The first rooster crowed.
The streets of Luoyang, having passed deep winter, welcomed the first glimmers of dawn.
The number of people who had no choice but to be diligent to make a living began to increase on the streets.
“Have you heard?”
Mr. Jang from the accessory shop subtly broached the subject.
“…Could it be the rumors about the Black Bone Faction from last night?”
Mr. Tak from the woodenware shop, who would normally dismiss Mr. Jang’s tales as mere rumors, surprisingly entertained his words this time.
However, given the nature of the rumor, their conversation had to be kept low.
“In just one night, five of their hideouts were completely destroyed.”
“Five places? I heard it was seven.”“O-ho, you there? Where did you hear that?”
Mr. Tak gestured for Mr. Jang to come closer.
Curious, Mr. Jang approached, and Mr. Tak whispered, “Didn’t you know that my brother-in-law work in the government office? The whole Luoyang was on alert all night. So according to their investigation…”
“Seven places in one night?”
Mr. Tak nodded his head.
“No, I heard it was ten?”
Surprised by the sudden interjection, Mr. Tak stumbled backward.
As the startled Mr. Tak looked around, he found a group of merchants gathering, discussing the matter.
“No, no, Mr. Wang said fifteen…”
“What are you talking about? I heard it was thirty!”
As much as the people feared the existence of the Black Bone Faction, the stories about them spread quickly.
Soon, the rumors grew, tailgating one after another, and wherever people gathered, the talk was filled with stories about the Black Bone Faction.
“Apparently, there was not even a single corpse left in their hideouts.”
“Corpse? I heard not a single drop of blood was left!”
“They say the number of people who vanished without a trace is countless!”
These conversations always ended with the same question.
“Who on earth could have done this?”
“Do you mean to say you have no information at all?”
The lady’s attire and adornments were incredibly luxurious.
However, no matter how you looked at it, her splendor was somewhat overshadowed by the opulence of the room she was in.
“When did I ever say that to you, girl? That the great Luoyang Sword House lacks information?”
At the soft query of the middle-aged man seated in the honored seat, the lady, called Geumju, felt a chill down her neck.
“I apologize.”
The middle-aged man clicked his tongue at Geumju, who deeply bowed her head.
“It seems like you don’t understand. You’re bothering me this busy morning with just that trivial matter?”
Though internally fuming at the man’s words about it being a trivial matter, she bowed even deeper.
“I apologize, elder.”
In truth, considering the status of the person before her, any matters related to the Black Bone Faction were indeed insignificant.
“I wonder if you are currently under some misunderstanding.”
The middle-aged man raised a finger and tapped on the precious black sandalwood table.
“Do you really think I handed over the Sword House Broze Token to you because of your father’s influence?”
While Geumju’s adoptive father wielded a fearsome reputation in the dark underworld of Luoyang, the man could never be compared to the name of Luoyang Sword House.
“Why would that be the case? This servant, has never even entertained such a thought.”
She prostrated herself fully.
The middle-aged man cast a brief look at the hourglass resting on the black sandalwood table.
“It’s been four years; I’ve nearly squanderedan entire cycle(running out of time).”
He said this as he accepted a bundle of documents that the assistant maidservant respectfully handed over.
Other than her, several more maids stood queued up, each bearing her own set of documents.
“Leave my presence immediately.”
As Geumju retreated with a bow, the middle-aged man’s voice echoed from behind.
“If you disappoint me once more, I will hand over the Sword House Bronze Token to someone else.”
With her face reddening, Geumju quickly left the massive hall.
‘Damn it, I couldn’t even bring up the topic of inviting experts from the Sword House.’
Given the mood, had she brought it up, she might have been punished on the spot.
As she stepped onto the main road, she saw a group of warriors.
At a glance, she saw an orderly group of Luoyang swordsmen, wearing intimidating-looking swords at their waists heading somewhere in an orderly manner.
These people felt different from the Black Blade martial artists she controlled.
‘…Shit.’
She turned, thinking about the remaining options she had.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
A man who nearly bumped into her quickly apologized.
“It’s okay, I was also…”
Before she could finish, the man had already hurried away.
He clearly didn’t care about her.
‘This damn Sword House!’
Unconcerned with whether Geumju was glaring at him from behind, the man hurried to the superior officer’s residence.
The clearly peripheral, humble abode hinted at the level of respect their department received.
Without hesitation, he flung open the door of the superior officer’s room.
“Wake up! The sun is high in the sky!”
Books about astronomy and dusty astronomical observation instruments hinted at their roles.
They were part of the Sword House’s representative idle posts1, the astronomers.
In an era rampant with materialism, the value of those who believe in superstitions was faint, with their numbers dwindling by the day.
Furthermore, ever since the meteorologists, who analyze and predict the weather, have left, and the astronomers had even less to do, contributing to this.
“Zzz….”
The superior officer showed no signs of waking up.
Inhaling the room filled with the smell of alcohol, the man kicked his dozing superior.
“Wha, what?! What’s happening?!”
Hugging an empty liquor bottle while asleep, the superior rolled off the bed (寢牀, *chimsang*).
