To Rise One Step Higher - 5
"Whew..."
Hong Ryeon slowly lowered her greatsword, exhaling a long breath as she surveyed the wake of destruction she had left behind. A massive crater now gaped in the middle of Moon Lotus Pavilion's training grounds. It had not merely blasted the boulder that stood there moments ago to smithereens—the scar carved into the earth was so total that the word "destruction" barely did it justice.
And yet the Blade Emperor, who had watched the whole thing, wore a distinctly unimpressed look.
"Your sword hesitates."
"...Does it?"
"It seems your heart has yet to be properly tempered. Is there something you're keeping bottled up inside?"
At his question, Hong Ryeon closed her eyes. Something she was keeping in her heart?
There was so much.
The burden that had piled up on her had lightened considerably since she came to know Yu Wol. But that didn't mean she had been set entirely free. What still remained within her went on whispering to her, sweet and clinging as honey, every moment of every day.
She knew perfectly well what it would take to release it—and just as certainly, she could not bring herself to do it. There was something she wanted. But she could not reach out her hand toward it. That, perhaps, was the greatest inner demon of all now lifting its head inside her.
"Even a heart filled with nothing but good things is hard enough to fill. If something rotten has worked its way in besides, how could you ever hope to fill it at all?"
"...Thank you for your guidance."
Her skill had grown by leaps since the day she understood how she felt about Yu Wol. And yet the reason she still could not wield Falling Meteor to perfection was surely that she had never resolved those feelings.
Hong Ryeon squeezed her eyes shut. If only she could face this suffocating weight inside her and be rid of it. If only she could cast off the greed and the obsession, and simply love him—purely, the way she was meant to.
In every one of the countless books she had read, love—that tender ache of the heart—had been painted as something so beautiful. So why did it feel so heavy, so endlessly frightening?
Deciding that everything she had ever read must have been a pack of lies, Hong Ryeon laughed, dry and bitter.
"What is it you're so afraid of?"
The Blade Emperor had come straight from overseeing Hong Ryeon, and when those icy words fell on Chae Jin, it felt as though something cold was sliding down her spine.
Afraid.
Yes. He had seen it exactly right. Chae Jin was afraid.
Ever since she had understood her own heart, one corner of it had always carried a fear—of drawing closer to Yu Wol, of laying her feelings before him. Her love for him was boundless, of course. But would he ever love her back? Someone so inadequate, so lacking, as her?
Perhaps that was why, even as she closed the distance between them, she flinched from taking that one final step. And so she hid her heart away and simply made herself useful, telling herself she would wait until he truly needed her.
Chae Jin leveled her saber at the Blade Emperor, who was watching her in silence. He snorted at her, and with an air of is that all you have, raised his wooden blade to meet her.
Cold blue light flashed as saber met wood. The outcome, however, was the wooden blade's victory. Chae Jin dropped to one knee, left with no choice but to gasp for breath.
"Call your enlightenment luck if you like. But so long as you cannot erase the fear inside you, you will go no further."
"...The Sword Saint said a single book would be enough, though?"
"Even with all the martial knowledge in the world laid out before you—do you think you can truly absorb it, in the state you're in now?"
His words gouged into her heart without mercy, sharp as an awl. Watching Chae Jin grind her teeth, the Blade Emperor whirled his wooden blade around and swung it at her again.
"So long as you cannot master the heart within you, the forms that follow Moonlight Flash will remain a dream for the distant future."
At his words—nothing but plain, unvarnished truth—Chae Jin let out a sigh.
When training ended and she left the grounds, Chae Jin crossed paths with Hong Ryeon. The two of them met each other's eyes, then chuckled awkwardly.
"I heard you went out with the innkeeper yesterday?"
"Mm. We went out together—had a meal, took in a performance, had a few drinks."
"Must have been nice. I went out with him too, you know. Bought some things, had another meal, shared tea with him. Did it all."
"......"
"....."
Looking at Chae Jin, Hong Ryeon thought: perhaps more than half of her inner demons could be laid at this woman's door. She was, after all, a rival even Hong Ryeon herself acknowledged. How could she not care that a woman like that loved the man she loved? How could she not feel it prodding at her greed, her desire?
