Prolouge

The year was 1597 and after unsuccessful peace talks between Japan and the Ming, Korea was being invaded for a second time by the Japanese forces. Toyotomi Hideyoshi had the intent of conquering Joseon Korea and Ming-dynasty China. The first invasion began in 1592 and the Japanese forces occupied large portions of the Korean Peninsula in three months. Ming China became involved when the Japanese invasions were seen as a threat to the Imperial Chinese tributary system. With the combination of the Ming-led land campaigns and Joseon-led naval warfare, the Japanese army withdrew to the south. The Ming and Joseon armies attempted to follow but were halted by the Japanese army. The Japanese army fought back in order to try to reclaim the northern provinces but were repelled by the defending Joseon army. Ultimately neither armies were able to mount a successful offensive or gain any additional territory and the war continued in this manner for five years. It is during this time that a brief interlude took place between the years of 1596 and 1597, in which Japan and Ming engaged in the unsuccessful peace talks. It is here that our story begins as the Japanese army has invaded for a second time. For one person, her life is about to change… for better. Or… for worse.

The entire village burned in a sea of red, yellow and orange and the cries of people echoed into the night. Lee Chaerin watched as flames ripped their way through the buildings surrounding her, tendrils of smoke reaching desperately into the sky, as if trying to escape the blazing inferno below.

The village had been ambushed by the Japanese forces. It had taken them by surprise. No one knew that their village would be targeted, but they had been and now Chaerin watched as it all crumbled to the ground before her very eyes. The very village that she had grown up in was being destroyed.

She could hear screaming from people still trapped inside their burning homes and the cries of the innocence being slaughtered. Why was this happening? Chaerin knew from overhearing her father and mother converse that Japan had renewed its efforts by invading Korea for a second time. They had full trust in the Joseon and Ming forces stopping Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s men before anything could happen. Surely, their home wouldn’t be in the war path. How wrong they were.

The fire had taken them all by surprise and while some Koreans managed to escape the samurai, those who had been caught running were beheaded. Chaerin had managed to escape after her mother had awaken her when the first sound of screaming had filled the air. Her mother, whose eyes had been full of tears, told Chaerin how much she loved her and had begged her daughter to run.

“But… but Omma, I can’t leave you and Appa.” Chaerin had cried.

She knew pleading with her mother was useless. Her father had recently fallen ill and neither Chaerin or her mother would be able to move him in time. Mrs. Lee had headed to the bedroom with Chaerin trailing behind her. She pulled out a box and shoved it into Chaerin’s hands.

“Take this. You’ll need it.” She had said.

“But…”

“Listen to your omma.” Mr. Lee had called out from the bed. “You’re our daughter. Your safety comes first.” He had smiled at her. “We will be fine.”

It would be the last memory that Chaerin would have of her parents. After giving her the box, Mrs. Lee had shoved Chaerin outside into a group of fellow villagers who were running for their lives. She had yelled at her daughter to run and to never look back. She ignored her daughter’s cries as Chaerin was swept away with the crowd.

A few of them were killed before they could make it out of the village. Chaerin watched in horror as an old man was stuck down, his wife crying to be saved. All around her, cries of terror filled the air. She kept running, the box in her arms, clutched tightly to her chest. Jiho and Daesuk, two men that she had grown up with, ran with her. Just yesterday, she could remember one of them teasing her about how her reckless nature would keep her from finding a husband. They had laughed, and she had said that if a man couldn’t handle her, then he didn’t deserve to be her husband.

She was always getting in trouble for being reckless. She had been this way since she was a child. Always climbing the tallest tree, always diving head first into the rushing river, always running farther from home than she was allowed, and always breaking every rule that she could. Her mother use to say it was a wonder that she didn’t develop grey hair at an early age due to Chaerin’s need to run head first into the most dangerous of things.

So, where was that recklessness now?

Chaerin stopped running and Jiho, who had a hold of her arm, turned to look at her.

“What are you doing, Chaerin? We have to leave.” He tried tugging her, but she pulled away.

“I’m staying.” She said, looking at him.

He laughed. “What? Are you crazy? You’ll be killed!”

Daesuk, who had stopped as well, put a hand on his Jiho’s shoulder. “You know she is. Let’s go. If she wants to die, then so be it.” He said.

“Chaerin.” Jiho said, looking at her.

Chaerin shook her head. “I can’t just leave my parents to die.”

The two men exchanged a look and sighed.

“I think it’s too late for that.” Daesuk looked past her to where they had just run from. The whole area was mostly on fire and it was still spreading.

Chaerin’s eyes widened. “No!”

Jiho grabbed her by the waist. “I’m not going to let you run towards your death.”

“We need to go.” Daesuk said, spotting some of the Japanese forces coming their way. Jiho nodded and making sure he had a firm grip on Chaerin, he began to run with her.

