"...A new king shall arise, ignorant of Sahngjon's glory, and plant a blood-soaked flags upon the sacred land. Lamentation shall cover the earth, such weeping as hath not been heard in a thousand years, nor shall be heard in a thousand years to come. The Celestial Scions shall lose their names, and the glory that shone upon them shall fade. Foolishly, ye shall forsake and forget Sahngjon, but Sahngjon shall not forget you. And when ye are lost in despair, a Crimson Star shall descend upon the land, delivering you from your suffering. The eyes of His children, long shrouded in darkness, shall be blinded, and they shall not find the path He has prepared. But the Guardian of the Crimson Star shall guide the Guardian of the Azure Scripture. Upon the waters of the ancient temple, the Celestial Scions shall reclaim their sacred duty, and from that temple, the light of Sahngjon shall shine once more upon this land. Then shall all things be made new, and the scripture shall be renewed. Under the new heaven and upon the new earth, the Guardian of the Scripture shall be the father of all, and the Guardian of the Star shall be the mother of all..."

Seong closed the book. Lamentation and glory. Darkness and light. The Guardian of the Azure Scripture and the Guardian of the Crimson Star. The father and mother of all. Nothing was clear. What is the prophecy, the Scripture? Though everyone hailed him as its Guardian, Seong himself didn't understand what it meant. Does anyone? Even Norahn, with the light of Sahngjon shining in his eyes, seemed lost.

He had no idea how much time had passed since he had dismissed Norahn and begun reading the Azure Scripture. As a child, studying the Scripture had always been a tedious chore, sleep tugging at his eyelids. But now, every word, every phrase seemed to hold a hidden meaning, a clue he had overlooked.

Will I find those clues by confronting the Guardian Crimson, as Norahn has urged? It seemed like a reasonable suggestion, given the circumstances, but there had been a desperate plea in Norahn's eyes. Seong pictured the Guardian Crimson, alone in the darkness of her confinement. He had only met her briefly, but he couldn't forget her striking beauty, her cold, clear eyes, her calm, melodic voice. Though he had agreed to her confinement, he now wondered if he had made the right decision. She was the Guardian Crimson, the one who had appeared with the Crimson Star, the one who might be his destined partner. But the stench of blood clung to her, a stark contrast to her ethereal beauty. Why has the Guardian Crimson of Sahngjon brought such bloodshed? What is she thinking, alone in her confinement? Uncertainty gnawed at him. Seong rose from his seat.

The guards stationed outside his mother's former chambers bowed their heads and stepped aside as Seong approached.

"Has anyone been here?" Seong asked.

"The High Emissary Divine visited yesterday, Guardian," one of the guards replied. "He bore the High Councilor's commend tablet."

"Norahn?" Seong frowned. "Why?"

This was unexpected. Why hasn't Norahn mentioned this? Has he spoken with the Guardian Crimson and learned something that prompted him to advise Seong to seek her out? The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that the cut on Norahn's neck was connected to this meeting. Seong paused before the door, his heart pounding. He hesitated, then knocked gently. There was no response. Must I wait? Perhaps she doesn't wish to see him. But he couldn't simply turn back. He pushed the door open.

The room was dimly lit by a single candle. The Guardian Crimson, Yeong, stood in the center, clad in white and crimson robes. She turned as he entered, her gaze meeting his.

"Guardian of the Azure Scripture," she said.

Despite her long confinement, her voice was strong, its resonance sending a shiver down Seong's spine. He closed the door behind him and approached her.

"You call me Guardian," he remarked, "yet you claim I am unworthy."

Yeong's lips curled into a faint smile. "What else should I call you?" she countered.

She moved towards the table and sat down, her movements graceful and deliberate. Seong took the seat opposite her.

"I've already told you," he said, "I never wanted this title."

"Is there any other title you desire?" Yeong asked.

"Does it matter?" Seong argued. "Do we have a choice? We are bound by fate."

"Indeed," Yeong agreed. "But fate is not always about light and glory. Your shadows, your doubts, the blood on your hands... these are also part of your fate. And in that sense, you are perfectly suited to your destiny."

Seong's heart pounded in his chest. He tried to maintain his composure, but his breaths came in ragged gasps. How much does she know? He couldn't bring himself to ask, to delve into the memories he had been trying so hard to suppress.

"I never wanted anything," he said.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

"Desire is irrelevant," Yeong countered. "Sahngjon has set things in motion."

Seong's gaze settled on Yeong. Her eyes, devoid of emotion, seemed to belong to another world, yet there was a familiarity in their depths, as if he were gazing into a mirror. Has she, too, endured years of hardship to arrive at this moment? Is she born of a woman, like him? Or is she a creation of Sahngjon, like the founder? What life has she lived before appearing before him? What world has she come from? Even in their brief encounter, a torrent of questions surged within him. He was more curious about the Guardian Crimson herself than the divine will she carried. His intense scrutiny, his desperate search for answers, was not lost on Yeong. She frowned, as if his gaze was an unwelcome intrusion. Even her frown seemed to belong to another world, making her feel impossibly distant.

