A.N. - Hello, everybody! Thanks so much for stopping by and reading my work, it really means a lot to me!
I hope you're all staying healthy and safe during these troubling times. Remember to wash your hands regularly; wear a mask around people; and social/physical distance when you can.
Anyway, without any further ado, please enjoy!
The Sky King sat in one of his private parlors, overlooking the garden, filled with levitating plants. He swirled a glass of white wine in his left hand, then raised it delicately to his lips.
As he finished sipping, a servant opened the door quietly. His face was pale and his hands were shaking. The Sky King glanced over his shoulder.
"Yes?" he drawled.
"M-my lord, i-it's...the - the Queen Mother of the West," the servant stuttered.
The Sky King laughed out loud. "Oh yes? Marvelous. Send her in."
"B-but my l-lord," the servant protested. "She...you may want to...arm yourself. She is...displeased."
"Even better." The Sky King put down his glass. "It's alright, Jung-woo, send her in. You know I don't like to repeat myself."
Jung-woo seemed caught between two fears, but finally nodded. "Y-yes, of course, my lord. I - I will bring her here."
The Sky King closed his eyes and waited. An amused smile appeared on his face even when he heard thundering footsteps and someone bursting through the door.
"You! You selfish, greedy, traitorous, malcontent, wicked, wretched piece of filth!" cried Seowangmeo.
"Ah. It's always lovely to hear your voice, my dear," the Sky King said, opening his eyes. He rose from his chair and turned around to face the angry goddess, whose hands were clenched into fists at her sides.
"You declared war on Habaek? What sort of insanity is that? Repent of it right now!" the goddess demanded.
"Mm. No, I don't think I will," the Sky King answered. Seowangmeo's eyes flashed dangerously, and she lurched towards him. A flash of silver, and she held a dagger to his throat.
"Then I will kill you where you stand!" she snarled.
The Sky King looked down at the dagger, then over at the Queen Mother. The smile never left his face. "Oh, my love...you know you won't hurt me."
"Why not? You've hurt me plenty, over and over and over again," she retorted, grip tightening on the dagger.
He laughed. "Not in the ways that count," he reminded her.
"In the only ways that count," she snarled back. She pressed the blade closer; the metal was cold on his skin, with the barest hint of pain as the tip put pressure on his throat. "I should do it. I should kill you right now, damn be the consequences."
"And then you'd be dead along with me, throat slashed and all," the king said. "Wouldn't that be poetic? The goddess of death, slain by her own blade, our bodies tangled together here on this floor." His smile grew wider. "Why, they'd think we'd done a lovers' suicide pact. What a lovely thought."
Her glare deepened, but eventually she turned away, sheathing her blade. "You're disgusting," she spat, showing him her back. They were quiet for a long time, their breaths the only sound.
Finally, she spoke. "Hunwon," she said, using a name that he had abandoned long ago. She was the only one he allowed to still call him that. "When we swore to never hurt each other, all those years ago, I never imagined we would be where we are right now."
The pact they had made as children had been well over a thousand years ago, but the Sky King - Hunwon - could remember it like it was yesterday. They had sworn the most binding of oaths, sharing blood with each other in the sacred shrine of the First Emperor's palace, and vowed that any harm that came to one would affect the other. If anyone slapped Hunwon, Seowangmeo would feel it. If she tripped and bruised her knee, a matching wound would appear on his body.
And if she slit his throat, then she would die of the same injury as well.
"Yanghee," said Hunwon softly, using her old, girlhood name. The name she'd borne before she became the goddess of death and torture. He reached out a hand to her. "Yanghee."
But she spun around and avoided his touch. Her eyes shone with tears. "Why?" she asked, voice thick. "Why must you hurt me like this? Why are you always breaking my heart?"
Hunwon dropped his hand. "Because you broke mine," he answered simply.
The goddess wiped her eyes furiously with the back of her hand, trying to stem her tears. There was no place for weakness between them anymore; he had taught her that long ago.
"One last time, for my sake if nothing else, I ask you to repent your intentions to declare war on Habaek," Seowangmeo said, her tone composed if a little pleading.
