Chapter 325: To the Sichuan Tang Clan (2)

“The true master of the sacred flame shall appear in this world, and on the day when new wings sprout from his torn wounds, all shall worship him?”

Mok Gyeong-un’s expression turned strange.

This was completely different in nature from the original prophecy.

[Beware, for when the heavens open, the incarnation of Ahriman shall appear in this world and taint the sacred flame with black evil.]

The altered prophecy was almost like a warning, but the original prophecy didn’t have that feeling.

However, there was one similarity: someone would appear in this world.

‘…The incarnation of Ahriman… The true master of the sacred flame…’

What were these beings?

Why did the Holy Fire Priestess change the prophecy?

It was utterly incomprehensible.

Everything was too ambiguous.

Staring intently at the agonized Holy Fire Priestess, Mok Gyeong-un spoke:

“Why did you change the prophecy?”

“Haa… haa… That’s…”

As she hesitated, Mok Gyeong-un smiled and said:

“Keeping your mouth shut won’t do you any good if you know what I’m going to do next.”

At these words, Holy Fire Priestess’s face turned deathly pale as she trembled, and she soon opened her mouth:

“…My granddaughter… My only granddaughter… I had no choice… if I wanted to save her.”

“You wanted to save your granddaughter? So you manipulated the prophecy because of that…”

“I… I…”

“Cut the crap about your circumstances or excuses. The one who threatened you with your granddaughter was that person from the organization, right?”

At this question, the Holy Fire Priestess nodded with difficulty.

The events of that time flashed through her mind.

***

18 years ago, in the Sacred Hall of Fire Faith Order.

In the center of the hall was a platform, and on it stood an ornate staff with a blue-glowing sacred orb embedded in it.

The sacred orb always emitted a brilliant light.

But something strange happened to this sacred orb.

-Woooong!

A strong tremor and resonance spread from the sacred orb, making the surroundings tremble.

The one who noticed this bizarre phenomenon was a middle-aged man in neat attire who was in the hall.

He was known as Medicine Immortal Hae Yeong in the Central Plains, but here in the Fire Faith Order, he was called Guardian Jang.

[What’s happening?]

Surprised by the strange phenomenon occurring with the sacred orb, Guardian Jang approached it.

A strong light was emanating from the violently trembling sacred orb.

Drawn to it unknowingly, Guardian Jang reached out his hand toward the sacred orb.

At that moment…

[Ah!]

Guardian Jang’s eyes turned black.

As if seeing some kind of vision, Guardian Jang’s expression became one of shock, and he soon startled and removed his hand from the sacred orb.

[What… what is this?]

Staring at the sacred orb with trembling eyes, Guardian Jang hurriedly tried to call for the Holy Fire Priestess.

But before he could even leave the hall, as if by coincidence, the Holy Fire Priestess and someone wearing a bamboo hat and mask entered.

Noticing the golden scabbard at the waist of the man in the bamboo hat, Guardian Jang could guess who he was.

[Holy Fire Priestess! Mok…]

[How long has it been like this, Guardian Jang?]

Surprised by the sight of the sacred orb emitting a bright light while resonating, the Holy Fire Priestess interrupted him and asked.

Guardian Jang answered:

[I don’t know. I just entered the hall, and suddenly the sacred orb began trembling and emitting light.]

[For the sacred orb to resonate like this, it’s no ordinary matter.]

She spoke in a voice filled with delight.

Bewildered by this, Guardian Jang questioned:

[What do you mean by no ordinary matter?]

[Holy Fire has delivered a revelation. Guardian Jang, go and summon the Reverend immediately.]

[Understood.]

While Guardian Jang went to call the Reverend, the Holy Fire Priestess approached the sacred orb, which was trembling even more intensely.

Even she had never seen such a sight before.

She had been guarding the sacred orb as Holy Fire Priestess for several decades, but it had never emitted such resonance and light to this extent.

Could it be that something unusual was about to happen?

As she was about to reach out her hand toward the sacred orb…

-Crack!

[What?]

