Chronicles of Hero Chapter 3 : An Old book Found deep inside Louyang Royal Tomb.

[Bloodbane]

Munak sat near a lake, brushing out her long silken black that usually hung down her back in a braid. Tomorrow was her wedding day, and she was determined for everything to be as perfect as possible. The groom-to-be, Bongun, had been her friend since childhood. Although she knew that any marriage without the consent of family or friends would not be absolutely wonderful, Munak was trying her best to make sure the wedding would run smoothly. Staring out at the great blue expanse of water, she sighed, wondering how she had ended up in such a predicament.

?Munak! Munak!? a seven-year-old Bongun ran towards her.

?Bongun??

?My cousin?s getting married!? he smiled at her with wide eyes.

?Married? What?s that?? she had heard the word before, but didn?t know the meaning.

?It?s when two people who really like each other agree to stay with each other forever,? Bongun recited. ?At least, that?s what mother told me.?

They sat together in silence for a while, pondering the importance of such an agreement. Suddenly, Bongun jumped up.

?Hey, Munak, will you marry me??

?What?? the question caught Munak by surprise.

?Well?we both really like each other, and I wouldn?t mind being with you forever,? Bongun reasoned.

She thought for a while, seeing the logic behind his words. ??Sure!? she beamed.

Munak laughed bitterly as she reflected on her past. If only marriage was that simple. No, there were always complications and obstacles in the path of true love. She?d learned that lesson when she was of age for marriage.

?Munak, dear?? her mother?s voice came from behind the locked door.

Ignoring her, Munak flopped upon her silken sheets and sobbed into her pillow. Even though she was sixteen, she thought it perfectly reasonable to throw a tantrum, considering the circumstances. She had been promised to marry Hyegun, a complete stranger. True, she had met him once at a feast his parents held, but they had not spoken, and she still barely even knew the man. What?s worse, there were rumors in the village that his father dabbled in sorcery.

?Munak, honey,? the placating voice spoke again. How she hated that voice! ?Munak, Hyegun?s parents are wealthy and prestigious. Hyegun is also kind and will treat you fairly. He will take good care of you.?

?But I don?t want Hyegun!? she screamed in retaliation. ?I don?t want to marry him! I don?t love him! I love Bongun!?

The voice went silent, and Munak heard her mother?s footsteps retreating into the distance. Tears streaming down her face, she quietly slipped out the back door and ran blindly towards the clearing where she and Bongun met many times before.

?Munak??

She turned around, looking him in the eyes. Bongun had grown over the years, and was no longer a cheerful, bright young child, but a tall and mature young man.

?Munak, what?s wrong?? he asked, holding her steady.

?My parents,? she gasped for breath. ?They want to marry me off?to Hyegun!? she felt him stiffen.

?Munak.? He gazed into her eyes. ?Munak, do you love me??

?Of course!? she answered.

?Then?? he interlaced his fingers with hers. ?Run away with me.?

Looking into his onyx eyes, Munak found assurance and confidence. ?Okay.?

And that, Munak reflected, had been that. They escaped in the dark of night from their hometown of Payon, and fled to Louyang, where they now resided. She prayed that they would be able to live together, happily ever after.

Hyegun covered his face with his hands. This was not what he had intended. He had known, from the moment he set his eyes on Munak at the feast his parents had held, that he was in love. He would never be able to settle for any other but his precious Munak. His eyes darkened as Hyegun recalled her parents? refusal to marry her off. ?She loves someone else,? they had said. ?Bongun is the one she should marry.? They had been stubborn to the end, succumbing only under his father?s enchantments. However, he had not foreseen Munak?s refusal and flight. Instead, he selfishly clung to the idea of their wedding until he was blind to her opinions and wills.

?So,? he thought scornfully. ?This is love. Being unable to think of anything else, acting foolishly and rashly in order to get what you want,? Hyegun sighed. ?And look where that?s gotten me.?

