Chapter 17: Il Minjoon

Maybe it was just him, or maybe it was because of his intuition, but he felt that things would be different today.

That was his first thought when he woke up.

The sun's rays shone brightly through the window, the light coming in to the once dark room.

A young man sat on his bed as he gazed softly at the painting in front of him. His silver hair tousled all over his head.

He hoisted himself up and grabbed the robes at his side, then proceeded to change his clothes.

Once he was done, he looked at the painting with his sparkling blue eyes.

Minjoon's eyes narrowed as his lips formed a thin line.

On the painting, there were two figures. A dashing man with long silver hair adorned with clothes fit for a king. Beside him sat a woman holding her bulging belly. She had ocean blue eyes, conspicuous in her black ebony hair.

The Emperor and his wife.

His brows furrowed, eyes casting downward. Tearing his gaze away, his hands reached for the door.

The hall was silent as he walked. The sharp tap of his shoes sounded every time it touched the ground.

After a while, he stopped in front of a familiar door.

Minjoon stared at the knob with his deep-set eyes. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob.

As he walked in, he noticed the man standing in front of the window.

The man was tall, much taller than him - his shadow huge and threatening. He wore dark golden robes that seemed to drag as he walked. He held his fists on his back as his hair flowed with the breeze.

Hair that was similar to Minjoon's.

Shiny, glittering strands swayed as the wind blew from the window. The sun reflected the man's thick silvery mane that flowed past his waist.

That dignified back that always awed him as a child did not intimidate him anymore. In fact, it looked a little bit thin on his wide robes.

The man turned to face Minjoon. His deep half-lidded eyes looking tired as it bore on the other's set of blue eyes.

"Minjoon."

At the sound of his name, his eyes narrowed taking a step back.

The man looked at Minjoon with a solemn gaze. Not getting an answer, he approached Minjoon.

"Do not step any closer."

Minjoon warned with a low tone.

The man's back became rigid then relaxed after a few seconds.

His right foot stepped forward.

Minjoon became infuriated as he glared, gritting his teeth.

The man stopped in front of Minjoon. His figure easily towered over the almost 18-year-old boy.

"Minjoon."

"Tomorrow is an important day."

The man declared, his rich voice reaching Minjoon's ears.

"What do you mean?"

Minjoon asked as his brow furrowed, his eyes staring at the man.

"Do you know the Banquet of the Kings?"

Minjoon raised his eyebrow, his head tilting to the side.

At last, the man smiled. Inviting him forward, he beckoned.

"Come. I'll tell you."

They both sat facing each other.

A long silence ensued, then the man started to explain the banquet that will happen tomorrow.

It happens on the 14th of February, every 10 years.

The Banquet of the Kings was held to celebrate the alliance of the three kingdoms.

The Il, the Han, and the Xu.

Three warring kingdoms that once stood face to face as they battled. Blood sprayed and people died everywhere, left to right.

Yet the war ceased once an agreement was made by the previous emperors.

An alliance.

It was too sudden that everybody was stupefied once they heard the news. Yet they rejoiced because the peace that they had always wanted finally came true.

It lasted for decades, even lasting up to this day. But some people still questioned it.

Why did they form an alliance? Why did it seem that the war is still not over yet?

The old man asked this to Minjoon. However, Minjoon couldn't find an answer.

Minjoon knew that he had to go through other means.

But what he did not expect is that the answer will come to him.

His father, the Emperor, stood right before him telling him the secrets that were known to only few individuals in the Kingdom.

He told him why they formed an alliance. Why it felt like the war wasn't over yet.

"An alliance was formed because of a discovery."

Daehyun toyed with a golden emblem as he stared at it with empty eyes.

"A discovery that changed peoples' lives."

A man dress with armor sat on his horse as he galloped through the forest, a group of soldiers trailing behind his back.

"Halt you damned Il! You cannot outrun a Han."

One of the soldiers trailing behind shouted as he laughed.

The man had sweat running down his forehead as he clutched his wound on his side. His other hand holding a golden emblem.

He knew that he did not have much time before he dies.

The man closed his eyes, piercing forward as they opened - determination radiating off him in waves.

'No matter what, I have to give this to him.'

Holding the emblem tight on his hands, he leaned forward as he snapped the rope, making the horse run faster.

He zoomed through the forest not stopping even once.

