Confinement: Memories Faded to Mist
Time was like bitter spirits; even those countless memories of torment had now grown hazy. Was it a sword that pierced my chest, or a saber? Did the Yang family's Divine Spear sever my arm, or was it the Namgung clan's Piercing Heaven? What impaled my skull, and who rent my dantian asunder? Amid the fog-shrouded recollections, fragmented voices drifted like whispers on the wind.
"Do you think you can rampage relying only on brute strength?!"
This belonged to Namgung Dan, the Sword Radiant Dragon, young heir of the Namgung family.
"What reason is there to desecrate even a corpse?! Once life and death are settled, that's enough—defiling the dead brings dishonor to no clan, no house's way!"
For the Namgung family's eldest son, he was far too soft. He loved spouting hypocritical nonsense about honor and justice. They say the Namgung heavy sword outweighs the heavens, but of what use is that if the swordsman's heart falters? A suitable daughter of the clan as hostage and a few corpses from the Piercing Heaven Squadron sufficed. And so, I slew Namgung Dan.
"Fine, do as you please."
This voice was Hwangbo Somyeong, the Iron Fist Righteous Hero.
"Torment me to your heart's content. Your paltry swordsmanship may kill men well, but it cannot touch even the edge of a true hero's righteousness!"
The young clan head was tough enough not to scream even under marrow-crushing agony. The Hwangbo clan's sturdy bones lived up to their fame, giving me no end of trouble. Yet every tough nut has its weak spot, and not every Hwangbo bluffed so boldly. I tortured five clan warriors to learn their acupoints. Their famed external art, Iron Cannon Three Thousand Strikes, was worthless once the flaw was known. Dealing with him afterward was child's play...
I continued my reminiscences. Trapped as I was, with nothing to pass the time but sifting through the past. Days of slaughter and flight flowed by. Killing the Jinju Eon family head... the moment I found that sword in Geumroe-ok... And all those memories converged on a single voice.
"Karmic sin."
"I understand. You are no Heavenly Demon, no slayer ghost. You are the fruit of our sins..."
Cheon Yomyeong, the Divine New Sword Hero. A once-in-a-generation prodigy. He was the timber to elevate the Cheon family—already one of the Five Great Clans—to even greater heights, a genius unmatched in past or present. By twenty, he had perfected the family art Twin Phoenix Cooperative Dance, and his demonic intellect saw through his foes' very hearts as if they lay bare in his palm. Among all the world's warriors, he alone matched me.
To capture me, he deployed Transformation Realm and Super First-Rate masters. After three days and nights of ceaseless battle, exhausted, I was finally subdued. Yet even then, he could not shatter my Immortal Heavenly Spirit Art.
"...With no way to destroy that sword, you truly possess an immortal body. I have a proposal for you, Jang Cheon."
"Speak it."
"I've struck a deal with the Alliance to build a sealing chamber in our manor. There, I ask that you reflect on what you've done to us. If you do..."
"Pfft-haha! No way to kill me, so you're babbling nonsense now?"
"Then, far in the future, I shall release you freely."
"What?"
"I've heard everything about what happened to your family... even what my father concealed. Even now, I seek to right that wrong."
His eyes were deep pools. Utterly sincere, without a trace of mockery or deceit. Setting all else aside, as a rival who'd crossed blades with him, I knew him well. Cheon Yomyeong did not speak lightly.
"Madman! And if my mind remains unchanged then?"
"I offer my worthless life. Blood demands blood in repayment."
"......Have you lost your mind, Cheon Yomyeong?"
"The men of Cheon know the weight of promises."
Why did those words pique my interest? I despised that self-righteous bastard's earnest gaze, pretending to be pure. I yearned to see that pretty face twist as he invoked the weight of promises. I wanted to strip away his lifelong mask of hypocrisy, prove this loathsome wretch no different from the rest.
"...Do as you will."
"Thank you. With this, I have at least begun to correct my father's errors."
Cheon Yomyeong knelt on one knee. His white martial robes were dyed red with the blood soaking the field. That day, I had slain thirty elites of the Murim clans on this land—clan heads, elders, young and old alike. Their deaths stirred no feeling in me, nor in the heavens.
Amid the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, Cheon Yomyeong spoke.
"I hope your heart changes."
"That from your unyieldingly strong spirit... something other than hatred might bloom. How wonderful that would be."
*
He built a sanctuary in the clan's sacred mountain and hung me within. My limbs bound, vital points pierced. Sea of Qi, Central Pass, Life Gate, Great Bone, Shoulder Well... Chains forged of ten-thousand-year cold iron threaded through my limbs and torso, binding me.
"Shaolin and Wudang drew out the demonic sword Heuk-yo's power to forge these chains. They say if you shed your hatred, you can free yourself."
"Hah. Think these trifles can hold me?"
"...As promised, when the chains break, take what you desire."
"Your own words. Don't forget."
The first ten years passed. Unexpectedly, instead of torture or experiments, he visited my sanctuary to prattle about his dull, tedious daily life. While he spoke, I studied the chains. Their enchanted power was profoundly strange; ten years yielded not even a clue.
