Hwanug walked out of the tall oak door of the throne room and strolled down the open corridor that revealed the attractive garden and enormous pond surrounding the building.
His white robe and widened sleeve swept the glamorous road path of the corridor. He felt the painful knot tied in his heart dissolve with every step he took and felt undoubtedly relieved to be able to release all the emotion he had kept in for a long time. It was as if the heavy rock weighing down on his chest was lifted away. Now he is free from his father's constant nagging and unbearable cold behavior. He had sometimes wondered if the man was really his father with the way he treated him.
He released a deep sigh at his freedom but it almost appeared to be forced. But the reason for the heavy sign came from the fact he will have to help Haemosu.
Helping his brother… he had never thought a day would come for his brother to need his help. The mighty crown prince of the heavenly kingdom was now subject to a little inferior boy that needed his help.
How satisfying that was for Hwanung.
Remembering his father's lovey-dovey moment with Haemosu whereas Sang-je always treated him like he never existed almost made Hwanung change his mind on rendering his help to him. But as his mind was on the trail of reconsideration, his promise to Dalnim flashed into his mind.
Hwanung sighed defeatedly. There's no way he would break his promise, not when the promise was between him and the woman he loves. But the fact that Haemosu was the only thing Dalnim could even think of before she fell into slumber, pain Hwanung.
Heartbroken and distraught beyond words, Hwanug could do nothing but accept his unlucky fate. This time he had to restore his brother back to his former glory but nothing could stop his heart from bleeding in pain at the thought.
"Hyeonmu'' Hwanung's tone was calm but it was clear he was slightly hesitant. In a blink of an eye, Hyeonmu appeared out of nowhere and was carried by a gentle breeze towards him.
He inhaled the refreshing scent of an essence plant coming from Hyeonmu's body. His cold and sharp eyes surveyed him, and the resistance to talk was visible in his eyes.
In a heavy voice, he order "It time to go to Earth"
"As you command milord" Hyeonmu cupped his hand and bowed his head.
Hwanung breathed in and mentally prepared himself for the journey he was about to embark on. He rubbed his temple and cracked a dry smile; the smile on his lip seemed to be mocking himself. He resumed his walk at a steady pace with Hyeonmu following behind him.
~~~~
The sun rose high and glorious as it covered the BuYeo kingdom with its astonishing light. The vast sky stretched for as long as the eye could see. The cloud was bubbly and sparkled white as if uncorking a bottle of champagne. A Flock of birds soared in the sky and among those birds was Hwanung floating within them.
As he looked at the vast land below him, the astounding sight of BuYeo kingdom greeted him. The landscape of the kingdom was beautiful; the hill, the mountain, the grassland. Those biomes made Hwanug feel nostalgic as he walked forward.
Before the creation of earth, everywhere was just a white fluffy cloud like cotton candy and these lands used to be their playground. As he closed his eyes, the howling wind whistled behind his ear and slowly his body began descending toward the ground, landing at the outskirts of BuYeo kingdom.
The refreshly healthy smell of the plant and earth invaded his nostril and he opened his eyes. The wind swept up the hem of his white robe as his eyes scanned his environment until it caught a narrow road that seemed to lead into the kingdom.
Hwanug raises his hand to shelter his eyes from the hot blazing sun penetrating into it. The sun rose mild eerily and instantly Hwanug vanished into thin air.
All he had to do to find Haemosu was to merely trace his scent.
Hwanug reappears back into a room in the royal palace of BuYeo. This is where the scent of Haemosu came from. His plan was to go into the room and rescue Haemosu from there.
With that in his mind he started walking to the room. As Hwanug stepped inside, the room was blisteringly cold and dark. He could feel its coldness as he delved deeper into it. With his insightful eyes and super hearing ears, he could hear the faint snoring of Haemosu and the indistinct smell of him grew heavier.
But something suddenly occurred to him, there are four heartbeats inside this room. He paused for a second to concentrate on their breathing and from that he could tell three people were inside the room with Haemosu.
Will he be able to rescue him with the presence of those people…. This already smells like a failure.
Wait.. am I scared right now. You aren't supposed to be afraid of humans. Hwanug scolded himself. The worst that could happen is for him to kill those humans if they dare obstruct his way.