Hunwon shook his head sadly. "If only it were that simple, my dear," he responded. "But this really has nothing to do with you, or Habaek - I am simply seizing my chance to rule the Realm of the Gods. I would have declared war on any heir to the throne, regardless of who it was. That it just so happens to be your son is a coincidence, I assure you."
"Liar," spat Seowangmeo. "Or maybe that is true, but you still revel in causing him pain, don't you? You were the one who ruined his Nakbin, and drove his father away. You can't stand to see him happy."
The Sky King looked out at his garden, facing away from her. "I do so love it when you visit, Queen Mother, but I am quite busy these days. Jung-woo will see you out."
He could feel her gaze boring into his back. Finally, she hissed angrily, and he heard her stomp towards the door.
"This isn't over, Hunwon," she warned. "I don't care what happens to me as long as my son is safe, so don't think I'll plead for your life for my sake. If someone loyal to Habaek gets the opportunity to kill you, I will gladly die to protect my son."
She passed through the door, footsteps just as loud and angry as before, and slapped away Jung-woo as he tried to escort her. Hunwon listened until she had slammed one of the doors of his palace.
Then he walked over to his chair, picked up his glass of wine, and finished his drink in one smooth swallow.
...
Water Country
"We need to confront the Sky King immediately," Habaek declared.
He sat in the office of his imperial mansion, at a round table placed in the middle of the room. Around it were gathered Mura, Namsuri, and his mother.
His mother, sitting on his right, shook her head. "No, first we should gather allies," she insisted. "Those who will support your claim to the throne and defend you should the Sky King make the first move. Then, we should take our grievance to the Emperor."
"The Sky King has already made his first move," Habaek argued, frowning at his mother.
"Yes, by declaring war on you in the first place. But, as you said before, he has not made it public yet so I don't think we should either until we tell the Emperor," Seowangmeo replied. "If we have allies in place, then they argue your case in front of the Emperor as well."
Namsuri, who sat on Habaek's left, tentatively raised his hand. At Habaek's nod, he said, "Perhaps, my lord, my esteemed lady, we could ask the High Priest for a prophecy?"
Habaek nodded, pleased. "Yes, you're right, Namsuri. We should go ask him to re-declare that I am the rightful king of the gods and heir to the throne. Surely even the Sky King respects the High Priest."
Seowangmeo, however, pursed her lips. "Yes, you're right, dearest, but no one has seen the High Priest in quite some time."
"Oh, that's true," Namsuri admitted. Habaek blinked, sharing a startled look with Mura from across the table.
"What do you mean?" Habaek asked. "Where has the High Priest gone? Isn't he in the temple? Or at the Imperial Palace?"
His mother and Namsuri shook their heads. "As I said, no one has seen him for a while," Seowangmo replied. "Sometimes he goes off on spiritual journeys. No on ever knows how long they will take."
Habaek scowled. "Well, he couldn't have picked a worse time! We need him! I'm send servants to find information on his whereabouts. And to send messages to those who might be our allies," he added, looking at his mother. She smiled at him, pleased. "Namsuri, write this down."
Namsuri got out some paper, a quill, and ink. For a moment Habaek wondered why he didn't just use his phone, before remembering they in the Realm of the Gods, not humans. Hmm, perhaps he should find a way to implement humans technology in the godly realm after he became king.
"Ready, my lord," Namsuri prompted.
Habaek shook his head, pushing aside those thoughts for now. He had more immediate concerns at the moment.
"Yes, good. Namsuri, I want you to contact the Four Dragon Kings, as well as Ju-dong and Yook-oh. Tell them I am in immediate need of their presence and aid. Also, write a letter to the Imperial Palace, requesting a meeting with the Emperor. Again, stress the urgency of the matter. And send someone to look for the High Priest!"
Namsuri nodded as he listened, scribbling furiously with the quill. "Yes, my lord. Right away."
Mura cleared her throat then. "Ah, Habaek...you know, if we are searching for allies...I could ask my mother to assist us."
