The road to the unison of the three kingdoms was crueller and more demanding than he had ever imagined.

It all started with a one-month preparation and a sly distraction to make sure that Silla wasn't prepared for the sudden attack. On top of that, he had never been in a war before, so he had to make sure that he and his soldiers were well-trained, let it be sword fighting, martial arts or archery. He knew how to ride a horse, therefore that couldn't be seen as a drawback. Yet, he had never tried doing archery and riding a horse at the same time but it was a must when someone was in a war – in other words, when it was a matter of life and death. He was glad that his former martial arts master − Bang Sihyuk − was the one who taught them the basics, even though he didn't seem like he really wanted to be there.

There was just something in his eyes that justified that preparing the soldiers to attack the people of Silla and then the people of Hubaekje was the last thing that he wanted to do. He was satisfied with their progress, however, he didn't look happy at all. That's when Seokjin realised that happiness and satisfaction weren't synonyms. They could be present at the same time but delightfulness didn't necessarily result in satisfaction and vice versa. His mission was to make his father proud. So could he ever be happy with the outcome? Or he just had to be proud of the result and that's all? Was there anything that he could gain from this annexation?

He didn't know the answer but he couldn't stop. He had to fulfil his father's last wish. If he wasn't a good son when the previous king was still alive and he considered that he wasn't worthy to be a part of the royal family, he would have to prove him now that he was willing to do everything to make history because of his father.

Of course, he also doubted his abilities since he was only an 18-year-old kid who had to take responsibility for a nation when the sudden role was forced onto him the moment his father died. Plus, he had never been in any kind of fight before, he didn't have to deal with political issues and he didn't have to think twice whether he was taking a step forward. To make matters worse, he wasn't alone. Not anymore. The weight of a whole nation and the reputation of the Kim dynasty was on his shoulders.

He had to make plans as soon as possible and as efficiently as possible. Even the one-month preparation was risky since anyone could ascend the throne without his permission. Therefore, he had to leave someone behind who would make everyone believe − even his relatives − that he was there, locked up in his room, trying to get over the loss of his father and making plans for a better and stronger Goryeo. So he asked Junghwan to take his place and even though the commander-in-chief was reluctant at first, due to their long friendship, he wanted to help him. In spite of his lack of knowledge concerning the King’s plans, he trusted Seokjin. Little did he know that he trusted the old Seokjin. Not the new, cruel one.

Everything was settled, so the plan could go on. After the one-month preparation, they were finally ready to attack Silla. The war lasted for two weeks straight. Seokjin had never seen so much blood before. It was different when he saw his own blood on his hands but when he saw others' blood on his hands, he was terrified at first. Physically, he was prepared to fight against people and see others dying but so much blood had been shed in this war that he couldn't bear the sight after the first day.

As a result, he just let the trauma hunt him in his dreams and make him vomit when he couldn't take the pressure. He hated that he was so weak, so he decided that instead of letting his emotions all out, he would just suppress them. Like a bottle that one wanted to keep under the water despite the rules of physics, he didn't let the emotions come to surface. In order to do so, he ought to get rid of his human side; he rather became like a lifeless machine. One that didn't feel fear, neither joy or gloom. One that didn't know the definition of pain or humility. And one that didn't know how to stop; the order was coded in him and there was no way that he disobeyed what he had to do. He had to succeed, even if it meant that he would have to sacrifice his whole life.

He saw blood everywhere. Crimson-red spots. Wine-like hands. Mahogany veins. Scarlet-red eyes. Cherry lips coloured with merlot lipstick. Even the stars were ruby-red. They cried fire brick tears. The rivers were painted rosy-coloured. His heart was like a red stone. Everything was red, bloody, lifeless, cruel red. Fathomless, invincible, fearless red. He became one with red. He was red.

Silla was now one with Goryeo.

As a result, the soldiers from Silla had to take their sides and assist them to tak