“It’s an emergency!”
The man poured cold water into a bowl and handed it to his superior.
“…What’s going on so early in the morning?”
Of course, it was late morning now, not dawn.
“Ah, I drank too much; I feel like dying.”
The superior didn’t bother to get up from the floor. He casually set the cold water aside and yawned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Regardless, the man pulled over a chair and sat down.
“Last night, I was on night duty.”
The superior looked at him with a somewhat disdainful expression.
“Are you still standing guard every night all by yourself? Seriously, who’s recognizing that effort?”
The man ignored the comment and continued.
“A bad omen.”
The superior’s expression darkened.
“Such omens are common.”
“It’s a great omen of disaster.”
Only then did the superior sober up a bit.
“A great omen of disaster? What is it?”
The man hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“I believe I saw the Star of Calamity last night.”
At the mention of the Star of Calamity, the superior immediately downed the cold water he had set aside.
Then he splashed the remaining water on his face.
“…Really? Star of Calamity?”
The man continued in a subdued tone, “As you know, Star of Calamity is extremely difficult to observe, isn’t it? Its position is unpredictable, and its shape, color…”
“—are diverse. Plus, the observation window is short.”
Taking over the conversation, the superior rubbed his face and asked again, “Are you sure? The Star of Calamity from the legends? All we know is what we’ve studied in ancient texts.”
“…If you ask me if I’m certain, it’s hard to say definitively.”
Given how thorough this subordinate was, his uncertainty almost equated to surety.
“Unbelievable…”
Ever since its appearance in the past, the Star of Calamity had always been accompanied by tremendous bloodshed.
“Shouldn’t we report this to the higher-ups?”
The superior sighed.
“Report this? Who in the world today would believe us? Especially about the Star of Calamity?”
“That’s…”
Upon hearing that, the man furrowed his brow. However, he had no words to refute.
“Then, at least we should report to our organization’s responsible supervisor…”
“To our supervisor? We could, but I don’t think it would make much a difference.”
“It seems like it might be that way…”
Their organization, Astronomy Tower, was overseen by the least influential figure in the powerful Sword House.
Swordless One, Yeon So-Hyeon.
In a remote corner of Luoyang, within the alleyways of the impoverished area, beggars thronged the streets. It was not a place where respectable individuals would venture. However, not just ordinary folk, but renowned traders and elite officials frequented this area. The reason was singular: the most famed prophet of Luoyang resided there.
A ‘hut’ was a modest space, made by excavating the earth, draped with a blanket, and then concealed with soil. Within this hut nestled between structures, an elderly blind man was seated.
Many braved this grimy, perilous alleyway just to consult this single individual. People, typically skeptical, turn to anything when confronted with life’s unpredictability.
“Oh…”
The old man, who was not even known by name and was simply called the hut master, was trembling with his skinny and emaciated body.
“The sun, I can’t see the sun…”
He was clearly sightless.
He had been without eyes for reasons unknown, and his inability to perceive the sun wasn’t recent.
Yet, his utterances were profound prophecies that commanded attention.
“The sky…”
He raised his withered arm.
His two arms trembled like fragile twigs.
Flailing around, attempting to locate the sun.
But the radiant sun was conspicuously absent.
“The sky is pitch black. The sun is obscured. I can no longer see the sun.”
In his spiritual eye, the sky appeared profoundly dark.
That sky, an expanse with no hint of luminance, was blanketed by heavy clouds.
Neither the moon nor the stars could be found.
It has been over 60 years since he had plucked out his eyes to gain his spiritual eye, but he had never witnessed such a sight before.
“What, what is this?!”
His frail form jolted as if jostled by a force, gazing skyward in despair.
He struggled to string together one word after another into a sentence.
“The Dark Heavens…! The Sovereign of Dark Heavens has appeared!”
The man, who had remained stationary since he took up residence in the slums, suddenly stood.
Since he hadn’t walked for such a long time, it should have been impossible for his muscles to stand, but he managed to do it.
His emaciated legs trembled uncontrollably, but he paid no mind.
“The Dark Heavens Scripture! Has the Dark Heavens Scripture awakened?! Is it the primordial demon that devours darkness and shakes the heavens?!”
He, who was wrapped in tattered garments and with a skeletal frame, stepped out of the hut.
Then, he cried out in sheer ecstasy.
“The Sovereign of Dark Heavens has appeared! From the deepest abyss, he who will punish the wicked has come! Those who have none, those who cannot eat, rejoice! The Sovereign of Dark Heavens who will send down black lightning in place of the indolent heaven and earth is here!!”
The old man’s withered body began to dance, burning the last spark of life.
The beggars watching the scene murmured from a distance.
The last prophecy left by the old man was clearly etched in their minds.
And such a rumor was added to Luoyang:
“If you meet a ghost in a white mask, bow and pay your respects. If he asks for your sins, answer without hiding. He is the executor of divine punishment, the Sovereign of Dark Heavens! Even the great criminals who feared nothing from the heavens could not dare to flee from him!”
- Not-so important positions[↩]
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