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“There is a tale regarding the monster that lives in the forest nearby. Every two weeks, a group of villagers would walk through in a daze, as if to search for this monster dwelling within. Nobody knows what exactly settles within, nor have anyone seen this monster that haunts the forest. A week would pass yet there would be no signs of these missing villagers. Search parties were sent to search for them, only to come back with no clues of their disappearance but as if by magic, these villagers would return in one piece after a month and go back to their daily lives. They showed no signs of manipulation or disruption after coming back but rumours say they traded something precious to have their wish granted-”
Joonghyuk scowled at the foolish tale and stormed off in annoyance. If anyone were to believe that rubbish, he would love to remove their head from their torso. Rushing off to search for an inn, he realised he came at the wrong possible time too: there was a Flower Festival going on and the streets were filled with residents chatting away and children jumping around with joy. The man was about to have a splitting headache from all the noise and colour erupting around him. Fortunately, an inn came into view and Joonghyuk hurriedly pushed through the doors and asked to stay for a few nights. Sighing, he entered his room and placed his inventory and scabbard on the table before collapsing onto the bed face first, his black coat fluttering from the fall. Joonghyuk recalled what the old storyteller had said about the group of villagers that would disappear and come back after a month or so. He was actually sent to this village to investigate this incident but so far, he had found absolutely nothing. The rubbish the old storyteller told was equally useless, no evidence could be gathered from an old tale passed down from generation to generation. But Joonghyuk didn’t want to give up just yet. He checked the clock hanging on the wall and watched the hands slowly rotate and decided to rest until it was a better time to investigate…
Nightfall came and Joonghyuk placed a hand on the handle of his sword worn at his waist, his sharp gaze sweeping the streets and alleyways but nothing looked out of place. After finding nothing useful in the last few hours of searching, he grumbled on his way back to the inn. Just as he was about to enter the building, his ears picked up the sound of voices talking in hushed tones. The owners of the voices sounded really young but what really piqued his interest was the fact they were talking about a forest. To be more specific, the forest neighbouring this village. Joonghyuk hid in the shadows and listened in to their conversation but it was cut short as they stopped in front of a dimly lit house and knocked on the auburn door. A beautiful woman with her hair tied up in a bun peeked through the gap and widened her eyes as she spoke in panic,
“Yoosung, Gilyoung, what are you doing this late?! Quick, come in, come in!” The man still lurked in the shadows as he watched the woman rush the children inside. After a while, they were joined with other people as they left the building with cautious eyes and moved hastily out of the village. Joonghyuk raised an eyebrow and gripped his sword handle: this was a new lead. He followed them and ducked behind buildings to hide his presence as the group quietly ran out of the village and through the forest entrance, the darkness engulfing them one by one. It was almost the same tale the old man told but the mentions of this so-called monster was most definitely a lie. He chased after them and listened to their footsteps as they strayed away from the path and ventured into the denser part of the forest.
“Heewon unnie, do you think he’ll be there? He didn’t appear the last time we came…”
“Let’s hope he is… he should be around since he takes care of Biyoo but once we arrive, he always disappears.” A few sighs were heard from the group.
“You know how he is.”
“Hey uh, you guys go on ahead without me, I lost something just then.”
“Are you sure Sooyoung? Do you want us to wait for you?” Silence.
“Be careful then, remember the path to take.”
“Just go on ahead, don’t keep him waiting for too long.” The group left and the person named Sooyoung was left behind. “Do you want to come out now, Joonghyuk?” The man’s face darkened and slipped from the shadows, his hand ready to pull out his weapon. This woman was strange. Even in a dangerous situation, she had a smile plastered on her small face and her eyes glowed like cat’s. She might be dressed as a villager, but something about her seemed off as she leaned on one leg. “Yoo Joonghyuk, sent to this village on a mission by the King to investigate the case about these missing villagers. Am I correct?” His eyebrow twitched but didn’t say a word. He didn’t want to kill this suspicious person but just how much did they know?
“Seeing how you know about my mission, tell me. Who the hell are you?” He gritted his teeth and slowly pulled his sword from the scabbard, the blade gleaming in the moonlight yet Sooyoung was still unfazed by his threatening aura.
“Remember the Dame sent on this very same mission?” She smirked and folded her arms. “I was that Dame, ever since I left my post to live in this quiet village, I realised the hell I experienced in the capital. This place is kind of nice, you know: desolate and far from the King’s reach. Away from his corrupted influence.” The Dame was rumoured to be dead when they never returned back to the Kingdom but the truth was right in front of him. They were alive and breathing and living a life amongst the poor.
“ Tsk . You betrayed our King to live with these people? What kind of Dame are you?”
