WARNING: This chapter contains violence scenes and grotesque illustration. Feel free to skip .
Thunder and lightening rumbled producing a cumulonimbus sky. The gusty winds raged with aggression destroying everything in it's path. Rooftops uprooted from buildings. Some weak buildings demolished and crumbled. The unfortunate people caught in the rainstorm were transmigrated to the sky , some crushed to death by uprooted trees. animals weren't spared as some were thrown to the sea and some splilt in half by roof tiles sent flying.
The raging storm created havoc as if protesting against something. The weak hearted collapsed in their room waiting for the angel of death to give them the sweet relief of eternal peace ,even the strong hearted couldn't help but shudder each time there is a crack in the sky. But in one of those houses, a young girl seemed unaffected by the whole chaos raging outside .
Sitting in her room calmly is princess Ha-eun who is busy leafing through her books overly engrossed. Briefly, she looked up but continued her reading ,minding her own business. The attendants awaiting on her kept shivering out of fright and jumping around at the sound of the rumble. Watching their young princess who sat unfazed as if she's in another planet other than earth caused them to be flabbergasted by her stoic nature.
Unlike princess Ha-eun, princess Min-seo was in another dimension. She held unto her mother's arm tightly not minding that she's not her favorite person, her fingernails dug into the soft succulent flesh ripping it open. Consort Ki didn't even notice the wounds her baby was giving her as her own heart was in jeopardy. The rainstorm was raging as if there is a swelling evil in it.
She had come to visit her child when the rain started, thinking it was a light rain she stayed back waiting for it stop. Had she known it was a rainstorm , she would have gone to the emperor's palace and be in his arms with him petting her frail heart. Anyway, Min-seo wouldn't have needed her since she was preparing to go visit the empress before her unwanted visit which the child told her in every lackluster attitude she showed her.
Well, it became history with the first roar of thunder that sent the child running into her arms kicking up her maternal instinct to protect her child. "Shhh, Shhh, it's OK". She couldn't even add more words when the second roar sounded near their window making mother and child reach for the quilt at the same time looking for a kind of cover to shield them from the evil. Remembering that her child was more scared than her which she's not sure who is more scared except that she's younger, she used the quilt to wrap her up while embracing her closer , a skinship Min-seo welcomed.
Just then, a very sharp bolt of lightning flashed followed by the biggest clap of thunder. The princess shivering under the quilt burst into tears while holding her mother tighter. Consort Ki pressed the child's head closer to her bossom while rubbing her back in a soothing manner.
"Baby, don't worry, as long as you are not outside, the storm will not touch you... right ?". Consort Ki got confused. She don't know if she's convincing her child or herself. But whatever happens, they are in the comfort of each other , taking in the warmth and soft fragrance of lilies soothing their troubled heart.
At the sea, long before the storm started. Guerilla-dressed warriors traveling on a ship tensed up when their captain dissuaded them from splitting the goods they got from their last war. The outlandish one among them incited the others to start a fight and kill off the captain.
"He's been making us give up all our plunders to the evil greedy men without any benefits, brothers this kind of man shouldn't lead us anymore.". Before he could finish inciting the rest of his brothers-in-arms , a sudden jolt of pain coursed through his stomach sending him sprawling on the floor. He looked at the culprit, his sword still dripping with blood and cursed. The captain saw that the man was instigating the others to start a rebellion and decided to end his life . But he was already too late as he inadvertently started a fight.
One of the warriors ran towards the captain and threw a fist at his face snapping his nose into a grotesquery . The rest drew out their sword and joined in the fight , kicking and slashing their captain mercilessly. All the built up anger , the pent-up frustrations and held back emotions poured into the fight making the captain defenseless.
"Die you bastard!". They shouted, kicking, lacerating, spitting and slashing ruthlessly.
The fight left him bruised and winded, his arms lost tension, his legs weakened and leg was in agony. His tongues were soaked in a taste blood making him spit out a mouthful.
With heads pounding, he turned delirious. The man he held unto for support, brushed him aside with a menacing kick making his wound bleed faster. They surrounded him when they saw how battered he has become and spat on him.
"Pft! Son of a bitch".
The bold one that went to check on him because of his eerily stillness got himself dragged down and his neck snapped into two.
"Arrrrrrrghhhhhh!". The men shouted transfixed.
The brutal killing of their friend sent them seething . As they were contemplating the most brutal death to dispose of him, the first bolt of lightning brightened the sky. They looked at each other and smiled. What better way to report the death of their captain if not that he was lost at sea during the storm.
They disarmed him against his weak struggle and toppled him over the ship rail . He grabbed the man closest to him with a death grip refusing to fall into the sea.
"Bastard! let go of me" The man cursed and tried to wriggle free.
"If I'm to die, you are to die with me". He weakly replied using his last strength to hold unto the tiny bit of support he got.
Storm started, the moon got obscured with darkness. The rain fell stinging like bees ,the waters rippled with venom inviting him for a showdown. The ship buckled under the stress of the storm but righted itself immediately. The men ran helter-skelter trying to hold onto the ship ignoring the captain momentarily. Using that opportunity, he tried to climb over but the ship buckled again sending him inside the dead deep raging sea, the man he held for support falling back.
A mountainous wave rose up before him sending him deeper into the abyss. Hatred and anger clouded his judgement making him unable to calm down. The cold salty water filled his lungs, his vision clouded as he struggled. Before he lost consciousness, he swore to take a pound of flesh from those that threw him into the sea if he ever survived the storm.
Finally, the storm stopped making the sea calm again . The dark cloud blocking the moon cleared giving rise to a blinding brightening moon that illuminated the world.
The drowned man floated adrift and wedged at the sandy beach by the power of the sea.