But she could never let it show. And so Hong Ryeon turned away, wearing a smile she had to work for.
Looking at Hong Ryeon, Chae Jin thought: the one who prodded her fear awake, who spun anxiety out of that fear, was—of course—Hong Ryeon. What if the woman she had never once beaten defeated her again this time?
No. The truth was, that no longer mattered. What frightened her was the thought of that dazzling woman—dazzling even in Chae Jin's own eyes—dyeing him completely in her red. Of drifting away at his side, leaving Chae Jin just as she was, still chained in place.
That was what terrified her. Resentment surged up at herself—still so small, still hesitating to make him see her. But she could not let a trace of it show. And so Chae Jin turned away, smiling all the while.
"I went out with Innkeeper Yu Wol today, and I brought this back."
While the guests stayed at Moon Lotus Pavilion, everyone gathered at dinnertime to share the martial insights their training had yielded. And so, in the dining hall where all had assembled, Sa Yun carefully drew out a small mirror.
It looked terribly precious: a round mirror banded in bronze, its back engraved with the pattern of the Big Dipper, a costly-looking gem set into each of the seven stars.
"That would be... a Heart Soul Mirror," remarked the Blade Emperor, who had been studying the mirror Sa Yun produced with evident interest.
The Heart Soul Mirror? Neither Hong Ryeon nor Chae Jin had ever heard of it. Perhaps that was why their gazes turned, as if by instinct, not to the Blade Emperor but to Yu Wol. He had always known the things they didn't.
"Haha. Jin and Ryeon tell me your learning is quite formidable, Master Yu."
"It's nothing of the sort."
"You know of the Heart Soul Mirror, then?"
"To some extent. The Heart Soul Mirror is a dharma implement that Monk Beophae, abbot of Baekyun Temple, prepared for his disciples before he passed into nirvana long ago. It is said to embody the Five Desires and the Seven Emotions, and that twelve were made in all."
"Well informed indeed. Do you know how it is used, as well?"
"The Heart Soul Mirror can be used seven times in total. From the mental image of whoever it reflects, it conjures a secret realm, and within it the one reflected must confront their inner demon. Once all seven uses are spent, the mirror shatters and returns to nature, sleeping until it finds a new master. The one Sa Yun obtained still has all seven of its uses remaining."
"Haha, you really do know your stuff. Only a handful of people with any interest in artifacts or secret realms have even heard of the Heart Soul Mirror. How did you come by it?"
When Chae Ryeon asked, eyes shining with wonder, Yu Wol answered as though it were nothing at all.
"I read about it in a book once."
"Ohh."
Chae Ryeon was duly impressed; Hong Ryeon simply gazed at him, dazed. He really was impossibly dependable. How could one man know so much? And how was she supposed not to fall for the way he wore all that knowledge so lightly, never once flaunting it?
"...Ah."
Having fallen for him all over again, Hong Ryeon hastily pulled herself together. Beside her, Chae Jin had reached out toward him without even realizing it.
You truly are remarkable, you know that? It must be that brilliant knowledge of yours that lets you always point us down the right path. And yet instead of boasting of it, you bring it out only at the precise moment it's needed—that restraint of yours, it's really...
"Is something the matter?"
"...Oh. No, it's nothing."
Flustered, Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin scrambled to occupy themselves with Hyeon Hwi and Chae Ryeon. As the four of them traded stories of the day's training and the air at the table loosened, Sa Yun, seated at Yu Wol's side, gave his sleeve a small tug.
"Um... challenging the Mirror Secret Realm... isn't that dangerous?"
Worry for the two women was plain in her eyes. But she seemed afraid that saying it out loud would only wound their pride. So she asked in a voice pitched for Yu Wol alone, and he gave a small nod.
For an instant, Sa Yun's face darkened. But he answered at once, quietly enough that only she could hear.
"Even if the worst should happen, there is a way to help them."
"Oh... I see."
Only then did Sa Yun breathe a little easier. While she was still recovering, the Blade Emperor clapped his hands lightly to gather everyone's attention and asked, in a matter-of-fact tone:
"Then, Miss Sa—you don't mind if we make use of that mirror?"
