Martial Kim of Moon Tavern did not count the hours that went through the night. His only goal right now was to get away from the Capital as far as he could. Do not fret, he was not pursued – not that he hoped. Neither did he get into a spot of trouble that force himself into self-exile.
It was so he could escort a dead woman to safety.
He and his trusted companion Inspector Lee took the most rickety horse wagon they could find and spurred off into the horizon; the very second the setting sun kissed the highest mountain. They kept going, never once stopping at any respite, traveler’s inn, or even the closest of village. It was only when the lights of the Capital City were no longer in line of sight, did they break a sigh of relief. Soon, they came close to this sleepy little village blanketed in the darkness.
“This is my stop,” Martial Kim said with a heavy heart. “I leave the rest to you, Inspector Lee my friend.”
The Inspector of the Constabulary would slowed the horse wagon to a soft trot, “Leave it to me, Martial Kim. I’ll deliver our friend safe and sound. You can count on it!”
The young master wearing a snow white hanbok would hop off the horse wagon the moment it came to a complete stop. He would adjust his black hat...only to remember he left it behind in Moon Tavern on purpose. The wide brim hat was pretty much his signature in the martial arts community, and it was best to travel as incognito as possible. He even let down his hair from a tight man-bun and into a carefree high-ponytail, to be less recognizable to the familiar eyes.
"Fae Fae," Martial Kim lowered his voice even more. Even if it was the dead of the night, and not many a soul wandered under the full moon, he didn't want to chance ANYONE overhearing that name. "I wish to bid you farewell."
The horse wagon had a passenger.
A frail and delicate woman would pull aside a curtain covering the side window and she peeked through it. Her skin was as pale as the full moon, almost as withered as a ghost. Her weak complexion could not be helped – she DID wake up from a long coma only hours ago.
Despite all that, she was as beautiful as a finely cut diamond. A face that thousands across the land would adore and revere as an earthly goddess. Granted, she would blush in absolute embarrassment if she heard such grandiose praises like that and shrivel up like a shy flower.
"Martial Kim," Fae Fae had an earnest look in her gaze, "Will we ever meet again?"
The young master of Moon Tavern simply returned a polite smile, "For your sake, it is best we do not. You are, after all, declared dead to the world. Your life as Fae Fae the great Courtesan of Celestial Dreams Brothel is no more. You are a new woman, a new human, a free bird to fly wherever you please. There is no need for the future you to cross paths with the past you. Consider yourself, reincarnated completely.”
Fae Fae had many words to say. If only she had more time. Not even the trip in the horse wagon was enough. So all could do was reach out to hold his hand in gratitude, “Please, take care of yourself Martial Kim.”
“And you my dear Fae Fae. When the morning sun rises, be proud and say ‘Hello’ to a new tomorrow!”
Martial Kim nodded to Inspector Lee, which was his cue to continue on their long journey. A whip of the reigns and the horses started to move the wagon. Martial Kim loosened his grip on Fae Fae, her hand slipping out of his grip like a cloud of peach blossoms swept into the open wind.
She never stopped waving at him, even as the horse wagon was swallowed up into the darkness. It was only when they fully vanished into the night, the sounds of horse hooves fading away, did the young master let out a sigh of relief...and sadness.
“...I miss Fae Fae already.”
Martial Kim had no plans to stay in the village for the night, so he turned away to return to the Capital. Even on foot, he enjoyed the silence and the darkness of the deep night. He needed to be alone, especially after the events of what happened in recent times. He took this time to reflect on everything as he made his way home to Moon Tavern.
“Such a cool and wonderful night. I can even see the stars winking at me. Would be nice, to have some wine right about...oh?”
Perhaps, Martial Kim was thinking too deep as he just noticed the light fog rolling in around him. Must be that time of year, he would imagine. It was a few more steps forward before his eyes widen.
Up ahead was a roadside teahouse made out of wood and straw. It looked neither too old nor too new. Not a speck of cobwebs hung from the corners, yet the tables were well worn down from years of wiping and service. A single person was manning the small stoves and clay furnace boiling clay pots of herbal tea, pots of stew, and steaming baskets. The teahouse server looked busy, always facing their back to the world, even when all the tables were empty.
Martial Kim simply spotted a collection of wine on an open shelf and smacked his lips.
“Server. One pot of your finest wine. Make it a large...one?” Martial Kim blinked and wondered if he was too tired to missed what happened. The moment he took a random empty table and set his sword down on the corner, a large pot of wine was in front of him along with a clean wine bowl. “...Good service.”
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The young master relaxed, for once. He had always been on his guard for nearly days, so being able to sit down and not think of the terrible things in life was a reprieve...Oh...Oh ho ho. This wine is strong, very much so. Half a pot in and he can feel more than tipsy.
“This is beautiful wine, good server,” Martial Kim hummed, “I can feel the peach plum fairies calling to me. My belly is warm and I am numb to the pain of the bitter cold. What is this wine called?”