The staff shattered, and the sacred orb suddenly shot upward.

The sacred orb that had shot up was about to pierce through the ceiling of the hall, but someone caught it just in time before it reached the ceiling.

-Pak!

It was none other than the man in the bamboo hat.

The man in the bamboo hat landed on the floor, holding the sacred orb, and paused for a moment.

Holy Fire Priestess approached him and extended her hand.

[Secret Master, thank you. Please give me the sacred orb.]

[…]

[Secret Master?]

[Ah!]

At her repeated call, the man in the bamboo hat, no, the one called Secret Master, came to his senses and handed the sacred orb to Holy Fire Priestess.

The moment the Holy Fire Priestess received the sacred orb, she experienced a vision.

It was a scene of the sacred flame going out and falling to the ground.

‘How… how could this happen?’

For her, who had thought it was just a revelation, this scene was a shock in itself.

Holy Fire was a symbol of the Fire Faith Order.

The sight of Holy Fire’s flame going out and falling might not just be a simple revelation for the order but a tragic news heralding its downfall.

However, the vision didn’t end there.

The extinguished Holy Fire turned to ashes, but at some point, it began to burn brightly again, illuminating its surroundings brilliantly.

[Aaah!]

She exclaimed.

She had thought it was the final revelation signaling the downfall of the Fire Faith Order.

But this was a trial.

If they could find the spark to reignite the Holy Fire to overcome this trial, it would burn brightly again, enough to illuminate the world once more.

-Tak!

Removing her hand from the sacred orb, she began to organize the scenes she had witnessed.

Then, someone placed a hand on her shoulder and said:

[Don’t convey what you saw as it is.]

‘!?’

Startled, she turned her head.

The one who said this to her was none other than Secret Master.

[Secret Master, how could you…]

[I won’t say it twice. Forget what you just saw.]

[What are you talking about now? Secret Master, could it be… You saw a revelation from the sacred orb?]

She couldn’t hide her surprise.

Only the chosen ones could directly receive the revelation from the sacred orb.

It should have been impossible without the power of resonance, so how could the Secret Master see the vision of the revelation?

As she wondered, Secret Master spoke:

[The ancient Holy Fire has set, and it will be replaced by a new flame. Therefore, the revelations shown by the sacred orb are no longer meaningful.]

[Secret Master, I don’t know what you saw, but your words are too much! This is ultimately the…]

-Swish!

Before she could finish her sentence, Secret Master lifted the mask covering his face.

She had never seen the Secret Master’s face before.

But when she saw that face, she couldn’t hide her shock.

‘E-eyes?’

The moment she saw the third eye on the Secret Master’s forehead, filled with red spots, she was gripped by fear and couldn’t say a word.

To her, Secret Master grinned eerily and said:

[The time has finally come. The Holy Fire you have revered will completely set. A new era has arrived.]

[W-what are you…]

[Don’t question it. You have only one thing to do. Deliver a revelation to welcome the new era… No, that’s not it. Yes, there is a need to ensure the fading flame as well.]

[What are you saying now?]

[Deliver the revelation.]

[Revelation?]

[It will be pulled down by those who believed and extinguished by the hands of those who worshipped. How wonderful.]

The Holy Fire Priestess’s eyes trembled violently.

What did this person see?

What did he see to think that the Holy Fire would be completely extinguished?

The Holy Fire will burn again.

Even more brilliantly than before.

[Holy Fire will not be extinguished, Secret Master. I don’t know what your intentions are in saying such things, but Milhoe (Secret Society) is the shadow and bronze mirror of the Fire Faith Order. How could you…]

-Pak!

[Urk!]

[Didn’t I tell you? I have been waiting for this moment.]

[I… I can’t breathe…]

[You’ll feel suffocated. But I won’t kill you now. You have something to do.]

[I… I will follow…]

[You have to follow. If you don’t want to lose what’s precious to you, that is.]

‘Precious?’

In her mind, the face of only one person, no, one child came to mind.

It was her only remaining blood relative, her granddaughter.

