The Ruler of Darkness

[This child was born under the Star of Death.]

It was a statement like a thunderbolt from the blue sky.

[Regardless of what anyone says, his fate has already been decided.]

Such was the undeniable proclamation.

[This child’s life will inevitably pile mountains of corpses and create seas of blood.]

It was a horrendously chilling tale.

The words spoken by the elderly midwife who had assisted in the childbirth, tore the mother’s heart apart.

[You must make a decision.]

In the old woman’s eyes, there was an inscrutable mystique that couldn’t be concealed.

Her hands bore deeply inked tattoos inscribed in a foreign language, replete with magical charms.

‘It isn’t Sanskrit, a language I’m unfamiliar with,’ pondered Yeon So-Hyeon.

[…Do you think the child should be killed?]

The mother’s beauty could rival the splendor of the moon.

Though she had just given birth, her beauty remained unparalleled.

However, her complexion was terribly dark.

She was now faced with the unthinkable suggestion of ending her child’s life.

[…He must be killed.]

The old servant, who had been observing the mother’s complexion, spoke with a reluctant but resolute tone.

[For the sake of the world.]

This was not a matter to be decided by individual sentiments.

[My baby…]

Tears welled up in the mother’s captivating, phoenix-like eyes as she gazed at her baby.

‘Must I die…?’

So-Hyeon questioned.

‘…Because of the ill-fated star I was born under?’

His words, however, fell on deaf ears.

After much contemplation, the mother voiced her decision.

Though tears stained her face, she held a commanding presence no one could challenge.

[I command you.]

Her stern gaze turned to the old servant.

[Seek a means to protect my child.]

The old servant bowed deeply, accepting the order.

As her servant, she had to fulfill whatever the master wished.

A myriad of spells she’d mastered over a century whirred past her thoughts.

[This child… I will raise him to be a good and righteous person by my hands.]

‘My mother who said so, left me too soon.’

So-Hyeon said.

But still, his voice went unheard.

For this was a dream.

A dream long repressed and hidden in the recesses of his subconscious.

A recollection only now resurfacing.

* * *

The scene shifted subtly, flowing into another moment.

[Young Master, you must never commit murder under any circumstances.]

The old servant spoke with an earnest tone.

[If you do, the magic I’ve woven will unravel, and your fate will once again be under the influence of the Harbinger’s Heavenly Star.]

The old servant, already wrinkled, seemed to have aged decades more in just a few years.

It was clear from her visage the immense magical energy required to deceive the Harbinger’s Heavenly Star.

[Rest assured.]

Yeon So-Hyeon’s mother smiled warmly.

[This child will become a scholar. Though he is only two years old, he already clings to books. He is remarkably astute.]

Through the gap in the door, the young Yeonsohyeon could be seen lying down, engrossed in reading a book.

The old servant looked at him with tender eyes for a moment.

Yet, her eyes soon shifted towards her mistress, laden with sorrow.

[Miss… I am an old woman who has dedicated everything to you. I’d be happy to die at any moment for your sake. Dying for you would be a great blessing. I’d die joyously even if it happened hundreds of times.”

The old servant’s voice trembled.

[But Miss is…]

So-Hyeon’s mother gently smiled, yet for some reason, there was no vitality in her face.

[How much time do I have left?]

Tears formed in the wrinkled corners of the old servant’s eyes.

The frail, bent figure of the old servant shivered.

[There was no need to expend your life force as the cost for the grand magic.]

Anger tinged the old servant’s voice.

[You could have just used the lives of those worthless beings, those parasites that only leech off the world. Then you, Miss, could have…!]

But Yeon So-Hyeon’s mother remained resolute.

[I can’t exchange someone else’s life to save my child.]

[But if you had taken the lives of those who disregard others, even the heavens wouldn’t dare blame you!]

[Even if the heavens forgive, I can’t allow it. It would be too shameful.]

The old servant let out a sigh and prostrated herself on the floor in respect.

Her master was more steadfast than anyone, the owner of endless goodwill.

That’s why the old servant, who feared no one in her lifetime, had devoted the remainder of her life to serving her master.

[…So how much time do I have left?]

The old servant didn’t lift her head.

Her tears fell onto the marble floor, staining it.

[…It would be difficult to surpass two more years.]

Yeon So-Hyeon’s mother slowly approached and embraced the old servant.

[My child will never harm anyone. So-hyeon’s fate will be protected at the cost of my life. A mere star will not be able to govern So-hyeon’s destiny.]

The old servant sobbed.

[The young master will indeed grow into a great person. He will certainly, surely become a distinguished scholar.]

* * *

The child grew robustly.

He respected life, cherished people, and loved nature.

His thoughts were upright, and he spoke good words.

