The Citadel of Bingyeon (Ice Smoke)

Episode 8: Infiltration

The path down to the royal underground tomb felt like walking into a frozen grave. Above us, the massive stone fortress towered high overhead, sunk into a deep sleep, but the air down here was heavy with damp frost and the thick silence of the dead.

Hyunjin led the way, cutting through the maze formed by the stone pillars. The faint, swirling traces of dark smoke rising from the gap in his leather sleeve tightly wrapped around our ankles, completely erasing the sound of our footsteps on the frozen floor and serving as a soundproof barrier. His usual lively, chatterbox bickering had fallen away into secret whispers full of taut tension, and the hearing aid on his right ear and the cochlear implant on his left were focused so intensely that they seemed determined not to miss even the smallest shadow in the dark.

"According to the main patrol rotation, they’ll be leaving the western burial ground about now."

Hyunjin quickly turned his head and threw me an urgent look as he murmured quietly. With adrenaline flooding every nerve, his cheeks were already flushed a deep, embarrassed red, as if with a waterfall of color.

"If we don’t find the second shard within exactly 3 minutes, we’ll run straight into the High Council patrol."
"I’ll find it, so don’t worry."

Jiseok spoke softly, offering steady, gentle warmth. His deep, warm voice was like a solid anchor, keeping me grounded in the darkness. He was walking right beside me, matching my steps, and the proud, huge grin that usually filled his face had vanished completely, replaced by a rough, protective, resolute expression as he covered every direction. When he reached down and quietly took my hand, his palm was unbelievably hot, locking tightly with my fingers. He gave the backs of my knuckles a soft but unyielding squeeze, silently promising that there was nothing to worry about.

"Stay right by my side, Seoha. I’ll protect you perfectly."

Just as we finally rounded the last arched corner, the visuals of it inside the collapsing royal mausoleum came into view at last: resting quietly atop a tall stone altar. It was the second shard of the Star Glass. Far larger than the first relic, the crystal pulsed periodically with a deep, mesmerizing violet cosmic glow, its brilliant force slicing cleanly through the dark shadows of the underground tomb and shining forth.

The moment I approached the magical relic, the shard let out a low, steady hum and resonated in perfect harmony with the celestial void-magic pulse beating deep within my chest. I reached out and firmly wrapped my fingertips around the smooth, cold surface of the crystal. In that instant, a powerful surge of energy burst through my veins like a waterfall, and a dazzling flash of twilight cosmic dust swept across the entire stone wall, rippling harmlessly in every direction.

"Found it."

I let out a quiet breath. As a relieved smile, drunk on victory, spread brilliantly across my face, I held the glowing relic shard close to my chest.

"Who’s there! Identify yourself!"

A sharp, heavy voice thundered and echoed violently through the entire high stone arched ceiling.

My heart instantly began pounding wildly against my ribs. One of the High Council guards, torch in hand and wreathed in magical flame, strode into the tomb entrance, the polished pieces of his silver armor gleaming sharply in the torchlight. His hand was already gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"Hide!"

Chanyeon hyung gave the order in a whisper so intense and sharp it raised goosebumps.

Just before the guard’s gaze fixed perfectly on us, Chanyeon hyung moved with lightning speed, driven by pure instinct. With his two large, warm hands, he firmly shoved against the back of my waist, supporting the weight of my body with effortless strength. He lifted me at once into the deep, dark gap behind a huge stone sarcophagus and hid me perfectly. He pulled me fully into his chest, using his broad shoulders and the heavy white fur coat of his commander’s uniform as a physical shield, completely blocking me from the High Council’s sight.

"Don’t make a single sound."

Chanyeon hyung lowered his head near my ear and murmured softly. His warm breath touched my skin and scattered like a white puff of air, and his voice sank an octave lower, sweet and deep, sending a heavy shiver that soaked deliciously into my chest. More strength and stubbornness settled into the hand around my waist, and because he pulled me so tightly against him, I could feel the clear rhythm of his steady, unshaken heartbeat pounding fiercely against my back.

Just a few feet away, Hyunjin immediately overrode the magic’s presence to erase our traces completely. With one frantic, panicked sweep of his leather sleeve, a wall of pitch-black smoke burst outward like a waterfall. The thick smoke fog instantly swallowed the entire underground tomb, completely crushing the light from the guard’s torch into a blurred, useless afterimage.

"I told you earlier that the guards were tracking that magical afterimage!"

Hyunjin muttered in a completely bewildered, urgent little wheeze, then launched himself into the dark gap of shadow right beside us with Jiseok. The tips of his ears were already bright red.

"Shut up and just get ready to run, hyung."

Jiseok let out a soft chuckle and found my hand again in the darkness, wrapping it carefully in his. He held the backs of my knuckles protectively and stubbornly, and in his eyes the excitement of this dangerous struggle shone brilliantly as tender warmth.
"This smoke curtain won’t keep the guard’s attention forever."

The guard coughed harshly and repeatedly in the thick, heavy smoke, swinging his torch wildly at the empty air.

"Intruders! Sound the alarm!"

"Now."

Chanyeon hyung whispered softly. The large hand that had been supporting my waist moved smoothly, guiding me forward without wavering and firmly supporting the center of my body.

"Run!"

With Chanyeon hyung firmly guarding my side and holding the formation steady, Jiseok pulling me forward by the hand in a full sprint, and Hyunjin bursting one smoke screen after another to completely block the corridor behind us and choke the guards’ line of sight, we finally broke cleanly through the dark underground tomb and hurled ourselves out into the freezing winter night sky beyond. It was the moment the curtain officially rose on our dangerous and magnificent first journey to escape the fortress completely.