The child who returned after a full two weeks was completely different from before. He no longer cried for his mother, no longer wept, no longer refused food, and no longer trembled in fear. It was as if he could no longer feel any emotion at all.
From that day on, the child went outside every single time, and with each passing day, he grew visibly stronger. It was only when the Twelve Moons allowed him to stand by that person’s side that I realized he had been receiving direct teachings from him.
And it was from that moment that I began to feel jealousy and hatred toward the child. That pitiful brat who once knew nothing, who could barely cling to life only because I fed him and protected him with my own hands— to think that such a child had been receiving special treatment all along.
“Why… why is it that you are always so special?”
Seolhwa furrowed her brows.
“I cannot understand it… I follow and respect him, but you… you, I cannot understand! Out of all the countless children, why must it be you?!”
You were neither the strongest nor the cleverest. You were the weakest, the crybaby. So why was it you?
“Why are you always different…?”
Why are you always the one who stands apart? Even now, when everyone struggles desperately to gain his favor. Even now, when I have thrown away my life for him and ended up like this.
Even now, he still cherishes you. And yet, why is it that you try to slip away from his gaze?
“If you ever find out the reason, you’ll die.”
Seolhwa’s cold voice cut through his thoughts. The reason the Blood Demon treated him specially was simple. Because he was a child of Namgung.
‘If Pawol, who always envied me, were to find out that truth…’
He would die of sheer rage. To know that the reason he could never surpass me was not effort, but a fate decreed by the heavens.
“I can at least answer one thing for sure.”
“What is it?”
“That you and I are no different.”
Whether it was the Twelve Moons or myself, both of us were destined to be toyed with by the Blood Demon and eventually die according to his will. The only difference was how long we would be used and in what manner we would be discarded.
“So let us help each other, since our fates are the same.”
Seolhwa pulled something out from her robes. It was the crushed remains of a bell, so bent and broken that it could no longer make a sound. The moment Pawol saw the bell, his body flinched and trembled.
“You know what this is, don’t you? Don’t even think of denying it. You were the one who pulled it out just a moment ago.”
Pawol lifted his trembling gaze to look at her. Even though she had just promised not to kill him, his eyes were filled with fear.
“Do you know how to undo the hypnosis?”
The air shifted in an instant, making it hard to breathe. It felt as though fear and death themselves were tightening around his throat. For a moment, it seemed as though her face was turning pitch black, with only her eyes burning like fire within the darkness.
“I-I… I don’t… I don’t know anything…!”
“…Truly? Nothing at all?”
“It… it was just… Lord Lu said… it was a gift! He said since you were under hypnosis, he could use this bell to control you however he wished…!”
“Hm…”
Seolhwa slowly withdrew the killing intent she had raised. Her killing intent was sharp enough to force her opponent’s senses to their peak, making them feel extreme terror. And fear, after all, was the best truth serum.
The more broken the body and spirit, the easier it was to be consumed by fear. And once consumed, the enemy would spill everything they knew without realizing it. Right now, Pawol’s body was in ruins, his spirit at its weakest.
‘If even after this he cannot say anything…’
Then it meant Pawol truly knew nothing. And thinking about it, it was only natural. The Blood Demon must have known Pawol could never defeat me.
‘There’s no way he would have entrusted him with important information.’
Seolhwa rose to her feet. Her vision blurred for a moment before clearing again.
“….”
She lifted her head and stared blankly at the sky. The sun had long since set, and a brilliant moon now hung high above.
“Go now. Get treatment before it’s too late.”
“…!”
“Otherwise, you won’t live long enough to deliver my message to him.”
Pawol’s eyes were filled with distrust. Even though he had just rejoiced at the thought of living, he still could not believe she would truly let him go. Turning her back on him, Seolhwa began to walk away.
But she had not gone more than a few steps when— Puk— “Gah!”
“…!”
At the same time Seolhwa turned back, she heard the sound of breath being cut off. Her eyes fell upon Pawol, collapsing lifelessly to the ground. With a dull thud, he fell completely still.
Seolhwa’s gaze shifted to the one who had killed him. Even while looking directly at him, it was difficult to sense his presence. There was only one person in the Blood Sect who possessed such stealth.
