Requiem of Subdued Souls

Seol Young went to a dark place and talked about everything.

Zaha finally found out why his sister secretly brought Seol Young to that dangerous place.

“The Queen cannot come out with the Princess right now…”

The story was long, and so many things were shared.

Just like how the people in black were being polite and cautious the whole time, and how Seol Young was not being too obedient with them…

While listening to all the details, Zaha’s anger gradually calmed down.

“It wasn’t the situation I thought it would turn out to be.”

Finally, he accepted it. Now was not the time to be fighting his sibling.

Seol Young tried to get those words out. But…

“Now is not the time for this.”

He skipped the last part by being smart about it, and he searched through his arms again. He took out another thing that he had brought from the palace and showed it to Zaha.

They were three big rosary beads with Sanskrit on them. And then he looked at Zaha,

“Did that person give you these?”

“No. I picked it up from the floor. I was told that a high monk from the Heungryun-sa Temple came before me and tried to help the Princess but was brutally murdered. We need to investigate that first.”

“Heungryun-sa is around this place, right?

“Yes, and it is midnight, so it is the perfect time to investigate it.”

Then, was there anything more to discuss?

The two headed for their destination without saying another word.

Heungryun-sa temple.

This temple was founded by a monk named Ado, who went to Silla to spread Buddhism.

In other words, it was the first temple in Silla. Whenever the royal family held a large ritual or ceremony, the Heungryun-sa Temple would always host it.

Since it was inseparable from the royal family, it was reasonable for the Queen to invite a high monk from there.

The two of them first found a monk who was tasked with accommodating guests.

“Would you seem to know anything about these?”

When Seol Young showed the monk the rosary beads that he had found, the monk sighed.

He put his hands together and clasped them. The two of them also did the same.

“How did the owner of this rosary enter Nirvana?”

“We do not know the details either. That… while praying alone in her room after coming back from a trip, there was this horrid scream, and we ran towards it…”

The monk was speechless.

Seol Young asked him,

“Can I see the room of the deceased monk?”

“There is nothing in that room…”

‘Sure.’

Seol Young thought.

In any case, the monk had no reason to refuse their request, so he guided them to the dead monk’s room.

“Let’s see… There should be some candles around here.”

The monk searched for a candle and lit it, and then the room turned bright. As the monk said, it was empty.

A monk’s room was originally quite empty, but now, without the owner, it looked lonely.

But the moment Seol Young entered the room, he felt it.

Instead of objects, there was something that filled the room.

“Then wait…”

When Zaha slightly winked at him, the monk nodded and went out. Seol Young immediately closed the door and said,

“The deceased monk left a message here.”

“What kind?”

“I think she was confused until the moment of her death. Along with the warning about her murder, the memories just before her death were engraved like a seal. I am glad I came to see this before it disappeared.”

First, he sent out his spiritual qi in the four directions and then tightly bound the thoughts of the dead monk so that they wouldn’t be scattered.

Then he looked at Zaha.

“The more I know, the more I can’t figure it out. So how about looking into the monk’s memories together?”

“Together? Is that possible?”

“I haven’t heard anything….”

Seol Young explained his thoughts.

“It came to my mind while riding the palanquin—the old mask. I held it in my hand once and fell asleep, which allowed me to peek into the visions of the God of Cataclysm. It means that it has the ability to make the unseen seen.”

“So these sacred objects have similar abilities? Nice. That must also mean that you can only use the Memory Projection with me.”

“You seem a bit too excited… It can’t be that too.”

Seol Young sat down on the ground.

“I want to dispel the suspicions surrounding this place and the monk’s death, so please let me look into your memories.”

As always, after politely asking for permission, he pulled out an empty sheet of paper.

Instead of using a brush to write, he drew it in the air with his spiritual power. He put it on a piece of paper and handed it to Zaha.

“To Great Mother.”

Zaha held it. The letters on the talisman were sucked into the plaque.

“Okay, now…”

Seol Young raised his spiritual qi in both hands. He did say this might not work, but he looked quite confident.

However, there was no response from the object.

‘Maybe not?’ 𝚋ｅｄｎ𝚘𝚟ｅｌ.ｃｏ𝚖

The talisman Seol Young just used could brighten his eyes and help him see ghosts. If not that…

‘Is there a need for a reaction or response to be here?’

Seol Young took out another talisman. He didn’t draw the talisman this time. Instead, he just handed it over like he was asking for ‘permission’ to work.

The blue, glowing letters were sucked into the plaque again, and the moment he started the Memory Projection, the light from the candles turned into broad daylight.

They could see a lush tree outside the window and hear the sound of cicadas.

‘It worked.’

The two looked at each other. Thankfully, they managed to get it done the second time.

The will and thoughts of the dead monk that had been left behind in the room began to unfold before their eyes.

The first thing they saw was a book. The letters were scrambled.

Seol Young whispered.

“What is that? It doesn’t seem like a chant…”

“It is the <Lotus Sutra>. It is the one written by the great monk Won Hyo.”

It was definitely convenient to see it in person and ask for his opinion.

‘I’ve found another good way through this.’

Seol Young was proud of that fact and focused on the Memory Projection again. The Lotus Sutra was spread out in front of the monk, but her gaze was ahead.

“The arrogance and ignorance in the person…”

A resounding sound came out of her mouth.

‘It is difficult for those who have fallen into arrogance to awaken Dharma.’

The monk seemed to be immersed in deep meditation as she memorized the passages.

But at some point, the thick greenery outside the window shook. Even though there wasn’t any wind, it rocked violently.

