Somewhere in 1615, which during thirty-third year of King Gwanghae's reign.
The Han River was buried under a sky crimson with blood, the moon was grossly over-swollen, perfectly round, redish like a red wine, rode low in the sky, its slowly lighting the capital. Temple bells rang continuously, and street dogs barked continuously. It was the night that the shamans had feared the most, the night when the moon had falling.
Beyond the city gates, where the lanterns were suspended among the place. A circle of white-robed women sang in unison, their voices flowed in harmonized. At the center, the last living Moon Shaman, Han Seoyeon knelt, her hair tied up with silver ribbons, her hands was on a scrubbed-clean bowl of water that reflected the moon.
On her lap, there was a girl wrapped in a blanket.
"Listen carefully my child," Seoyeon slowly look at the child. "Always remember that if the world turn back against you, the moon always guide your path."
The chanting that surrounded them increased more rapidly. The atmosphere was full with aroma of burning incense . The shadows started to dart between the trees. Then, slowly a cold wind start to send water skipping in Seoyeon's bowl.
An older shaman suddenly emerged from the shadows behind her, "Seoyeon. I can sense that they're coming." Seoyeon's fingers slowly stopped their movement.
The commander's call carried across the dark. She knew that sound , it's the Royal Guard of the palace was leading toward them. Choi Hwan, the youth knight who had once been at her side in ceremony before. All was just fine before the king had betrayed his own people.
"Take her!" Seoyeon commanded in a rush, shoving the child into the elder's arms. "Hide her among the commoners."
"But,"
"Don't waste a time, go now!" Her voice was stern, but her heart was breaking. "Her name is Han Seorin, and don't ever speak about what happen today."
The elder picked up the child and vanished into darkness as the first arrow shot into that place.
"Han Seoyeon!" a yell resounded. "By the king's decree, shamanism is forbidden. Surrender now, and you will be given a merciful trial."
"Tsk, Merciful?" Seoyeon's mouth twitched into a snarl. She had heard all too well what the court considered "mercy".
Instead, she just chuckled slowly, her white robes whispering against the frost-grass. "If you ever know," she bellowed back, "you will regret to heard the truth."
The guards charged into the clearing, their spears glinting below the red sky. Choi Hwan led the charge, his face stern, his eyes unyielding. But for an instant, he could have sworn, he saw the dark whisper of something, something like regret.
Seoyeon's fingers curled around the talisman, a jade pendant where the crescent moon was inscribed. She drew breath into an incantation, and the bowl of water at her feet started to shimmer with the pale light.
The moonlight. Pure and serene, it's came down like a silk upon her back, sending the hairs on the guards' arms prickling. The trees huddled before it. Even the red moon above them dimmed for a moment.
Then, suddenly came another voice , deeper and mocking.
"Well done, Royal Guard. You've make my works became easily."
From the shadows stepped a tall figure cloaked in black. His hair was unbound, his eyes gleaming like wet ink. In his hand, he held a staff bound with crimson cords, its top crowned with a skull carved from a bone.
"Ma Yeongwol," Seoyeon mumbling slowly.
The guards were stunned. Even they knew that name. He was the king's favorite court shaman, banished for conducting blood rituals. He was thought to be dead, but here he was, very much alive.
Yeongwol's smirked makes Seoyeon feel shivering under her guts. "Still clinging to your little rituals, Moon Shaman? Well, well , well. Tonight, you and I, will finish what we had began before."
"Hwan!" Seoyeon screamed frantically, "This man..." But she never finished it. Yeongwol slammed the butt of his staff onto the earth, and a shaft of black smoke burst out of it, shrouding the clearing in smothering darkness making Seoyeon coughed blood.
Men screamed. Horses shrieked. Seoyeon try dashed into the mid of the chaos, her hands glowed with silvery light, and struck Yeongwol's chest with her Moon staff but he staggered back, hissing snake-like in agony.
"You can kill me," he rasped, "But the child always be mine." Her blood ran cold.
They fought again, silver against red, moonlight against the darkness. Shards of spirit-energy started to burns the grass.
Then, with such a agony, a burning spearhead thrust into Seoyeon's side. She gasped, stumbling back in hurry. Out of the fog, she saw Choi Hwan throwing down his sword, his face twisted in duty and something like agony.
"You, such a fool…" she coughed, dropping to one knee.
Yeongwol laughed softly. "Ohh, such a loyal guard, poor little things."
Seoyeon's energy slowly fading. The smoke start to became thickened, and Yeongwol's shape was fragmenting. "We will meet again, Moon Shaman." he vowed, and vanished into the darkness.
The guards swarmed in.
Seoyeon pressed her bleeding hand against the jade talisman. The moon above shuddered. She released her last breath, and whispered things the moon alone would hear, transferring her power, her memories, and her purpose to the child now fleeing west along the path.
A sudden blast of air cleared the smoke. For a single beat, the red moon was resplendent white.
And Seoyeon fell into darkness.
A distant way off it , in the arms of the elder shaman, little Seorin stirred in her sleep. The moonlight slowly brushed her cheeks, making the air fell silver and frost for a moment.
The night of falling moons had gone and the child new fate had begun. The long path had waiting for her long journey in becaming the next Moon Shaman.