The Demon Beneath My Sky

Moonlight streamed through the window of the Murim Alliance guest room, falling across the Cheonwolhyeon resting on the table.

A faint radiance shimmered over its dark crimson body.

Namgung Hwi gazed at the lute with undisguised wonder.

"Remarkable. I can't sense a trace of demonic energy. Not the slightest bit."

"Of course not."

Namgung Rin smiled brightly as she stroked the instrument.

"People have it all wrong. The Cheonwolhyeon never carried demonic energy to begin with. It was only corrupted after falling into the Cheonwol Mahu's hands."

She plucked a string lightly.

Ting—

A clear, crystalline note filled the room.

"In the end, the Cheonwol Mahu was defeated by her own demonic nature. But I treated the Cheonwolhyeon simply as a musical instrument, and that's what restored it to its original form."

She held the lute up for all to see.

"From now on, the Cheonwolhyeon is no longer the Demonic String. It's just an instrument—one that can produce every sound in the world."

Namgung Cheon nodded silently.

Whether a sword or an instrument, in the end it was the heart of the one who wielded it that determined its true nature.

Then Namgung Hwi spoke, his voice heavy.

"...I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"When you asked me to kill you."

His voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"I never imagined you meant it with such sincerity. That's why I snapped at you the way I did."

He lowered his head.

If only he had listened more seriously back then—or agonized over it together with her.

Having already heard the full account of Namgung Rin's life and circumstances on the journey here, an even deeper wave of guilt washed over him.

But Namgung Rin only smiled at his words.

"Oh, come on. That's all water under the bridge."

"......."

A brief silence settled, and then Namgung Rin rose from her seat with a bright laugh.

"Anyway, my story's done now. A promise is a promise, right?"

Namgung Cheon nodded without a word.

He had been waiting for this as well.

Namgung Hwi, out of the loop, spoke up cautiously.

"What promise is this?"

Namgung Rin answered with a mischievous smile.

"Secret."

"......."

"By the way, is there somewhere quiet inside the Alliance? Oh—and it absolutely has to be soundproof. Not a whisper can leak outside."

Namgung Hwi answered without hesitation.

"Even if such a place existed within the Alliance, we'd hardly be free to use ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it."

He mulled it over for a moment before continuing.

"But outside the Alliance—there is one."

"Where?"

"The Henan Branch, isn't there."

"Oh, right."

Namgung Rin clapped her hands together.

"There was a branch here too, wasn't there? It's so quiet I'd completely forgotten about it."

"That's understandable. It's a shadow of what it once was."

Namgung Hwi went on.

"There should be an underground stone chamber there. As I understand it, the previous head of the clan had it built during the Great War of Justice and Demons."

Namgung Rin's eyes lit up.

"Ooh, perfect!"

"But you truly won't tell me what this is all about?"

At that, Namgung Rin glanced sidelong at Namgung Cheon.

Namgung Cheon shook his head with a faint smile.

"She says it's a secret."

"......."

Namgung Hwi's brow furrowed.

The Daegongja of the clan, their own elder brother—reduced to an outsider while his younger siblings whispered among themselves.

He worked his lips for a moment, but soon let out a sigh and picked up his brush.

"Very well. A secret is a secret—I won't pry. Though it does sting a little."

He wrote quickly across the paper on the table.

It was a letter addressed to the Branch Master.

"Here you are."

Namgung Hwi handed over the letter, its ink still wet.

"Deliver this to the Branch Master. Show him this, and he'll extend you every courtesy."

As Namgung Cheon accepted the letter, Namgung Hwi added in a deliberately stern voice.

"And while you're there, look into the state of the branch. We've received reports that their finances have deteriorated recently—even though the main clan provides support at perfectly adequate levels."

He frowned as he continued.

"Something is clearly wrong, yet no one is saying a word... I'm counting on you."

"Understood."

When Namgung Cheon nodded, Namgung Rin burst out laughing beside him.

"Putting him to work on top of it all—you really do hold a grudge."

"Quiet, you."

Namgung Hwi turned pointedly to look out the window.

But he couldn't hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Yaaawn. I'm going to sleep properly for once tonight."

Namgung Rin stretched and rose from her seat, and Namgung Hwi stood as well.

"Yes, rest well. And travel safely."

Then he gave Namgung Cheon a light wave and quietly left the room.

Click.

The door closed, and stillness settled over the room.

The steady rhythm of Namgung Rin's breathing, the song of crickets drifting in from beyond the window.

It was a peaceful night.

Namgung Cheon stood at the window and looked up at the night sky.

Moonlight played across his face.

Family...

A bond he had never known in his previous life.

A relationship that granted blind trust on the mere strength of shared blood—one in which a person would risk their very life for another.

The day's events flickered past like a lantern show.

The look in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Namgung Rin's eyes as she trusted him and embraced the demonic energy, and even Namgung Hwi's expression as he came running, late but relieved all the same.

So this is what blood means.

A faint smile touched Namgung Cheon's lips.

