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you don't even know where you were leading but one thing was sure now: you were a traveler, a wanderer, a being without any clear destination.
You were actually following an older paved road in a forest. different kinds of signs indicate a sort of mountain of gods. The forest starts to become darker and darker as you end up near some stairways and you think that it is a good time to start putting up your camp. You will be rested and ready to brave any number of steps those stairs have for you. And if it's a Divin mountain, maybe there will be a temple on top of it, temples are always beautiful whatever their state.
Once your camp is in place, you add some string with bells around it. It wasn't the best alarm system and defense you can have but at least you weren't without anything. And if something happens, you still have your sword and bow.
It took you time to fall asleep in your hammock but you finally let the sleep take you into an amazing dream. You weren't able to tell the time you woke up but it was still the night when you woke up. There were no sounds around you, no owl, no wind moving a few leaves, no animal scratching the floor or trees' bark. By concentrating a little more you can hear a soft crackling, maybe from your fire since you can see the inside of your tent. you were sure you extinguished it before sleeping. Then the time seems to stop, like a river meeting a barrage as a voice appears. A sweet voice singing slowly a delightful song with melancholic lyrics.
You put your head out of the tent to see who was singing
"Who's here?"
the song stops and you meet the dark yellow eyes of a man sitting next to your fire. He smiles at you with his lips closed
"Come, come close to me"
Slowly but carefully you do as he said. his dark hair was messy and shoulder-length. his hanbok was as dark as his hair and had some reddish-orange pattern on it like strips. You can see his fine face under but also see some bandage on his neck that some bangs badly hide. Your mind wonders what could have happened to him.
"Right, Eolssu, a little bit more" You end up sitting next to him" Yes, this is great. Dear fearless traveler at this night, please listen to me for a moment. Drink a cup of water with the leaves floating and take a break here"
he pours you a cup of tea and lends it to you. The leaves inside slowly sink into the hot liquid as it change color. Was it his camp or yours? you don't even know but does that matter?
"I am a young man who just turned 21 this year, who died bluff that I could hunt a tiger. With this miserable grief, I can’t cross styx. Oh! my dear, won’t you help me?"
For a reason, you nod to his pleading.
"This is great, you are great. Let’s dance a shoulder dance with me!"
He suddenly stands up and you do the same after realizing what he asks. His hands are positioned in the right place like yours. You don't even know how to dance but your feet seem to move by themselves like they practice this dance every day. All around the fire, entwined, both of you move in a captivating way.
"Let’s dance on this night until you lose your mind. Let’s dance right under the teeth of the mountain god"
he slows and takes your cheek in a hand, forcing you to look into his ensorcelling eyes reflecting the fire inside them.
"Let me see how strong your life thread be. Let me see how long your pretty life thread be"
Goes from a bright yellow to a cursed dark color as his voice speeds up.
"Between the trees, there is a bear ghost"
you feel something pushing you when the animal growls echo all around you. The man takes advantage of your confusion to go behind you, his cold chest against your back.
"Beyond the sky, there is a phoenix" he lifts your head toward the starry sky "Behind the traveler..."
His voice ended up like a whisper like he didn't wish to finish his sentence. Still behind you, his hand still holding your neck to make you face the silhouette of the mountain cut through the light of the moon.
"What a shining bright full moon." his voice sounded nostalgic before gaining energy" Behold, now the greatest tiger is coming down to this whispering mountain"
he goes back in front of you and puts his hand in its first position before starting again the dance.
"This is great. Eo-jeol-ssigu, this is great! Let’s dance a shoulder dance, let’s dance "
Keeping the dance for a moment, he brings his lips closer to your neck. his cold breaths on your skin make you shiver.
"Show us some of your pitiful tricks"
His tone scares you, sounding more intimated than before and you try to get out of his clutch on you. His arms hold you more and more as you feel him smile between your head and shoulder
"Now this will be your grave. Don't worry my dear, I'll be waiting for you in the underworld"
A cold draught invades you as he bites you. His teeth were sharp as fangs and seek easily inside your flesh.
"This illusion night will disappear when you open your eyes. Now from this haunted path, I’ll take you to the mountain god"
The river of time destroys the barrage and your trance at the same time his lips meet yours.
Birds chirping wake you up. The fabrics of the tent filter the sunlight while you start getting ready. Once your stuff is packed and your breakfast is taken, you begin taking the stairs, humming a delightful song with melancholic lyrics, thinking how long you haven't seen your family and maybe you should go see them.