1000s of Years Ago

"We are left with no choice."

"What of the consequences?"

"I forecast no imminent danger."

"Is it wise, though?"

"Reckless, perhap; however, it is the only way to ensure he will never be released from his entrapment."

"Though wary, I am in agreement."

"What of you brother Ui Ja?"

"I am ill at ease..."

"Do we not have your consent?"

"No… you have it."

"So be it. We cast it away, and pray to the Lord to never see its likes ever again."

-

Present Time

Siwon lifted his eyes to ominous trail of smoke rising from the within the distance; it's dark hue contrasting against the azure sky. He dug his heel into the side of his steed, beckoning it to quicken its pace. His troops followed closely behind.

A distress call had been sent from a village by the border. They had been attacked the previous night by an unknown force. The casualties were said to be dire. Aid was immediately deployed to the village. The squad had left at the break of dawn and Siwon followed shortly behind with a few of his own men.

After travelling another mile, the village finally came into Siwon's view. He felt his breath hinder as he laid eyes over a black terrain.

Though he expected to find a distraught village, the terrifying sight before him was far worse than he could've ever imagined.

Upon entering the devastated village, Siwon pulled on the reins of his horse, steadying its stride to a halt. He immediately dismounted and took a few steps forward. With shaken eyes, he beheld a once peaceful and quaint village, now left in complete ashes.

Where once stood many homes, scorched debris lay about. The dirt under his feet was seared and the air was thick with a putrid fume. Much of the wreckage was still ignited with small flames. Everything had been burnt to black remains. Nothing was left of the village. One would not have been able to recognize this obliteration as once a village. Siwon released a heavy breath. He was left in utter disbelief. His men walked up behind him, they too shared the same dreadful expression as their Commander.

"What in God's name…" Siwon finally spoke. The village was small, population nearing only a hundred, and was without any military force. He could not fathom why such carnage would be laid upon this once passive village. Siwon observed further ahead, finding the same gruesome destruction. Only tents that the first batch of troops set up stood unscathed. Siwon watched as soldiers moved about carrying items of aide and searched through the rubbles seeking survivors.

"Siwon,"

Siwon turned to the voice that called for him. "Onew," he acknowledged the Corporal who walked his way. Siwon met him half way and placed a hand over the young man's shoulder. "Onew…" Siwon glanced over the besieged village once more, "what happened here?"

"I don't know what to tell you Siwon," Onew spoke in crestfallen voice as he looked over the destruction.

"Who attacked this village?"

"We don't know," Onew answered, turning back to his senior, "no one saw anything."

"What do you mean?"

"The survivors claimed they did not see any armed forces. They say the village had been suddenly set aflame and people were being killed one by one. By whom, no one saw," Onew explained, "at least those who survived did not."

"That does not make any sense," Siwon pondered.

"I have a feeling this was not done by any armed forces, but sorcery."

"Possibly, but… how is it they saw no one? Even with magic, one man alone could not wipe out a whole village to this extent. They'd have to be a great number of them."

"I'm left just as baffled as you are."

Siwon released a heavy sigh. He turned his head over his shoulder to his men, "lend your hand where needed," he instructed them. His men did as told, scurrying past him. Siwon walked further into the village with Onew by his side. He wondered what mysterious force could have done this. An enemy of the Empire? Did they seek to provoke them in such a perilous manner? Such merciless actions only sought war, but with whom? As he scanned his eyes over the demolition, he knew for sure, this was done by magic; powerful magic. However, the questions remained of why and by whom.

"How many survivors?" Siwon question his junior, his eyes continuing to scan the terrain.

"14."

Siwon came to an abrupt halt and turned to Onew, "what did you say?"

Onew took a deep, sullen breath, "Just 14."

A chill went up Siwon's spine as his face contorted in disbelief. "14?!" Onew lowered his gaze and nodded his head, "This village had a population of about… a 100! Are you telling me they are now only 14 left?!" Siwon exclaimed.

"Initially, there were 18. We were unable to save 4 of them in time. 10 of the remaining survivors are still gravely injured and are seeking medical attention."

Siwon was left speechless. His eyes showed bewilderment and dread. What monsters attacked this poor village?

Siwon turned his head back to the demised village, his eyes frantically moving about as if in search for something. "Have the bodies of the dead already been assembled?" Siwon waited for a response from Onew, but when he was met with silence, he turned to the young man who held a hesitant expression.  "Well?"

"We… can't find the bodies."

Siwon did not want to believe the young Corporal's words. He would rather choose to believe his junior had become careless and unable to perform his duties proficiently, but he knew Onew was not of such characters. "You can't find the bodies?!" the Commander yelled, his junior only able to respond with a defeated expression. "How is that even possible?!"

"I am not so certain of this but…" Onew spoke hesitantly, "if indeed magic was used against this village, I am under the impression the bodies were disintegrated."

"Disintegrated?"

Onew turned his gaze over the ruins of the village, "we found peculiar piles of dust almost in every corner of the village. I am no expert in magic so I have requested for someone from the Ministry to be sent to assist our investigation."

