"Who can you trust?"
"Brother? I didn't hear you come in."
He approached me calmly. "The Emperor's assignment must be wearing you out. You've been far too distracted lately."
He picked up the necklace Arin had given me from the table.
"This is the symbol of the Moon Kingdom. Why do you have it?"
"Moon Kingdom?" I looked at it again. "Of course. I knew it looked familiar. It belongs to the Moon Kingdom."
"Where did you find this?"
I knew I could trust him, but the situation was more complicated than we had anticipated. He noticed my hesitation.
"I warned you from the start that this mission was dangerous. Don't get me wrong, I never said that to belittle you. But you need to tell the Emperor you're not fit for this task."
"If I abandon the mission, my name will be tarnished. I can't let that happen."
"If I speak to the Emperor, we can solve this quietly. Have you found the priestess yet?"
"What do you want from her?"
"You already know the answer to that," he said, holding up the necklace. "Don't tell anyone about this. Let me keep it."
It was obvious he was hiding something. His mood changed the moment he saw the necklace.
"If you don't tell me everything you know, I'll continue the mission."
He walked toward me angrily. "You don't want to go against me, little brother. I am protecting you from a greater disaster."
He had never been this angry before. "I need to know. I need to know who condemned Arin to this fate."
"Don't tell me you've formed an emotional bond with the priestess. You won't return to Earth. And if you do, I will strip you of all your powers."
"I'm tired of you carrying the weight of everything alone. I'm not a helpless child anymore. Please, tell me the truth."
"Fine, I'll tell you. But you can't share this with anyone. The Moon Kingdom was always our enemy, but during the Great War, we fought side by side and signed a peace treaty. That peace lasted until the Moon King died. His son, blinded by ambition, took the throne. Dark spirits promised him infinite power. He began sacrificing his own people, but no body was strong enough to contain the spirits.
His sister, Princess Yeonah, was the most powerful goddess in our realm. Eventually, the king chose her as the final sacrifice. She escaped to the Celestial Kingdom. The day she arrived, I was at the Fountain of Memories. When I found her, she was barely alive. The spirits were trying to possess her, and she had endured torture to resist them. I brought her home in secret. I should have reported her, but she looked so helpless. I feared she'd die in prison. I helped her recover.
She knew she couldn't stay long. She asked me to help her reach Earth, not for herself but for the child she was carrying. She gave up her immortality for that baby. She asked me to take all her powers. And I..."
"I did something I shouldn't have. We thought her child would be mortal, but we were wrong. Arin is Yeonah's daughter. She comes from the Moon lineage and is far more powerful than any other priestess. If I had turned her in, she wouldn't exist now. But she does. And in the hands of a dark spirit, she could be the end of us all. That is why I'm warning you. Don't form an attachment to her."
Everything he said was heavy and confusing.
"If we bring Arin here, won't the danger end? She said the Moon Goddess is gone. There's nothing to fear."
"If only it were that easy. The Moon King will hunt her the moment he learns who she is. If we continue protecting her, war will break out. And dark spirits thrive where death reigns. She has to die. Accept it."
...
I spent the whole night thinking about what he said. I couldn't give up that easily, but I had to act in secret. He wasn't bluffing about taking my powers. I kept researching in the library at night, but found nothing, which frustrated me even more.
During this time, I continued secretly visiting Arin. The more time we spent together, the more my feelings deepened. On my last visit, I told her.
We were sitting under a tree in her garden.
"Arin, I have to tell you something."
She looked at me with those eyes I had fallen in love with. "I'm listening."
"I love you."
Her eyes widened, then she suddenly hugged me.
"I know. I was just waiting for you to say it. I love you too. What took you so long?"
We only had limited time together, but it felt like I had been waiting for her all my life.
"I promise I'll never leave you behind. You'll come with me to the Celestial Kingdom. I'll protect you."
Her smile faded. "We'll talk about that later. It's time for you to go."
Something was off. In the following meetings, she kept avoiding the subject whenever I asked her to come with me.
"What are you hiding from me?"
"I don't understand what you mean."
"You can read my mind. You know exactly what I mean. Don't you trust me?"
"Don't say that. I trust only you but..."
"But what?"
"I don't know how to say this."
"Whatever it is, tell me."
