Ryang's sword hung frozen in mid-air, its tip inches from Cheongro's throat. Seon, her breath catching in her chest, rushed forward, her face paling as she took in the scene. Even Joon, who had stood by passively, was now frozen in shock, the severity of the situation sinking in. Seon reached out a trembling hand towards Ryang.
"Brother, put down the sword," she pleaded.
"Stay out of this," Ryang warned, his eyes blazing with a fury Seon had never witnessed. She cautiously approached him, her voice soothing.
"I'll take care of the Princess. Just calm down and put the sword away. Please?"
Ryang remained motionless, his gaze fixed on Cheongro. Seon's desperation grew.
"Put it down, now!" she shouted.
As Seon's pleas echoed through the beach, the Emissaries arrived, Norahn at their head. His face mirrored Seon's shock and horror. Cheongro looked up at him.
"Your Sanctity..." he whimpered.
"High Councilor!" Norahn's voice rang out, sharp with disbelief and anger. "What is the meaning of this?!"
"I am punishing insubordination," Ryang stated coldly. "This does not concern you."
"Not even the Guardian has the authority to decide an Emissary's fate!" Norahn retorted. "Do you think you can harm the Second Emissary and escape unscathed?!"
His outburst, a desperate mix of threats and pleas, fell on deaf ears. Ryang's gaze remained fixed on Cheongro, his resolve unwavering.
"Let's see," he said. "who falls first. Me, or this worthless scum."
As Ryang raised his sword once more, Seon's voice cut through the tension, sharp and desperate.
"Brother!"
The familiar cry pierced through Ryang's rage, and he paused, his gaze shifting to Seon. Her hands covered her mouth, her eyes wide with fear. The sight of his sister, her face pale with terror, broke through the madness that had consumed him. His gaze softened, the bloodlust fading from his eyes. He looked around, the faces of the onlookers blurring, even Kyeong'ui's defiant glare seeming distant and unfamiliar.
Seon cautiously approached him, her hands reaching out to grasp his arm. "Brother..." she pleaded, her voice trembling.
While Seon's attention was focused on Ryang, Cheongro seized the opportunity, scrambling back from the deadly blade. Norahn, who had been holding his breath, finally exhaled, his voice sharp as he instructed the Emissary.
"Tend to his wounds! Quickly!"
They rushed forward, guiding Cheongro towards the wounded. Norahn turned back to Ryang.
"You dare spill the blood of an Emissary on the field of our sacred victory? You will answer for this transgression."
"Do as you please," Ryang retorted coldly. "I have no intention of preserving outdated laws in our new kingdom."
As the Emissaries dispersed, Kyeong'ui stood alone, her defiance even more pronounced against the backdrop of the empty beach. Bound and gagged, she glared at Ryang, her chest heaving with fury. Despite the numerous blows and the weakness in her legs from prolonged kneeling, she managed to struggle to her feet. The soldiers who had restrained her moved to force her back down, but Ryang stopped them with a subtle gesture. Even through the gag, her enraged voice echoed in his ears, a chilling vow of vengeance.
I will kill you. I will tear you apart and avenge my people.
Kyeong'ui's body trembled with rage, her hands bound tightly behind her back, unable to even adjust her disheveled robes. Her right cheek, swollen and red from the blow, throbbed with pain. Dried blood crusted around her lips. Ryang's voice, low and dangerous, cut through the silence.
"Who did this to her?" he demanded, his gaze sweeping over the assembled soldiers.
Joon stepped forward. "I did, High Councilor."
Ryang's voice thundered through the beach. "Don't you have honor?"
Joon's face contorted in disbelief. "Honor?" he spat. "That bitch put an arrow through my father's skull. And you speak of honor?"
Ryang turned towards Kyeong'ui. Despite her disheveled appearance, her eyes burned with a fierce defiance. He saw her then as she had been on the battlefield, her gaze sharp and predatory, tracking her prey with chilling precision. He had been blinded by her vulnerability, forgetting the ruthless ambition that lay beneath. His misjudgment had cost them dearly. Joon's eyes, filled with a bitter resentment, made Ryang falter. He couldn't bring himself to chastise the young man further.
"The Princess is only valuable alive," he stated. "We cannot waste her. Never again succumb to your emotions."
Joon's hands were still stained with his father's blood and brain matter. Ryang's words, labeling his actions as impulsive, were a bitter pill to swallow. But he couldn't defy the man who had just executed his beloved. He swallowed his anger, his defiance, forcing his body to remain still. Ryang, seeing the silent obedience in Joon's eyes, addressed the soldiers.
"Let this be a lesson to you all!"
"Yes, High Councilor," the soldiers replied in unison, their voices low and subdued.
