A low-lying island emerged, piercing the jade horizon. Its sparsely scattered rocky hills were black, and the white sandy beach shattered the sunlight, dazzling even from afar. The island, curved like a crescent moon, appeared like ivory inlaid in a turquoise jewel, surrounded by a wide expanse of shallows. The water, barely reaching an adult's waist, stretched out, preventing the ship from approaching the island closely.
Joon, suppressing his still-churning stomach, pondered his options. Three sailors were irreplaceable, as Yoon had informed him, and at least seven were needed to operate the ship. Though they had returned with Yoon, it was unlikely the sailors had suddenly developed unwavering loyalty. It would be disastrous if, after he disembarked with the soldiers, the sailors joined forces to kill the remaining Wicheong soldiers and escaped. As a precaution, he had left a rough map of the sea route at Wicheong Palace, but no one could be sure if it accurately depicted the way. To prevent mutiny, he considered having only the soldiers disembark and remaining on the ship himself, but he was certain they wouldn't be able to capture Hwan without him.
"Shall we land?" the soldier who had woken Joon asked.
Joon didn't answer. How will Cheon Hwan react? If he was alive and on the island, he would surely be watching the Black Wings, which had reappeared on the horizon—the ship that was originally his. Will he believe his treacherous subordinates have repented and returned? If so, Hwan's fury would erupt the moment he saw Joon set foot on the shore, perhaps making it easier to capture him and return. But if not, if Hwan has anticipated Seong sending troops, what will he have prepared?
Joon, his body slick with sweat despite being barely clothed, glanced at the sailors, gauging their expressions. Twenty-eight of those on board were Black Wings sailors. Some were not from Wicheong Palace but pirates from Soyeol. Though their weapons had been confiscated and were being guarded separately, he couldn't shake off his unease with such an ambiguous number if a mutiny broke out on the ship. He had fifty soldiers from Seong. After further deliberation, Joon spoke.
"Prepare the ten most skilled swordsmen among the Wicheong soldiers. Ten sailors will also disembark, so bring ten confiscated swords."
As soon as the order was given, two small boats descended from the Black Wings. Gliding over the clear, jade-colored water, they headed towards the shore. Their small bows dug into the wet sand as they came to a halt. The soldiers disembarked, shielding Joon, their bows, dried by the brazier during the journey, drawn and aimed towards the dense trees and low-lying rocks. The shore was quiet. Thick-trunked trees stood back from the waves, their broad leaves, fluttering in the sea breeze, pierced by sunlight, a vibrant green. Pearlescent ripples shimmered on the water beneath their feet, where the clear waves frothed and bubbled.
"We lived crammed in a cave," Joon muttered to himself, "while he had this beautiful island as his home."
A sailor responded to his murmur, "Cheon Hwan never considered land his home. The Black Wings was his home."
"Where are Cheon Hwan and Yirahng likely to be?" Joon asked the sailor.
"Usually, they set up camp on the shore and stayed there," the sailor explained. "Sometimes, they went deeper into the forest to gather firewood. The day we left, Cheon Hwan and Yirahng went into the forest and didn't come out for days. Everyone was anxious."
"Do you think they are in the forest now?" Joon asked.
"There's no spring on this island," the sailor replied. "They have to stay near the shore to boil drinking water and find food. Hui used to go back and forth to attend to them, but now that he's gone, and Yirahng is heavy with child, it's no different than being alone, so they wouldn't be staying in the forest."
"Is this the shore where they used to camp?" Joon asked.
"Yes, this is the place," the sailor confirmed.
Joon looked around, but there was no sign of Hwan, no trace of a campfire, no remnants of a camp. He strode forward, and the soldiers with shields followed, their movements cautious, alternating between relaxed and tense. Joon walked from one end of the shore to the other, scanning his surroundings. His steps stopped abruptly.
"Is this where Jang'gyeong Yoon killed Hui?" he asked the sailor.
"It seems so," the sailor replied. "There's still a bloodstain."
"Are you sure Hui is dead?" Joon pressed.
"The sword cut him from his shoulder to his chest," the sailor confirmed. "He couldn't have survived."
Joon looked down. A faint, dark red bloodstain mingled with the sand. Along with finding Hwan, Seong had also tasked Joon with retrieving Hui's body if he found it. Joon's heart ached as he recalled Hui's youthful face, full of innocence, before they left Wicheong Palace. Hui's body was nowhere to be found, and there was no sign of it being dragged away. Starting from where Hui's blood stained the sand, Joon noticed marks in the sand leading towards the forest, as if swept with a broom. Have they erased all traces of the campfire and footprints? He was waiting for them. Like a hound on the hunt, Joon scanned every mark on the ground, gathering clues.