"Sang Hoon, I'm going to marry the Emperor."
Her words echoed in my ears. "What do you mean you're going to marry him?"
"I have a duty in this world. This marriage is part of it."
"That's ridiculous, Arin. Let me save you."
"You don't understand. You can't save me. And I don't want to be saved. Don't come here again. It'll only hurt both of us."
"Please, Arin."
"Promise me you won't interfere. I want this marriage."
I wanted to scream. Why would she marry someone who tried to kill her?
"Promise me, Sang Hoon."
"I can't."
"Your brother forbade you from coming here. I'll tell him if you do. I don't want us to part badly. Just promise."
He would take away my powers if she told him.
"O-okay," I stuttered.
"You need to leave."
...
Maybe I should have listened to my brother, but I couldn't stop thinking about Arin. Maybe I shouldn't return to Earth, but I was helpless.
Eventually, I gave in and went to see her again.
"I just wanted to see you one last time."
"Sang Hoon, do you remember the promise you made to me?"
I didn't answer.
"I'm getting married tomorrow. Everyone has a role in this life. If I don't fulfill mine, not just this world, but all realms could fall. Don't fight fate."
I clenched my fists in anger.
"You can't marry him, Arin. People only hurt you. If you come with me, I can protect you. We are stronger than humans."
"This world isn't just about you or me, Sang Hoon. I can't let you act recklessly."
She stood. "This is our last meeting. Don't come again."
"You can't push me away, Arin."
"I've made my choice. Take care of yourself."
...
The painful truth struck me like a punch. I couldn't accept it. I had to stop the wedding.
I planned everything. When the time came, I watched her from afar. They were preparing her, and then she was escorted to the Emperor's chamber. Once they were alone, I would kill the Emperor and take Arin away.
When they were alone, our eyes met. She shook her head. What was she planning?
The Emperor spoke:
"Priestess, your sacrifice will make our kingdom invincible. Your life is a small price."
He raised his arms. "On this Blood Moon, I offer you a holy priestess. Come, spirit, and give me the power of gods."
A decaying dark spirit emerged from the shadows. It moved toward Arin.
I had to act.
The spirit stopped and turned to me. "There is another energy here. More delicious."
And then it happened. Arin drew a hidden dagger, cut her hand, and grabbed the spirit.
It screamed. The Emperor attacked her. The spirit was released. Blood covered the floor.
"ARIN!" I ran to her. She lay motionless, not breathing. I killed the Emperor in my rage. But it wasn't enough. I forgot about the spirit.
Suddenly, a searing pain in my ribs. One by one, they shattered. The spirit tried to possess me. I resisted, but I was losing. A white light approached from the darkness.
"BROTHER."
I couldn't see clearly, but I felt his grief.
"Why didn't you listen?"
"K-kill me. I can't endure this."
He had only cried once before. This was the second.
He drew his dagger, hands trembling. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."
I couldn't respond. I was slipping away. A sharp pain. Then, everything went black.
...
Present / Aera
Jackie's voice trembled. He looked at the ground like a guilty child.
"I caused your death once. I couldn't help you. I can't ask for your help now. I feel guilty for my brother too. Now you know everything."
I couldn't remember any of what he said, but he did. He was reliving it.
"Jackie, you made mistakes. But I'm standing here now. You should feel guilt not for me, but for your brother. He sacrificed so much to save you. We both have to fight harder to protect you now. This is a second chance. We can't waste it.
We can't change the past, but we can change the future."
He hugged me.
"Do you know how amazing you are?"
I smiled. "Not really. I was alone in my past life too. Maybe loneliness is my fate."
I pouted. "Maybe I should try your Celestial Kingdom in my next life."
"I've offered before. You always refused."
"Hey! That was Arin, not me. Doesn't count. Ask again."
He laughed. "Will you live with me in the Celestial Kingdom?"
"If I say yes right away, will I seem too eager? Only if your house is bigger than mine."
"It's bigger than your entire neighborhood. Huge garden and a lake."
"More details. I think I'm convinced."
He was laughing, finally free of the gloom. His brother would help us. All we needed now was to find his body. It was time to return to Seoul.
I turned to Jackie.
"Are you ready?"
"Absolutely."
"Then let's go kick that cursed ghost's ass."