Making it out of the fiery village, the three ran after the other survivors. They only had one thing in mind and that was getting somewhere safe. If that had to run to it, then they would. Jiho had let go of Chaerin once he was sure that she wouldn’t run back towards the village and instead was now running besides her. Chaerin ran, eyes ahead on the forest before them. Maybe they would be able to hide among the trees until it was safe.

It happened so fast. One minute they were running and the next, Daesuk was screaming as he fell to the ground. He had been hit by an arrow and more were coming their way, hitting the others running with them.

“Daesuk.” Jiho yelled, stopping and running toward his friend.

“Jiho. Forget about me. You and Chaerin need to get out of here.” Daesuk said, clutching at his leg.

Jiho shook his head. “We can’t just leave you behind. I can carry you on my back.”

“I’ll just slow you down. You need to go.” Daesuk retorted. The Japanese forces were getting closer and he didn’t want Chaerin or Jiho to die because of him.

Tears ran down Jiho’s cheeks as he reached out to his brother.

“Jiho!” Chaerin screamed as another arrow pierced the air, this time it’s mark being Jiho. He was through the right eye and went down to the ground next to Daesuk.

“Jiho!” Daesuk cried, reaching for his brother. He then turned his eyes to Chaerin as the Japanese forces descended on the ones who had been shot.

“Run Chaerin! Run away!”

Chaerin’s eyes widened as she watched those who were still alive being murdered. With Daesuk’s cries in her ears, she turned and fled, heading straight for the protection of the forest. Behind her, she could hear footsteps. Some of the soldiers were chasing after her. An arrow sailed past her, nearly hitting her left shoulder. She kept running.

When she made it in the forest, she thought she would lose them, but she was wrong. They were still chasing her. She didn’t know how long she could keep running for. The box in her hands felt heavy and she wondered what could be so important inside of it that her mother had to give it to her.

She stumbled, chest heaving, to the ground in the clearing. Everything ached. Her feet hurt from running and her lungs burned with every breath that she took. Her hands were red and raw from shoving branches out of the way and her hair hung limply around her dirty face. She could hear them in the distance, getting closer to her. How many were coming after her? In what way would they kill her? She wasn’t sure. She knew she needed to move, but she was too tired.

Two Japanese soldiers stepped out into the clearing, eyes on her weary form. Chaerin looked up at them, silently pleading for her death to be swift. Soldier One stepped forward, raising his sword. Soldier Two said something to him and Soldier One lowered his sword. For a second, Chaerin thought they were going to spare her life, but that was not the case. Soldier Two was merely telling Soldier One that he would be the one to kill her.

It was fast. A quick stab to her chest from Soldier Two. Neither man cared that she would bleed out to death on the forest floor. She would feel the pain as she laid there waiting for death to take a hold of her. As she slumped back onto the ground, blood surrounding her body, she could hear the two men speaking. Soldier One reached down towards the box that she had, but Soldier Two stopped him. It seemed that he didn’t believe that she would have anything of value and they needed to get back to the other troops.

As she bled, the two men disappeared back into the trees, leaving her to die. Chaerin laid on the ground for what felt like days. The only thing she could feel was pain. She struggled to keep her eyes opened. Her parents had wanted her to live and yet she was dying. She squeezed the box in her hand, not realizing that it had come opened and that what was inside now touched her palm.

“Well, such a pity that a pretty thing like you had to meet such an end.”

Chaerin blinked. What? A voice? Who was speaking to her?

A chuckled came from her right side and weakly Chaerin turned her head. There standing next to her, looking at her as she died, was a man. Tall and lean with fine features, he was the type of man that Chaerin’s mother would have loved for her daughter to marry.

“Who?” She tried to speak.

The man smirked. He was dressed in all black and by his side… Chaerin blinked… was that a scythe? Was he with the Japanese forces? Was he here to finish the job?

“Lee Chaerin.” The man spoke and Chaerin wondered how he knew her name. “You’ve lived such a reckless life. You’ve never cared for the rules. You were always looking for the next big adventure.” He chuckled. “Tell me Chaerin, has this been enough of an adventure for you?”

She breathed and glared at the man. “Who are you?” Strange how she found the will to talk when she was dying.

The man laughed. “Me?” Suddenly, he seemed a lot more different. He loomed over her body, staring at her chest. His gaze held a look of satisfaction. “Yes. You’re almost there.”

Almost there? What was he talking about?

“Do you feel the pull, Chaerin? Do you feel me calling for you to grab onto it?” He asked her.

Chaerin shook her head. Her body suddenly felt a lot weaker. It was getting harder to breathe.

The man leaned in close. Nose to nose and smirked. “Hello, Lee Chaerin. I’m Death and I’m here to collect your soul.”

Chaerin’s eyes widened and Death pulled back. He stood up and raised his scythe. “It’s time.”

Just as he brought the scythe down, whatever little strength Chaerin had left, helped her to raise her arms up and try to shield herself. She screamed out. “No!”

