Ji-hwan couldn't sleep.
Not after the assassin.
Not after the memory.
He strolled the woods by himself, moonlight seeping through the leaves like cold silver.
Something summoned him.
Not with a voice.
With recognition.
He came to a stop at a clearing—a place he didn't recognize, but his soul did.
And then she emerged from the mist.
Tall. Motionless. In white so pale it devoured the light. Her eyes weren't eyes at all—merely mirrors reflecting Ji-hwan's face.
She smiled. "Found me again, did you?"
Ji-hwan's body locked up. But his mind—
His mind recalled everything.
The poison in the cup.
The ink on the scroll.
The whisper at court that began the war.
It had all started…
with her.
"Who are you?" he croaked.
She leaned her head to one side. "The name you called me once was Seoryeon. Your court priestess. Your seer. Your friend."
Ji-hwan's heart thudded.
"I trusted you".
She smiled more broadly. "You loved him. And that love shattered the path ordained for the crown."
Ji-hwan stumbled back. "So you cursed us."
"I maintained the kingdom," she replied softly. "You call it a curse. I call it balance."
The leaves that surrounded her withered and died, burning before they touched the earth.
"You were never supposed to be a king. He was never supposed to fall in love with you. So I destroyed the board and dispersed its pieces."
Ji-hwan spoke softly, "You are the one responsible for the prophecy."
She moved closer. "And now I've come to stop you from winning this time, as well."