Let the Ritual Begin
Tomusa—no, Lee Ha-young—felt that something was wrong.
For a single instant, Yu I-hyeon, the young master she was sworn to guard, vanished from her qi sense. Unease seized her, and she flung open the door of the room where he ought to have been.
"Young Master...!"
But the chamber held nothing except a forlorn spill of moonlight.
"Damn it...."
Clutching that anxiety tight, she went straight to the Clan Lord's quarters.
"Clan Lord, forgive this intrusion at so late an hour. The Young Master has disappeared."
Yu Dan-a—I-hyeon's mother, and Lord of the Zhejiang Yu Family—took the measure of the crisis with calm, swift precision.
"Ha-young. Mobilize every martial artist of the Family at once, and spread a search formation."
"Yes. At once."
Lee Ha-young was grateful the Clan Lord did not rebuke her. Even so, she set off with self-reproach weighing on every step.
Damn it. I got careless, just because the Young Master has seemed different lately. Please be safe. Please.
"Husband, gather the household staff in one place, and confirm whether anyone has slipped out who should not have, or come in who does not belong."
Her husband nodded once, understanding, and moved at once.
Yu Dan-a hurried outside and climbed to the roof of the Family's tallest building. There she unfurled her senses—wide, impossibly wide—until their reach stretched past a full kilometer. Even so, she could not find a single trace of her son.
Damn it. To think he has already passed beyond my domain. Now all I can do is conserve my strength until the others pick up a trail.
Afraid that panic would only ruin the chase, she drew a long, steadying breath, then began to store her power so that the moment the Family's martial artists found a trace, she could sprint that way in a single burst.
Meanwhile, inside the compound, Yu I-hyeon's father was already moving at a frantic clip. His charge was the personnel of everyone who lived within the Family, and he had gathered the servants together to look for anyone suspicious. If someone had newly slipped in, or someone had slipped out, that person would be the culprit. Yet he found nothing amiss. Their accounts of duties, daily rounds, and all the rest matched the schedule he himself had set.
Then why was there a gap in the watch around the annex where I-hyeon sleeps?
The suspicion only sank deeper.
At that same hour, Dan-a turned a cold, level eye upon the question of the kidnappers.
Why take I-hyeon? For money? For some grudge? No. Word of him circulates only as rumor. Aside from the Family's servants and our own blood, no one knows of him with any certainty. Don't tell me they learned his secret... No. They couldn't know.
Then Ha-young shouted up from below.
"Clan Lord! We've fixed the direction the kidnappers likely took!"
"Where?"
"The northwest!"
"I will go ahead. Gather the martial artists and follow at measured intervals."
Yu Dan-a shattered the tiles beneath her feet and tore northwest at full speed. In moments she reached the foot of a mountain half a kilometer out, then climbed with her senses spread wide as a bird opening its wings.
Please—let me find him before anything happens...!
Anxiety pressed a hand to her pounding heart.
Not far beyond the domain of the Zhejiang Yu Family, deep in the mountains, four figures were talking.
"Green, are you sure we can actually trust this Extreme Night Darkness Formation?"
"Shut up, Yellow. Even if the Lord of the Zhuge Family herself showed up, she couldn't break it. Not while the ritual is underway, at least."
The two of them bickered.
"But do we really have to go this far?"
One of them was worried.
"Orders are absolute. Azure, all we have to do is focus on the ritual. There's no need to drag guilt into it."
Another set about persuading her.
"Crimson—but is there any guarantee he'll move the way we intend?"
"Azure will plant a suggestion in him, so it will be fine. Do the part you were given, Yellow."
Then the masked figure who had taken I-hyeon approached them.
"Let us begin the ritual. Now."
Mm... where am I?
The drug must have run its course, because I woke. I opened my eyes, and still I couldn't see an inch ahead; the dark was that complete. A gag bit into my mouth, my jaw aching as if it might come loose, and with my hands and feet bound, the posture was miserable beyond words. And yet—was it the lingering drug? Even like this, I wasn't anxious. I didn't feel anything at all.
So this is how this life ends. Last time, it was an accident.
That was the only thought drifting through my head.
"Young Master... Young Master...."
Then I heard someone calling me.
"Do not make a sound. Only listen. I am your Black Shadow Guard."
Black Shadow Guard? Ah. I think I've heard of her.
The martial artist who kept watch at night—when I washed, when I slept—in case anything happened.
"There were too many enemies. Dealing with them one by one took a long time. Do not worry. I will force our escape shortly."
She appeared from nowhere without so much as a breath of presence, and undid the bonds at my hands and feet, then the gag. But whether from the drug or not, my body hung limp. I couldn't move.