“What the hell?”

Chaerin blinked and carefully lowered her arms. Death was looking down at her, anger and confusion in his features.

“Why didn’t my scythe collect your soul?” He was talking to himself.

She was still alive, barely and Death raised the scythe again, brining it back down upon her. It stopped short of hitting her and Death frowned. He seemed to be trying to press against an invisible wall of some sort.

“This doesn’t make sense.” Death said. He dropped his scythe to the ground. “Guess I’ll have to do this the other way.” He sighed. “And this way is so messy.” He began to pull off one of his black gloves and stepped towards her.

As soon as his hand made contact with her chest, a bright light covered them. It was a light so blinding that Chaerin had to blink to see again and when she did Death was standing a few feet away, eyes wide as he looked at her.

“What did you do?” The anger in his voice went straight to Chaerin’s core.

“What did I do?” She suddenly realized that she no longer felt pain and looked down to where she had been stabbed. Her eyes widened as she realized that the stab wound was gone. “But how?”

Death was glaring at her, or more precisely he was glaring at her right hand. The hand that held the necklace that came from the box. Chaerin looked closely at it and realized it was what her mother had called a protection necklace. It was supposed to help ward away evil spirits, etc.

Had the necklace protected her from Death? That could be the only answer to why her soul wasn’t his and why she was completely fine now.

“Do you realize the damage that you have done?” Death yelled at her.

Chaerin looked at him. “What? What are you talking about? I didn’t know that this necklace would do that.”

Death frowned. “Not only did that necklace protect you, but I made contact with you, but it has also made your soul unstable.”

Her soul was unstable. What was that supposed to mean for her?”

“You were meant to die Lee Chaerin. I am meant to reap your soul. The necklace has put your soul out of balance. I can see it rising to the surface of your being and lowering itself to the core over and over again.” He frowned. “This makes things complicated.”

He picked his scythe up and turned to her. “I hate to do this, especially since that necklace was trying to give you a second chance at life, but I’m going to need that soul of yours and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it.”

Chaerin took at step back as Death stalked forward. “Stay away from me!” She held up the necklace and he stopped.

If the necklace was the only thing protecting her, then she wasn’t going to take a chance. She quickly put it on and turned around, running from Death. He was right behind her, chasing her escape.

“Chaerin! You can’t run from this!”

“I need to get away! I need to get somewhere safe!” She chanted. “Somewhere safe. I need to get away from Death.”

She felt a tug at her core and her soul responded to her plea. The next thing Chaerin knew she was no longer in the forest, but instead in another country altogether.

What the hell? Had she just teleported?

Her soul responded with a slight hum.

Death cursed. There was no way that that cursed necklace could have given her the power of teleportation. He had had a sinking feeling after touching her that something had happened to him as well. He didn’t feel like his power was one hundred percent the power that it usually was. It seemed that that blasted necklace had caused his powers to be shared to Chaerin.

Just what he needed. A young woman with a cursed necklace and an unstable soul running around with powers that she wouldn’t understand how to use.

He was pissed. He had never allowed anyone to get away from him when it was their time to die. This was a first and Lee Chaerin had made an enemy out of him.

He would find her and when he did, he would find a way to destroy that stupid necklace and then he would tear her soul apart.

He nodded. Yes, he would let her think she had gotten away for now, but soon he would come for what was his. He picked up his scythe and opened a portal, stepping into it and heading home.

Present Day – 2018

The soft glow of the street lamp immolated the street corner. A lone figure stepped out of a portal and smirked, taking in his surroundings. His eyes focused on the blonde woman, standing across the road, staring back at him.

“Lee Chaerin.”

“Kwon Jiyong.”

A battle that had been going on for centuries and had yet to have a stopping point. Death vs Lee Chaerin or as she had found out, Kwon Jiyong vs Lee Chaerin.

With the powers transferred to her, Chaerin had become immortal and had since then been evading Jiyong. He would find her, and she would run. He was hell-bent on taking her soul.

Of course, she was also given other powers as well. The big one being that she could now see other souls. Souls that had yet to be collected by Death.

“Here to take my soul, Jiyong.” Chaerin smirked.

Jiyong smirked back.” Always.”

And so, the battle began again.

*Peaks out from behind a rock* So, I know that this update is long over-due, but life happens. University has been stressful. I didn't forget about this story. Between the piles of classwork, I was writing a bit here and there. Truthfully, I don't know when the next update will be. Please be patient with me. I do want to see this story have an end, becuase I do have plans for it. It will just take time.

Also, for the historical stuff in this chapter, I just summarized what I read. If you are interested in knowing more about it, look it up. I didn't have a particualar time period in mind when I started writing this. I acutally started writing the part with Chaerin in the forest first and then decidedthe time period for where it all happened.

I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter. See you all in chapter one when I can update again. *Re-hides behind the rock*