Darkness loomed over the land, with only the dim moonlight shining down on it, everyone had dispatched to their abode, amidst all, two figures ran like the wind through the dangerous forest with steps that could not be noticed and movements that could not be detected.
Hwarang and Joonho moved in the forest until they halted behind a thick tree in front of a traditional Korean house rising from a stone sub foundation to a curved roof covered with tiles held by console structures and supported by prominent wood beams in a wealthy Korean styled traditional manner.
A few guards stood outside the bamboo constructed gates in watch, a three meter torch stand stood in the corners to light up the exterior of the place.
"The minister is certainly leaving his best life, too bad it'll end tonight." Joonho said with a dark smile creeping up his lips.
"Let's get this over with." Hwarang said with a scoff.
"Don't act like you don't relish it, I see your eyes glint every time you make a kill." Joonho remarked and a small smirk curved up on Hwarang's lips.
"I never said I didn't, I'm rather impatient to get my hands drenched in blood." Hwarang said darkly and a short chuckle erupted from Joonho.
"Why do you think the King sends us out to get rid of people who commits treason other than summoning and executing them rather?" Joonho queried with a sense of curiosity.
"To induce fear in others who thinks of committing treason." Hwarang replied nonchalantly.
"But they still commit treason anyway." Joonho blurted out.
"It's human nature, greed and their human desires controls their rational thinking until it's too late to regret their debased decisions."
"Right and.." Hwarang interrupted.
"Let's go, don't want to spend all night talking behind a tree." Hwarang pointed out as he unsheathed his sword from his scabbard and Joonho followed, both sheathing their swords before taking a swift leap towards the two guards outside.
Before the guards could process what was happening in that split moment, their swords swung across their necks, detaching their heads from their shoulders which sent streaks of blood spraying in the air, glistening like red diamonds under the dim moonlight.
Their decapitated bodies dropped with a soft thud on the floor, and the two assassins hurdled over the bamboo gates that acted as an obstacle in their way.
The lit flames trailing on both sides of the aisle leading to the entrance of the house snuffed out as they walked past it, proceeding toward the house and leaving the exterior of the house with pure darkness.
Joonho slid the hanji screened door open with not a sound heard. They stepped into the house with few torches lighting up the hallway with hanji screened door at every corner.
The torches once again snuffed out as they walked past it, leaving the hallways in darkness in which they blended themselves with.
They could both feel the energy of humans emitting from opposite sides of the intersection.
"Let's spread out." Joonho suggested and without a debate, he nodded in affirmation before both dispersed to the opposite side.
Fortunately, the maids and servants lived in the servants quarter which was situated a few meters away from them, so they didn't have to steer off a fuss or uproar and kill innocent people.
He proceeded closer to where the human energy was emitting from when he saw a man coming from the other end, eyes engrossed on the historic book he was reading until he halted in his footsteps and ever so slowly raised his head up for his eyes to meet the empty intimidating black ones of Hwarang.
The book fell with a soft thud from the man's hold in stupefaction, eyes widened in shock and fear as his body trembled while his feet moved back instinctively shaken by his menacing aura.
Hwarang outstretched his right arm toward the man as he set to run. A red mist engulfed his arm and the man's body forcefully propelled forward with his feet sliding through the wooden floor till his neck was in his tight grasp, the man wanted to scream but only muffled sounds came out as his lungs painfully spasmed.
"It's a cowardly act to run from a fight, at least fight like a man and die like one, but now you'll just have to die like a coward." Hwarang said with soulless black eyes peering through his as his neck started to shrivel up with red streaks forming on them before it spread throughout his body and in a second, the man fell dead in his hold and he immediately freed him from his grip to fall on the floor with emotionless eyes.
He could still feel another human energy emanating from within another hanji screened room so he proceeded toward the place.
They were to kill every inhabitant in a house they were dispatched to carry out their assassination and it would be deemed defiance if they failed to exterminate an inhabitant.
He stood outside the hanji screened door where he could feel the human energy emanating from within before sliding it open quietly.
Two beautiful ladies occupied the hanji room although they vastly differed in appearance as one of them was dressed in an expensive hanbok gown embellished with beautiful embroideries and hair loosened in which the other one dressed in a plain hanbok gown brushed.
They halted when the hanji screened door slid open and their eyes narrowed toward the strange man that had barged in unannounced.
"Who are you..?" The girl in the expensive hanbok gown trailed off when her eyes narrowed to the sword dripping with blood in his hold.
A shaky gasp escaped from their lips as they sprouted up to their feet while the finely dressed maiden yanked her maid by the arm to pull her in front of her, shielding herself from the man.
"You shouldn't use someone else as a shield, it's a very cowardly act and I despise cowards." He muttered in a low tune beneath his breath but the girls didn't catch a word of it.
"W-who are you an-and what do you want?" The finely dressed maiden stuttered in fear as the dangerous man moved toward them with daunting slow steps.
"I'm a Hwarang ordered by the king to get rid of the minister of finance who has committed treason by embezzlement of public finance for his own personal gains. It'll be in your best interest if you don't scream." Hwarang explained in a subtle manner as they had moral teachings to be respectful and modest, even though he was about to kill them right then he still retained his ethical behaviour, they also learned about spirituality and morality from the Maitreya monks which gave them self control.
"If you won't harm us." The finely dressed maiden replied instantly while the maid sobbed softly, body trembling in fear as she was used as a shield.
Hwarang's fists coiled tightly against the hilt of his sword.
"I'll make it as less painful as possible, you have my word." Hwarang said with a dull tone and a straight face, black eyes devoid of emotion or empathy as he moved towards the girls who screamed at the top of their lungs despite his warnings.
He moved like the wind toward them, sliding his feet across the wooden floor before swinging his sword across their necks in a flash, blood sprayed on the wooden walls as their heads separated from their necks and their decapitated bodies fell to the ground.
He stared at their bodies and watched as the crimson red liquid oozing from their detached necks soiled the floor to form a pool of blood where they lay and his jaws ticked for a split moment.
He didn't feel good about taking the life of an innocent, although it was the king's orders and he couldn't defy it, he could only follow the orders but as much as he liked his life as a Hwarang, he wondered how a life apart from being a Hwarang would feel like.
For a split moment, he craved normalcy.