Munak had run away, with Bongun, and would probably marry him. Munak?s parents had their souls broken, and the villagers would begin a mass hysteria the moment they found out. And Hyegun?s father was furious that Munak rejected his son, and was devising methods to exact revenge. Hyegun had protested after realizing the error of his ways, claiming that he wanted nothing more than Munak?s happiness. But his father had been insistent. Now, because of Hyegun?s own folly, Munak and Bongun might be doomed to an eternity of suffering! Quickly pulling on a light yellow Payon robe, Hyegun set out, determined to right his wrongs. He would find Munak and Bongun, warn them of the impeding danger caused by his father, beg for forgiveness from Munak, and then?and then he would fade away from her life, until Hyegun became an obscure name in her memory, hazy and forgotten.

Munak shivered as a chilly gust of wind blew her hair in her face. Louyang was a lot colder than Payon, she realized with a sudden nostalgia. Payon had been warm and sunny, unlike the breezier and cold Louyang, and the people she had left behind were ones that she had known for her entire life. Realizing that the wedding would start soon, Munak walked to the church where she changed into a pure white gown, complete with lacy gloves and a shimmering veil. Bongun and Munak had both come from well-off families in Payon, and before they left, they brought with them their considerable allowances amassed over the years. All their zeny combined should be able to last them a few months, more than enough time for Bongun to find a job. After putting on her veil, Munak brushed some hair out of her face; the rest was bound in a traditional daenggie. It would be a small wedding, with only the groom, the bride, the priest, and a few new friends in Louyang. Not many people knew them anyway. The priest?s wife whispered in her ear, ?It?s time.? Munak rose, and gracefully pushed on the great double doors where her love stood at the altar, waiting for her.

Bongun?s breath caught as Munak entered the room. Her eyes flickered to his face, and any doubts about running away he had previously harbored immediately vanished. Munak was wonderful in every aspect, and she would soon be his. Nobody, not Hyegun or even Munak?s parents, would be able to stand in between them. Bongun?s cheeks flushed as the priest cleared his throat, bringing his attention back to the wedding, as Munak moved to stand across from him, face to face. ?Do you, Bongun, take Munak as your wife, to love and to cherish, in sickness and in health?? Bongun?s heart fluttered as he sealed the vow with an ?I do.? He waited for the priest to continue, but the silence that ensued dragged on. Hearing Munak?s gasp of horror, he turned to the priest, and Bongun, too, sharply sucked in his breath. For though the priest still wore the same expression and stood in the same spot, his flesh was set in rigid stone.

Hyegun looked around frantically. He had gone to Comodo; the most obvious place in all of Rune Midgard that any pair of lovers would go. He had searched everywhere and asked all the people, but to no avail. There was no sign of Munak or Bongun, and his time was running out. In fact, Hyegun realized with startling clarity, his father could be torturing them right now! He calmed himself down. It would do him no good to act rashly. Rationally, Hyegun narrowed down his options. Aldebaran, Yuno, and Geffen were all too far away for anyone to walk. Of course, there was still Lutie, Morroc, Amatsu, Louyang, and Niflheim. Lutie was too cold for most people, and it was not the most ideal place to live. Niflheim?well he doubted that anyone alive would ever venture there. Morroc was the opposite of Lutie, stifling heat, a little too extreme for most people?s tastes. And that left it to Amatsu and Louyang. Louyang was the closer of the two, so he departed in haste, hoping he would be able to make it in time to right his wrongs, and earn forgiveness.

Munak gasped. How was this possible? She and Bongun had ensured that it would be nearly impossible to track them. Yet, somehow, Hyegun?s father had traced them to Louyang, and there he stood, behind the petrified body of the priest.

?How did you find us?? she managed to force out, stuttering with dread.

He smiled. It was a wolf?s smile, Munak reflected, the one that it worse while playing with its prey. ?You see, Munak, my dear son Hyegun has the strangest toy. It?s a doll, of you, with a piece of your ebony hair wrapped around it.? Hyegun?s father paused to kick aside the priest, who shattered on the hard marble floor. Munak closed her eyes, trying to block out the pieces that lay scattered, but to no avail. She shuddered in a mixture of pity and fear. ?Well, it was easy enough. A simple tracking spell, and your whereabouts became clear as day.?

?Wait!? Munak cried. ?Don?t hurt Bongun! He has nothing to do with this!?

