Shortly after receiving the official rank of priestess, the exponentially increasing number of humans began invading the water tribe's territory. Though the water tribe's villages were well hidden within the fog and barriers, the humans coveted their territory and desired to seize it. They hoped the priestesses would assist them in this endeavor. The Supreme Priestess, prioritizing human interests, was willing to assist.
I caught the eye of the highest priestess, recognized for my divine powers, and quickly rose through the ranks. However, on the days I had to go out to the field, I would inevitably fall ill, pretending to be ill and unable to leave. I hated the humans who invaded the water people. I loathed my own race, who sought to drive them out and seize their territory with barbaric and cruel methods.
And in the end, humans caused war.
The priestesses took the lead, searching for and breaking the beastmen's barriers one by one. It seemed that Gyeol's father, the previous chieftain of the wolf tribe, had died defending the barrier. The wolf tribe village, closest to humans, held its barriers longer than the other beastmen villages, resisting. It was Gyeol's way. They fought to the end, until all their people were safely evacuated. I stayed in the temple, treating the injured, and prayed in my heart that Gyeol's barrier wouldn't break. The fight against the wolf tribe village had taken more time and more lives than any other beastmen. But no one lost their lives. That, too, was Gyeol's way.
The human camp, surrounded by the vast pine forests of the north by the wolf tribe, was so vast and powerful that the war proved fruitless, supplies dwindling, and the people exhausted. The humans began to console themselves with cruel and insane acts, viewing this war, fueled by their own greed, as a long-cherished desire, a fateful war they must fulfill. The older adults branded the beastmen as a demonic race, and the younger generation, swayed by this logic, began to join the fray.
As public opinion shifted, and the authority of the Supreme Priestess rose, she was satisfied. And eventually, I was called to participate in the war. What should I do if I ever encounter him? I had to go to the fields where I had anxiously wandered with him, now devoid of flowers and only ashes left from the fire. At the very edge of the front line, I could see from afar, Gyeol-i, swinging her large sword lightly, blocking the humans' advance.
The first battle was a victory for the beastmen. Their magical powers were strong, and despite their numerical inferiority, they held firm. However, their weakness lay in their lack of cruelty. They demanded a pacifist ceasefire and released all prisoners, but, naturally, the humans ignored their demands. The freed prisoners rejoined the army, and the human ranks were restored.
In the second battle, the humans executed the captured beastmen with abandon. Some escaped execution by hiding in civilian homes, but those with weaker Taoist powers were unable to completely conceal their psychic powers, and were inevitably hunted down. The sight of the humans, having previously been freed from beastmen, laughing and executing them was nauseating. The humans displayed the corpses of the executed beastmen in a prominent place, humiliating them for years to come.
By the third battle, there was no longer any hope. The battle intensified as the remaining beastmen on the battlefield began to attack the humans. As they began to inflict damage, their fighting power grew tremendously. However, the human camp's numbers swelled as more young men rushed to join the fray. With their leader gone, they began to become more virtuous, and the human camp suffered a major blow. Uneasy, I withdrew from the ranks.
The beastmen remaining on the battlefield were no longer the brave and righteous beastmen warriors they once were. They were mad, lunatics. He was gone. Using my memory, I used my target to climb the stairs. Strangely enough, the stairs were intact. When I reached the village, I couldn't believe my eyes. It was empty. They had already left before the third battle. I searched for a large tiled house, searching for a memory from my childhood. The roof of the large tiled house that had once overwhelmed me remained, but the warm rooms beneath it were all empty. Only the wind chimes hung helplessly from the eaves, echoing ceaselessly.
I left the tiled house and ran into the forest. This place had originally been cut off from the outside world by a wolf barrier. Now, with neither the previous chief who created the barrier nor Gyeol-i, who inherited it, gone, the barrier had vanished, allowing me to enter the forest. The moment I stepped into the forest, I caught a glimpse of Gyeol-i's blue scroll and chased after him.
And after chasing for a while, we arrived at the cave.
fizzle!
Someone held a knife to my throat and pulled me deeper into the darkness.
"I never thought I'd meet you like this..."
Two eyes sparkled in the shadows of the cave.
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From the first episode, I've touched up both the BGM and the illustrations.
Some things were missed while moving, and some things were updated.
These are things I uploaded a long time ago.. Please take a look and refresh your memory~
I was really worried about whether or not I should finish this sad story, but I'll try my best to finish it within this month.