***

“Ah, how cliché.”

Mok Gyeong-un clicked his tongue after hearing the Holy Fire Priestess’s words.

Unable to overcome the threat, she had spoken a false prophecy.

In the end, she had chosen her blood relative over being a member of the Fire Faith Order.

However, through her recollection of the past, he had learned two facts.

One was the relationship between the organization and the Fire Faith Order.

They were called Secret Society and were not a completely separate group from Fire Faith Order but had a very close connection.

And the second was his grandfather.

‘Did Grandfather also see something through that sacred orb?’

Listening to the story, it seemed that all the members of the Fire Faith Order believed in the Holy Fire Priestess’s false prophecy.

Even the leader of Shadow Clan Master, Hwan Ya-seon.

But both the members of the Fire Faith Order and this organization spoke as if his grandfather had ignored the prophecy and done something.

That meant there was a high probability that his grandfather knew the truth, not the false prophecy.

That’s why he would have disobeyed the false prophecy and revelation.

‘…’

Mok Gyeong-un suddenly remembered something.

The scene of falling from a high sky and his grandfather prostrating before him.

When he first recalled this, he had thought of it as a dream since it was a scene he had never seen before.

But suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

‘The true master of the sacred flame… Could it be that the person mentioned in that prophecy is me?’

It was hard to believe, but all the circumstances were pointing to him.

Even though it was his infancy, he was someone who remembered everything he had seen, heard, and smelled.

But for some reason, he couldn’t remember his early childhood.

As if the memories of that part had been cut out.

‘what the .... am I?’

The unknown being inside him and his own existence latent in his missing memories.

All of these things were intertwined in a complex way, adding to the questions about himself.

Lost in thought, Mok Gyeong-un opened his mouth:

“The deeper I dig, the more complicated everything becomes. I just wanted to deal with the one who killed my grandfather, that’s all.”

“…”

“One thing is certain: I can’t deny that I’m closely related to that prophecy. Isn’t that right?”

At that question, the Holy Fire Priestess lowered her head.

She couldn’t tell for sure if the person in front of her was an incarnation or the being itself.

However, it was certain that the being definitely existed within him.

“That’s…”

As she tried to say something, Mok Gyeong-un waved his hand as if annoyed.

“Forget it. Let’s put this aside for now. Because right now, what I want to do takes precedence over knowing who I am.”

“If you’re talking about what you want to do…”

“Didn’t I tell you? I said I would erase from this world everything related to my grandfather’s death.”

-Shudder!

At Mok Gyeong-un’s murderous words, the Holy Fire Priestess felt a chill down her spine for a moment.

If this person was truly the master of the sacred flame mentioned in the prophecy, he possessed both sides of the coin.

She recalled a part of the doctrine that the previous generation’s Holy Fire Priestess had spoken of.

[Ahura Mazda is a two-sided Mainyu, so he can be both Spenta (good supreme-ruler) and Ahriman, that is, Angra (evil supreme-ruler).]

‘!!!!!!’

‘Could he become… a calamity?’

Her eyes trembled like crazy as she looked at Mok Gyeong-un.

She suddenly had a thought.

Her false prophecy, whether intentionally or not, may have truly brought about a calamity.

“Come to think of it, there was something quite interesting among the things you said.”

“What do you mean by interesting?”

“You said that Secret Master person had an eye on his forehead, right?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, the Holy Fire Priestess swallowed dryly and nodded.

She still couldn’t forget that ominous and eerie appearance.

Then, Mok Gyeong-un, who had been stroking his chin, spoke as if he had realized something:

“Ah, I get it now.”

‘!?’

“It was simpler than I thought. The third Mok-gan.”

“The third Mok-gan?”

The third Mok-gan (目艮).

That’s what they called the leader of the organization.

At first, Mok Gyeong-un didn’t understand what this meant.

But it was unexpectedly simple.

“Mok (目) and Gan (艮) are not separate but ultimately one. The eye (眼)… The third Mok-gan actually means the third eye (三眼).”