"Did he have a bow?" he asked.
"We took all the bows when we escaped," the sailor replied. "Cheon Hwan won't have one."
As the sailor finished speaking, the soldiers tightened their grip on their shields.
"Wouldn't he be hiding in the forest?" a soldier near Joon asked.
"If he's alive, that's likely," Joon agreed. "But we can't rush in. We'll search the coast first, then the forest."
"Understood," the soldier replied.
Joon motioned with his chin, and the sailors were each given a sword. They began to circle the coast, moving from east to west. Joon's decision to search the coast first was partly due to the need to recover from his seasickness. As he walked, his body felt steadier. The coastline was occasionally rough and rocky, making the path difficult, but the slope was gentle. As they passed a stretch of rocky terrain and returned to the sandy shore, the soldier in front crouched down and waved his hand. Joon hurried over, and the soldier pointed to the sand.
"The first five to return after executing the enemies of the Guardian of the Azure Scripture will be spared death."
The inscription was carved into the wet sand, clearly recent. Joon felt Hwan's gaze piercing his back. The sailors, upon seeing the message, immediately exchanged anxious glances. Fear swelled among them, pushing them away from each other. Joon was the first to warn, "Don't fall for his tricks. Anyone who makes a false move will die by my sword first."
But the sailors feared the message in the sand more than Joon's warning. Their fingers hesitated near the hilts of their swords. Joon felt a wave of danger wash over him. He'd sparred countless times with real swords and hunted wild beasts, but he'd never felt the presence of death so strongly. Death was so vivid that compassion for the living blurred. Hesitation was a waste. These were men who had to be killed anyway. If he hesitated, he would die. In the silence, with only the sea wind flapping in his ears, the sound of shifting sand scratched at his right ear. Now, if I hesitate, I will die.
Joon drew his sword first and swung, slicing through the side of the nearest sailor. The sailor collapsed, blood and intestines spilling onto the sand. Yellowish, thick fluid flowed from the severed intestines. The red and yellow fluids mixed, obscuring the message carved in the sand. As Joon drew his sword, the Wicheong soldiers almost simultaneously drew theirs and attacked the sailors, and the sailors, too, drew their swords, and a chaotic melee ensued. The Wicheong soldiers struggled against the sailors, who were more accustomed to wielding swords. Joon, assisting those who were losing ground, struck down the sailors one by one. He created openings with forceful blows, striking before the gaps closed. His sword, full of power, cut down lives with downward strikes, the contact between blade and life brief. Killing was no big deal. The human body crumbled so easily. When cut down, people, like beasts, spilled their intestines, their red flesh writhing, their yellow fat bursting. Joon silently absorbed the sight of the dead, their red, gruesome insides exposed by his sword.
The last remaining sailor threw his sword on the sand and knelt before Joon. It was a sailor of the Black Wings from Wicheong, his face familiar. He pleaded in a tearful voice, "Spare me! I just, I was afraid to die, Young Master, please!"
"You did something worthy of death because you were afraid to die?" Joon retorted.
The sailor sobbed, his trembling hands clutching the sand, his head bowed to the ground. With each sob, the tendons in his exposed neck twitched. Joon's sword struck the pulsating artery. The sailor's head fell to the sand, his sobbing face frozen.
With the situation under control, the soldiers reformed their shield wall around Joon. One soldier spoke to him in a low voice, "Don't dwell on it, sir. They were meant to be killed anyway."
Joon wiped the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve and asked coldly, "Why would you say that?"
The soldier faltered at Joon's rebuke. "You looked...distressed."
Joon didn't answer and started walking again. Hwan, hidden in the forest, had been watching them from the spot where they first landed. But now that the sailors who knew the terrain were dead, they couldn't enter the forest. They had already covered more than half the coast, so it wouldn't make much difference whether they continued searching or turned back. They proceeded cautiously, their vigilance towards the forest heightened. The sun descended closer to the horizon, and still, there was no sign of Hwan. The forest remained silent.
The Black Wings came back into view, and Joon felt a wave of disappointment. Will we have to search the forest after all? The cunning bastard was luring them to his home. As he thought this, a sailor's casual remark from earlier echoed in his mind: "Cheon Hwan never considered land his home. The Black Wings was his home."
Suddenly, it hit him. Joon shoved aside the shields protecting him and ran towards the Black Wings. The bewildered soldiers hurriedly chased after him. Reaching the spot where they first landed, Joon's eyes widened in disbelief. One of the small boats was missing. He looked up at the Black Wings. The small boat was alongside the ship. He could see the figure of a person leaning against the railing, looking towards the shore. Another message was carved into the dry sand above the tide line.
"The first three to board the Black Wings will be spared death."