The gusts of wind made his eyelashes flutter, and despite his eyelids weighing heavier than before, So Eun tried to open his eyes and saw a glimpse of a fox engraved on the stone ceiling.
Its tail and nose were covered in vines, an image that he had never seen before.
That figure alone sparked an engine in his mind, and flashes of events that had happened in that forest jolted him awake. He remembered Dong-Hyun, the Deity who ordered him, the Emperor, the commotion in the forest…
His thoughts ran into shambles when it came to Han Min, and a sudden tingling in his heart erupted when he remembered what he'd done.
Did he save the Demon King? What the hell happened? Did someone get injured?
So Eun was slowly panicking, and his body moved before his conscious mind decided, frantically sat upon a stone sign, where the mat he'd been resting was placed neatly. His action caused a twitch of pain coming from his stomach.
He yelped in anguish, attempting to ease the pain with his hand, So Eun realized that he was the one who got injured.
He immediately stopped struggling to stand up when he felt a different texture wrapped around his lower stomach. He untied his inner robes and saw a red-clothed bandage covering his pale jade skin.
So Eun knew it wasn't just an ordinary gauze, and he almost lost his mind.
The bandage looked like a special method of healing was used, unlike the normal one. He can sense the surging power through his body, gradually recovering his strength. He was sweating even more because the place he ended up with was a run-down, vandalized temple of a God. If he were transported back by the Deities, he wouldn't have ended in a temple with no said Deities and disciples mending him, and the red spiritual healing around his body speaks volumes.
He saved the Demon King from being pierced and injured himself instead. Maybe Han Min wasn't that merciless after all, and mending his injuries was a way of giving back his gratitude.
He involuntarily took a sigh of relief; he thought that daring to stop him was the same as putting his life on the line. He doesn't even want to know if he'll be alive by now if he had stopped him from killing the Emperor.
But that brought about memories he'd dream of, his pulsating heart that seemed to follow after this Han Min. He calmed his mind and heart, convincing himself that this saved him from finding the Demon King, and he could simply ask about his mission.
That is… simple, right? He will just ask, surely that Han Min wouldn't avert his anger on him because he didn't kill his enemy, and it was his fault.
Haha, that looks like it isn't a good idea to show up again.
So Eun made up his mind and decided to leave sneakily before anyone found him awake.
But his fortune doesn't really want to satisfy him in this life when the creak of a wooden door opened.
He knew better than to run off losing his mind, and his injury won't properly heal if he keeps on doing things a Deity like him wouldn't do--like panicking inside and out.
Weak footsteps followed after the door was open. So Eun remained sitting and put on his reserved face that he hoped would work. He doesn't want to lose any more dignity.
What welcomed him was a young man dressed in dark green robes, his short hair in a ponytail, and a golden longbow with arrows kept behind him.
He was startled but remained poised. The young man before him was equally surprised when the patient was already sitting up. He sidestepped and placed a herbal scent bag upon the ruined table, before standing towards So Eun.
"Who are you?" So Eun didn't wait for him to speak, so he went on again.
"Why am I here?" The young man's expression didn't change, and he answered just as calmly.
"Yun Hwa. Han Min brought you here. You were asleep for two days." Those words were much more restrained than his. So, he couldn't keep up his act and gave up; his tense shoulder muscles were slowly loosening.
Considering this man's demeanor, he wasn't a Deity nor a mere commoner; there was an aura of vital energy from that longbow alone, and So Eun sighed with ease. But he had only just processed his words, and his eyes widened in an instant.
"He-he brought me here? And I was asleep for two days?" He was so confused, but the young man ignored him and crossed his arms.
"You saved his life, so it was only reasonable for him to bring you here for your actions." The way he talked wasn't nearly welcoming and friendly, but So Eun had a brief notion in his mind that he had seen him before, probably in his past life, but decided not to dwell on it.
He kept silent and contemplated whether he was Han Min's right-hand friend or just a mere servant following his Master's orders.
"And the fact that the Emperor would likely kill you because of what you did speaks a lot about him." So Eun noticed the hint of contempt in his voice, and he pondered on their past relationship with the Emperor, what could've happened that turned them into enemies.
So based on what happened, So Eun couldn't return to his hometown because of what he did, and was also scared to talk to Han Min, both could end him in an instant. Haha, what a delight.
He frowned even deeper and rubbed at his forehead before speaking, "Where... Where is he? Can I speak to him?"
Yun Hwa was fiddling with some herbs on the side and shot his head to look at So Eun, his eyebrow raising.
"He's still meditating by the steam pond. If you wanted to talk to him, make sure you wouldn't come too far as hurting his wounds." So Eun was already standing, and that made him stop.
"He was hurt? Did he fight with the Emperor?" He tried to walk very slowly but realized the pain was completely subdued by the power of the bandage.
At the side of the temple, Yun Hwa continued to work with the herbs. Not sparing him a glance this time.
"By the pond, you'll see him there. I know you understand your limits, I don't have to reprimand you with that." So Eun nodded and tread towards the door, but Yun Hwa still hadn't finished.
"He's not a bad person. If that's what they forced onto you." His hand on the doorknob stopped, and he felt his guilt flowing.
That was the last sentence he heard from him before So Eun shut the door.
He could pursue his mission and deal with the Emperor later on. But now, he has to find Han Min first.
~~~
The serenity of the streams made his insides feel relaxed, and he wandered slowly through a forest. Contrary to where he fell unconscious in a blackened forest with the smoke of fire suffocating him, what greeted him outside the temple was the green fields of grass, tall trees standing beside bamboo ones, and the sun brightly lit the horizon.
For the first time in his life, he felt the pressure pressing him down on a street bustling with people, which was wiped away with the sensation of the forest alone.
He momentarily forgot that he was a Deity in need to serve the people, but was captivated in the body of a child, innocently looking around.
He stopped in front of a pond with white mists blocking him.
His heart beats faster when he barely recognizes the figure sitting at the side of the pond. He didn't step on the water; instead, he tried to walk around to get a glimpse of that person meditating.
When he'd come to a stone beside the pond, he spotted a perfect view, one where he saw a handsome young man, gray inner robes had dried from his chest up to his shoulders, and his lower body was submerged in the pond. Sitting and meditating peacefully--that made him stop moving.
He was utterly different from how he had first seen him in the forest, his face brought an aura of arrogance and contempt, making him look like the exact image of a Demon King. But So Eun was dumbfounded, Han Min with his eyes closed, and his eyebrows relaxed, anyone would have mistaken him for a teenager. Add the fact that he was otherworldly gorgeous.
He almost couldn't believe the fact that he's a Demon King, a ferocious demon, wouldn't be looking this soft and handsome with just him meditating.
So, he decided to wait for him to wake up and was eager not to disturb him. He sat in a tree beside the entrance of the steam pond, so Han Min could see him when he woke up. He sat there leaning on a tree and waited.
He waited and hoped for the best.