Walking the Path Chosen
Chapter 2: The Choice
by deadkitty1
"Ya! Wake up! Come on. Snap out of it!"
Choi Young roughly gets shaken up from his dream as Mae Hee and a bunch of unfamiliar people try to remove him from the horse. He's weak and can barely keep his eyes open, but at least he's conscious. He remembers next to nothing of what happened. It didn't help that he kept going in and out of consciousness during the whole horse ride. He has no clue as to the mess he has made in the past few hours, none at all.
"He looks completely out of it. What did you do?! Drug him?" asks one of the men carrying him.
Mae Hee deliberately ignores the comment as she moves on to another reasonable man.
"Where are they? The Manbo Siblings?"
The man flashes her a perplexed look as he shows her the way. The boy watches her silhouette disappear by the corner, yearning for her not to leave him so soon. Being caught in such a weak disposition isn't how he pictured meeting the one who issued his ransom. Also this isn't how he wanted to say his farewell to his new comrades. It's happening too fast. He wants to make it right.
"Careful! What-what are you doing? Stay down!" the man yells. He pulls the struggling teenager up off the ground to prevent him from further injury.
"I need to-" the boy moans still trying to fend of the man's support.
"You need to rest!"
"But!"
"No! You young kids think you're indestructible. Remember! You are given one body on this land. Learn to take care of it by taking a rest!"
The wise man's scolding leads the boy to a bed where he proceeds to tuck the stubborn young one in. In any other situation, the teenager would have fought more and even talked his way out. Unfortunately, the fatigue in his body is so great, little coercing is needed from the strange man as the boy blacks out the minute his head hits a pillow.
Once her talk with the middlemen ends, Mae Hee carefully attends to Choi Young's side while her anxiousness leads her pacing by the entrance. Her demeanor affects the entire inhabitants of the household who's curiosity always gets the better of them. Secrets among these shopkeepers are impossible to keep. Even without a word from the girl in the Crescent Army, they know all about the boy sleeping in the room, about his sudden use of inner powers and his decimation of a group of renegade thieves. The information gathered said that although the bandits aren't dead, all of them suffer a case of headaches where even trying to remember what happened would trigger an excruciating ache. The news settles Mae Hee's nerves. Though, she really would not have minded going back to chop off their tongues to ensure their silence. She also wanted some vengeance for Chang, but it's better to keep the boy's identity a secret so as not to arise further suspicion from outsiders.
Chang also has been gaining speed on his recovery. She would have given anything to see to his injury personally, but each of them has to keep to their own mission and hers currently lies with the extraordinary boy still asleep. At least Chang's arm will be ready for training once again in a couple of months. He's already making use of his other arm, unable to rest or he'll be left behind. It's hard to put a man like him down. He's always looking for the good things life has to give while Mae Hee can't forget the terrible ones.
It takes all afternoon and most of the evening until the young boy makes a recovery. A caped figure enters his sleeping chamber. The figure stands afar slowly absorbing the teenager's peaceful appearance. It doesn't take long as the passive moment clears and the unknown person flips the bed over, blankets and all, down to the floor where the mussed up boy lies in shock. He deliberately looks up a the attacker with spite and annoyance cringing his words out.
"You bastard! What in –"
The figure retaliates by hitting him several times on the shoulder and head while scolding his informality.
"Bastard? Bastard?! Is that anyway to talk to me after disappearing for months without a word? Your parents would be ashamed! You ungrateful smart-mouth!"
The young boy recovers as he recognizes the voice of the person hitting him. Guilt slowly works its way to the heart with each passing blow he takes, withstanding it with no resistance.
This person would be the one to issue his ransom. Only this person has the temper and strength to beat him to a pulp for his misdeeds other than his father. How can he forget?
"Auntie?"
She takes off the hood making the anger in her eyes all the more imminent.
"Yes! It's me. Now what in Heaven's name were you thinking?! You have a responsibility as the son of your father and you decide to go off into the woods to go fishing? Did some ghost possess your head? Did you not think of the people left behind? You father spent so much time and hard work for you to become into an distinguished man then you squash it away so recklessly!" she spits out in spite.
The boy matches a defiant stare against his aunt aware of his rebellious actions.
"I have no use for the estate or the servants anymore. Father knew I never wanted to follow in his footsteps so why do I need to go back to school? I have nothing for me there! I do not want to become another brain for some lord. I don't want a court position!"
"Ha! So you got it all figured out, huh? What are you going to do then? Become a fisherman?" His aunt taunts with impatience as she reaches out to grab him by the ear. "You are coming with me. We are going back and you are fixing this mess. You need to-"
The hardheaded boy's protests wins out as he breaks away from her tight hold. He stays his ground unable to part from his newly found friends and a purpose forming inside of him.