?Of course he does,? Hyegun?s father hissed. ?He?s the one you chose over my son. What could this boy possibly possess that makes him superior to Hyegun??

?Nothing,? Munak decided to act. At least that way Bongun might have a chance of survival. ?I picked him just to make Hyegun jealous.?

?Oh really?? Hyegun?s father was not convinced. ?That explains the white dress and the priest.? He indicated the broken pieces of the priest on the floor.

Munak drew a shaky breath. She could not think of a way to prevent their impending doom. Hyegun?s father raised his hands and a spell pattern appeared. He began to chant, forming a dark cloud, and widening the spell insignia. Bongun began to run, dragging Munak with him, but it was too late. A flurry of snowflakes fell from the cloud. Munak screamed in terror as she felt ice encasing her body. Her scream was cut short, and she was frozen solid by the enchanted ice. Eyes darting around, the only part of her body that she could still move, she noticed Bongun was similarly immobilized, and Hyegun was on the floor, partially frozen.

?He shouldn?t be here,? Munak thought. ?This is all his fault.? Then her mind went numb and she was in darkness.

Hyegun dashed into the church. He had seen the gray cloud of darkness overhead, signaling a spell about to be cast. It could only be Storm Gust, an enchantment that froze the victims in an eternal frost. He dove towards his father, tackling him to the ground, but it was too late. The snow fell down, covering Munak and Bongun in ice and crystallizing as well as immobilizing Hyegun?s legs. Hyegun?s father yelled in pain as the unfinished spell backfired on him, and he disintegrated into a fine powdery snow. Hyegun cringed as he gazed at Munak, who was glaring at him with an incriminating stare. ?She hates me?? he thought sadly. And now that she was frozen, he would never be able to earn her forgiveness. Using his arms, Hyegun began to drag himself out of the church. If he found a healer or a professor in time, perhaps he could save his legs before they completely froze over.

Moonlight Flower skipped down the ornate pathway. She paused and pouted slightly. The rude lady who had been mean enough to summon her all the way to Louyang with a dead branch ran away before Moonlight even had a chance to hit her. Now she was stuck walking all the way back to Payon. She summoned a few ninetails to keep her company, but they couldn?t carry a conversation, and all they did was crowd around her. Sure, they were cute and all, but Moonlight wanted more. After a century or two with them as her pets, she grew bored.

Looking around, she saw a crumpled figure dragging itself toward her. She jumped up to it. ?Hello there, sir!? she chirped enthusiastically. He really was a mess, with a dirty torn yellow robe and legs encased with crystal. ?Hey!? she realized that he was wearing a robe that could only be made in Payon. ?We?re from the same place! I?m from Payon too!? she grinned, ignoring the man?s silence. ?Wanna come live with me in my dungeon?? Moonlight offered. ?I know I don?t look like it, but I?m a super powerful demi-human! I promise that you?ll never get bored with me!?

Ignoring his murmurs about a ?church? and a ?Munak?, she tapped the ice surrounding his legs and it broke off, allowing him to stand. ?Here, I?ll give you a reanimation scroll. You?re probably gonna die without it anyway!? she stuck the scroll to his hat. His eyes glazed over and he crumpled to the ground, a small doll falling out of his pocket. ?Sorry mister, the reanimation requires you to be unconscious first,? Moonlight said in an embarrassed tone. She picked up the doll and examined it. ?Wahh?. so cutee!!? she spoke aloud. ?I know! I?ll make this big and animate it too so whenever I get summoned away, mister won?t be lonely!?

She put her hand on the doll, which glowed and grew to the size of a girl. After scribbling another amulet, she stuck it on the girl?s hat. Moonlight sat down and waited for a few more moments until the strange man finally opened his eyes.

Hyegun blinked. A blurry figure with a cat costume on was bouncing up and down in front of him. He tried to speak, but the words seemed out of his reach. The person turned to him with excitement her eyes.

?Oh! You?re finally awake!? she gushed excitedly. ?My name?s Moonlight Flower, nice to meet ya!?

