The journey back to the Yin Order fortress was silent.
Snow fell in slow spirals across the mountain path, muting the crunch of boots and the clink of silver restraints around Jaewon's wrists. The cold bit through his robes, but he barely felt it. The chill inside him was worse.
Sumi walked a step behind him, her talisman lantern swaying in the wind. She hadn't spoken since they left the ruins. Not once.
When they reached the gates, the guards bowed stiffly to Jinwoo but avoided looking at Jaewon. The mark of corruption was visible through his torn shirt faintly glowing even in daylight.
The great doors of the fortress opened with a groan, revealing the Hall of Judgment.
The hall was a cathedral carved from black jade and moonstone. Pillars rose like frozen trees, their veins glowing faintly with embedded runes. In the center, a circular skylight allowed a single shaft of silver moonlight to fall onto the floor, the Oath Circle.
There were no chairs, no warmth, only the crescent sigil of the Order and twelve elders seated behind it on raised platforms.
At their center sat Master Han, old yet unbowed, his silver hair tied back, his eyes clear and sharp as a drawn blade.
Jinwoo led Jaewon forward and dropped to one knee. "By decree of the Silver Fang Sect, I present Hunter Jaewon for judgment. His blood is tainted. He carries the mark of the First Vampire."
The murmur that followed was soft but poisonous.
Sumi's hands clenched. "That mark saved your men's lives, Jinwoo."
He turned, voice cold. "It nearly killed them too."
"Enough," Master Han said. His voice filled the chamber without rising. "Bring the accused forward."
Jaewon stepped into the Oath Circle. The silver restraints around his wrists tightened, suppressing his Qi. He bowed his head but did not kneel.
Master Han regarded him for a long time. "Jaewon of the Yin Hunters. You were found twelve years ago at the Ashen Battlefield unconscious, covered in blood. Since then, you have served the Order with distinction. Yet now, you bear a mark older than our sect itself. Do you deny this?"
"No," Jaewon said quietly. "I carry it."
The elders whispered among themselves.
One, an austere woman with pale eyes, leaned forward. "Then the question is simple. Is it corruption… or evolution?"
Another elder snapped, "You would call vampiric filth an evolution?"
"Filth that saved three squads of hunters," Sumi shot back before she could stop herself.
Master Han's gaze flicked to her. "Speak, disciple."
She swallowed. "With respect, Master Jaewon's mark didn't consume him. It protected him. His Qi stabilized after exposure. His pulse is steady. He feels… alive, not corrupted."
"Alive?" Jinwoo echoed bitterly. "You saw him. Claws. Fangs. Eyes glowing like a demon's."
"Because he fought one," she countered. "And if you hadn't been so eager to run, maybe—"
"Enough."
The word cracked through the air like thunder.
Master Han rose slowly. "This hall will not descend into bickering. Bring forth the Moon Oracle."
A priestess entered her eyes covered with white silk, carrying a bowl of clear water. She set it at Jaewon's feet, whispering an incantation. The water shimmered, then darkened, turning crimson.
A few gasps rippled through the hall.
"It reacts to blood," the priestess murmured. "But not corrupted blood. It carries two harmonies one Yin, one foreign."
Master Han's eyes narrowed. "Foreign?"
She hesitated. "Old. Older than the Order itself."
The hall went utterly still.
Jinwoo broke the silence. "It proves my claim. He's a vessel a remnant of the First Age."
Master Han's gaze shifted to Jaewon. "Tell us. When the temple fell… what did you awaken?"
Jaewon raised his head slowly. The faint scar of the mark glowed beneath his collar. "Something that knew my name before I was born."
The air thickened.
"What did it say?"
Jaewon's voice was steady, but his eyes betrayed the storm beneath. "That the blood remembers its home."
A ripple of unease moved through the elders.
"Prophecy," one whispered. "The Red Moon's Return."
Another spat, "He's the omen. Execute him before the seal breaks fully!"
Sumi stepped forward, anger lighting her eyes. "You'd kill the man who's saved half this Order because of fear?!"
"Sumi!" Jaewon barked softly. "Stop."
She froze at the tone. He rarely raised his voice never at her.
Jaewon turned back to the council. "If I wanted to betray this Order, I had the chance. In that temple, with that power, I could have let it swallow everything. But I didn't."
"Because you couldn't control it," Jinwoo said.
"Because I chose not to," Jaewon shot back, his voice suddenly sharp. "If my blood is cursed, then let it hunt for the right side."
The hall fell silent again.
Master Han studied him, then spoke softly. "And what side is that, Jaewon?"
He met the old man's gaze. "The one that fights to stay human."
Something flickered in Master Han's expression the faintest ghost of approval.
After a long pause, he lifted a hand. "Release him."
The guards hesitated, glancing at Jinwoo.
"Do it," Master Han commanded.
The silver cuffs clicked open. The suppression field faded, and Jaewon inhaled slowly not power, but relief.
"You would let him walk free?" Jinwoo demanded.
"No," said Master Han. "Not free." He turned to Jaewon. "You are bound by blood and oath to the Order still. But from this moment, you will serve alone."
"Exile?" Sumi breathed.
"Mission," Master Han corrected. "There are other awakenings. The Moon Seals are breaking. If this blood of yours carries the key, then you will find the others before Varos's heirs do."
Jinwoo's eyes narrowed. "You're sending him after the corruption?"
"I'm sending him into it," Master Han said. "Better we control the weapon than fear it."
Jaewon bowed deeply. "Then I accept."
Sumi stepped forward, defiance trembling in her voice. "Then I go with him."
Master Han's gaze softened. "The path he walks is cursed, child."
"I've already chosen it," she said quietly.
The old man regarded them both, then nodded once. "So be it. You will depart before dawn. If your blood turns… I will end it myself."
Outside, the snow had stopped.
Jaewon stood beneath the great moon gate, staring out at the frozen peaks. The fortress lights glowed faintly behind him.
Sumi approached, her cloak drawn tight against the cold. "You didn't have to say yes."
He smiled faintly. "And do what instead? Wait to die?"
She looked away. "They'll never trust you again."
"I don't need them to." He turned his hand, watching the faint red pulse beneath his skin. "I just need to make sure this doesn't destroy them."
Sumi's eyes softened. "You sound like Master Han."
Jaewon chuckled a sound more tired than amused. "That's the worst insult I've had all day."
They stood in silence for a while, watching the moon rise.
For a brief moment, its light passed through the circular skylight behind them, illuminating the Hall of Judgment.
Inside, none noticed but to Jaewon's eyes, the silver beam flickered red. Just for a heartbeat.
The curse was still there. Waiting.