time. Hwan finally emerged from the forest, his heart heavy with a growing sense of unease. The path ahead was still unclear, but the uncertainty gnawing at him was too much to bear. He reached the shore, his fears solidifying into a grim reality. The Black Wings was gone, replaced by a lone figure slumped on the sand. He recognized the shape instantly and rushed towards it. It was Yirahng, her head resting on Keumpyeong Hui's chest. He gently lifted her, his heart pounding with a mixture of relief and dread. Yirahng, usually as alert as a wild animal, was limp in his arms. He held her close, and she slowly opened her eyes, her gaze meeting his. Relief washed over him, but his heart continued to race.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
Yirahng didn't answer. Hwan, alarmed by the dried blood on her face and the vacant look in her eyes, quickly examined her for injuries. Finding none, he pressed her further.
"Are you alright?" he repeated sharply.
Yirahng's eyes filled with tears. "Hui... Hui took the blow for me... Yoon..."
Hwan gently untied the ropes that bound her wrists. Yirahng clung to him, her sobs shaking her body. He looked past her, his gaze falling upon Hui's small form lying motionless on the bloodstained sand. His breath hitched. He gently disentangled himself from Yirahng's embrace and knelt beside Hui, his fingers reaching for his neck, searching for a pulse. Relief washed over him as he felt the faint thrum of life beneath his fingertips.
"Don't cry," he said softly. "Hui's alive."
He took a deep breath, his chest constricting with a mixture of relief and guilt. Yirahng, startled by his words, looked at Hui. His face, which had been pale and drawn just moments ago, now held a healthy flush. His chest rose and fell with each shallow breath.
"That's impossible," she gasped. "Yoon killed him! I saw it with my own eyes!"
Hwan examined Hui more closely. Despite the blood staining the sand, there was no wound, no sign of injury.
"No, I saw it," Yirahng insisted. "Hui took the blow for me."
Confusion and disbelief swirled within them. As they struggled to comprehend the impossible, Hui's eyes fluttered open. He winced, shielding them from the bright sunlight. He turned his head, his gaze settling on Hwan and Yirahng.
"Guardian," he murmured.
"I'm here," Hwan replied.
"Am I dead?" Hui asked, his voice weak. "Are you..."
"What are you talking about?" Hwan interrupted.
"Or was it a dream...?" Hui continued, his brow furrowed in confusion. "I had such a vivid nightmare."
"It wasn't a dream," Hwan assured him. "Look around you."
Hui sat up, his gaze sweeping across the bloodstained sand, the empty horizon, Yirahng's tear-stained face. It was all real. Except for the fatal wound, which was nowhere to be seen. He touched his chest, his fingers trembling as he recalled the sensation of the blade piercing his flesh.
"You're alive," Hwan said. "You're not hurt."
"That's impossible," Hui whispered, his voice filled with disbelief. "Yoon stabbed me..."
"You're speaking to me, alive and well. How can it be impossible?"
Hui looked up at the sky, his mind reeling.
"It's Sahngjon," Hwan breathed.