"What the HELL have you done to my child?!" the empress screeched, looking over the bruises and cuts on the prince's body with a horrified expression as she rushed to her son's side, enveloping him in a tight embrace. She aimed her disbelief back at Dokja. "Are you out of your mind? How dare you cast your witchcraft against the future ruler of the Seoul Empire?!"
"Why should I answer to you when you drugged me and tried to have me violated?" Dokja leered silently at the empress and her son, his seething words coming out like acid "Go ahead, Your Majesty, why don't you explain yourself now that Yoo Joonghyuk is here and see how you fare against his blade? If you get out of here alive it'll be good practice for the impending trial."
Joonghyuk's eyes slowly roves over Dokja's body, letting him behold the marks of abuse on his body. Dokja's shirt was unbuttoned, allowing him a clear visual of the trail of darkening hickeys going from his neck to chest. Hand shaped bruises could faintly be made out around his waist. The hickeys ended just below his belly button and the hem of Dokja's pants were rumpled. If Joonghyuk had gotten here any later than he had…
His vision stained with red.
Like a predator stalking prey, Joonghyuk slowly turned to face the cowering empress and prince, his pupils shrunk to pinpoints. His face was blank, but murderous intent rolled off his body in suffocating plumes. The perpetrators in the room were frozen, the only thing they could do was helplessly watch as Joonghyuk pulled his sword from his scabbard. The sharp scrape of the blade marked their death sentences. Eyes ablaze with fury, Joonghyuk slowly advanced towards them. The vines surrounding Dokja moved protectively, forming a barrier between him and the others.
"Yoo Joonghyuk, Y-Your Grace, you'd better think twice before you do something you'll regret. Don't forget who you're facing right now!" the prince panicked, trying to reason with him. Despite his attempt to stand tall, his weakened state from the wounds prevented him from fully rising. The empress, her maternal instincts taking over, moved to support her son, wrapping her arms around his shoulders in a protective gesture.
"Joonghyuk! If you walk away from this right now, no punishment will be served to you for your threats, and you'll get back Kim Dokja without any harm done," The empress tried to block her son from Joonghyuk's line of sight, guiding the two of them away from the man and further into the corner of the room.
"You've all done enough harm to Kim Dokja, prepare for your retribution." Joonghyuk's words dripped with contempt, each syllable laced with poison.
Realizing the danger that his daughter and grandson were in, the Archduke snapped himself out of his terrified revere. Steadying his trembling knees, he readied himself for whatever would happen next.
"I won't let you set one more foot closer to my daughter, you murderous brute!"
Picking up a hefty stone from the floor, a remnant of the wall's debris, he began to charge at Joonghyuk with a yell, hoping to buy some time for his daughter to escape. Joonghyuk didn't even turn his head toward the archduke, only sparing him a sidelong glare as he raised his sword to slash the man away. As he did though, Joonghyuk noticed Dokja's vines rushing past him to impale the archduke's body.
"Kim Dokja, don't."
Before the vines could strike them, Joonghyuk's command halted their advance. They were right in front of the archduke's throat, a millisecond was all the difference between life and death. The archduke sputtered out in fright, falling on his bottom when he tried backing away. All color drained from his visage, with him on the brink of sobbing with relief. Joonghyuk redirected his focus towards Dokja, finding a dark leer directed at the archduke.
"Let me do this, let the blood spill on my hands."
For a fleeting moment, they held each other's gaze in a silent standoff, the gravity of the situation hanging heavy in the air. With a huff, Dokja reluctantly signaled for the vines to retreat, diffusing the immediate threat.
"Beheadings shall do for you all. Be grateful for the mercy of a quick death," Joonghyuk refocused the trio, his words absolute, "Which one of you want to die first?"
The room fell silent, Joonghyuk's words casting a shadow of dread over the empress, prince, and archduke.
The empress cried out in a screech, her teeth bared like a wild animal. "You're crazy! You're a crazy, delusional bastard! You can't do this to us, you have no proof of anything! Even if you kill us now, the courts will have you hung for treason and your duchy will lose everything!"
"Proof?! You want fucking proof?!" Dokja's voice cut through the retort Joonghyuk was preparing, commanding the room's attention as he strode forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Joonghyuk. With a hand spread over his chest, he declared, "This is the proof you seek! Proof of your son's savagery is over my body as he hides in your arms, half-naked!"
"How preposterous, you're the one who seduced me into bed with you. You cried and begged for my body!"
Dokja's voice thundered with indignation as he lashed out at the prince. "You dare utter such blatant lies to my face?!"