"Huh? Of course not. Senior Sister Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin are both precious to me."
"Then first, Miss Sa, why don't you have a look into it yourself?"
Sa Yun lifted the mirror slightly. Her face did not appear in it.
"I suppose I don't have an inner demon."
At her puzzled head-tilt, he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha! An inner demon never simply leaves a person. It is only lying low for now. Someday, when the demon inside you lifts its head, the Heart Soul Mirror will show it to you. Until then, I hope you will never stop tending to your heart."
"Yes, sir!"
Sa Yun answered crisply and held the mirror out. Chae Ryeon took it.
"Hmm. I can't see myself in it yet, either."
Chae Ryeon flashed a grin and turned the mirror face-down; it was the same for Hyeon Hwi.
That left Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin. The Blade Emperor slid the mirror between them.
"In both of you, even I can see the demon has already raised its head. Use this, and you will be able to face it. But if you would rather prepare yourself further, there is no shame in waiting. It will not be easy either way."
He had scarcely finished before Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin each glanced once at Yu Wol—and shot their hands out. Hong Ryeon's closed around the mirror first, and her face appeared in it, clear as day. The moment she bit her lip at the sight, one of the gems on the mirror's back shattered.
"You enter the Mirror Secret Realm when you fall asleep. Until then, steady your heart and make what preparations you can."
"Oh... I see. Understood."
At Yu Wol's explanation, Hong Ryeon nodded, and Chae Jin brought her own face to the glass.
Cling!!
Chae Jin appeared in the mirror as well, and just as with Hong Ryeon, one of the gems cracked apart. The Blade Emperor grinned at the sight.
"Miss Sa, I'll repay you for this properly, separate from the rest."
"Huh? Oh, no, you don't have to! Those two are precious to me as well. If they can overcome their inner demons, that's more than enough for me!"
At Sa Yun's bright smile, the Blade Emperor let out a hearty laugh—then shot a sidelong glance at Chae Ryeon.
"Isn't she a little too good-hearted to be keeping company with the likes of you?"
"...I happen to be a good person too, you know."
And so, with the sputtering Chae Ryeon serving as the evening's entertainment, dinner came to an end.
It was decided: tonight, Hong Ryeon and Chae Jin would enter the Mirror Secret Realm.
I turned the matter over in my head for a while, then made to leave my room.
"Oh?"
There stood the Blade Emperor, right outside my door. He regarded me for a moment, then smiled wryly.
"Where are you off to?"
"To prepare for any eventuality."
According to everything known of the Heart Soul Mirror, those who failed to overcome their inner demon within the mindscape would never leave it—trapped for the rest of their days, sinking into an eternal sleep.
Of course, nothing of the sort had ever happened in Cheonsang Myeongwol, and I didn't believe for a moment that either of them would fail. But still—the word if existed for a reason. Far better to have every preparation in place than to stand by unprepared and wail about it after disaster struck.
One of the truths revealed only after playing through certain events tied to the Heart Soul Mirror was this: by expending the mirror's remaining uses, another person could enter someone's Mirror Secret Realm and rescue the one trapped inside.
Naturally, I already knew the method—which was precisely why I had come to borrow the mirror from Sa Yun.
When I explained the situation, the Blade Emperor grinned.
"Haha. You truly are something, Master Yu. That's right. To prepare for that day, someone strong of heart must enter the Mirror Secret Realm and bring the one who failed back out."
"You knew of it as well, Blade Emperor?"
"Haha, I did. The truth is, I deliberately never told those two that a way to save them existed. Their pride is one thing—but desperation, too, is sometimes the very thing that lets a person overcome their inner demon. Tell them a lifeline exists, and would that desperation not simply evaporate?"
"Well... that's true enough."
Either way, this was a good opportunity. Even with precautions taken, it would be better by far for them to overcome their inner demons through their own strength, if they could.
"So. If the worst should come to pass, I would have you be the one to help them. If it is you, Master Yu, I know it can be done."
Speaking with utter conviction, the Blade Emperor drew a small mirror from his pocket.
It was a Heart Soul Mirror.
But it was far older than the one Sa Yun carried—and two of its gems were already shattered.