Ignoring the girl, he searched his memory. He couldn?t remember anything after being partially frozen in the church. Glancing around, he saw Munak next to him?and she was alive and well! He jumped up, and tried to get her attention. He opened his mouth, but the words just wouldn?t come out. Hearing the sound of a bell and turning around, he saw a swath of mist and a hazy outline of a woman coming out from behind. The fog parted like a curtain, and a noble lady with porcelain skin walked out from the vapors.

Ugh. It was her. Moonlight never really liked the White Lady, sure she was beautiful, but her kindness was a fa?ade. The White Lady looked at the man that Moonlight had animated, that?s right, Moonlight?s man in yellow, and raised an eyebrow.

?Found another cursed human to play with?? her voice was gentle and amused, but Moonlight knew she was being mocked.

?Back off!? she complained. ?I found him first, so he?s mine. And same goes for the doll with him!?

The Lady smiled chidingly. ?My my, so protective. But you did find him here in Louyang, did you not? And you know how hard it is to find humans left alive after being touched by dark magic. After all, they?re the only ones we can safely reanimate.?

Moonlight glared at her. Stupid, evil White Lady, always swooping about wither her flock of green maidens, meddling in other demons? business and never revealing anything about herself.

?Look! You even wrote his animation scroll wrong!? the White Lady hid her laugh behind an elegantly embroidered sleeve as the maidens around her giggled. Now he can?t even speak. This is why you leave animation to higher beings, such as myself.?

Moonlight Flower felt tears sting her eyes. Wiping them away, she retorted, ?That was just one little mistake. This man and his doll are mine, I animated them!?

?Really? I?m sure Ifrit wouldn?t see it that way. After all you found them in Louyang, and that?s my territory.?

Moonlight flinched. Ifrit would probably kill her for disobeying demonic law again. Although she would always reincarnate within 30 minutes, dying hurt.

?Fine, take him!? she huffed.

?And the doll,? the Lady added.

?And the doll,? Moonlight echoed bitterly.

The two spirits bobbed to the Lady as she held out her hand. ?I?m glad you agreed,? she spoke. ?It would?ve been messy if Ifrit got involved.? The group of demi-beings turned and left a sulking Moonlight behind.

Moonlight stuck out her tongue at the White Lady?s retreating back.

?Evil lady,? she muttered.

Skipping no longer, Moonlight moped her way towards Payon?s dungeon. However, one of her ninetails howled and ran in the direction of one of Payon?s villages. Grumbling to herself, and even more upset, she started running in pursuit.

As she ran, Moonlight realized that the village was empty, and it almost looked?abandoned. Looking around for her ninetails, she saw it sniffing around at the base of the village church.

?Hmm?what?s this?? she wondered aloud.

Tiptoeing into the large church, she spotted the two frozen people on the ground.

?Hah! White Lady can have that other toy to herself,? Moonlight crowed victoriously. ?It must be my lucky day, I?ve got two more people to play with!? she stuck the amulets to the hats of the two people. ?And, this time, I?ll be sure to get it right!?

Bongun awoke blearily. ?What happened??

A little girl in a cat costume waved a hand in front of his face.

?Hey! You can talk! It worked this time!? she exclaimed.

??Who are you??

?I?m Moonlight, and I reanimated you and your friend so you can live in my dungeon, with me!?

?Wait?? Bongun paused. ?Moonlight? You mean, you?re the boss monster, Plague of

Payon, Moonlight??

She frowned. ?Well, you?re a monster too, now that I?ve reanimated you. Maybe you?d like to die instead??

?S-sorry?? he stuttered. Beside him, Munak shifted. ?Munak? She?s alive!?

?Of course she is, dummy,? Moonlight rolled her eyes. ?Why doesn?t anybody ever listen to me the first time? I said ?you and your friend?, meaning her too!?

?Bongun!? Munak exclaimed. The two lovers embraced.

Moonlight smiled. ?Now, just come back with me to my dungeon??

And so it was that Munak and Bongun spent eternity in Payon?s dungeon, together at last. Hyegun haunted Louyang with his doll, which he thought was Munak. The White Lady never had the heart to tell him that his companion was but a doll made of cotton and cloth, so he lived in the dungeon in blissful ignorance.

*The rest of the pages seem to have been ripped off.*

Story thanks to Yonaka Takai, an old Ro Friend.