Another ten years, and Cheon Yomyeong brought a ten-year-old child.
"My son. He must know of our pact."
"Do you know who I am, boy?"
"...Father told me. Your name is Jang Cheon. And what you've endured."
"Heh-heh, good. Remember me even in your sleep!"
At my jab, the child timidly hid behind Cheon Yomyeong. I sneered inwardly. No heir fully inherits a father's talent. Once I broke these chains, the Cheon family would be exterminated in a day. Blood flooding their grand hall—Cheon Yomyeong would die with eyes unclosed.
Forty years flowed by. An aged Cheon Yomyeong came with his grown son.
"Forty years, and your appearance unchanged. Do you know how I envied that?"
"Then why seek me now? Grown old, has your heart softened? Or do you need my strength?"
"Today, I come to apologize. I may not keep our promise."
"...Hah!"
Seeing his troubled expression, I felt more glee than scorn. At last, Cheon Yomyeong crumbling. Forcing lies from his own mouth... See, you're no different from the other clan scum. Bare your ugly truth.
But an utterly different reply came.
"I die tomorrow."
"What?"
"My qi is spent from battling the Heavenly Demon. Tomorrow, my mortal frame expires—I cannot give you my life as pledged. Yet a promise is a promise."
The aged Cheon Yomyeong shuffled to my chains and offered his sword. Bound and unable to muster inner energy, I watched as he placed it in my grasp.
"My life is yours. If you wish, run me through with this blade today. It would be fitting."
"Boring jest. Quit the charade and speak your true intent."
"This is my truth. The men of Cheon know the weight of promises. But..."
Cheon Yomyeong hesitated long, then added one more word.
"I beg this shameless one's mercy... grant me my final hours with my son."
His son watched with complex eyes. Perhaps witnessing his father beg the arch-slayer. Or... who knows. I am not Cheon Yomyeong's son. I care not to guess such a wretch's heart.
I regarded Cheon Yomyeong. Not the one who'd gnashed his teeth to drive blade into my heart and throat, but the withered man facing death. His eyes clouded, skin wrinkled like crumpled parchment. All my years confined, I'd imagined his death a thousand times. Fantasized tearing him apart before the burning Cheon manor. Even in dreams, I rent, slashed, split him asunder.
"If you must beg..."
Yet I gave a foolish reply.
"Beg properly. Grovel at my feet like a dog."
"Father..."
And Cheon Yomyeong prostrated. Flat like a dog, pleading for mercy. Overwhelmed by that brief, tangled moment, I said nothing more. He did not stir until 'Begone' passed my lips. More than any sword or word of his, that instant brought profound humiliation. I regretted it deeply.
...And another ten years passed.
"Is that your son?"
"...This is Jang Cheon. Your late grandfather made a grave pact with him. Keep it ever in your heart."
Cheon Yomyeong's son, pitifully, turned away after those words. His son glanced fearfully between me and the chains, clutching his father's robe.
Thirty years passed.
"This one's name is Jang Cheon. The founder made a pact with him."
"What pact?"
"I'll tell you after you leave this sanctuary. Heed and remember it—never slack in your training, not even for a moment."
The son's son brought his great-grandson. Then departed. Another thirty years.
"This is the demon Jang Cheon. The one with whom the founder swore a heavenly oath."
"Grrk, I'm no demon, but a man..."
"Fear not his growls. Even I feared Jang Cheon as a child."
A man speaking but two words in a century grows hoarse. Perhaps I needed to clear my throat. In any case, Cheon Yomyeong's great-grandson fled more terrified than the rest.
Another thirty years. No one came. His great-grandson had forgotten me, or failed to pass the pact properly. Alone in darkness, I pondered only the Cheon family's martial arts. Vowing, when I emerged, to slaughter them all.
Another thirty. The sanctuary shook violently. Fierce battle above—shouts and sword cries unending. Then a thunderous boom echoed down. My chains loosened slightly. I smiled in the dark. With enough time, I could free myself alone.
After that, no one visited.
...
......
A vast span blurred by. Lost to time's flow, immersed in the seals, when the sanctuary's door creaked in the pitch black. Dust billowed thickly as it slid aside. Cautiously, I raised my head. Faint light filtered from the stairs above. Sunlight, long forgotten.
And a clear voice rang out.
"What's this place? Why's there something like this in the back mountains?"
"Who goes...?"
"Me? I'm Cheon Sohyang."
A plain-clothed girl, barely past basic cultivation. Around ten years old. Likely a maid who'd lost her way. Nearing the seals' unraveling, I wanted no distractions, so I snapped curtly.
"Lost maid, are you? Begone at once. This is no place for the likes of you."
"Maid?! Hmph! Mind your manners!"
The girl puffed her chest proudly. Smiling with irrepressible pride, her bright, pure voice echoed through the empty chamber.
"I'm the head of the great Cheon family!"
A light cough followed. For the first time in my life, my mind went blank.