"Young Master, I will give you a pill that erases your presence. Swallow it, so the enemy will not notice you."
The Black Shadow Guard set the pill in my mouth. Fortunately, I could manage at least that much. Once she was sure I had swallowed it, she hoisted me onto her back.
Her back was smaller than I had expected. I was only a child myself, and yet hers felt like the back of someone just as young. Even so, as she ran with me riding there, it never swayed. It was comfortable. Perhaps that was why sleep came drifting over me.
"The medicine is making you drowsy. You may sleep. We will be inside the Family's domain soon."
Why did those words reassure me so?
Carried on the Black Shadow Guard's back, I fell asleep.
When I woke, I was thankfully in my own room. Mother, Father, Uncle, Aunt, my older cousin, even Grandmother—all of them were gathered around me where I lay. But their faces weren't relieved, and they weren't the faces of people who had been worried. They were grave.
"Mom...? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Only then did Mother notice her own expression, and she smoothed it into a smile.
"Mm, it's nothing. I'm fine. I was only turning something over. I'll have them bring porridge, so rest easy."
She stroked my hair, pressed a kiss to my forehead, and left the room. The moment she was gone, the other adults streamed out after her.
I feel fine. What could possibly be so serious?
Once they had left, I noticed Tomusa standing in the corner. Her shoulders sagged, and her face was crumpled on the verge of tears.
"Tomusa~ what are you doing over there? Come here."
I patted the bed.
"Yes, Young Master."
Up close, I could see she was forcing the tears back down.
"Tomusa, why that face? I'm bored. Tell me something fun."
"Y-Young Master... you aren't angry with me?"
Her voice came out wet.
"Why would I be angry with you? You're so pretty, and so kind."
"But... but I'm your guard, and I couldn't even protect you...."
Her tears began to fall, drop by drop, onto the bed.
"That isn't your fault. It was a disaster. Who could have seen it coming? Watching over me during the day is your real duty. It was never your responsibility to begin with."
I sat up and pulled her into my arms.
"But I was right there... and I didn't even notice... I should be dismissed as a guard."
Once I held her, she began to cry in earnest.
"It's all right. It's all right. I came back safe, didn't I? If you really feel sorry, then just protect me properly from now on."
I patted her back and soothed her.
"Yes... I won't leave your side for the rest of my life...."
I comforted her like that for a long while.
"All cried out?"
"Sniff... yes."
"Then let's go where the adults are. I want to tell everyone I'm fine."
"Sniff... yes. I'll get your clothes."
With Tomusa's help I dressed simply, then headed for where my family had gathered. Even inside the Family's own buildings, she walked right beside me, my hand held tight in hers.
The adults were in the dining hall. Only tea sat simply on the table; among themselves, they were holding a meeting.
"Mom~!"
At my voice, Mother shot to her feet.
"What are you doing here? You should be resting in your room."
"Hehe. I just thought everyone might be worried, so I came to show you I'm fine."
I said it while scratching my cheek. Without a word, Mother lifted me onto her lap and stroked my hair.
"Then we ought to tell the child as well."
Grandmother, silent until then, opened her mouth. At that moment Father asked me, urgent.
"I-hyeon, do you still want to learn martial arts?"
"...? Yes! Of course I do."
Only after he heard that did he nod.
"Child, listen well. This is important."
I swallowed.
They're not about to dismiss Tomusa, are they?
"You were born frail. Do you know why?"
"No... I don't really know."
"The truth is, you were born with Yin-Yang Blocked Meridians. Your parents' yang qi and yin qi were both far too strong, and you were affected by it. Because of that, your meridians were blocked in places, and your body grew weak."
Yin-Yang Blocked Meridians... so that was why they never taught me martial arts.
"But what about my sisters? They aren't sick."
"We do not understand that part in any detail either. All we know is that your constitution is unusual."
So only I had Yin-Yang Blocked Meridians. That's not fair.
"But whatever happened last night, it has been cleanly cured."
"...What?"
Grandmother pressed her fingers to her temples, as if her head ached.
"We do not know the cause either. Aside from the fact that your blocked meridians have healed, there is nothing else we can explain."
The other adults looked every bit as lost.
"But if the blocked meridians are fixed, isn't that a good thing?"
At my question, Father spoke.
"If it were only the blocked meridians that had healed, there would be no problem. But all of your energy has been bound inside your dantian. Use that energy poorly, and you will suffer a tremendous internal injury."
"What? I don't quite understand."
"In short, your body has become one that cannot go on without learning martial arts."
"Pardon?"