Chapter 19: Beneath the Surface
The sky had darkened by the time Jin-Seong and his companions reached the edge of the forest. The cold wind tugged at their clothes, but no one seemed to mind the chill. The weight of what they had just encountered in the chasm hung over them like a heavy fog.
Jin-Seong could still feel the echo of the ancient voice in his mind, repeating those words over and over: The constellations are not what they seem. He clenched his fists as he walked, trying to shake the unsettling feeling that everything he thought he knew was beginning to unravel.
"We should find shelter for the night," So-Ra said, breaking the silence. She glanced up at the sky, her sharp eyes scanning the horizon. "There's a storm coming. The clouds are moving too fast."
Jin-Seong nodded in agreement, though his thoughts were elsewhere. "There's an abandoned village up ahead. We'll rest there."
The group pressed on, the atmosphere heavy with unspoken tension. Yeon-Hwa, walking a few steps behind, kept glancing at Jin-Seong as if she wanted to ask something but couldn't bring herself to. She had seen the way his expression changed after the encounter at the chasm. She knew something wasn't right.
The village appeared before them just as the first drops of rain began to fall. It was a desolate place, with crumbling buildings and overgrown streets, the remnants of a time long past. The wind howled through the empty windows, creating an eerie, mournful sound.
"This place looks like it's been abandoned for decades," Yeon-Hwa said quietly as they walked through the village's main street. "Why did people leave?"
"No one knows for sure," So-Ra replied. "There are rumors about a curse, but nothing was ever confirmed. Most of the nearby townsfolk avoid it now."
Jin-Seong stopped in front of what looked like an old inn, its roof half-collapsed but still offering some shelter from the rain. "This will do for the night. Let's set up here."
As they settled in, the wind picked up, the storm outside growing stronger by the minute. The inn's broken windows rattled, and the sound of rain pounding against the stone walls filled the air.
Yeon-Hwa, sitting by the fire they managed to start, finally spoke up. "Master, I saw how you looked back there. After the ground opened up. You heard something, didn't you?"
Jin-Seong paused, his gaze fixed on the flickering flames. He had known this question would come, but he wasn't sure how to answer. The truth was too strange, too dangerous. But hiding it felt wrong as well.
"I did," he admitted after a long moment. "There was something... something beneath the earth. It spoke to me."
So-Ra raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting for him to continue.
"It called itself the forgotten," Jin-Seong continued. "It claimed to be one of the constellations that was banished. It said the stars we know are deceiving us."
Yeon-Hwa's eyes widened in shock. "Banished? I've never heard of such a thing. How can a constellation be banished?"
"That's what I want to find out," Jin-Seong said grimly. "But if what it said is true, then we're not just dealing with a corrupt Hero Council. The constellations themselves might be at the heart of all this."
So-Ra crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "It would explain a lot. The Hero Council's rise to power, the strange shifts in energy we've been sensing. It's all connected to the constellations."
"But why would they do this?" Yeon-Hwa asked, her voice trembling slightly. "What could they gain from manipulating us?"
Jin-Seong shook his head. "I don't know. But we need answers, and we won't find them by sitting here."
The fire crackled, and for a moment, the three of them sat in silence, the weight of the revelation hanging heavily in the air. Jin-Seong could feel the storm outside growing fiercer, the wind howling like an angry beast.
Then, just as they were about to speak again, there was a sudden noise from outside. A faint scraping sound, like metal against stone.
So-Ra was the first to move, her hand going to the hilt of her sword as she rose to her feet. "Someone's out there."
Jin-Seong stood as well, his senses sharpening. He could feel it now—a presence moving through the village. Not one, but several. They were trying to stay hidden, but their movements were too clumsy, too rushed.
"We're not alone," he muttered, drawing his sword.
Yeon-Hwa quickly extinguished the fire, plunging the room into darkness. The only light now came from the occasional flash of lightning outside, casting eerie shadows across the ruined walls.
Jin-Seong motioned for the others to follow him as he crept toward the door. He peered outside, his eyes scanning the rain-soaked street. At first, he saw nothing. The village seemed as empty as before, the storm obscuring everything in a veil of rain and mist.
But then he saw them—figures moving in the shadows, slipping between the buildings with practiced stealth. There were at least five of them, their outlines barely visible in the storm, but Jin-Seong could sense their intent. These were no ordinary bandits or scavengers. They were here for a purpose.
So-Ra was at his side in an instant, her expression tense. "Who are they?"
"I don't know," Jin-Seong replied quietly. "But they're not friendly."
One of the figures stepped into the open, his face hidden beneath a hood. He carried a long, curved blade that glinted in the lightning's light. His movements were deliberate, almost ritualistic, as if he were preparing for something.
Jin-Seong's grip tightened on his sword. Whoever these people were, they weren't here by chance. They had come for him.
"We need to act before they do," he whispered, his voice low and steady. "Yeon-Hwa, stay close. So-Ra, flank them."
The others nodded, and in a flash of motion, So-Ra disappeared into the shadows, her figure blending seamlessly with the rain and mist. Yeon-Hwa stood ready, her hands gripping her weapon tightly.
Jin-Seong stepped out into the storm, his sword raised. The figure in the hood turned toward him, and for a moment, they stood there, the rain pouring down around them, the storm raging above.
Then, without a word, the hooded man lunged.
Jin-Seong met him head-on, their blades clashing with a sharp ring that echoed through the village. The force of the strike sent sparks flying, and the ground beneath them shook as their weapons met. The man was fast—faster than any opponent Jin-Seong had faced before—but Jin-Seong's instincts kicked in, his movements fluid and precise.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw So-Ra emerge from the shadows, taking down one of the other figures with a swift, lethal strike. Yeon-Hwa engaged another, her movements quick and agile, her attacks precise.
But as Jin-Seong fought, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. These attackers were skilled, but their movements were strange, almost mechanical, as if they weren't fully in control of their own bodies.
Then it hit him—the realization struck like a bolt of lightning.
"They're not alive!" he shouted, parrying a strike from the hooded man. "They're being controlled!"
The man's hood fell back, revealing a pair of cold, dead eyes, his face twisted into a grimace of unnatural stillness. Jin-Seong felt a chill run down his spine as he realized what they were dealing with.
"These are puppets," So-Ra growled, cutting down another. "Someone's pulling the strings."
But who? And why now?
As Jin-Seong delivered the final blow to the hooded man, the figure crumpled to the ground, lifeless. But before he could catch his breath, a voice echoed through the storm, cold and mocking.
"Well done, chosen of Ara."
Jin-Seong froze, his blood turning to ice. The voice—it was the same one from the chasm.
From the shadows, a new figure emerged, cloaked in darkness. And this time, Jin-Seong knew, they were facing something far more dangerous than mere puppets.
Something ancient.