His jaws ticked as he pushed the thorn seal of the assassins into the belt of his robe. His empty gaze narrowed to the bloody heads seated inside the parcel box, even though he felt no remorse or attachment, they were still his family so he resorted to taking vengeance for them, as it was his fault they were murdered in cold blood.
His fists clenched tightly and his aura darkened even more, making it seem as if a cloak of darkness suddenly wore over him in a terrifying form with a deep scowl etched on his face.
"Hwarang." Nari's sudden soft voice broke him out of his darkened state and his aura became less threatening in a beat.
Her euphonious voice echoed softly in his ears like a bewitching whisper, pulling him out of his darkened form, which made him wary, because if she could make him feel in an alien way with her voice he wondered what she could do with her touch.
He quickly shut the lid of the box to prevent her from catching sight of the gory image, not that she could, before turning to face her with a blank expression.
She sat up on the mattress and her face had a slightly confused and uneasy look on it as she sensed his dangerous energy when he was in a form of pure darkness in rage.
"You're awake. We should leave, now." He said in a rigid tone with a stiff expression on his face.
"What's wrong?" She said with a soft look on her face, her thin brows were creased with worry as she darted her green eyes around.
"We aren't far off from where we evaded the assassins, they might catch up on us soon." Hwarang said in a flat tone as he supported her to stand up on her feet.
Her rosy scent evaded his brain as his face fell on her neck while he helped her up and he forced himself not to inhale her addictive scent, but it overpowered his senses and he found himself unable to resist as he inhaled her scent and he found himself wanting to sniff more but he snapped out of it and moved away from her.
What the hell was she doing to him? She was addictive, irresistible and bewitching.
He took hold of the parcel, but it made a screeching sound as he took it off the table and her face whipped to where the noise came from.
"What's that?" She queried.
"Noth...." Hwarang's words broke as his eyes scrutinized the area in a skeptical manner.
He placed the parcel down and immediately unsheathed his sword from the scabbard.
"Are they here?" Nari asked with a very low voice like a faint whisper floating in the air. Fear was visible in her voice and uneasy movements.
"Stay in here." Hwarang said in a firm tone and her small figure scurried behind him as she clutched on his robe, refusing to let go.
"You have to stay in here, its dangerous." Hwarang warned with a firm tone
"They're here." Hwarang uttered between gritted teeth as he led her to the end of the room and pushed her softly against the wall, he lowered her body down to crouch down on the floor at the edge of the wall.
"Please don't go. I don't want you to get hurt because of me, just kill me and it will all be over." Nari said with a pleading voice and a genuinely anxious look on her face.
She was tired of it all, the running, the blood and the hunt for their lives. The outcomes of Hwarang's decisions scared her to her bones.
He cupped her small round face with his large palms and peered his eyes into hers.
"I won't let any harm come to you, I'll kill them all and you'll be safe. Trust me." Hwarang said with a firm tone and he heard her heart pace elevate as her forest green eyes gleamed with unshed tears.
"I have to go." Hwarang said as he proceeded to stand up, but her strong grip clutching on his arm prevented him from taking another step away from her.
"Please lets end this now." She said with a low croaked voice as the tears spilled from her eyes to drop on her cheeks.
"This is the only way to end it." Hwarang remarked in a flat tone as he pulled her hand away from him and he could hear her soft shaky sobs as he proceeded toward the exit of the room.
No matter what he did, the only way to truly end it was killing them all, he was already given the seal of death which meant that there was no redemption for him, but he didn't need redemption, he needed his hands drenched in their blood.
He slid the hanji screened door open gradually while scanning the dark corridors that had been snuffed out of light, presumably by the assassins as they preferred to carry out their mission in the dark.
He slid the hanji screened door closed as he emerged out of the room into the dark corridors. He could sense the dark energy of the assassins emitted from the intersection of the corridor and he strode toward the area he was sensing them.
His eyes dropped on the physician's decapitated body on the floor enveloped with her blood as her body laid a few inches away from her head. He moved past her with a blank expression and halted in his steps when he saw a dark figure standing at the end of the corridor. His black eyes dilated for a split moment when he noticed it was Master Zhang.
He couldn't sense anymore assassins, but him which made him realize Master Zhang had arrived alone and it was definitely not for a chat, he had come to execute him which he probably thought was more merciful than the assassins coming after him to spill his blood.
He knew Master Zhang had doted on him, so he thought he was being merciful to kill him with his own hands, because the other assassins would have made his death excruciatingly long and agonizing.
"Master Zhang." Hwarang called.
"I'm no longer your master and you're no longer my student, neither are you a part of the Hwarang assassins. You're now a fugitive and a traitor and you've been sentenced to death for treason and defying the code of honor." Master Zhang uttered with a cold unfeeling tone and Hwarang's grip on his sword tightened.
He felt a slight discomfort knowing he was stuck in a state of dilemma, but it was reality and he had to kill Master Zhang or he'd kill him. It was Master Zhang's life or his and Nari. Master Zhang had trained him his whole life, but now it was time to say goodbye.
Heavy unnerving silence weighed heavily on them before Hwarang broke it.
"Did you come alone?" Hwarang suddenly blurted out with an unfeeling nonchalant tune.
"Yes." Master Zhang replied in a stiff tone and a dark chuckle reverberated from beneath Hwarang's lips.
"You shouldn't have. I'll have to kill you now." Hwarang said with a cold voice as his black eyes glinted darkly and a dreary smile tore through his lips.