[CONTENTID1]Prologue[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]"If you're tied to somebody with the string of fate, the thread may stretch or tangle but it will never break."[/CONTENTID2]

[CONTENTID3]Past

The metal clashing filled the practice arena in the palace. The black haired male, clothed in a royal robe for sparring was attacking his sparring partner that had the same height as him. Another clash and both of them leaped backward, ready in their stance. The royal male smirked. “Why you’re so powerful these days?” The other male grinned sheepishly.

“Your Highness, I think you’re aware that I am one of the generals now.” The 24 years old royal male chuckled.

“I know. Let’s count it as a day here, Mingyu.” The other male nodded and sheathed his sword into its case. He gave a polite bow. “As much as I concern, we’re alone currently you know.” The royal male said as he kept his sword away. Mingyu raised his head and looked around.

“Ah, yes.” Mingyu sighed. “I still need to get used calling you formally, Wonwoo. Right after I become general, we… well, you’re the crown prince. It has been a while but I still slip up during formal meeting.” The prince rolled his eyes.

“I tell you clearly that when we’re alone, you suppose to treat me as your best friend. Come on, we grow up together. This is awkward, you fool.” Mingyu pouted.

“But-”

“This is an order.” Mingyu pursed his lips.

“Yes, yes, Crown Prince Jeon.” Wonwoo chuckled. Right then, Mingyu ducked his head a bit when he noticed someone was walking towards them. Wonwoo noticed the changes and turned as he heard steps.

“Crown Prince.” An eunuch came with a serious face. Wonwoo looked at him, telling him wordlessly to continue his words. “The King, Your Majesty…”

The next word didn’t reach Wonwoo’s ears as a teary-eyed lady in royal robe came to Wonwoo. “Oppa, Abamama…”

Present

Wonwoo pressed his arm that had been sliced by a sword coated with magic on its blade. Not even once – or maybe there’s once Wonwoo didn’t remember clearly – he drew blood this much since he was reborn as a nine-tailed fox. He didn’t really like that fact. He had once gotten hurt in the past but only a swollen part and bluish skin, very little blood like a drop or two. Wonwoo hissed as he chanted a spell taught by his assistant to heal himself faster but Wonwoo could feel it wasn’t healing like usual. “Who are you?” The male in his fighting stance gripped his sword tighter at Wonwoo’s question.

“A hunter of mythical creature like you. My family worked for the God of Afterlife to collect creatures like you.” Wonwoo snorted.

“What the hell? Why you guys even exist? And still have hunter at this modern century?”

“Who give you right to say that?!” The male hollered. Wonwoo released two of his tails, upgrading his unleashed power trying to encounter the pain he felt on his arm.

“Because whoever that God you’re worked for, you should know that I’m not in the category of bad creatures which you need to collect.”

“I don’t believe you. You feed on innocent souls.” Wonwoo frowned.

“What the f-” Wonwoo paused and quickly dodged the attack when the masked hunter struck him. The fox whiffed a faint smell as the sword sliced the air beside him. ‘Seven Heaven.’

Wonwoo worked hard to dodge every strike of the magic sword. The whiff told him the identity of this hunter, which family this hunter belonged to and quickly understood why this hunter was after him. The family that believed he was the one burnt a village where the family stayed and out the dead souls that happened in the past. But one thing they didn’t know, he was at the scene because he just helped a lost boy. Ever since that, he was hunted down by the family. He was always lucky in this few decades avoiding the family’s descendants, but not today. Not on his 1000th year alive.

In all honesty, he could kill this mere hunter with his power. But it was against the rule and he might be punished even greater by the deity. And another thing, Wonwoo was feeling something as his eyes roamed around the hunter who was very focused on killing him. To that distraction point he had fallen, Wonwoo was knocked down and the hunter towered him. Wonwoo saw the blinding shine from the blade up in the air.

“After so many years, finally we got justice.” The hunter whispered. Wonwoo just stared at the blade. The blade could hurt him but he believed he won’t die from it. But Wonwoo hated the pain too. The fox was trying his luck to chant any spell to turn the table in that moment. The hunter’s mask suddenly fell off accidentally, revealing a bit of his face. “In the name of Kim’s family, I, Kim Mingyu, the 7th generation finally finished-” Wonwoo startled and he tune down the words from the hunter’s lips when he heard the name. Their eyes met and the sword was coming on its way to Wonwoo’s heart. But the fox was too stunned to do anything when he recognized that face.

