Chapter 9: Blood Moon Rising
905 Words
The first thing Hye Young heard was rain.
It fell softly, rhythmically, like a heartbeat against the glass.
She opened her eyes to find herself lying in a hospital bed — again. The same sterile white walls, the same faint hum of machines. But something was different this time.
Her pulse wasn’t steady. The lights flickered each time her heart raced. And in the reflection of the window — her eyes glowed red.
She gasped, clutching the sheets.
“Seo Jun?” she whispered.
He was there, slumped in a chair beside her bed, still in his bloodstained clothes. His hand rested near hers, the faint golden glow around his wrist flickering like a dying ember.
Hye Young touched him gently.
He stirred, his eyes snapping open.
“Hye Young…” He exhaled shakily. “You’re awake.”
She smiled weakly. “You look like you fought the heavens.”
He gave a half-laugh. “I did. And they’re still mad about it.”
But beneath his smile was something else — exhaustion. The kind that doesn’t come from battle, but from burning your soul to keep someone alive.
✦ The Power Within
Days passed. Seo Jun refused to leave her side, even when the doctors insisted. Hye Young’s wounds healed unnaturally fast, but her power — the foxfire — began to stir uncontrollably.
Whenever her emotions flared, lights would flicker, shadows would move, and sometimes her reflection shifted into something not human.
One night, she woke up screaming. The window had shattered inward, and a nine-tailed silhouette burned faintly on the wall.
Seo Jun ran to her side, gripping her shoulders.
“Hye Young! Look at me!”
Her eyes blazed crimson, her voice trembling.
“She’s in my head. My mother — she’s trying to call me back!”
He held her tightly, whispering,
“You’re stronger than her. You broke her chains once. You can do it again.”
But even as he said it, the Divine Mark on his chest began to dim. Each time she lost control, her curse drew from his soul, binding them tighter — and killing him slowly.
✦ The Arrival of the Celestial Oracle
Three nights later, under a bleeding moon, the Celestial Guardian Haneul appeared once more — this time accompanied by a figure cloaked in white silk.
The air shimmered, and the woman stepped forward, her silver hair glowing faintly.
“I am the Celestial Oracle,” she said softly. “And your souls are nearing collapse.”
Seo Jun stood protectively in front of Hye Young. “Tell us how to stop it.”
The Oracle’s eyes, old as time, looked at them both with sorrow.
“The curse is no longer one of blood, but of destiny. Your lives are now bound by a shared thread. If one perishes, the other fades.”
Hye Young trembled. “Then what do we do?”
“You must find the Moon Tear, a relic of the first fox bride,” the Oracle said. “It holds the power to cleanse a cursed soul — but it was hidden long ago, in the ruins of the Celestial Mountain.”
Seo Jun nodded, determined.
“Then that’s where we’ll go.”
The Oracle frowned. “You don’t understand. The mountain is sealed by divine fire. Only one of pure celestial blood may enter — and that blood is within you, Hye Young.”
“So I go alone?”
“Yes. But know this—” The Oracle’s voice dropped. “The Moon Tear demands a memory. To cleanse the curse, you must surrender the memory of your greatest love.”
The words struck like a blade.
Seo Jun’s expression hardened. “No. We’ll find another way.”
Hye Young turned to him, eyes glistening.
“Jun… if I lose my memories of you—”
“I’ll make you fall for me again,” he said quietly, with a small, broken smile. “As many times as it takes.”
✦ The Journey Begins
By dawn, they stood at the edge of the Celestial Mountain, its peaks wreathed in silver mist. The mountain pulsed faintly, like a living being.
Hye Young placed a hand on its gate, feeling her power hum in resonance.
“It knows you,” Seo Jun murmured.
She nodded. “It’s where it all began — and maybe where it’ll end.”
The gate opened in a burst of moonlight, revealing a vast corridor of floating shards and ancient light.
Seo Jun reached for her hand.
“Whatever happens, don’t forget — I’m with you.”
She smiled faintly, pressing his hand to her heart.
“Even if I forget your name, I’ll remember how you made me feel.”
Then she stepped through the gate.
The mountain swallowed her whole, the light sealing behind her.
✦ Epilogue Scene
As the silence settled, Haneul appeared beside Seo Jun.
“You have done more than any mortal should, Divine Heir. But your light fades.”
Seo Jun looked up at the mountain, his breath shallow. “Then I’ll wait here — until she returns.”
The wind carried his whisper through the mist.
“Because even if she forgets me, I’ll never forget her.”
The moon bled brighter, as if listening. Somewhere deep inside the mountain, a single tear of silver began to fall — the awakening of the Moon Tear.
- Writer
