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Within the depths of the Demonic Sect lies a vast garden with beautiful flowers and a relaxing atmosphere unlike the fearsome members. A breeze unusual during the hot summer softly rocks the bright green leaves of the trees.
As the setting sun dyes the scenery bright orange, a couple’s steady footsteps meet the grey ground.
“Ryeon, can I ask you something?” Lihwa’s soft voice interrupts the comfortable silence between her and her fiancé. Her ocean blue eyes glance up to his, ever so calm as he responds.
“Of course.”
“Were you cute as a baby?”
Despite the rather oddness in her question, Wuryeon smiles. “I’m not sure.”
“I’m sure you were”, Lihwa mumbles as though she already knew the answer to her own question. Considering how pretty he was as a kid and how handsome he is now, he must’ve been really adorable.
Her lover lightly squeezes her hand that has been resting in his. “Well, I’m sure I wasn’t as cute as you.”
“That’s quite rich coming from you considering how you treated me like the last dirt on earth.”
Wuryeon doesn’t respond. For a brief second, Lihwa feels as though she sees puppy dog ears on his hair lowering themselves in resignation.
“Don’t worry about it”, she giggles. As her fingers intertwine into his, she continues, “I know why you were like that, so you don’t need to apologise.”
“Although I couldn’t admit it back then, I did think you were cute back then”, Wuryeon remarks. “You’re adorable now, too.”
Another gentle breeze wraps the engaged couple. Wuryeon leans forward, his breath grazing Lihwa’s ear and causing them to pause their walk. As though he has read her thoughts, Wuryeon whispers, “I’m sure our child would be cute as well.”
After straightening himself up, he peeks at the flushed Lihwa before grinning. “I do hope they’ll take after you though.”
Not being able to refute anything, Lihwa glares at the man who sees through her like clear water. “I’d rather they look like both of us.”
“Hmm…” For a moment, Wuryeon lets the thought wander his mind before replying. “That would be pleasing as well. But I still prefer for them to resemble you more than me. I’m sure Master would like another child like you again.”
“I doubt papa cares about that. He’d cherish the child either way.”
Wuryeon shrugs. “So will I. But it’d definitely be nice to have another energetic girl roam through the Demonic Sect like you did.”
Lihwa plops her chin between her index finger and thumb as she ponders again. “If she takes after me, it definitely won’t be boring.”
“Perhaps she also will go around the Sect and solve every problem.”
“Hey, I didn’t solve every problem.”
“…”
“Okay, perhaps a lot but not every single one.”
“…”
Seeing as Wuryeon isn’t convinced, Lihwa clears her throat and changes the topic. “It’d be nice if they take a little bit after you as well. If it’s a boy, he’ll definitely be as handsome and smart as you. Oh, but I hope he won’t be as rude as you were.”
“I wasn’t that bad. Zero was much worse than me. Besides, I was kind towards my parents.”
Yeah, I know. As Lihwa recalls the intense love towards his parents that was described in the novel, she remarks, “Then at least he’ll be good to us if he takes after you.”
Now that Lihwa reflects the original novel’s content, very little was revealed about how Wuryeon lived his first years with his parents. Of course, they cherished him dearly and she knows that the little content must’ve partially been due to the hidden truth of the Blood Sect, but she still harbours a little curiosity towards her lover’s first years. During their childhood, she couldn’t bear to ask about his parents since she, too, assumed her father was their murderer.
But now the misunderstanding has long been cleared up and the true enemy, Sura, has died. Lihwa knows that his parents remain a big part of Wuryeon’s identity. Naturally, she wants to know more about them. Her sapphire eyes cross his obsidian eyes. Their walk resumes after coming to a silent agreement.
Wuryeon is the one to break the silence between them this time. “How come you were curious about a future child?”
“You remember how I tried on wedding dresses a few weeks ago?”
“I do. I also remember you refusing to tell me what the dresses looked like.”
Lihwa rolls her eyes at the last sentence. “Seoryeong mentioned that she wanted to take care of our baby as its nanny.” She smiles as she recalls her nanny.
“So that’s why you were curious about what a future child may look like.” Lihwa nods before taking another peek at her calm lover. She gathers all the courage inside of her, before opening her mouth.
“Ryeon, how did you live with your parents?”
“We lived in seclusion on a mountain”, Wuryeon says. “My father said he built our house before my birth. My mother…wasn’t the best cook.”
Lihwa immediately filters out Wuryeon’s polite tone into the truth. “Was she that bad?”
“My father was worried I’d lose my taste buds.”
His lover can’t help but let out a quiet snicker. “Well, you definitely didn’t inherit your awesome cooking skills from your mother.”
“My mother was kind in her own way. Whenever the winter creaked even into my father’s barrier, my mother would carve wooden necklaces and put her qi into them to keep us warm.”
Lihwa feigns surprise as best as she can. After all, she already knew his mother used to make those. “Oh! Like the necklace you gave me for my ninth birthday?”
Wuryeon nods. “My father was always energetic. Master was dragged by my father around our home as he liked.”