“Halt!” A loud scream heard from the side and the sword stopped mid-way where the tip of the blade was just an inch from Wonwoo’s chest. “Remove!” A shriek and Wonwoo felt the weight on him disappeared. He opened his eyes just to see the hunter was sent flying few metres away. Before he could react, his wrist was grabbed by someone and he was teleported to somewhere else. To be exact, his house.

“Wonwoo! What are you doing? Why you didn’t escape or fight that guy properly?!” Wonwoo snapped out from his trance when a loud yell burned his ears. The fox turned to glare at the guy beside him.

“The Junhui! That hurts my ear!” Junhui scoffed. Wonwoo rubbed his poor ear.

“I’m worried, okay? Suddenly my pendant blinked in too much emergency; thankfully I located you pretty fast. I know you’re immortal but I don’t want deal with your whine of pain and everything . Don’t try to refresh my memory of those days. Can you think properly before jumping into a danger just to help people because the deity told you so?” Wonwoo scoffed and kicked Junhui a little in annoyance. Junhui widened his eyes. “The ?!”

“I hate pains but I hate your nags even more. And today is not my day. I was just unlucky to be caught by the Kim’s descendants.” Junhui gasped. “Yeah, the sword you stopped there is Seven Heaven sword.”

“.” Junhui bit his lips. “That would take some months of you to be healed. Or maybe dead, because we don’t know what can happen if the magic on it caught you.” Wonwoo shrugged. Junhui came closer to heal the wound on Wonwoo’s arm. Wonwoo winced as Junhui removed the magic that prevented his body healing ability.

“That’s not the tiest things yet.” Junhui perked up to Wonwoo’s word. Wonwoo sighed. “You know the way of me and you returning and walking into the afterlife was a kiss from my soulmate who can see my tails?” Junhui nodded to the question.

“And we already know your soulmate is your first love that is Kim Mingyu-”

“Kim Mingyu. Kim’s family. That rings a bell to you?” Junhui looked at Wonwoo for a while before gasping. Wonwoo chuckled dryly. “And that hunter who was just about to kill me just now is Kim Mingyu, the 7th generation of the Kim’s family.”

“.”

“Yeah, .” Wonwoo turned to the big painting hanging above the drawer where he displayed picture frames of precious people he met in these 1000 years. He smirked to the painting of forest with 100 white butterflies hanging on the wall. “You played with my fate well, huh? Either you don’t want me to end my life and continued living or you just want to curse me for all my sins. I think the later fits.” Wonwoo scoffed. Junhui stayed silent, knowing perfectly Wonwoo was saying those to the deity.

“Get information about him, Junhui. If you want to stop living, then you need to help me get that damn kiss.” Wonwoo said bitterly. Junhui looked at Wonwoo warily and retreated to do his work.

Junhui entered his room and the light automatically . The guy sighed as he stared at the bookshelf on his right. It was his diary aka journal, everything happened in Wonwoo’s life was written down by him. So he knew everything and he didn’t have a good feeling to the fact Wonwoo just told him.

“If it wasn’t cruel enough for you to give condition of him returning to the afterlife by a kiss from a soulmate… why it had to be like this? Wonwoo deserved a happy ending, Lord. Aren’t these 1000 years enough for him paying his sins?”

Past

“Long live King Wonwoo. Long live King Wonwoo.” The ministers and the generals pledged their loyalty to the new king. The male in royal robe gave a blank face as he watched them bowing respects to him who was sitting high on the throne. He turned slightly to the right to see a lady sitting on a golden seat. The lady turned and their eyes met. The lady’s eyes were moist but she smiled a little to him. The King nodded and turned to the people bowing to him.

“The late King, my father was a great king and I promised him I will be as great as him. With all your trusts and supports, I will make this country strong.” The ministers nodded with smiles while the generals stayed silent. “Minister Yoon Jeonghan.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The called name stepped forward, showing respect bow.

“I position you as my minister, my consultant. I would call you the Prime Minister.” The said minister smiled and bowed in res