"Norahn came to see me," Seong began. "He urged me to speak with you. I noticed the cut on his neck. Was that your doing?"

A faint smile played on Yeong's lips. "It seems the High Emissary Divine is quite desperate," she observed. "What did he tell you that brought you here with such urgency?"

"I asked you first," Seong countered.

"Whether the wounds are on his neck or his body, they are trials given by Sahngjon," Yeong said. "Sahngjon does not favor those who shirk from suffering. The High Emissary Divine understands this better than you do. That is why he obeys."

Seong wished he could push away the pain, whatever it may be, just as easily. Her cryptic words sounded like excuses.

"Those are not trials given by Sahngjon," Seong retorted, his voice rising. "Those are wounds inflicted by you. Whether you are the Guardian Crimson or not, I will not tolerate anyone harming my people."

"So you've finally decided to act like a Guardian," Yeong remarked with a subtle mockery, "now that you've seen blood with your own eyes?"

"Yes," Seong said. "I will act like a Guardian. We're alone now, so I'll ask again. Are you responsible for the deaths of those Emissaries?"

"I already told you. I had nothing to do with it."

"You didn't answer my other question," Seong pressed. "Who wielded the sword? You were covered in blood. You must have seen what happened!"

Despite his harsh words, Seong felt a flicker of doubt. The Guardian Crimson was an enigma. Is she someone I can threaten, someone I can interrogate? Ryang had insisted he had no reason to bow to her, but the more he looked at her, the more he felt that she stood not beside him, but between him and Sahngjon.

"If you continue to hide the truth, I cannot help you," he said.

Yeong, sensing his fear, merely scoffed. "You echo the High Emissary Divine," she remarked. "But at least he came to me seeking Sahngjon's will. You, on the other hand, seem preoccupied with trivial truths, even after witnessing the miracle with your own eyes."

"Those trivial truths are all that matter to me," Seong countered. "My duty is to protect those who call me Guardian."

"Your duty is to protect the light of Sahngjon," Yeong corrected him. "The more you resist, the brighter that light will shine. And light requires sacrifice. You claim to care for those who follow you. Then you must turn your gaze towards the light, not the earth. Sahngjon does not weep for those who are sacrificed."

"You claim to be the Guardian Crimson of Sahngjon," Seong argued, "yet you threaten me?"

"Consider it advice," Yeong replied calmly. "You may be the Guardian destined to fulfill the prophecy. Your demise would serve no purpose."

"Why are you hiding the culprit?"

"If you suspect there's a reason," Yeong countered, "then you also know I won't reveal it."

What have I hoped to gain by confronting the Guardian Crimson? She spoke like a sage, like a righteous judge, but Seong saw the chains of Sahngjon binding her. He realized that those who are bound cannot set each other free. The answers he sought would not be found here.

"You may have neglected Wicheong for the past four years," Yeong said, "but there are still many in Wicheong who love you."

"I know," Seong replied. "It's more than I deserve."

"Some loyalists fear their leader, while others love them," Yeong mused. "No one fears you. You know that. But those who love you... they still see hope in you."

"Do you see hope in me?" Seong asked.

Yeong's response was immediate. "No. I do not have hope."

"Why not?"

"I have certainty," Yeong replied. "Certainty that Sahngjon will fulfill his prophecy."

Seong's breath caught in his throat as he met Yeong's unwavering gaze. He felt an overwhelming urge to scream, to rage against Sahngjon. His own existence felt as insignificant as the words etched onto the pages of the Azure Scripture, a mere puppet in Sahngjon's grand scheme. He was a character written into a story, his fate predetermined, his very being dependent on the whims of a distant god. The certainty that Yeong spoke of wasn't his own; it was as if she were woven from the very fabric of the scripture itself. Where does her conviction come from? The thought of her unwavering faith, her blind obedience, filled him with a strange sadness.

"I want to believe in that certainty," he said. "Norahn believes that once the prophecy is fulfilled, those bound by fate will be free. I want to believe that too."

"Perhaps," Yeong replied.

"What lies beyond the end?" Seong asked. "If freedom awaits us there, then I will gladly face whatever trials Sahngjon has in store for me."

"For your salvation?" Yeong asked.

"For the salvation of all," Seong declared. He hoped his words would reach Sahngjon through the Guardian Crimson. He took a deep breath and rose from his seat.

"You're free to go," he announced. "Go wherever you wish, do whatever you desire. As long as you harm no one, I won't stop you."

"Suddenly?" she asked.

Her gaze was dark and unreadable, and Seong felt a pang of sadness as he looked at her.

"We are both bound by fate," he said. "I don't want to add to your burden. This is the only freedom I have, the only choice I can make. And not even Sahngjon can take that from me."

He turned and walked towards the door. He paused, his hand on the latch.

"Do you have a name?" he asked.

"Yeong," she replied. "That is what Sahngjon calls me."

Seong glanced back at her, then stepped out of the room, leaving the door ajar. Light from the passageway spilled into the dimly lit chamber.