Years ago, when he first rose to power, everything had seemed so easy. Ruling a kingdom felt like child's play. But as time passed, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier, and expectations multiplied.
Because of this, he slowly distanced himself from his friends and became somewhat of a prisoner to his own solitude. Bit by bit, his humanity faded—perhaps it was already gone.
He stopped staring at the wall's carvings and listened closely to the sounds outside. They were cheering for Yung, thanking him for all he had done. Once upon a time, he might have smiled at that. Now, he didn't even have the energy to care. With weary steps, he walked out onto the balcony, looking at the crowd that cheered even louder upon seeing him. His people adored him—you could see it in their eyes and feel it in their actions. But Yung... Yung had no trace of love left within him. After all, love was a human feeling, and Yung didn't even carry a shred of humanity anymore.
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Minji was swiftly yet carefully moving her brush across the canvas. She had promised to finish the painting today, and people would be coming to pick it up in a few hours—but she still wasn't done.
Trying to push the stress aside, she focused on her work. Dipping her brush into black paint again, she darkened the forest shadows. She had promised to create a magical forest, but the vision of one never truly came to her mind. That's why she had started late, and now she was out of time.
Minji set the brush down and glanced over the painting one last time. She wasn't satisfied, but she didn't have the luxury to dwell on that. Flexing her fingers to relieve the ache, she looked at her hand and muttered under her breath, "There's no way I'll finish this in an hour… I'd need to go beyond time itself."
A sudden chill ran through her. It felt like the air in the room had changed. As she felt a breeze brush her skin, she looked up to close the window. "What the hell... Where am I?"
She was no longer in her room. She found herself in a place she had never seen before. Looking around more carefully, she realized it resembled the forest she had painted. She assumed it must be a dream, that she had dozed off in front of the canvas—but this was the worst time for that. The trees around her were at least four or five times her size, almost touching the clouds. There was a gloomy atmosphere that chilled her to the bone. She couldn't stop wondering how she had ended up here. Her subconscious was clearly full of strange things.
As she kept walking slowly, she noticed two soldier-like figures approaching her. Asking them for help didn't seem like the smartest idea, but running away would only increase the adrenaline.
When she took a step toward them, one of them raised a weapon to her face.
"Who are you?"
Before she could even reply, they both grabbed her arms and started dragging her forward. The dream was slowly turning into a nightmare. Her body heated up with tension, her palms sweaty. She didn't make a sound, as if even speaking would get her shot. They were approaching something big and grey—what looked like a castle. But castles weren't supposed to be terrifying. Just looking at it gave Minji chills.
Once they dragged her inside, she realized the inside was just as gloomy as the outside. Despite the nostalgia in the architecture, everything was still elegant. When they stopped in front of a door and knocked twice, a voice from inside gave them permission. The moment she heard it, she shivered again. They pushed her in roughly. She stayed calm, thinking it was just a dream and she would eventually wake up. When they shoved her forward and she fell to her knees, she groaned. So much for "you don't feel pain in dreams." Her knees definitely hurt.
As she tried to stand, one of the soldiers pushed down on her shoulder, keeping her in place. The other one spoke up. "We found her wandering in the forest, my king."
Yung rose from his throne and studied the girl in front of him. She didn't look like anyone from their world. He signaled the soldiers to leave, and they quickly bowed and exited. Yung slowly began to circle around her.
"You're not from here. Who sent you?"
Minji opened her mouth to reply but closed it again. She had no idea what to say.
"No one sent me. I don't even know where I am."
Yung smirked mockingly and stopped pacing, now facing her.
"So you're saying you've never heard of the Morvath Realm?"
"Not even once."
Minji started glancing around, avoiding his gaze. Behind him, she noticed a black and gold throne adorned with emeralds. Shadows danced behind it. The walls had similar black and gold patterns. Despite the gloom, it wasn't suffocating.
Yung kept observing her, trying to decide if she was telling the truth.
"So, you're just a regular human, then?"
"I don't know who you are, but I'm just an ordinary person living a normal life."
Yung took a deep breath, trying to hide the anger rising inside him.
"You don't just end up here. What did you do?"
"I was just painting… then I found myself here."
He helped her up, now examining her more carefully.
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Jungmi rushed in and tapped Haejin's shoulder.
"Emergency. The king summoned us."
Fear was written all over Haejin's face.
"Did he find out about us? What could he possibly want from us?"
"I don't know, but we can't keep him waiting."
They both ran to the king's chamber, bowing simultaneously and waiting for orders.
"Sit down, Jungmi. What are you waiting for?"
Yung felt unease rise again. He used to be close with both of them. The three of them once shared long chats in this very room. Now, things were distant—because of him. But it still bothered him. Not wanting to waste more time, he pointed at the girl sitting tensely across from him.
"She was found in the forest. Clearly not from here. Claims it was an accident. I want you to check if there's been a breach in the system."
Jungmi turned to examine Minji.
"She's from Earth," she murmured.
Haejin closed her eyes to sense any rift in the realm.
"There was an opening earlier today… but it was activated by a coded phrase."
"We stopped using those codes years ago, Haejin. How is this possible?"
Haejin looked at Minji and then back at Yung.
"She has the kind of spiritual energy that can reactivate old codes. Her light is overwhelming—something no ordinary human has."
Yung shook his head in denial.
"You know people of light can't survive here, Haejin. If she had that much light, she wouldn't even be standing right now."
"No, Your Majesty. I can feel her light. It's as powerful as I said. And someone is shielding her from the darkness."
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