"No! I am staying here," he said intent on following through with his promise. Now gaining the attention of his dear aunt, he understands what he must do. "I am staying with them. With the Red Crescent Moon Army."
"What?" his aunt blurts in surprise as her mouth stands agape.
"I'm going to ask permission and then I will serve the king."
"You want to be a warrior?" she said in disbelief pointing directly at him. "To fight, to kill, and to die for the king?"
The teenager listens to her words which he knows didn't sound like him at all, yet the adamant loyalty and the courage from those two men and that one girl were enough to let him know that being a part of the Red Moon Army could be more than just giving up a life for the king. It's an ideal and a moral code. One his father disciplined into him from the moment he's born. It's those traits that make a person just and of worth to know. If those three were anything like the rest of the people in the Red Moon Army, he knows he has found the right bunch of people he belongs with.
"I can see you aren't going to change your mind. You're just as pig-headed as your father, you know," she scolds still fuming from his runaway stunt.
"And so are you! You're his sister!" he retorts and suddenly braces himself for another attack. Her arm stops midway on his head and then she thinks better of it as he utters more, "And you're also a warrior. So why question my intention of becoming one when you did?"
Seeing his silence and his stubbornness to leave the room, his aunt sighs in defeat. She steps away, trying to imagine the sort of warrior he would become and the struggles he would need to face. He will see the dangers of his choice soon enough, yet somehow she knows he would be able to handle it. It's the sacrifice of giving up his life if he follows this path that lays thickly in her mind. The warrior's life ensures a death at a young age, so she would like to avoid that issue with her nephew if possible. With support from a strong group like the Red Crescent Moon Army, his life can be protected by the brotherhood and sisterhood of the group. They will see to his safety and for that, she can be assured he will not be alone which is enough for her.
"Tsk! This smart-mouth..! Keh. Forget it. I give up. If you want to join, join! Like I can stop you. Just don't let me catch you throwing your life away! I'll see to things about the estate and everything else. You will hear from me soon."
She flashes him one last look as she exits the room. The nephew softly calls out a 'Thank you!' before she leaves which she chooses to ignore nor acknowledge. As soon as she's out, another figure emerges, one he didn't know. His presence engulfs the whole space and he bows in reverence as shivers climb up his spine. The towering man tells him to lift his head and the boy can see the rough scratches etched on his face that only adds to his terrifying gaze. Deep down in his gut, it tells him there's something about this man that he needs to stay close to. He can't tell why or what for the matter but when his gut tells him something like that, he follows through.
The man speaks in a quiet voice that demands to be heard. He mentions hearing about his rescue of the members of the Red Crescent Moon Army in which Choi Young discovers he possesses inner powers. The man also tells him about his small talk with his aunt before she came into his room. He even tells him about having a conversation with Mae Hee and the others. As the man lists each event out to him, the smart scholar figures it out. This man is the one. The one who started it all. He is the leader of the Red Crescent Moon Army. He can barely grasp the meaning of their encounter but the weight of the connection is very strong.
"So I hear you want to join my group? Is that right?" he said as he gets right to the point.
Young stumbles on his reply. "Ye-yes, sir. If-if it would be okay with you-you, sir."
"Do you understand what's at stake when you join us?" he asks, looking right through him. The boy ponders over his words. The significance of joining the Red Crescent Moon Army would seem like a great opportunity. He couldn't see anything wrong with it at all.
"I wouldn't know but hearing Ho Min, Chang, and Mae Hee talk about it, I feel it would be an honor to fight side by side with them," he answers proudly.
The admiral stares at the boy in amusement as he carries on.
"I can see you've taken a liking to them. Well, they've taken a liking to you too. That's important because this group is not only a bunch of warriors, but they're a family to me and I am extending my arm to welcome you into that family. You do not have to make the decision now. If you think you can't handle it, you are always free to leave."
"I am a man of my word. When I choose to go through with something, I follow it all the way through. That is what my father taught me."
The man could not be anymore surprised at the young man's words. His sense of loyalty and will are qualities well befitting of a great fighter. He senses something great will come out of the boy in the later future. With that in mind, he wants the chance to show him, teach him, to use that greatness for the good of the boy and his men. Beneath blood and death lies a powerful lesson in life and love which he knows only shows itself if one looks close enough.
Heaving himself up off the chair, he bids the lucky young man leave. "Well then, we leave at daybreak. Get some rest."
The young boy can hardly contain his joy as his shouts call the attention of the nearby neighbors. He now not only gains a crew of new friends in a few days, but he gets to keep them. He can't wait to learn how to fight and control his mysterious power. His choice to join creates a path which he walks in with his head held high ready to face the challenges ahead. After all, he's the type to take in what life gives him, by talking the bull by its horns.