No answer, that or the server was too busy washing pots, pans, and whatnot to turn around.
Martial Kim shrugged. He’ll figure it out, wine was his hobby anyhow. He loved to invent exotic wine, sometimes mix them to experiment with tastes. People call him daft or wasteful, but he felt a sense of calm from it all.
“Hahah. Oh my, the sun has yet to risen and my pot is already empty. Hmmm. Server, give me another round of wine, in a gourd. I shall be on my....way?”
Once again, when Martial Kim stood up and pick up his sword, his empty wine pot was switched with a brand new wine gourd. A shrug and he exchanged the gourd with a couple of his silver coins before trotting off. He planned to taste this strange wine slowly, to break down and uncover it’s secrets on the trip home.
Perhaps, he was in too much of a good mood. Not only did he stray from the road to venture through a scenic route, he started to hum to himself. His footsteps shifted, fleeted, dipped, and spun. Muscle memory of swordplay filled his heart and mind. Before he knew it, he was trying to re-enact the elegant Drunken Swordplay. Why not!?
Martial Kim drew his sword from the scabbard and swirled about, chanting, “Come to me, fairies of the heavenly gardens. Let us prance in the wind, unfettered by mortal chains!”
The more he move and spun about with his sword, the faster the wind around him twisted and churned in his wake. No doubt the air around him was influenced by the power of his Inner Energy Arts. Like all martial arts master, young and old, they all train and conquer the basics in manipulating their internal energy to enhance their minds and body, as well as to give them fabulous martial properties that can affect their immediate surroundings.
This ability allowed him to become lighter than air, gliding across the ground and even kicking off the thinnest of branches to stay afloat like a feather. A twirl of his blade and he could command its flow to follow him like a river at his command. A sweeping kick into the ground for him to kick up the leaves, his sword guiding them like a flock of birds and send them scattering into any direction he desired!
Ah, so free of the world's burden, he sang a little poem in accompany to his Drunken Swordplay.
“Justice walks beside me~; Worldly dreams, forever lost~! Without love or warmth~; yet my iron will stands strong~! I smile at the changing winds~! A hero's soul forever shines~!”
At the end of his poem, he would throw back his head and pour a strip of wine down into his open mouth without a single spill. The more he laughed, the more his cheeks turned a rosy red. “Hahahaha! Good wine! Good wine!"
The young master fluttered down like a leaf on the wind and he dropped down to sit on a perfectly cut stone bench. He relaxed, letting the cool breeze rub his warm face. Ah, when was the last time he let his hair down like this, letting it dance in the wind so free spirited. Been a while, now that he thought about it.
“Oh beautiful moon, oh beautiful moon. Never bow for the sun to take your place. You, so round and beau...Wait. Weren’t you plum and round like a plate? How did you become as thin as a stick?”
Martial Kim thought he was seeing things. Despite how drunk he was, he still had some senses left in him. If he recalled correctly, the moon was supposed to be behind him. And it was full.
So...how long was he wandering, for the moon to become a slender crescent in front of him...Wait. The young master look back, front, back, and front.
TWO MOONS!? This revelation sobered him up a bit. No matter how many times he turned, he clearly saw two moons: one full and one crescent.
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What liquor did the teahouse server give me? The young master mumbled in his mind, Why am I seeing two moons floating side by side?...Actually, where did this bench come from? It was not here a moment ago. I am sure of it.
Curious, he tried to sobered up a bit to look around. The wine may be in him, but he still had enough senses to register something felt amiss. So he looked around to figure out where he was.
...A pavilion?
Somehow, he ended up sitting in an old and rustic pavilion made of wood. A clay-tile roof sitting on four weathered pillars scraped by time. They were the type usually found on side of the trails as a resting spot or scenic hub. These structures usually had a fancy name, unique and poetic, so Martial Kim found it strange this place didn’t have a name on any sign or board.
It did, however, had something else.
...Am I seeing stars? He rubbed at his eyes, Or fleeting fairies?
A series of symbols fluttered about this pavilion in the air like fireflies. Martial Kim had trouble discerning, but they seem to blink in and out, here and there, before he could figure out what those symbols even represent. They blurred, glowed, spun, flipped, like a messy flying circus. Their shape and calligraphy were most obscure, very difficult to decipher.
ꏳ ꁲ ꃔ ꁲ ꀷ ꁲ ꀨ ꂷ ꀨ ꎨ
How does one read such markings? What is the story behind them? Martial Kim hummed in his weary mind. In saying that, he started to feel dizzier than before, like he had been drinking for days and nights. His eye lids became heavy like clasps of iron and his body started to sway even from the light pushes of the breeze.
I will give you a proper name...tomorrow, Martial Kim hummed to himself as his head grew weary. Tomorrow...tomorrow...tom--
Flop. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.