He turned his gaze to the Cheonwolhyeon on the table, and to the Mukhon hanging at his waist.

The reason Namgung Rin sought out a quiet place where no sound could escape—

She means to use resonance, most likely.

A method less sorcery than the very principle of nature itself.

I can't guarantee it alone will carry me to the great mastery... but.

He could hope.

He had seen her miraculous performance at Munhyangnu today.

He had witnessed a power that turned the impossible into the possible.

Namgung Cheon clenched his fist.

He could feel the strength brimming in his palm.

My body was reborn through the Great Method of Rectifying Heaven and Sinew Transformation, and my internal energy overflows.

Only one thing remained.

The great mastery of the heart method.

The realm where the heart method was fully assimilated—made his own, as natural as breathing.

If he achieved that, and only that—

I can take the next step.

The creation of a heart method entirely his own.

That was the next stage in his mind—the true beginning of the martial Dao.

"Hoo..."

Namgung Cheon closed his eyes and drew a deep breath.

The cool night air seeped into the depths of his lungs.

I find myself looking forward to tomorrow.

A smile lingered on Namgung Cheon's lips.

The next morning.

Namgung Cheon and Namgung Rin climbed into a carriage alone.

The road from Kaifeng to the Henan Branch was not long.

After about half a day of travel, a tranquil manor emerged from the depths of a dense forest.

"We're here."

Namgung Rin said, peering out the window.

When the carriage came to a halt before the main gate, the guards stationed there approached with tense expressions.

"And where might you be... Ah!"

The moment the guard spotted Namgung Rin leaning out of the carriage, he hastily bowed at the waist.

"We greet the honored guest. Please wait just a moment. I shall inform the Branch Master at once."

One of the guards hurriedly dashed inside.

Before long, a man came rushing out from within.

Neat martial robes, sharp eyes—and the scar running across his face lent him a strangely openhearted air.

"I am Namgung Seon, Branch Master of the Henan Branch. No word reached us in advance that such distinguished guests would arrive, so I fear my welcome is late."

His gaze lingered on Namgung Rin for a moment before turning to Namgung Cheon.

"An honor to make your acquaintance, Third Young Master."

"Yes, a pleasure."

Namgung Cheon replied briefly.

Namgung Rin, by contrast, greeted him with a familiar smile, as if genuinely glad to see him.

"It's been a while, hasn't it? You've gotten even sturdier since last time."

"Haha, you flatter me."

Namgung Seon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠smiled, a touch ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠embarrassed.

"Please, come to the guest hall. I'll have refreshments prepared so you can rest from your journey."

Namgung Seon led the way.

The branch's interior was as clean and orderly as its exterior suggested.

But.

Somehow, it feels desolate.

The training grounds stood empty, and the warriors moving through the manor were few in number.

A stillness utterly devoid of vitality.

Namgung Cheon recalled what Namgung Hwi had said.

Their finances are in poor shape, and he suspected something worse besides.

This was a different kind of quiet—not mere emptiness of people, but a heavy, suffocating air.

Something was indeed wrong here.

Just then, Namgung Rin remarked, almost offhandedly.

"The branch is... rather quiet, isn't it?"

Namgung Seon answered with a bitter smile.

"Yes. We're a far cry from what we once were. Our exchanges with the main clan have dwindled, and being so close to the Alliance, there's rarely any call for us to act on our own. We are simply... maintaining the status quo."

Resignation soaked his voice.

But Namgung Cheon did not press the matter.

What mattered right now was not the branch's troubles.

The moment they were seated in the guest hall, Namgung Cheon drew the letter from his coat.

"A letter from the First Young Master."

Namgung Seon received it respectfully with both hands and read through it.

Soon, his expression turned grave.

"I see—you wish to use the underground stone chamber."

"Will that be possible?"

Namgung Seon hesitated a moment before answering.

"Yes, though it has not been maintained at all, so its condition is somewhat..."

"That's fine. We're not planning to live there."

At Namgung Rin's words, Namgung Seon slowly nodded and rose from his seat.

"Then I shall show you the way."

Namgung Seon walked ahead of them.

When they rounded behind the branch's main building, a single iron door appeared, sealed fast beneath an enormous boulder.

Even the iron chains binding the door had rusted a deep red, betraying how long it had gone unopened.

Namgung Seon pulled out a weighty ring of keys from his belt.

He tried one key after another in the lock.

But the lock would not turn.

"Heheh, my apologies. It's a place so rarely used, I'm afraid I can't quite recall which key fits."

He chuckled sheepishly, wrestling with the ring through several more tries before finally finding the right key.

Clunk—eeeeeek—

The lock, asleep for untold years, gave way, and as the heavy door ground open on screeching iron, a cold draft breathed out from within.

Stone steps descended into the darkness below.

Namgung Rin peered inside and marveled.

"Wow, it really does exist."

With that, she clapped her hands together.

Clap.

But the sound did not spread outward—it was swallowed whole, as if drawn deep into the chamber.

A perfect sound-absorbing structure.

"Will this suffice?"