“Hehe, I can’t even imagine that.” Lihwa laughs like she didn’t drag her lover around dozens of times in their childhood. “You know, now I would really like to see your old home as well.”
“I’m sure it’s destroyed beyond recognition.”
“Then, I’d like to see the remnants of your old home”, Lihwa corrects herself.
Wuryeon watches his lover’s eyes, sparkling with curiosity. There’s no way he won’t give into her request if she yearns for it so badly. “If you want, we can visit the mountain.”
“Really?” Like a flower having received sunlight, Lihwa’s lips blooms into a precious smile.
“But I’m not sure if the visit will live up to your expectations.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. Just seeing the place you grew up in will be satisfying to me.”
The sun has not reached the highest point in the sky when Wuryeon and Lihwa arrive at the nameless mountain. After jumping from one tree to the other, the two of them eventually get to the ground, its surface grown with grass and flowers. Wuryeon carefully dusts off any dirt from Lihwa’s clothes and hair before doing so for himself. Then, they resume their way on the ground.
“We aren’t far away from my old home now.”
“That’s good to hear.”
It is a peaceful mountain and Lihwa feels the comforting nature in each of her steps. Aside from the chirping of the birds, she can make out the sound of a streaming river nearby and concludes it must have once served as Wuryeon’s family’s source of clean water.
She glances around, taking in as much of the scenery as she can and trying to capture every rustling the wind makes.
“There isn’t anything special here.”
Lihwa simply smiles. “But it still used to be your home, right? That makes it special for you, and therefore for me, too.”
After a light giggle from her, Wuryeon responds, “Hwa, do you know you’re being really cute right now?”
She slightly tilts her head in bewilderment. “I’m not doing anything though?”
Like the leaves that lower themselves to the earth, Wuryeon lowers his head until he is eye to eye with his lover. As their slow steps come to a halt, Wuryeon taps his forehead against Lihwa’s. The latter stares the former deep in the eyes, awaiting his response.
But, before he does that, he places his lips against hers. “You’re simply always cute”, he mutters underneath her lips, his breath tickling her.
“Geez, you’re being unnecessarily silly right now”, Lihwa sighs with a smile.
“It’s not my fault you’re so adorable.” Wuryeon rises again and reaches his hand out to Lihwa. “Come, let’s go. I’ll show you where our house used to be.”
His fiancée beams and grabs his hand. “Yeah, let’s go!”
With that, the two of them continue walking through the otherwise quiet mountain. It doesn’t take long for them to reach Wuryeon’s previous home.
“My father used to take me around on walks here”, he explains and waves his hand around the green landscape. “I think he cast an illusion spell somewhere around here as well.”
“That makes sense. Did you chase after butterflies as a kid?”
“No, I was a well behaved kid unlike you.”
Lihwa brushes his sarcastic words aside and looks around. “And your house used to be around here?”
“Yeah, it was…” Wuryeon pauses. His lover follows his gaze and realises why he stopped talking.
A few steps in front of them is what used to be Wuryeon’s home. The house out of wood has been torn apart into little, now decaying pieces all across the ground. Twenty years have passed since he left the mountain and his parents died. Their corpses have long since returned to the earth and the grass has regrown all over them.
“The Blood Sect Leader must have let his anger out after I disappeared”, he murmurs frowning.
Like a possessed man, he inches closer to the remnants and crouches to one of the many pieces of ruined wood. For what almost feels like an eternity, he stares at what used to be a piece of his cherished memories.
A cold hand wraps his shoulder, releasing him from his daze. Looking up, he sees long, black hair and worried, blue eyes.
“You made him pay for what he did.”
As he feels her cool skin comforting the burning rage inside him, he puts his hand on hers. “I know.”
Carefully, his lover watches him collect himself and lets go of his shoulder once he stands up. “…Our house was small but cozy.”
He glances around before nodding to one of the places with the most wood. “My room used to be there. I often fell asleep in my father’s arms while he chatted with Master and would wake up in my room in the morning.”
Lihwa takes a look at the ground. Maybe it is due to her lover’s calm words, but she can almost imagine his little self getting carried in his bed by his father. And, perhaps for that very same reason, she can imagine him doing the same thing for their future child.
Although that’s still far away, she quickly reminds herself and shakes her head as a ping of embarrassment hits her. She nods for Wuryeon to continue talking.
Due to remembering every single moment since he was born, he has no troubles recalling his memories of his past. “It took Master a lot of time and begging from my father to even pat my head. Naturally, his touch was awkward.”
Lihwa grins. “That sounds just like papa.”
Wuryeon points to various parts of what was once his beloved home and tells of his very first years. How he learned his first steps while gripping tightly onto his father’s hands, how his mother would spend every morning combing through his hair — as curly as his father’s of course, how he would roam through the grass and get himself incredibly dirty, how he would sneak into his parents’ room after a silly nightmare…Lihwa intently takes in every single word of the man dearest to her heart.
“Whenever my mother performed her sword dance…”, Wuryeon continues and steps to the pieces of wood. “…my father, Master and I would watch on the porch right here.”