The soldiers bowed, and Ryang nodded towards Seon.
"Take her away," he ordered.
Seon had the soldiers drag Kyeong'ui away. Kyeong'ui glared at Ryang, her eyes filled with hatred. Once they were gone, the tension in the air dissipated. Ryang approached Joon.
"Go to your father," he said. "I'll take care of things here."
Joon bowed and rushed towards the area where the dead had been gathered. Ryang gathered the remaining soldiers and began to finish Joon's task.
The battle was over. The beach was littered with bodies. Soldiers gathered the wounded and killed the enemy. Only eight had surrendered. They stripped the dead of their weapons, valuables, and any usable leather, then collected the boxes floating in the water and examined their contents. They brought the boxes to Ryang, one by one, asking for instructions. Most of them contained trivial items, and Ryang assumed the valuable ones had been sent with the advance party along with Ji'uigeum. The heavy weapons lay at the bottom of the sea with the warships, waiting for Yeong to recover and retrieve them.
The sand was soaked with blood, the blood of allies and enemies mingling, indistinguishable. A soldier raised the fallen blue flag of Wi. Stained with blood, it looked no different from a black flag of Dahn. Is this a victory? They had captured Princess Kyeong'ui and could enter Nahmgyo, but Ryang dreaded counting the dead and wounded, calculating how much more death they could afford.
Though she had grown accustomed to ruthlessness through her unsavory business dealings, Seon was uncomfortable with Kyeong'ui's hateful gaze on her back. She walked past the soldiers, who were still killing the wounded. One soldier was about to thrust his spear into a fallen enemy when he recognized a familiar face.
"Wait." Seon shouted, stopping him.
She approached the body and wiped the blood from the face with her sleeve. The eyes fluttered open, recognizing her. It was Mujin. Kyeong'ui, watching, also recognized him, her eyes widening in alarm. Seon smiled faintly and ordered the soldiers, "Take him away. Treat him and make sure he survives."
The battle hadn't been large, so it didn't take long to clean up the battlefield. It was almost finished when Ryang returned from checking on Yeong's injuries.
"High Councilor," a soldier reported, "the Guardian has arrived."
"Where is he?" Ryang asked.
"He's coming this way."
Seong soon appeared with Jeong. The victorious soldiers cheered, raising their hands and prostrating themselves. Seong, though happy for them, couldn't shake off his anxiety. He spotted Ryang and pulled him aside.
"Why did you attack already?" he demanded. "We were supposed to wait until nightfall."
Ryang lowered his head, ashamed of his failure to anticipate Kyeong'ui's deception. He couldn't bear to look at Jeong, who seemed oblivious to her father's death, her eyes darting between them. He bowed deeply to Seong.
"I was careless and fell for the Princess's deception," he confessed. "Half of the Dahnian forces left with the sphere this morning. I couldn't wait for you when the rest were about to depart. It was my mistake."
"You lost the Sphere?"
"But we captured the Princess alive," Ryang assured him. "We fulfilled the conditions set by Nahmgyo and Sung."
"I saw our soldiers on my way here," Seong said. "There were many casualties. How can you say that?"
"I apologize," Ryang said, bowing his head again.
"Where is Yeong?" Seong asked. "And Master Kyeongseon? And Joon?"
Ryang hesitated. "Guardian," he said, "High Commander. He's dead."
Seong froze, unable to look at Jeong. He lowered his gaze.
"My father?" Jeong asked, her voice trembling.
"I'm sorry," Seong mumbled.
"Where is he?" Jeong asked again.
"Didn't you see Joon and Song on your way here?" Ryang asked.
Jeong shook her head silently.
"Let's go," Ryang said. "He'll be with them."
He led the way, and Seong and Jeong followed. They found Kyeongseon Ung's body among the fallen soldiers, Joon and Song keeping vigil. Jeong was overcome with grief, realizing she hadn't recognized her father's body when she passed by earlier. The arrow that had been lodged in his forehead was gone, leaving a dark red hole. His eyes were closed, his expression serene. Jeong knelt beside him, her hands trembling as she touched his face. Joon embraced her, and she wept against his shoulder.
Ryang watched the three siblings from a distance. Seong could easily imagine what memories and emotions were surfacing within Ryang. Just as he was reliving the guilt of that night, Ryang must be as well. Is it their duty as Celestial Scions to bear the weight of such tragedies, the same misfortunes visiting them all in due time? Seong thought of Yeom'myeol. Is the suffering of the fallen Celestial Scions, their families destroyed, now haunting us? Is this war, where we should all perish, Sahngjon's new world, a consequence of their survival when they should have died with Wi?
"How did this happen?" Seong asked Ryang.