At Namgung Cheon's question, Namgung Rin nodded.

"Yes. This is more than enough."

Namgung Cheon spoke to Namgung Seon.

"We will make use of this place for a while."

"Please, use it as you see fit. If you require anything at all, do not hesitate to ask."

Namgung Seon bowed with impeccable courtesy, then withdrew quickly, as if loath to intrude further.

Left alone before the stone chamber, the silence deepened.

"Let's go in."

Namgung Cheon descended the steps first.

The space revealed itself at the bottom.

At its center lay a flat clearing for cultivation, and in one corner stood a bed and a table.

"Shall we begin right away? There's no reason to delay."

Namgung Rin set the lute down on the table as she spoke.

No time to even catch a breath—she moved straight to the heart of the matter.

But just as she said, there was no reason to delay.

Namgung Cheon nodded silently and at once settled into a cross-legged position in the center of the clearing.

"I'm ready."

"Good."

Namgung Rin cradled the Cheonwolhyeon and sat across from him.

Her expression had grown deeply serious.

"I touched on this on the way here, but this won't be an ordinary performance. And where before I would simply have examined your meridians and forced them open..."

She looked down at the Cheonwolhyeon as she continued.

"Now I can draw your problem out into the open. No—more precisely, I can manifest your inner world."

"Manifest it, you say?"

"I'll give form to what ails you and show it to you. Only then can you see it for what it truly is."

Her eyes deepened.

"But in the process, the things you'd rather keep hidden may come to light. Your memories, your nature, the very depths you bury away—all of it. Even so, are you willing?"

"......."

Namgung Cheon faltered for a moment.

The demonic subtleties woven into his heart method, and the memories of his past life.

Did that mean even those might be exposed?

As he hesitated, Namgung Rin drew a bundle of black cloth from her breast.

"Ah—of course, it wouldn't be visible to me in the first place, and I'll blindfold myself as a precaution, just in case. I'll cover my eyes with this, and seal my ears with my internal energy."

She smiled and held up the cloth.

"I won't look. I won't listen either. I'll only play. The true resolution has to come from you anyway."

Namgung Cheon regarded her quietly for a long moment, then answered.

"Understood."

"Right. Then let's begin."

Namgung Rin bound her eyes with the black cloth and embraced the Cheonwolhyeon.

Then her fingers came gently to rest upon its strings.

Doong—

The first note rang out.

The Song Beyond the Frontier.

A sorrowful melody lamenting the desolation of the borderlands.

Doong-doong—

The sound spilling from the Cheonwolhyeon slowly wrapped itself around Namgung Cheon's body.

His brow tightened.

It's less like sound... and more like vibration.

An intense trembling that pierced his skin, coursed through his muscles, and burrowed deep into his bones.

Namgung Cheon closed his eyes and accepted the vibration.

Doong-doong—

The performance continued.

Beads of sweat began to gather on Namgung Rin's brow.

Then it happened.

It's touched it.

Namgung Cheon's brow creased.

Deep within his dantian—in the place that bore the scars of all his desperate carving—the sound had found it.

Eeeeek—

A shrill metallic shriek echoed through his skull.

It was not the sound of Namgung Rin's playing.

It was a sound rising from within his own body.

Sensing the change in the vibration at her fingertips, Namgung Rin spoke.

"Can you hear it?"

"...I hear it."

"That is the wall you must overcome."

Her fingers quickened.

As the performance surged toward its climax, the metallic shriek within Namgung Cheon swelled in turn.

Two sounds locked in a struggle against each other.

"Now it truly begins."

KWAAANG!

With the words, Namgung Rin ripped savagely across the strings.

At the same instant, a colossal force erupted upward from Namgung Cheon's dantian like a detonation.

"Kugh!"

A suppressed groan tore from his lips.

What in the world is this...

His internal energy had begun to run wild, heedless of his will.

The sensations of the real world receded, and his consciousness was sucked down into a fathomless abyss.

And in the next instant—

FLASH!

The darkness that had been his only sight blazed into brilliance.

The chill of the stone chamber floor, the sound of Namgung Rin's Cheonwolhyeon—all of it vanished.

Where is this...

Namgung Cheon slowly opened his eyes.

Stretched out before him was an immense vault of sky, boundless beyond knowing.

And carved across that sky—which should have been serene—ran grotesque black fissures.

Wounds both familiar and ominous, as if some hand had torn the heavens apart by force.

"......."

Beyond the fissures, an abyssal darkness undulated.

Namgung Cheon stared unblinking into that unknowable deep.

And he understood, instinctively.

The power he had believed he had wielded all his life.

When in truth it had been a vast instinct, devouring him from within.

"...The Demon."

Namgung Cheon murmured, low and quiet.

At that moment—

KUGUGUNG!

The black fissure yawned wide, and a thunderous roar shook the heavens.

Shrung—

Namgung Cheon drew the Changcheon in a single fluid motion.

The sword's frost-cool point leveled squarely at the wavering darkness.

"Yes. I will cut down every last trace of you."

For there is no place for shadow in my sky.