Following him, Lihwa smells the old wood and its memories. The sun has long gone past its highest point, dying the landscape a soft ombré of orange to purple and leaving a nostalgic feeling in Wuryeon as his memories continue to fill his mind. His fiancée turns to look at him, whose Adam’s apple is trembling with emotion. Her gaze wanders from his neck, to the beauty mark and reaches the eyes above it. “That must’ve been mesmerising.”
Wuryeon, too, takes his black eyes away from the ruins to stare at Lihwa. Despite everything, her love and sympathy for him are like sunbeams comforting him after a rainy day, making it possible for him to continue moving forward in his present.
“Do you want to see what my mother’s dance might have looked like?” He gently smiles, ready to lay down all of him for her.
As surprise and curiosity washes over Lihwa’s eyes, he already feels rewarded by her like a little boy receiving a good grade in school.
“I can’t promise I’ll be as good as her though.”
Knowing full well how perfect he is at everything he does, Lihwa snorts in response. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine. It’s been ages since I’ve seen you sword dance, as well.”
Following her confident smile, Lihwa plops down on the fresh grass and suggests for him to go ahead.
Wuryeon, too, smiles gently before unsheathing the sword on his waist. He walks to an empty spot – the very same one where he watched his mother swing her sword each time. Behind him are the wooden remnants of his past and in front of him is Cheon Lihwa of his present and future.
He sharply inhales before thrusting his sword into the sky, now filled with twinkling stars. Each of his swings cut through the air and his sword leaves sparkles everywhere. As though he gained wings, he jumps with the moonlit sword in his hand. There is no way he would forget a step, for his mother’s sword dance has been so deeply engraved in the heart to the point that he even felt its familiarity while having lost his memories in the Blood Sect. Each angle, each thrust, each turn will never be forgotten by him just like the love of his parents.
As Lihwa watches his movements getting faster and faster, it feels as though his sword tore through time itself. Even though her knowledge is limited by the novel and his tales, she can almost see his mother dancing just as gracefully twenty years ago. Each of his steps and swings are performed like a mystical being.
At the very same time she remembers the novel’s content. How, in another life, Wuryeon performed that very same dance in the Demonic Sect drunk. With tears soaking his cheeks, he leapt through the air like the lonesome man he was.
The full moon gleams on him now as well, but his expression is not a tormented one. His obsidian eyes are closed and only the intense feeling of relief burns within him. Having fulfilled his parents’ revenge over a year ago has released him from the painful past and lets him accept the past as a beautiful part of him he now can share with Lihwa.
Likewise, Lihwa now can see his past that shaped him to who he is now.
Once he finishes, Wuryeon lowers his sword and opens his eyes to meet Lihwa’s.
His lips curl up into a bright smile, the same way the sun rises after each dark night.
“That was awesome, Ryeon!” Lihwa lifts herself up from the ground and dashes to him. Wuryeon sheathes his sword again, before accepting his fiancée’s embrace and lifting her into the air. Her arms swing around his neck as she cheerfully remarks, “I could watch your dance forever.”
Wuryeon nuzzles his head into her shoulder, taking in her sweet scent. “I’m glad you liked it.”
As his warm touch meets her cold neck, she lightly giggles at the tickling sensation. His hands around her hips continue to keep her in the air while he softly places kisses on her neck and lips. Like little spells, he casts them carefully on her, who continues giggling at the warmth of his lips.
The white moon softly embraces the lovers, letting them glow within the darkness.
“Ryeon, thank you for showing me your old home”, she says underneath his soft lips. Wuryeon simply nuzzles his nose into her cheek.
“Are you listening?”
“Mhm”, he hums against her skin.
“No, you’re not.”
“Hmm…”
Lihwa sighs. “Ryeon, even if it takes a lot of time to get to that point, I want us to be just as loving to our child as your parents were to you.” Putting her embarrassment aside, those are her true feelings. Far off in the future, she’d like for her and Wuryeon to have a family just as loving and caring. Just like she wanted a family in her past life and Wuryeon found comfort in his parents’ love, she wants to make a family with him to pour their love into.
“Don’t worry, Hwa”, Wuryeon replies after breaking his kisses to look at the mess that is his lover.
“Hm?”
“As soon as I'm able to, I’ll make sure it won’t take long.”
Lihwa stares at him silently with widened eyes. He grins mischievously as he continues.
“I’ll try my hardest to ensure it is a girl as well.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I mean it. Just leave everything to me.”
The embarrassment Lihwa carefully tucked away is now erupting in her and her face is turning bright red as a result. Wuryeon’s all telling eyes pierce right through her, only emphasising his intentions. Now his fiancée is the one to bury herself into his neck, trying to hide her red face.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself…”, she mutters.
Wuryeon roars with laughter. The light sound swiftly washes away the annoyance Lihwa felt just a moment ago. “I’m not the one who talked about loving a child we haven’t even tried to conceive.”
“Ugh…let’s just set up a camp for the night and go home tomorrow…”
“Sure, in a moment.” Wuryeon readjusts his grip on Lihwa. “I’d like for us to stay like this a bit longer.”