"It is the truth! My mother did not drug you; your own fatigue that caused you to feel drowsy. The maids were instructed to escort you to her bedroom, where you were meant to rest. When I arrived to check on you, you seduced me; that is the reality of what occurred! Snap yourself out of this delusion you've made for yourself and correct your wrongs already!"
"That's right! When you fainted, it was out of kindness that I offered my bedroom for your rest," the empress explained. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"My daughter and grandson are not at fault, you shameless slut! How dare you manipulate my grandson and try to accuse him of such despicable crimes!" the archduke joined in.
"You—!"
"Dokja!"
Joonghyuk interrupted him, putting a hand on his shoulder and pulling him closer to his chest, making him face away from the three sniveling cowards in front of them. Running a comforting hand down Dokja's back, Joonghyuk leaned down to his ear to reassure him.
"Let them blabber like the fools they are. It's only us here, no one else to believe their lies. Soon, they will have no more breath left to speak."
Dokja's body tensed for a bit, not expecting the sudden contact. Contemplating Joonghyuk's words, his hands slowly rose up to grip the front of Joonghyuk's shirt as he buried himself in his chest. He allowed himself to accept the comfort Joonghyuk was giving freely in him, taking deep, calming breaths as he tried to make the tension leave his body.
With one hand still holding his sword in a death grip, Joonghyuk didn't halt his soothing ministrations as he waited patiently for Dokja to ease up. The vines surrounding them slowly receded. While the plant didn't completely revert to its original form, their sharpened ends dulled and the vines shrunk in length.
A resounding snort snapped Joonghyuk's focus from Dokja to the prince.
The prince returned his glare with a pitying look. His arrogance returning after seeing the vines no longer posed a threat, the prince had the audacity to spout one more lie.
"You may want to be careful how closely you associate with that whore, dear brother. He orchestrated this to bear my child, to secure a position as the future empress!"
"..."
Dokja was so, very tired. Tired in every way, physically, mentally emotionally. He wanted to do away with the lies and accusations. He just wanted to go home and bask in Joonghyuk's touch, these people be damned. He just didn't have the energy to bring himself to care anymore. And it was because of this that he said his next words.
"How could I possibly do that when I am already carrying this man's child?!" His words, though full of emotion, came out weak and quiet. As soon as they were said, a relieved sigh escaped from his lips, the weeks long pressure that had been building in the depths of his chest finally lifting. Dokja's body went lax.
He planted himself closer to Joonghyuk, only to realize that Joonghyuk's body had gone completely still, the hand that had been carding up and down his back frozen in place. The calmness that had enveloped his body completely evaporated, replaced with pure dread.
Only then did Dokja realize that the room had become dead silent.
He snapped up to look at Joonghyuk's face, the other man looking down at him with eyes widened up in bewilderment, and lips slightly ajar.
"You…you're what?"
Joonghyuk barely spoke above a whisper, as if afraid that if he spoke any louder, Dokja would shatter. Dokja just continued staring at him in shock, a lost look in his eyes. He couldn't find his voice. At Dokja's lack of response, Joonghyuk sheathed his sword. He knelt down, one knee to the ground. Gently taking Dokja's hands into his own, Joonghyuk soothingly urged Dokja to look at him, not wanting to intimidate him in his moment of vulnerability.
"Kim Dokja, you're pregnant? Please, you can tell me anything…"
Dokja's voice faltered as he struggled to find the right words to explain his slip up. Sure, he'd been wanting to get it off his chest… but not here nor now. It was laughably terrible timing on his part, and now he'd have to deal with the consequences. Only when he went to swallow nervously did Dokja realize just how dry his lips and mouth were.
He struggled to meet Joonghyuk's eyes, but when he did, all he saw an overflowing sincerity, warm enough to melt away some of the anxiety that had captured him in a choke hold. Dokja felt like he could breathe a little better.
Outside the room's windows, the lush lands of the empire had begun to darken, the once bright sunlight fading away. The sky was bathed in an eerie gray. The bedchamber they were in was reduced to shadows.
"As the sun and moon converge in that realm, he shall become aware, and we shall rendezvous in the forest."
A sudden jolt ran through Dokja's body.
As if in a trance, he pulled himself away from Joonghyuk, escaping his grasp, and ran to the window. Outside the moon overlapped with the sun, making a small ring of light in the sky. The circle of sunlight that reached the earth past the moon's cover was only enough to cast a dark orange glow on everything, the sky also stained with the same color.
Swiftly donning his clothes, Dokja slammed the windows open, commanding the vines to make a path down from the window to the ground. Everything else could be dealt with later, right now the only thing that mattered was getting to the forest. He ignored Joonghyuk's confused yells behind him.