The figures behind his back slowly faded as he ran further and further away.

The man clad in armor breathed a sigh of relief as his black hair became disheveled.

Suddenly, an arrow zipped past through, hitting the man's horse.

The Horse neighed as it collapsed, the man thrown out of his seat.

He landed on the ground harshly, feeling his wounds opened. Due to his fast speed in riding, he skidded forward, stopping as he hit a tree.

The man groaned as he felt more blood flowing out of his wound.

"I can see him!"

The group of soldiers approached, surrounding the man.

"I told you, you cannot outrun a Han."

A soldier stepped forward, his voice the same as the one before.

With a psychopathic grin, he raised his sword up high intending to strike the man.

"Now die."

As the soldier swung down, his comrades started wailing.

"Ah! Do-don't-"

"Ack!"

"Basta-"

One by one, his comrades fell. A tall muscular figure nimbly maneuvered through the marsh, easily killing those people.

The man leaned on the tree as he tried to keep his eyes open, his vision already blurring.

He could see a white blurry figure moving, one by one the soldiers fell on the ground.

Then the figure stopped, inching towards him.

It got closer and closer until the man could see big muscular thighs. The figure bent to the man's height, a monstrous sight greeting the man's eyes.

A human face yet the eyes-

Eyes like that of a wolf.

It stared at him curiously, squinting his eyes at the man.

"You...why...not...die?"

The man bit his lip. He already felt weak due to loss of blood. Yet he still answered.

"I-"

His eyes bore into the wolf-like eyes. With a strong voice, he tried to shout.

"I want... to live."

He whispered, his voice inaudible. He could feel his eyes closing as his surroundings slowly dimmed.

Finally, he closed his eyes, his consciousness fading.

In the end, he couldn't complete his promise.

He died in vain.

Yet a voice sounded, rendering him awake.

"Fine...I...give...life."

Then a white light appeared, making him conscious.

"But...one...condition."

Excruciating pain sounded through him as he screamed.

"Save..."

He could feel his body burning as his wounds itched.

"...us."

The soldier stared horrified as he saw the beast-like figure approach the man.

It held the man's head with its humongous palms looking like it planned to squeeze the head till it bursts.

The soldier closed his eyes shut as he tried to avoid viewing a horrifying scene.

Seconds passed, but he still did not hear a thing.

He opened one of his eyes as he attempted to peek.

What he saw stunned him.

The beast-like figure was gone, and the man was emitting a bright light.

The man that the soldier tried to kill suddenly screamed.

The soldier saw the man's hair turning white, almost silver. The wounds on the man's body rapidly mending, not leaving a scar behind.

"This..."

The soldier gaped with his mouth wide open. He recalled the prophecy that his Han ancestors foretell.

The world's savior. Described as a man with white ashen hair, he will be the one to stop the world's impending doom.

The soldier thought by then.

"The doom..."

He gazed at the now silver-haired man in front of him, with a mournful gaze.

"...has come."

Daehyun threw the emblem high up in the air, catching it with his palms.

He held it high up in the air for Minjoon to see. He explained.

"That man was our ancestor."

Daehyun's jaw clenched as he placed the emblem on the table.

"With the help of the prophecy, an alliance was made."

"Yet our ancestor knew that an alliance would not stop that brewing doom."

He stood up, his knees hurting.

Minjoon suddenly muttered.

"The unity of all Kingdoms."

Daehyun closed his eyes as he sighed.

"Correct."

"That is the will from our ancestors, passed on through generations."

Daehyun's tired eyes stared blankly at the window, the sun shining brightly at the sky. The eyes that once shined now looked empty, a little bit lost.

Once upon a time, a man called Il Daehyun shone brightly like the sun.

He strived the hardest and dreamt the farthest.

Between the two students of Lee Wong, Daehyun was always the one who excelled. The one who always succeeded.

Many people praised him, acknowledged him, and idolized him.

People say he was destined for greatness, that he would be the one to unify all kingdoms.

That made the burden on his shoulders heavier.

All the expectations that the people voiced out made him insecure of himself. Made him scared of not meeting these presumptions.

It made him want to run away, to leave everything behind.

But he couldn't, they won't let him even if he tried.

He had white hair that was passed down from each generation, the one who bears it will naturally rule the kingdom.

He just couldn't.

