Scritch.
"⋯⋯."
The heavy eyelids trembled.
As if forcibly lifting open the unyielding eyes, they opened with effort. And there, within those deep and inscrutable black pupils, the Golden Vajra Bell was reflected.
The Golden Vajra Bell was split longwise, with gold still clinging to its surface.
"Om mani⋯⋯."
The voice trembled.
"Banme⋯⋯hoom."
The interrupted voice barely completed the six-syllable chant. The young hand, still inexperienced, cautiously explored the split Golden Vajra Bell.
"⋯⋯Great Master."
The boy, Dalai Lama, lifted his head. The face of the Golden Buddha gazing down at him was suffused with indescribable sorrow.
For a while, Dalai Lama stared at the statue. Then, he closed his eyes once more.
"It's inevitable."
Venerable Banzen Lama watched the back of Dalai Lama with a firm expression.
Sometimes, Dalai Lama mutters incomprehensible words to himself. Words filled with profound meaning, incomprehensible to imperfect beings, difficult to convey in the language of the mundane.
"Since it's unavoidable, people cannot escape suffering."
These words are spoken to Banzen Lama, yet they are not meant for him.
"But just⋯⋯."
A tear trickled down Dalai Lama's cheek as he opened his eyes again.
"The suffering shouldn't be too deep."
❀ ❀ ❀
⋯⋯It's gruesome. Could even a degree describe this scene?
Hu Jiaming had traversed countless battlefields, witnessed numerous deaths, and seen the deepest depths of despair within them.
Yet, even so, he found it difficult to comprehend.
How could such a sight lead his master, Jang Ilso, all the way to this remote place? Yet, at the same time, he could understand.
Undoubtedly, the scene before him was gruesome and eerie.
All that was visible was a slightly larger depression in the earth, about twenty yards in diameter, tinged a deep red against the surrounding ochre.
There was no trace of people. Only occasional scraps of clothing or scattered pieces of flesh hinted at the presence of countless individuals who had 'been' here.
Hu Jiaming suddenly felt a parched sensation in his throat.
'How⋯⋯.'
Even swallowing dry saliva brought no relief. It felt as if thorns were piercing his throat, relentlessly scratching at him.
'How could⋯⋯.'
Even with his fragmented thoughts, the distinct pattern on the torn piece of cloth spoke volumes.
They had been here. Undoubtedly, they had been here. Red Dog, dispatched by them with meticulous planning, was here.
How could such a special force suffer this fate?
How?
No, the word 'suffer' doesn't even fit.
To use that word, there must at least be evidence of a clash, a fierce battle resulting in defeat. Even if it's one-sided, at least resistance must have been attempted for such a word to be used.
But here, there was not even a trace of such resistance.
Among the countless words that floated into his mind and disappeared, the only one that even vaguely described this scene was 'evaporation'. That's all.
Literally, they disappeared. Him, and the elite soldiers painstakingly raised by Jang Ilso.
Who could make such a thing possible in the world?
The Jang Ilso standing before Hu Jiaming remained silent for a long time.
The one who repelled Shaolin, put an end to the dominance of the Nine Sects and One Union.
The Tyrant who flaunted his presence, mocking everyone under heaven.
His shoulders were trembling. The shoulders of none other than Jang Ilso.
"Alliance lord⋯⋯."
"Ha⋯⋯."
A faint chuckle escaped from the lips that had remained silent throughout.
Though Hu Jiaming only saw Jang Ilso's back, he could still guess the expression on his face.
The fleeting chuckle didn't turn into laughter but dissipated emptily. Neither laughter nor tears, just a vague voice that faded away.
Finally, Jang Ilso muttered dryly.
"⋯⋯No laughter comes out."
His hand, hanging beneath his sleeve, trembled visibly enough for Hu Jiaming to see.
Hu Jiaming couldn't bring himself to mock or encourage Jang Ilso in such a state.
People see what they know.
Those who understand the greatness of the divine are inclined to worship it. The more one understands this scene, the more one will be crushed by the immense power it represents.
The suffocating fear Hu Jiaming felt was nothing compared to the immense pressure Jang Ilso must be experiencing.
"Am I becoming a devil? No⋯⋯. Perhaps I should be called a god instead."
The unfinished laughter turned into a sigh of lament.
"...What a cruel joke."
The usual ease and laughter in Jang Ilso's voice were absent.
The lord of the Four Tyrants Alliance, now called the grand master of the evil sect, should be reveling in boundless joy over his accomplishments by now. But there was no such great figure here. There was only a human being who had reached the limits of what he could endure and had fallen into despair.
"...Who is it? Who discovered this place?"
When Jang Ilso asked, those who had been trembling and unable to approach finally gathered their courage and stepped forward.
"Speak up."
"We, we are... just followers who came to accompany Master Kong."
"Followers?"
"Yes! We, we were supposed to change the horses..."
Jang Ilso's gaze became stern.
"Get to the point."
The one trembling under Jang Ilso's intimidating gaze hastily nodded and poured out their words, not even knowing what they were saying.