How extraordinary he was— he even assisted his mother in saving countless lives.

But eventually, that day finally came.

[So-hyeon, my So-hyeon. Will you grant your mother one last wish…?]

Young So-hyeon lay beside his mother, holding back tears.

[…Of course, Mother.]

As if the heavens had decided her fate, Yeon So-hyeon’s mother couldn’t live beyond two years. Nevertheless, she displayed an extraordinary will to live.

It was all for her child.

It was to ensure her child would grow up right, even if just a little.

But even that had its clear limits.

Now, she was preparing to face her demise.

[Going forward, you should…]

Should she dare to say, as a mother, that her child, who was destined to inherit the sword, to never hold one?

Or should she say he must never kill anyone and should continue to live as he had been taught by her?

Would that be a good dying wish?

She closed her mouth.

Instead, she looked at her one and only beloved child.

Her gaze was filled with love as she looked at Yeon So-hyeon, who tightly clung to his mother’s hand with his small one.

The shape of Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes closely resembled her own.

In his big, shining eyes, there was only a soft, warm aura.

What words of advice could she possibly need to give this child?

Her son was growing up just as she had so dearly hoped.

He was as pure and clear as the morning dew on a leaf at dawn.

So-hyeon, true to his name, was a bright and wise child.

Feeling a painful tightness in her chest, she smiled as brightly as she could.

[…I’ve done it. Mom just wants to say this to you]

With her last breath, she hugged So-hyeon tightly.

[Mom really loves our So-hyeon.]

And then she took her final breath.

Tears burst forth from young So-hyeon’s eyes.

The house was filled with the laments of those who mourn her passing.

All the people in the land of Luoyang mourned.

There was no one living in Luoyang who had not received her kindness.

Everyone in the Central Kingdom who had heard her name even once grieved.

Even those who didn’t know her name had benefited from her, and not a single one among them did not know her pseudonym.

Yak So-yoo¹

At the age of 27, in the prime years of her life,

She emerged into the world as a descendant of the medicine sage

She developed an effective remedy for the three most dreadful epidemics prevalent at her time and publicly disclosed the formula.

Made from common medicinal herbs that anyone could  gather, even the poorest could afford the medicine.

The medical books she had compiled and made public during her lifetime exceeded 25 volumes, over 100 books.

She took on disciples regardless of their social status or position, admitting only those with talent and willingness.

In this manner, she trained numerous disciples and sent them out to care for the poor and starving.

Her name even reached the imperial palace, and despite being offered a position as the imperial physician, she chose to stay among the commoners.

The number of people she had saved throughout her lifetime was beyond count.

Thus, people called her Jijang Bodhisattva and praised her, while some even said she was a manifestation of the Medicine Buddha.

Such an unparalleled virtuous person left this world.

Everyone said that Heaven needed her, so she was taken early.

The imperial palace honored her by setting up memorial halls throughout the Central Kingdom, and one could see her memorial halls wherever they went.

Every year, on the first day of the first lunar month, people lined up in front of the memorial hall to pray for their family’s health.

***

Watching from a distance, Yeon So-hyeon resumed walking the path he had been on.

Suddenly, he felt something catch on his foot and looked down.

With a cracking sound, what had broken was none other than a human bone.

And it wasn’t just that one bone buried in the ground.

The entire path he was walking on was made up of white bones

He lifted his head and surveyed his surroundings.

Mountains were formed from corpses that hadn’t yet decayed, and from afar, a river of blood was flowing.

The sky was dyed red, yet the sun was nowhere to be seen; only a knife-like wind assaulted him.

He looked down at his hands.

They were stained with blood.

Not the blood of just one or two people.

The blood was flowing and wetting the ground.

Presumably, the river of blood flowing in the distance had originated from his hands.

He resumed walking.

There was no turning back now.

All he could do was continue walking the path he had started on.

It was a path that no one else had tread.

A path that no one dared to walk.

[This child… I will raise him to be a good and righteous person by my hands.]

He had already died once.

And had been resurrected by the magic of Dark Heavens Scripture.

The great spell his mother had performed, staking her own life on it, had already been shattered in vain.

[Mother…]

The end of the road was not in sight.

And his steps did not stop.

No one can stop his steps now.

[Mother, I’m sorry.]

He advanced, cutting through the flesh-tearing wind.

The sound of the wind was like the wail of a demon.

Swept away by the bitterly cold north wind, his whisper of apology soon disappeared without a trace.

◆◆◆

Vol.2  Act 1: The Ruler of Darkness, Opening Act 

[COMPLETE]

1. If according to the hanja characters, the name So-yoo can be translated as ‘purity’, ‘heal/recovery’.[↩]

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