One day, he ran away for a while. He laid on the grass as he watched the clouds, his thoughts running wild.

Today was the day he would meet his betrothed. The treasured princess of the Xu Kingdom, the land of the bravest warriors.

He wondered if the woman would be all muscular. Would she be feminine? Would she act like one of those barbarians?

He laughed thinking about a woman as big as a gorilla.

"What are you laughing about?"

He suddenly jumped from his place, leaping away as he held his dagger on his hand.

He saw a cloaked figure sitting above the place he once laid. He abruptly became vigilant.

He did not even hear a single rustle nor sensed this person's presence. That frightened him greatly.

He growled, glaring at the figure.

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

The figure froze. Then slowly relaxed.

"Me?"

As the figure stood, the wind blew.

The hood on the figure's head flew with the wind.

Long black ebony hair danced with the cold breeze. the figure had soft features-with flushed cheeks and rosy lips, Daehyun realized it was a woman.

The woman looked at him with her deep blue eyes reminding him of the ocean.

"I'm Xu Hae Gi."

Daehyun's eyes widened as he heard the name. That is-

The woman suddenly laughed, her voice twinkling like bell chimes. With a smile on her face, she said.

"I've come to fetch my betrothed."

After that day, he did not miss even a single moment that they could possibly meet. He was full of vigor, strongly pursuing the woman he fell in love with.

It made him confident, it made everything happier.

He almost cried with joy the moment they married.

He remembered the promise he made. The vow he promised not to break.

'I vow to love you and only you, I will not mistreat you. I will be filial to you and will treat you like my one and only treasure. I will always make you happy. The day that I make you cry is the day that I'll die. I swear on my life as Il Dae Hyun, the future Emperor of the Il Kingdom.'

And also the first vow he broke.

He couldn't think rationally at that time. He couldn't see nor hear what was happening. The only thing that he knew, was that Hae Gi was with another man.

Overcome with his emotions and insecurities, he used another to inflict pain, to trigger jealousy.

Again, the gravest mistake he made and his greatest regret.

The moment he knew the truth, it was too late.

He knew that she was gone, she did not love him anymore.

But he couldn't help but hope. He still loves her, he couldn't let her go.

He wanted to hold her in his arms, be with her as they raised their baby. He thought it would be easy.

But once he stepped into power, he realized that he had too many enemies to count.

He did not have any power. The officials do.

He did not have any riches. The nobles do.

He was reminded of his teacher, the man who stood in front of the battlefield and also the man who stood in front of the court, facing these enemies.

He recalled a memory of him asking why was his teacher leaving the palace.

It was after the civil war that his teacher decided to leave. He was angry back then. He felt like his teacher was abandoning his students, he and Yoonjae. But his teacher only looked at them with a solemn gaze.

"You both, heed my words. Our enemies are closer than we think."

Daehyun regretted not heeding his teacher's warnings. He now knew that inside the boundaries of this kingdom, a war was taking place.

A war that he had to win, to protect his loved ones.

This continued year after year, the cold war inside the palace. He fought and fought and fought until he could.

But now the fatigue was catching up to him.

Yet he still stood strong. For the people, for the country.

His eyes blurred as tears threatened to fall.

For Hae Gi, and for his son.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you both."

Minjoon froze hearing his father's deep voice.

He looked at his father facing away from him, he couldn't see the expression on the man's face.

But Minjoon knew deep in his heart that this father of his, who was still lacking in every sense, who made their lives harder than it should be, was still the same man who he believed in when he was young.

And despite all the things that this man had done, he still protected them against the horrors of the world using his own special means and ways.

The old man made him realize that.

And he was thankful. Because without all the people around him, he wouldn't change. To change for the better, and to let go of that obsession, the same obsession that ruined every emperor of the Kingdom.

Daehyun saw Minjoon standing up from the corner of his eyes.

"It's alright, father."

His hands on his side, he stood straight.

"Instead, I would like to thank you."

With a bow, Minjoon replied.

"Thank you for everything."

All of a sudden, the tears that Daehyun was trying to withhold, the tears that he was restraining, fell down like a stream.

At last, both father and son knew.

All the questions, hesitations, doubt, problems were now answered. All uncertainty cleared away.

At last, they both realized.

That the house they thought was only a simple abode to live in, was now a home that they could happily and peacefully live in.