Siwon returned his gaze to the village, only now taking note of patches of sand mixed with the ashes of the village. He treaded forward to the closest pool of sand and kneeled down. He sunk his hand into the lightly colored dust. He lifted up his hand and watched the soft soil spill like water through his finger. The grime seemed so pure.

Whatever did this poor village do to deserve this?

"Commander! Corporal!"

Siwon lifted his gaze to an oncoming soldier. "What is it?" he asked the soldier as he stood up, Onew joining him by his side again. The soldier stopped before Siwon, offering a bow before speaking.

"One of the survivors claims to have witnessed who attacked the village."

Siwon glanced at Onew, both sharing the same relieved expression. "Take me to them," Siwon ordered, not wishing to waste a second.

"He is an old man," the soldier explained as he led the two men, "barely alive when we found him. He speaks in odd words though. He seems to be have been gravely traumatized from attack." The soldier approached a large tent and held open the entry flap. Siwon entered the tent followed by Onew. Within the tent sat the survivors, their clothes drenched in blood and faces damp with tears. Their gazes were kept to the ground as they silently moaned in pain, both physical and emotional. There were a few children, their dismayed expressions contradicting the cheerful facade a child usually should have. Many of them were wrapped in bandages, laying upon the beds laid out for them. Though they survived, they seemed lifeless. They lost their loved ones. They lost their home.

Siwon felt his heart sink. It was a painful sight.

"This way Commander."

Siwon broke from his trance. The soldier walked forward through the small crowd. Siwon and Onew followed behind, eyes still fixed over the sorrowful survivors. The soldier brought the two to the far end of the tent where a medic and two other soldiers stood over a bed. The moved back as Siwon stepped forward, now able to see a frail old man on the bed. Blood coated his torn clothes and his burnt arms twitched by his sides. He had a long white beard and was appallingly thin. The old man's eyes were bloodshot but what caught Siwon's attention was their sharp gold hue. He was in terrible condition and may possibly not survive. Siwon wished he could offer comforting words to the old man, but what comfort would words give after the tragedy these people have gone through?

The old man suddenly turned his gaze to Siwon. He stared at the Commander silently, his breaths haggard and lips quivering. Siwon knelt down by the bed side and returned the old man's gaze with sympathetic eyes.

"Can you tell me what happened here?" Siwon asked in a soft voice.

The old man opened his quivering mouth to speak but he only sounded coarse groans. Siwon waited patiently for the old man to form his words. Suddenly, the man's trembling seized and his eyes became dilated.

"Wu… w-wu…" he began to speak but his words were too muffled and hushed to understand. Siwon brought his head closer, leaning his ears towards the old man's lips.

"Wu… Wu Jin…"

The old man spoke a name but it was of no familiarity to Siwon. His breathing became worn once again but Siwon continued to patiently listen.

"T… Tyrant… Tyrant…"

'Tyrant?' Siwon thought to himself. Confused at his words, he glanced up at the old and became alarmed when his eyelids began to droop. The old man choked, struggling to breath. His struggles proved futile as the pain clutched at his heart and his life slowly slipped away. Siwon watched as the old man's head fell and the remaining air in his lungs escape his body.

Onew immediately sprung forward, placing a hand to the old man's throat, searching for a sign of life. He found none. He retracted his hand and solemnly looked down at his Commander. Siwon understood his expression well. He glanced at the deceased man and bowed his head down in remorse. Another life lost. Would this poor village's population continue to dwindle? Siwon would not allow any further deaths. The survivors must have their immediate care.

Siwon lifted his head and stood up. He reached down to the sheets that covered the lower half the body and lifted it over the departed man. Before he could place down the sheet, he froze. Something peculiar caught his eyes. He placed the sheets back down and looked closely over the old man's tattered clothes. Through the rips of his garment, he noticed something over his chest. Siwon reached down and gently tore at the old man's clothes. He moved the cloth aside to reveal an insignia over the man's chest. The bottom half of the insignia was covered by a bandage wrapped around the man's chest. He gently moved down the top of the bandage revealing a demonic symbol. Its appearance suddenly brought a dark tension in the atmosphere.

A medic stepped forward from behind Siwon. "Strange. That was not there before when we dressed his wounds."

Onew stepped forward, his interest having been piqued as well. The skin under the symbol was scorched, as if the symbol had been engraved with fire over the man’s battered chest. "What is it?" Onew asked.

"I don’t know," Siwon responded, his eyes focused over the ominous insignia, seemingly portraying a face of evil.

Siwon reached his hand down over the man's chest. He ever so lightly placed a fingertip over the symbol when suddenly, as if greatly burdened by his touch, the old man's body began to crumble. Siwon gasped as he withdrew his hand and with wide eyes, watched the body fall into bits of dust.  Within seconds, where once lay the body of an old man, now simply a pile of earth. Siwon looked to Onew, who shared the same petrified expression as him.

"He's… gone," Onew spoke, his voice filled with alarm. The spectacle they had just witnessed confirmed what had become of the other victims.

Siwon released a deep breath, suddenly feeling overwhelmed.

What evil could have done this?

-

A/N: The insignia upon the man's chest.