"When we arrived here late, it was already... already like this. We, we didn't feel anything special and were about to just pass by..."
Their gaze shifted to one side as if making excuses. There, one person was sitting like a fool, staring at Heo Kong.
Jang Ilso clenched his fist unconsciously.
The expression of the person who had lost their mind was too familiar.
"T-T-That person... he..."
"Bring him here."
"Yes?"
Instead of those who were wavering and unsure, Hu Jiaming moved forward himself. Red Dog, lost in his own world, was dragged along. It was a gruesome sight, but Red Dog showed no reaction. It seemed as if his soul had been drained.
Thud.
Red Dog slumped down in front of them. Jang Ilso, who had been staring down at him, bent down to meet his gaze.
"Look at me."
"⋯⋯."
"Look at me."
The unfocused eyes sharpened ever so slightly.
"What happened?"
The eyes, previously hazy and without focus, began to move as if trying to recall something.
"D-D⋯⋯."
"What?"
"D-D⋯⋯Death⋯⋯"
"What?"
"D-D-Death⋯⋯ Everyone's... everyone's⋯⋯"
"⋯⋯."
"Dead. Everyone's dead. Everyone's dead. Everyone, everyone's going to die. Everyone! They're dying. They're dying. Everyone's going to die! Everyoneeeee!"
Red Dog's eyes rolled back, and he began to convulse, his hands flailing as he screamed until his throat tore apart. It seemed as if he were drowning, struggling to stay afloat as he screamed with all his might. Then, suddenly, he grabbed his throat and convulsed.
*Cough*⋯⋯.
Foam formed around his mouth as he clawed at his face and neck, as if tearing himself apart. His face was soon covered in wounds, bathed in blood.
Jang Ilso watched the scene without saying a word.
*Cough*.
Finally, the person who had fainted collapsed limply. Heavy silence descended. Hu Jiaming's hands were damp with cold sweat.
As he watched Red Dog convulsing intermittently even while unconscious, Jang Ilso spoke.
"Is this person and the two of you the only ones who saw this place?"
"Th-That's⋯⋯."
Bam!
Before the answer could even finish, the heads of the two people and Red Dog, who had collapsed convulsing, exploded.
Hu Jiaming, startled, bit his lip tightly.
In hindsight, it was the obvious course of action. This shouldn't be revealed. No one should know about this.
The fear of something uncontrollable can shatter everything.
Jang Ilso, who had been silently staring at the three bloody corpses and the pool of crimson, finally let out a laugh that sounded like a laugh.
"You saved me."
"⋯⋯."
"Like someone stepping on an ant nest and not bothering to crush one ant that crawls to the side."
It was more of a dry chuckle.
"It's all an illusion..."
Jang Ilso chuckled softly.
"No matter how hard I try⋯⋯ is the outcome predetermined anyway? Whatever I grasp will ultimately slip away, and whatever I protect will ultimately be lost?"
There was terrible hatred, anger, and immense disappointment in his voice.
Jang Ilso chewed on his red lips.
An unstoppable force. A colossal presence that nobody dared to confront. This was a 'disaster'. It was beyond human capability to deal with.
In front of it, human-made disturbances were nothing but a trivial joke.
At this moment, the one who keenly felt this fact was none other than Jang Ilso.
"Ha⋯⋯. Hahaha."
The suppressed laughter burst out.
"Hahahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahah!"
A bursting laugh. But it was different from his usual laughter.
"⋯⋯Let's go back, Jiaming."
"Yes⋯⋯."
With his crimson robe fluttering, Jang Ilso turned around.
The vast world unfolded before his eyes.
The vivid world that had seemed so real just moments ago now felt ephemeral and fragile, like it could fade away at any moment.
"Don't mock me..."
Jang Ilso's eyes held a deep blue flame.
"If it's all going to disappear anyway... I'd rather destroy it with my own hands. That's my... No, it's the last shred of human dignity."
Jang Ilso's heavy footsteps resounded.
Leaving traces that would eventually disappear into the ground.
❀ ❀ ❀
Step by step.
The bare white feet tread slowly through the short, overgrown bushes.
The pace was never fast. There was no sign of haste.
The face, partially obscured by the wind-blown hair, had not yet fully matured. Only the eyes were empty, devoid of anything.
Step by step.
Moving forward.
Without knowing where to go, the awakened one simply followed his instincts.
But eventually, he would find it.
As he walked and walked, he would come to know. The moment he reached where he should be, where he needed to be.
Step by step.
The one who had walked like a penance finally turned his gaze slowly somewhere.
A vast mountain range touching the southern sky. And in the center, towering high with rocks.
Though it was so far away that it couldn't be seen with human eyes, the man saw everything as if he could touch it. With his empty eyes.
Silently staring at the mountain, he soon lost interest and turned his gaze elsewhere.
He remembered.
Although he had never heard of it, never learned about it, the man knew what he had seen a moment ago.
"Hwa... San..."
He let out that short word like a song and continued walking.
Step by step.
It seemed like it would never end, but soon those steps would end like a lie.