The Citadel of Bingyeon (Ice Smoke)

Episode 19: Submission

The sound of cold steel swords clashing roughly and the roars of raw elemental magic shook and echoed across the vast tundra, harshly rattling the whole expanse. Our fused magical momentum tore mercilessly through the elite vanguard of the High Council and surged forward with terrifying force. In the blindingly dense whirling storm of dark smoke and mist, Hyunjin's vision was completely blocked and suffocated, while Jiseok's sharply rising, stubborn frost-magic barrier instantly shattered the oncoming enemy shield formation. And the blade of my solid purple cosmic-dust sword, pulsing with periodic humming vibrations, sliced straight across the exact center of the battlefield, carving a flawless victory route with not even a single margin of error.

Every time a guard charged fiercely toward my flank, trying to strike from the side, Chan-yeon oppa was already standing there like a sturdy anchor.

The Supreme Commander moved with a terrifyingly absolute, ultra-fast trajectory that gave me goosebumps, and his sword overrode the enemy momentum as it perfectly blocked the steel blades falling in with a smooth motion that used no unnecessary force. Even in this extreme chaos of all-out battle, his large, warm hand quietly held firm around my lower back, supporting the weight of my body. His palm gently and reassuringly steadied me so my center wouldn’t slip on the slick snowdrifts, and just before he hurled himself back into the middle of the rough melee, he let a blindingly bright, sunlike smile spread toward me. That look was always the light that filled my chest with absolute certainty and relief.

We were amazing beings that no one could stop. Aligned perfectly with the steady frequency of my heartbeat, the vast divine scale of the heavenly void magic that throbbed fiercely made the huge radiant dome of twilight cosmic dust expand majestically in every direction with each step I took on my boot soles.

"Stop! Everyone, put down your weapons and back away!"

A single massive shout, booming as if it would swallow everything around it, suddenly shattered the noise of battle in an instant and echoed across the entire open plain with a deep hum.

The commander of the High Council was sprinting down from the rear command post. It was a gesture that had completely and utterly thrown away even his own carefully prepared defensive line. When he violently hurled the frost-enchanted broadsword onto the snow, the heavy, ponderous weapon landed uselessly on the cold ice floor with a loud crack and rolled away. He seemed to care nothing anymore for the Council’s strict trial procedures, the castle lords’ obsessive paranoid orders, or even his own life and death. His eyes were wide with raw, suffocating awe, staring at the visual of the dazzling glass crown of a star that sat perfectly on top of my hair with not even a centimeter of misstep.

The rest of the guards covering the area also froze solid and stopped in an instant. The tips of their raised swords dropped with little thuds, and their gazes went back and forth between their captain and the heavenly twilight glow that beautifully wrapped around my commoner tunic like a majestic royal cloak.

The enemy commander trudged right up to directly in front of me, at an ultra-close distance of only a few feet. And without overriding a single word of rebuttal or resistance, he sank heavily to both knees into the powdery snow. Then he quietly lowered his head until his forehead fully touched the frozen ground, bowing completely.

"The ancient prophetic saga was truly real."

The commander whispered softly. His voice trembled with intense and stubborn awe, the kind that could instantly sink an entire valley into silence of submission.

"The true throne has finally awakened with a complete pulse. Please forgive our foolish, blind ignorance. Your Majesty. We would never fight the kingdom’s true ruler. From this moment on, the entire High Council patrol force will completely and utterly submit before you and kneel."

Behind him, hundreds of ironclad guards wearing polished silver armor pieces all silently looked at one another. Their expressions were struck hard with the realization that the ancient legendary ruler had finally reached them. With a huge, perfectly synchronized roar of armor and weapons, the entire army knelt on the snow in unison and offered absolute, unconditional obedience toward my crown. The brutal war that was meant to tear this kingdom apart was completely and utterly finished and erased before the countdown gauge to its real beginning could even be filled.

I slowly lowered the magic sword I had been holding up. The solid purple blade soon became a soft twilight veil of cosmic dust, melting slowly away before slipping steadily and without wavering into my wide-open palms and quietly disappearing.

"My goodness..."

Hyunjin let out a breathless, awed, urgent little whisper and shoved his fingers into his dark hair, raking it back roughly. His cheeks were flushed a vivid, sweet blush from the lingering aftereffect of fierce adrenaline. With a big proud grin spreading across his face, he chattered away in one stream of words, riding smoothly on his usual puppy-like, lively energy.

"Seoha, you seriously conquered the entire kingdom in one go without even breaking a sweat! Right now your whole look is so ridiculously regal that I can’t even dare to look at you! This is seriously completely unfair!"

Jiseok let out a soft, low chuckle. His deep, warm voice slipped gently into my space as a tender whisper, now carrying even more comfort and deep affection.

Jiseok strode right up in front of me and erased the distance between us completely, coming in close enough to press against me. His usual proud, broad smile bloomed prettily, drawing soft lines at the corners of his eyes, and in the dark of his gaze looking up at me there was a clear, deep devotion of protection so absolute it felt impossible to escape. He reached down and quietly enclosed my hand in his. His palm was still incredibly hot against mine, grounding me and soothing my pulse, and our fingers locked together once again, tightly and firmly enough that they could never be separated. Jiseok had precisely adjusted his hearing aid, fully focused on the frequency of this peaceful, quiet stillness that had finally come to the desert plain. He slowly and carefully drew a gentle heart shape with his thumb across the center of my palm. It was a soothing caress that calmly settled and arranged the frantic heartbeat pounding down from the fierce battle.

"I told you, the glass of stars already knows with certainty that you are their true queen."

Keeping his head lowered softly over the back of my knuckles, Jiseok whispered in a tender voice and left behind a long, lingering kiss.

"You are no longer a stranger drifting and lost in this world."

Chan-yeon oppa let a gentle smile spread at the corner of his lips. The shy, introverted atmosphere of the Supreme Commander vanished completely the very instant he moved in close behind my back like melting spring snow.

His large, warm hand naturally and stubbornly held firmly along the line of my waist and side, supporting the weight of my body with complete steadiness, and his broad chest met the wall behind me with a warm press. He drew me tightly into his arms and held me there without a trace of wavering, wrapping me in a fierce, proud, absolute embrace meant to protect me with all his warmth. When Chan-yeon oppa looked beyond the kneeling silver army, the delicate silver artificial cochlear implant gleamed sharply as it caught the tundra’s silver light. Then he looked down at me, and in his dark eyes there was a deep affection soaked through with preciousness, the kind that felt like it was squeezing my heart, gently tightening around my chest.

"The sure route back to the citadel is now completely open."

Chan-yeon oppa murmured softly by my ear, leaning his head down close. His voice dropped a full octave deeper and sweeter, sending a chill of shivers and perfect courage straight down my spine. He lightly added supportive, tender strength to the hand bracing my waist, and his thumb slowly drew a reassuring line of comfort along the hem at my waist.

"Now let’s go home. And receive your rightful throne and rule this kingdom, my queen."