“Now, now. I shouldn’t be staying here any longer, the others will get worried otherwise. It was nice talking to you, bye bye~.” She grinned and darted away, her figure disappearing as the tree branches snapped back and blocked Joonghyuk from chasing after her. He cursed in anger and ran his hand through his hair. This was getting difficult but he didn’t want to stop here just because a Dame like Sooyoung was around. He needed to kill this monster for the safety of the country. He ended up aimlessly searching in the dark, with no guide to lead him to the villager’s camp. He soon entered a hidden area and saw a cosy cottage standing underneath the moonlight, a willow tree swaying in the breeze next to the glowing lake just nearby. Fireflies lit up Joonghyuk’s path as he cautiously walked up towards the building but there were no signs of life at all. Was this just his imagination? It wasn’t: rustling was heard behind him and he swung his sword, expecting to slice through something or collide with another weapon. What he didn’t expect was a clawed hand clutching the sword, the blade struggling to cut through the rough palm. The monster didn’t reveal itself from the shadows but spoke casually,
“Who are you to enter my territory? Are you with the people who arrived earlier?” Joonghyuk gripped his sword tightly and pulled back, dirt flying from his jump. The claw shrunk back and vanished; Joonghyuk could vaguely sense his presence but he didn’t want to blindly swing his sword and hope to hit it. He had to wait for the right moment to strike.
“Where are you keeping them.” A command.
“‘Them’? Ha, you still have yet to answer my question.” A flash of pure white and a sound of flapping wings. Joonghyuk looked up and saw it, the monster from the tales. It looked like any other human as it wore a white coat over a shirt, its skin pale and hair black. It bore a mask over its face but Joonghyuk could see the galaxy within its eyes from underneath. It could’ve easily blended with humans if it weren’t for the pair of wings behind him; black feathers floated downwards and one landed on Joonghyuk’s head but he kept eye contact with the monster. The galaxy-eyes shimmered and widened as the monster landed on the ground.
“You- aren’t you Yoo Joonghyuk? Why are you here?!” It exclaimed in surprise. The man squinted his eyes in confusion. This whole thing was irritating: first was Sooyoung and now it was this monster who apparently knew him. He jumped forward - while the monster was distracted - and swung his blade diagonally, the blade grazing the mask as the monster propelled itself backwards with its wings. They both stopped in their movements and just watched one another, the atmosphere tense. Joonghyuk smirked and relaxed, putting his sword back in its scabbard. The mask slowly cracked and the pieces disintegrated, the particles fading as the man took this opportunity to inspect the monster’s face but was taken aback: it had long eyelashes, soft looking lips and a beautifully constructed face. And it was strangely familiar. It stared at him with a shocked expression and without answering, it flew off and slipped back to the shadows.
“Where have I seen you before?” Joonghyuk muttered in a daze. He had forgotten about the missions assigned to him: he only wanted to know the monster’s real identity. Joonghyuk took a deep breath and fell to the ground, admiring the moon with half lidded eyes. He had discovered a few secrets but none of them truly explained the reason why these villagers were sneaking out in the middle of the night nor did it explain why a beauty was hiding in such a forest. After picking himself up, he scanned the small place and noticed a wall of vines covering a tunnel entrance just behind the cottage, which led deeper into the area. And this tunnel? It led to a clearing this time, the field of green dotted with colours of the rainbow and the group of villagers he was supposed to follow, were playing around with a small… ball? He didn’t try to hide his presence anymore and strutted towards them, tired of this whole chaotic mess.
“Baat!” A fluff ball flew over to him and hugged his face, startling Joonghyuk.
“It seems like you’ve found your way over here, Joonghyuk. Thank goodness you didn’t get lost” Sooyoung called out in a teasing manner. He looked over to the group and some familiar faces greeted him. He recognised Jihye and Hyungsung among the villagers and even saw Seolhwa in the distance talking with another woman. They were the people sent out by the King months ago until they did the same thing as Sooyoung and stayed in the village. “Did you not come with Dokja? I made sure you’d at least meet him. Though I may have forgotten to tell him about that...” Joonghyuk glared at her with displeasure.
“Who is this Dokja you speak of? Is he the monster that everyone talks about?” Silence washed over them as they gawked at him.
“Hyung isn’t a monster!” A boy yelled out, his fists shaking as a girl tried to calm him down. Sooyoung stepped up and spoke for the boy.
“Dokja is a human like any of us. He is no monster, Joonghyuk.”
“Then tell me, what was it I fought at the cottage?” Sooyoung had to hold a hand out to stop the other villagers from strangling the man.
“That was Dokja. Oh, and speak of the devil.” She waved at the figure behind Joonghyuk and turned around to give the two of them space to talk, rushing over to where Seolhwa and another woman were. “Sangah~!” Joonghyuk glanced at Dokja cautiously. He still couldn’t pick out why he looked so familiar.
“Joonghyuk, is that really you? Are you still the same person I know?” He softly whispered to the Knight but there were no signs of recognition. “Ah, I guess it’s the King’s work again. Hold still.” As Dokja reached forward with his right hand, Joonghyuk flinched and was about to hit his hand away but stopped himself. There was a warmth he never felt before and his buried memories were brought back to the surface. He stumbled and fell on one knee, holding his head.
“D- Dokja… you're Kim Dokja from when I was little? At the Flower Festival?” Joonghyuk asked with a wince and Doka's face finally brightened with his wings ruffling behind him. He held a hand out.
“It's nice to have you back, sunfish.” Joonghyuk blinked and tackled him in a hug, smiling for the first time ever.
“I missed you, I missed you, I really missed you.” They both fell to the ground with a burst of laughter, staying in the hug for a long time until someone interrupted with a cough. Sangah with an apologetic smile and Sooyoung with a cheeky grin: their reunion had to be shortened. This wasn’t the end just yet, they still had to defeat one more enemy. The Knight and the monster looked at one another and nodded with determination. The King had to be killed…