The one unmatched in assassination and concealment.
‘The master of the Second Moon Token.’
“Eunwol.”
At the sound of her voice, the man turned around. His face was half-covered with black cloth, and he cupped his fists respectfully toward her.
“I greet the Young Sect Master.”
Seolhwa’s expression darkened. Unlike the Six Blood Lords who supported the Blood Sect, the Twelve Moons—direct assassins of the Blood Demon—constantly changed hands. If one killed the holder of a Moon Token, they would become the new master of that token.
Thus, Blood Sect followers were always seeking to seize the positions of the Twelve Moons. Pawol, the Twelfth Moon, was fated to die within a few years anyway, if the memories of her past life were correct. He would not even live to see the Blood Sect’s advance into the Central Plains.
But among the current Twelve Moons, there were three exceptions. The First, Second, and Third Moons, known as the Upper Moons. Even five years later, when the Blood Sect revealed itself, they still held their positions.
They were already strong now, and within Fire Crow Pavilion, they were among the few who knew of the Blood Sect’s true existence and held the Blood Demon’s trust.
‘For the Second Moon to call me Young Sect Master… it means they will not let me go so easily. And that must be the Blood Demon’s will.’
Seolhwa’s expression hardened. She did not like it. It felt as though she were still bound to the Blood Sect.
“Did you like the gift?”
“Gift?”
“This one, of course.”
Eunwol gestured toward Pawol’s corpse lying on the ground. Seolhwa stared at Pawol, who had died without even closing his eyes, before answering.
“So you’re saying you killed my gift?”
“There was an order. If the Young Sect Master attempted to let the Twelfth Moon live, I was to kill him before your eyes.”
“He was my messenger pigeon.”
“If there is something you wish to convey, I will deliver it. Please give the order.”
“Why bother asking when you’ve already heard everything?”
“….”
What were the chances that Eunwol had just happened to appear at the perfect time to kill Pawol? No, he must have been watching from the very beginning of their fight. Perhaps he had even been following her since she left the Namgung family.
The fact that she had not noticed his presence at all stung her pride, but Seolhwa did not act rashly. This was not the same as dealing with the Twelfth Moon. This was the Second Moon.
With her current strength, she could not defeat him.
“Go and deliver the words I gave Pawol. Don’t you dare change even a single syllable.”
“Namgung cannot stand against him.”
It was not merely confidence, but absolute certainty. Seolhwa agreed with his words.
“Yes, with the Namgung as they are now, that is true.”
But in the end, one only knows the outcome after the fight.
“A kitten will never grow into anything more than a cat. And a cat cannot stand against a tiger.”
“That is for me to decide.”
For now, it may be impossible. No matter what they did, the Namgung could not yet stand against the Blood Sect. The Blood Demon, whose realm could not even be fathomed, and the Six Blood Lords who had already stepped into the Transformation Realm— while the Namgung had only Namgung Mucheon.
If war broke out now, the Namgung would be utterly annihilated. But that did not matter. Even if they could not topple the Blood Demon, even if the Namgung could not grow strong enough, she would still oppose him.
As a child of Namgung, in the name of Namgung, she would stand against him and thwart his will.
“The Sect Master said, when your little game is over, you may return at any time.”
“Tell him to stop spouting nonsense. I will not return.”
“Even if you do not wish it, it will happen.”
A thick killing intent surged from Seolhwa’s body. It slithered like tangible threads, wrapping around Eunwol’s body. Like a great serpent, the aura coiled around him, finally tightening around his throat.
Eunwol unconsciously drew in a tense breath. He had known the Young Sect Master’s martial strength was high for her age, but this killing intent was far beyond his expectations.
“Watch your tongue. If you want to live long.”
With her chilling voice, the killing intent that had bound him slowly receded. Eunwol, who had silently watched her until her aura fully subsided, finally cupped his fists again in a respectful salute.
“I shall take my leave. Young Sect Master, please take care of yourself.”
“….”
It was only for the briefest moment. But when she looked again, Eunwol had already vanished into the darkness without a trace. Left behind were only Pawol’s corpse and Seolhwa herself.