Night had barely thickened before Sun-Ho sensed the anomaly.
A bird call—off by half a note.
He stood from his seat near the fire, letting his hand drift casually to his side. Not to draw a weapon… but to signal the others.
So-Ri noticed first. She stopped mid-conversation and subtly angled herself toward his left.
Yeon was already sitting upright, his charcoal sketches forgotten.
The visitor arrived soundlessly.
No footsteps, no rustle—just a presence emerging from the shadows, like smoke made flesh.
A man in muted gray robes, face veiled behind translucent silk, stepped into the firelight. His eyes were sharp, pale gold, and entirely too calm.
Ji-Mun squinted. "Let me guess. Not here for soup?"
The man gave a shallow bow. "Baek Sun-Ho. I bring words from a patron who prefers discretion over spectacle."
Yul-Rin's eyes narrowed. "Shadow Court?"
"Not quite," the man said with a faint smile. "Though they would like you to believe that name still holds power."
Sun-Ho remained standing, unmoving. "Then speak plainly."
The man held out a sealed scroll—black ribbon, wax pressed with an unfamiliar emblem: a moth in flames.
"A proposal," he said. "One that acknowledges your unique… lineage. And your threat to tradition."
So-Ri stepped forward. "What's the offer?"
The man turned to her but addressed Sun-Ho. "Ally with us. Publicly or secretly, your choice. In return, you gain something more valuable than resources."
"And what's that?"
"Freedom. From court scrutiny. From Murim's ancient chains. You will ascend, unbound."
A long silence followed.
Then Ma-Rok coughed. "You offering him power, or asking to borrow his?"
The man did not react. "We offer the only path that allows him to rule and remain himself."
Sun-Ho took the scroll but didn't open it.
"I'll consider it," he said calmly. "After I meet your patron in person."
The man bowed again, slightly deeper this time. "He anticipated that. He awaits in the ruins at the Vale of Hollow Thrones. Midnight. Come alone."
He vanished into the mist—too easily.
---
Later That Night – Private Discussion
"So it begins," Master Jang muttered, sipping bitterroot tea. His eyes lingered on the scroll in Sun-Ho's hand.
"You think it's a trap?" Ji-Mun asked.
The old man smiled. "Of course. But perhaps not a deadly one. Just... enlightening."
So-Ri leaned closer to Sun-Ho. "Are you really going?"
"I have to. If we don't engage with the hidden hands now, they'll keep tightening their grip later."
Ma-Rok grunted. "Want me on a nearby rooftop?"
Sun-Ho shook his head. "If I'm truly the candidate they're watching, they'll have eyes on all of you."
Yeon approached silently and handed Sun-Ho a wooden carving—it was a small bird, wings outstretched. He tapped it twice, his signal for protection.
Sun-Ho smiled. "Thanks, Yeon."
Yul-Rin sniffed the scroll. "Ugh. Poison wax. Cunning touch."
"Meaning?" So-Ri asked.
"Meaning it'll crumble if opened by the wrong hand."
Sun-Ho tossed the scroll into the fire. "Then I'll ask him in person."
---
Midnight – Vale of Hollow Thrones
The ruins were nothing more than scattered columns and broken steps, swallowed by moss and moonlight.
But in the center stood a figure—tall, lean, draped in shadow-colored silk.
He turned as Sun-Ho approached, lowering his hood.
And for a moment, Sun-Ho's eyes widened.
He knew that face.
From his past life.
Not as a friend. Not as an enemy.
As something in between—an ally who once betrayed a greater enemy, and a betrayer who once saved Sun-Ho's life in return.
"Jin Rok," Sun-Ho murmured. "Still playing both sides?"
Jin Rok smiled faintly. "Still climbing toward a world that doesn't exist."
The air between them pulsed—not with killing intent, but old memory.
Sun-Ho folded his arms. "What do you want?"
"To see if you're still the one who could burn the sky with a whisper. Or if this life has made you soft."
Sun-Ho stepped forward. "Try me."
Jin Rok's hand flashed—drawing twin daggers with curved obsidian blades. His killing intent didn't rise. But the sharpness of his stance demanded attention.
Sun-Ho didn't draw a weapon. He didn't need to.
A flare of lightning qi surged from his palm—silent, blinding, beautiful.
Jin Rok grinned. "That's the look. Not anger… clarity."
They clashed—once.
Jin Rok's blades met air. And Sun-Ho was already behind him, one finger pressing against the man's nape.
The lightning didn't strike—but it could have.
Jin Rok didn't flinch.
"Still too fast," he said with a dry chuckle.
"You're testing, not threatening," Sun-Ho said. "Why?"
"Because I need you alive," Jin Rok answered. "There are factions even I won't serve. Ones who seek more than rule—they want Murim erased."
"Who are they?"
"Names too old to speak aloud. But they've found new vessels. And they're watching the Assembly. If you fall… the gates open."
Sun-Ho stepped back. "Why warn me?"
"Because even if I walk in shadow, I still want Murim to exist. Broken, maybe. But existing."
He tossed Sun-Ho a small object—a pendant carved with a crescent wrapped in thorns.
"They'll use this symbol. If you see it, run or burn everything. No middle ground."
And then he vanished—just like last time.
---
At Dawn
Sun-Ho returned as the sky broke over the eastern ridge.
No one asked questions. But Master Jang gave him tea. So-Ri gave him silence. Yeon gave him another small wooden carving—this time of a thundercloud.
And Ji-Mun, ever irreverent, asked, "So… did you get recruited, seduced, or cursed?"
Sun-Ho smiled faintly. "All three."
---
End of Chapter 89 – Whisper from the Forgotten Court