Seowangmeo glanced sharply at Mura, lips pressed into a thin line. Habaek watched her, brow furrowed, but when she remained silent, he faced Mura and smiled.
"Yes, that would be a fine idea. Namsuri will get you set up with writing a letter to her."
Mura's mother - adoptive, as all divine parents in the Realm of the Gods were - was Gol-Sangcheon-Nyeo, the goddess of fortune (a truly wonderful ally to have on their side). She lived in the Chung Yo Mountains, where she had found and raised Mura.
Mura shook her head. "No, no letter. I...I think it would be best if I ask her in person."
Habaek nodded. "Very well. Do whatever you think is best." He then glanced at his mother and Namsuri. "Is there anything else we need to discuss? To do, before waiting to see what everyone replies?"
His companions shook their heads. Habaek nodded.
"Good. Then, until further notice, this war meeting is adjourned!"
...
Seoul, Korea
Yo-hee stood in front of the hospital doors, hands clasped behind her back, rocking on her heels. She hummed a little as she watched humans enter and exit through the automatic doors, sometimes ambling along - doctors and nurses chatting with each other at the end of their shift - and sometimes rushing in on stretchers and crutches, looks of fear and pain written on their faces.
What fascinatingly dichotomous creatures humans were. They certainly made life exciting.
Finally, the patient she was looking for emerged. A young-ish adult male, wearing glasses and a light blue shirt and black pants was being pushed in a wheelchair by a pretty dark-haired woman, about the same age. A middle-aged male nurse dressed in scrubs accompanied them. When they reached the sidewalk curb, the woman helped the man out of the wheelchair. They then both turned and bowed to the nurse, who bowed back and then took the wheelchair back inside the hospital.
Yo-hee skipped over to the couple. "Ah, Yoo Sang-yoo!"
The couple startled, glancing at her in surprise. For a split second Yo-hee worried that her current appearance - light orange hair pulled back in a high ponytail, brown eyes, and 5'0 height - wasn't acceptable. Or was it her clothes? Was a dark blue blouse and white pants (what were they called again? Jeans?) not the proper clothing for this modern human era?
But then Yoo Sang-yoo cleared his throat and said, "Yes? That's me. Can I help you?"
The woman by his side stepped forward. "Please, whatever it is, can it wait? Sang-yoo has just been released from the hospital, he needs to rest."
Sang-yoo looked embarrassed. "Dear..."
"It won't take but a moment," Yo-hee assured, beaming at them. "In fact, with me here, you'll be able to rest all you like! I'm here to inform you that I'll be taking over your duties at Yoon Clinic for the foreseeable future."
Sang-yoo's eyes widened. "What? What - what do you mean? Did Doctor Yoo send you? Is she firing me? Is she replacing me? Have I done something wrong? I - I - I can come back to work right now if that will prove to her - !"
"Sang-yoo," Yo-hee said, looking right into his eyes. Her own eyes flashed gold for a moment. "Nothing is wrong. Dr. Yoo is very pleased with you and is giving you time off to recuperate. Everything is taken care of, so you don't need to contact her. I'll let you know when it is time for you to return. Do you understand?"
Sang-yoo stared at her, face blank for a moment, before he nodded very slowly. "Yes...yes...I...understand. Thank-you."
Yo-hee turned to the woman, eyes turning gold once more. "And you, ma'am?"
The woman nodded, looking just as dazed as Sang-yoo. "Yes...how...wonderful of So-ah to do that for us. We can...spend some time on our wedding this way."
Yo-hee beamed at them. "Excellent! I'll leave you two alone, then. Lovely to meet you! Congratulations on your wedding!"
She began to hum once more as she skipped away from the hospital. What nice people. She was happy she was able to remove them from what would soon become a deadly situation.
Yo-hee took a piece of paper out of her pocket and looked down at the address scribbled on it. It was for Yoon Clinic.
Oh, Yoon So-ah...I am so looking forward to meeting you!
A.N. - Whew! A lot going on in this chapter, huh? I hope you're all still enjoying! Thank-you so much for sticking around even this long!
I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year's and are able to stay safe! Until next time!