Sliding down the vines to the ground, Dokja made a beeline to the forest, his hair and clothes flailing wildly around him as he dashed as fast as he could. The plants of the forest responded to his will, trees and other greenery parting before him, making a path for him to follow to his destination.
Dokja was so caught up in his new objective that he didn't even realize that Joonghyuk had rushed after him from a distance, leaping straight out the window to follow Dokja's footsteps with a myriad of questions swirling in his mind.
Dokja and Joonghyuk disappeared into the forest, oblivious to the empress's watchful gaze. She stood with an inscrutable expression; her eyes fixed on the eclipse unfolding in the sky. A sense of quiet contemplation enveloped her as she observed the phenomenon, a rare moment of cosmic alignment that seemed to mirror the tumultuous events transpiring within the palace walls.
Her thoughts remained veiled, her face betraying no hint of the emotions swirling within her. With a whispered acknowledgment of the unfolding events, she murmured to herself.
"So it's already time, huh..."
-----
The fogginess that overtook Dokja's mind when he set his eyes on the eclipse had begun to fade away, and he found himself engulfed in a sea of towering trees and dense undergrowth. Uncertainty gripped him as he realized he had no idea of exactly where he was heading, only a vague sense that the Oldest Dream would appear before him. With a sense of urgency still driving him forward, he continued to run, his footsteps absorbed into the quiet expanse of the forest.
The vastness of the woodland loomed around him, its labyrinthine paths and hidden clearings shrouded in mystery. Despite his determination to find the enigmatic Oldest Dream, Dokja was faced with the daunting reality of navigating a vast and unfamiliar terrain. Lost in the depths of the forest, he pressed on, the canopy of trees casting dappled shadows over his path.
As his resolve began wavering, a ray of hope appeared in the form of Biyoo.
"Ba-at" [Follow me]
Biyoo took flight, Without hesitation, Dokja's spirits lifted as he watched Biyoo soar ahead, a renewed sense of purpose driving him to follow her lead. His steps quickened as he trailed behind her, guided by her graceful flight through the verdant canopy of the forest.
As Dokja followed Biyoo, he noticed a remarkable transformation taking place. The plants, trees, and flowers seemed to bloom more vibrantly as they neared a particular area of the forest, a sign of the mystical energy that permeated the surroundings.
Biyoo came to a graceful stop, prompting Dokja to gaze ahead and behold a figure standing with his back to him. The man, with jet-black hair and clad in white attire, exuded such a powerful presence it knocked the wind out of him. With a mixture of anticipation and nerves coursing through him, Dokja took tentative steps forward until he stood face to face with the mysterious figure.
The man turned towards Dokja, a serene smile gracing his features. The uncanny resemblance between them, from their matching eyes to the striking contrast of their attire, was almost too much to take in.
"Hello, Kim Dokja... I am the Oldest Dream. I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now." His voice carried a soothing quality, enveloping Dokja like a warm blanket. This figure, whom Dokja had sought with a myriad of questions swirling in his mind, now stood before him, embodying the essence of ancient wisdom. As Dokja gazed into the eyes of the Oldest Dream, a profound sense of awe washed over him, rendering him momentarily speechless.
Dokja's voice quivered as he sought confirmation. "I... You're Kim Dokja... right?"
The Oldest Dream's gentle smile remained as he nodded in affirmation. "Yes, that is the identity that I had previously... but no longer. Quite some time has passed since then, and the 'Kim Dokja' you were familiar with is no longer here," he explained.
With a subtle gesture towards himself, he indicated the transformation that had taken place, the evolution from one form to another, from mortal to ethereal. "The title Kim Dokja is yours to bear now, and you've done a wonderful job doing so," he added on, directing Dokja's attention to his own self with a pointed gesture.
Dokja's voice trembled with apprehension as he broached the subject that weighed heavily on his heart. "Are you…are you going to reclaim your place in this world now?" he inquired, his words laced with dread. The prospect of returning to his old world, to the life he had left behind, stirred a deep-seated anxiety within him.
In the face of the bonds he formed and the happiness he had found in this new world, the shadow of his past loomed large, casting a gloom over the possibility of a happy ending. Throwing himself back into the arms of the looming specter of his former life was the last thing he wanted to do.
But if it was what he had to do for the betterment of this world, then so be it.
The Oldest Dream's eyes widened in surprise as he observed Dokja's anxiety, his eyebrows knitting together. "You think that's why I'm here?" he asked quietly, "Of course not, there is no place for me to 'reclaim' in this world, as you put it."