With that in his mind he continued to walk toward the direction of Haemosu scent. With each passing step, he felt his heart getting unsettled. The reason for that wasn't clear to him, it was as if something was wrong somewhere. He discards his anxiety aside but every few seconds the feeling will come rushing back at him.
Hwanug wasn't surprised to see a huge metal door at the entrance, instead he easily transported himself within the door to the other side of it leading inside the room but was startled when he heard the discussion going between the people inside. His breath caught in his throat but the next moment he was quick to regain himself
Since he made himself invisible none of those in the room were aware of his presence. He inspected the room and saw that there were two men and a woman inside the room. He shifted his eyes to their front and right there was Haemosu fast asleep on the bed.
"I will perform Naeryeongu on him that will close his power and keep him weak" This was the statement that Hwanug heard from the woman inside the room that made his breath choke.
A perplexed look hovered over his face briefly before returning to normal. How will he rescue Haemosu in this unexpected situation?.
Naeryeongu is a powerful ritual performed to weaken a strong person. This ritual requires the Divine blood of the priestess that will perform the ritual and this blood will tame the victim's soul and lock their power within them no matter how powerful they might be.
The ritual was simple but as simple as it was, an ordinary priestess couldn't perform this ritual unless the priestess was powerful and experienced enough.
Hwanug figures out the woman must be a very powerful priestess then.
After listening to Kim byeon ln ordeals about the young boy on the bed Yeo Mieul also understands it impossible to kill the boy as he had earlier suggested.
The boy is a dangerous obstacle that threatened BuYeo kingdom but it is a shame that they couldn't kill him. This brings Yeo Mieul to the only available solution she could think of…. That is performing Naeryeongu on him.
Yeo Mieul brings her hand together to form a fist. She squeezed her hand together as if expecting it to produce something, instantly her inky black eyes grew big and her black orb contorted with purple blood.
Suddenly on the covering above Haemosu head a small hole opened up and a drop of water began dripping onto the boy's body.
A deep groan escaped Yeo Mieul's mouth and sweat gathered on her forehead. The vein inside her body pops on her skin. It was so painful that she almost decided to give up.
This is the first time she is performing this ritual ever since she becomes the high priestess of BuYeo. She never expect it to be this painful.
Kim Byeon ln and General Heukchi watched with widened and fearful eyes. However Hwanug remained calm where he stood as he looked at the scene displaying before him.
After gathering enough of her Divine blood, the purple blood flew out from between her eyebrows. Yeo Mieul snapped her hand apart then inserted the blood into Heo Yeong ho forehead.
The fast asleep boy's eyes snapped open as his body jerked at a great speed and he screamed at the top of his lungs. The next moment his eyes closed back and his body fell back into silence.
Exhausted, Yeo Mieul fell to her knee, Her face covered in cold sweat as her breathing rise and fall in her chest. General Heukchi quickly rushed forward and help her back to her feet.
"With this, it is impossible for him to do anything dangerous. This will buy us some time to come up with a way to end his life" Yeo Mieul said, looking at the hole dripping water onto the boy.
"How long will this last, and how is it possible to kill him?" General Heukchi asked, still holding her.
Yeo Mieul gently freed herself from the general arm before replying "We have to find a way to make it possible. He will remain weak as long as I wish, only I can undo the ritual"
Kim Byeon ln smirked at the boy on the bed. He feels strangely relieved even though the boy hadn't died yet.
"Your Majesty, you should go now. Her Majesty the queen must be awake"
General Heukchi's voice snapped Kim Byeon back to reality and he nodded his head in agreement.
It was at this time that Kim Byeon ln remembered his dear wife and newborn princess that he had hurriedly left earlier. He just welcomed a new princess this morning and he can't believe he hadn't spent enough time with his daughter.
"You are right!. I shouldn't leave the queen and the princess for a long time!" Kim Byeon In said in a happy tone but the next second his voice changed drastically to a serious tone and he turned to Yeo Mieul `` Let's go!. You have to forebode the princess's destiny. Right?"
"Yes Your Majesty!" Yeo Mieul immediately retracted her sharp gaze and replaced it with a respectful appearance.
The sound of hasty footsteps going out through the pitch-black atmosphere was hammering loudly in Hwanug's ear. His face was stern as he stared at the retreating back of the three.