The shadows cast on the wall multiplied countless times. Then, suddenly, it came crashing down on the monk.

There was a groaning sound.

‘My death is approaching soon.’

Seol Young hurriedly raised his spiritual energy. It was to protect them so that the shock of the monk’s death wouldn’t be transmitted to them.

The pain was blocked, but the sensation was vivid.

Sharp things pierced his entire body as if it were being torn apart.

‘What is this? Is there a chaotic evil present?’

He couldn’t tell what it was.

The monk’s body was destroyed in an instant. He couldn’t understand anything until her death.

What was that?

His hand barely reached out in shock.

At that moment, a light flashed into what they were watching. It looked like blood on white cloth.

At the same time, a distant smell crossed the tip of his nose.

“Dirt…?”

The Memory Projection ended with Zaha saying that.

The two were back in reality.

He asked Seol Young right away,

“Didn’t you say you smelled dirt from the Princess too?”

“I did.”

Seol Young nodded.

“She smelled like dirt, too. I don’t know if it is the same or not, but the power of the monk was amazing, and yet to kill her without a chance to resist…”

The moment he said that, he suddenly felt out of breath.

He felt dizzy, as if the blood in his body had stopped, and the pain began to flare up.

His hand reached up to his neck as if he wanted to breathe, even if it meant squeezing his neck.

Who felt this? It was normally common to share the sense of death.

But how was this so intense and vivid?

“…there are no marks on the walls.”

Zaha looked back and was surprised. He immediately approached Seol Young.

“What is it?”

“It is fine. It has passed.”

Seol Young said that while barely breathing.

Was that all?

His heart was thumping horribly, and it felt like he was about to die.

“Let’s get out of here right now and talk outside.”

Zaha didn’t ask further. But Seol Young could still feel his eyes watching him closely. When they left the room, the monk was waiting.

“Did you see it?”

His face was calm. Apparently, he didn’t feel anything from the outside.

They thanked the monk and left the temple. And it was only after they had completely gotten out of the temple that Seol Young felt his heart unclench.

Seol Young took a deep breath.

“It felt like I was choking, as if I was suddenly being suffocated.”

“I thought it was odd that you were trying to tear out your neck.”

“Perhaps it is the memory of that evil spirit. If you think about it, in connection with the constant smell of earth, it seemed like it was buried alive or something.”

“Buried alive…”

Zaha snorted at this.

“The blood on white cloth. Buried alive. Choking. And…”

“Eight Ghost Stories of the Moon Palace.”

Seol Young said.

“The ghost stories are related to the old palace. I am talking about the palace we went to. I visited it just the other day…”

The words of the old eunuch, who guarded that place, suddenly came to his mind.

“‘It is alright as long as we know where we are and only protect what needs to be protected.’ The Princess was said to turn out like that because someone violated and spoke of the Eight Ghost Stories…”

His thoughts stopped there.

“What is this about violating the ghost story? What kind of rule does it have?”

“A rule.”

Zaha suddenly said that while looking at Seol Young.

“Do you know something? About the Eight Ghost Stories?”

“It is something that is only passed on among people who work there. They are the rules that one needs to follow and learn in order to work safely in the palace.”

Zaha explained.

“The Eight Ghost Stories of the Moon Palace. They are rules of not violating.”

“You mean…?”

“If you see a red room in the hallway after a celebration, do not enter it because there is no such room. Something like that.”

“Ahhh… I get it. Then the seven?”

“You don’t understand. These stories are only known to people who work as maids or courtiers in the palace. They are made up on purpose.”

“Ah, now I understand.”

Seol Young nodded.

“Well, it must have a rule of some sort.”

“And…”

Zaha said as he continued to walk,

“I think they are essentially flowing stories.”

“Flowing stories? I am hearing this for the first time.”

“Because I made it up.”

“Ah…”

“What kind of object is usually at the center of a ghost story? For example, when talking about stories of water ghosts, the water ghost should appear. When talking about a vengeful ghost, a vengeful ghost should appear. Whether the ghost appears at the start, middle, or end, it has to appear. That is the point.”

“Right.”

“But the ghost stories that have rules are rather empty when it comes to the subject part. It only talks about the rules, not what happens when they are violated. It means that the core part of the story is left empty.”

“Right. We just talk about the rules, and we are done.”

“And so there is no certain object that you will fear in that kind of story. A ghost story that makes you fear nothing and everything. You cannot miss that point when it comes to dealing with ghost stories that have rules.”

“I get what you mean.”

They were walking in the fog, and Seol Young had managed to understand it.

“If we find out which ghost story the Princess violated and add the clues we found, we can see the rough outline. The problem is that there is a strong curse on the ghost stories in the palace right now…”

“We have no choice but to run into it ourselves.”

“That is what I always do, but because the Princess is the one involved in this case, we cannot do any sneaky things.”

“If that is the problem…”

Zaha shrugged his shoulders.

“It isn’t such a huge problem.”

His gaze moved to the house on the side of the road. Even though it was late at night, the sound of weaving could still be heard.

“…?”

Seol Young had a questioning look on his face, but he suddenly remembered that this was a tradition of making the Princesses compete in good faith.

Women from the royal family competed in the weaving competition. And the men…

“I see. There has to be a way.”

“The other side must have already thought of that and prepared it.”

“Are you talking about your sister?”

“We must get ahead quickly, then.”

“Aren’t we on the same side, though? It is strange to be ahead of… What do we do?”

Zaha smirked.

“I will have to use it.”