Dokja's expression contorted into a frown of confusion as he questioned the Oldest Dream. "Why? Don't you want to be with your family again?" he pressed.
The Oldest Dream's words carried a bittersweetness to them as he spoke. "My time with my family has already come and gone. In this world, the Kim Dokja they cherish is you, not me," he explained, his smile masking a hidden undercurrent of jealousy and longing. Despite the ache of relinquishing the familial bonds that once defined him, the Oldest Dream made a silent vow to not stand in the way of Dokja's happiness, to not covet the connections that now belonged to another.
Dokja's mind reeled with disbelief. He was an outsider. All he bore was the name of Kim Dokja, forever lacking the true essence of his being.
"You can still go back, if I leave the Underworld Duchy they won't know that—" Dokja's voice trailed off, his words faltering as he attempted to make sense of the situation. Before he could finish what he was saying, the Oldest Dream placed a soft hand on his cheek.
"There's no need for you to carry the weight of your past life anymore."
Reflecting on Dokja's past, the hardships and injustices he had endured, the Oldest Dream was determined to ensure that Dokja would not be burdened with the shadows of his former life.
"Let me carry that weight," he declared, his voice resolute. "You don't have to continue outing yourself as a stranger to this world. Continue to live as Kim Dokja of the Underworld Duchy."
"What? How can I do that? This is your life, your world!"
The Oldest Dream shook his head in response to Dokja's protest. "My world was ruined because of my selfishness, and in exchange for the chance at a new, better world, I gave up my identity. The world we're in right now, it's yours, you were the one who worked to build it up to this. The life Kim Dokja has now... it's yours, not mine," he explained with finality.
"But.."
"You saw it in your dreams, right?" he posed the question, a knowing look in his eyes. "I want them to be happy, so the deity gave me another chance, and that chance is you. You've changed everything that should have happened, giving rise to possibilities that never happened. So please, live this life for me."
He continued on. "Even if I wanted to return…I can't," he confessed, resignation coloring his words. "They can't see me... I'm stuck here. This is my karma for everything that I did. I mean, I can visit them sometimes, but..."
"....."
The weight of the Oldest Dream's revelation settled heavily on Dokja's shoulders as he absorbed the information. "I'm a deity now, Dokja… I don't know why you're so insistent for me to return, but it just isn't meant to be. It wouldn't be fair to either of us, nor our family. So please, forget everything and just live your life. Your family needs you," the Oldest Dream implored.
The Oldest Dream's gaze shifted to Dokja's stomach, a glint of wonder dancing in his eyes as he spoke softly, "And I'm sure that your baby needs his father... right?" His words hung in the air, sparking something in Dokja's eyes.
"How did you know that?"
Some cheekiness revealed itself in Oldest Dream's expression. "Oh, I know a lot of things, I try keeping an eye on everyone that I care about after all." Something lights up on his face, the deity remembering something.
"Oh, before I forget, tell Sooyoung to lay off her lemon candies! She's been eating them too much and I think she'll get cavities at this rate. And give her a big hug for me, I don't think I gave enough of those when I was still Dokja. Ooh, and tell Hades to be proud of himself for how far he's come in expressing himself, he used to be so stoic before. Hmmm, let's see… Oh! Get Kim Namwoon to ask out Lee Jihye already, he'd been pining after her for ages. Be sure to give your thanks to Yoo Sangah and Lee Seolhwa, they've been through a lot for us. Take more sword lessons with Jung Heewon, you need to put on more muscle and she's a great teacher! Give her a hug too, she's put up with a lot because of us. And don't forget to—"
The deity continued rambling on, Dokja staring at him in a daze as he tried his best to keep a mental list of everything he needed to do. But as Oldest Dream went on, Dokja noticed something strange.
" — Mia likes those a lot. Could you try Joonghyuk's murim dumplings for me? I always wanted to—"
"Oldest Dream! Your hands… I think something is wrong…"
Pausing for a second, the deity looked down, only to find his fingers becoming translucent, the tips already having faded away. The excitement that previously lit up in his eyes dulled into reluctant acceptance as he turned his gaze to the sky. "Looks like it's already time to go back," he remarked under his breath. "Remember, this is our little secret. Explaining all this to anyone would be too complicated and would cause a lot of issues" he added, a final plea for discretion as his body continued to fade from view.
"Wait, I still have a question! Why did you choose me to transmigrate to this world?"
With a last tender look back, the Oldest Dream responded to Dokja's question, "Isn't it obvious? Because you deserve happiness in your life."
His form faded into nothingness.