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Her sword was dragged back from the person's sword with a clang. Surprised, she observes the person's face through the darkness, enveloping the familiar face she lowers her sword back. Her shoulder loosened, and she realised a sigh. "Did you hear something too?"
Putting his sword back he skimmed around for any lingering gaze and nodded. Both of their eyes landed on the slightly moving wooden door.
The quarter seemed like a deserted warehouse. Meeting each other looks, conversing in their way, they both stepped forward. One opened the gate with slightest of the movement and the other stepped in with as much of a noise.
As the pair entered, the voice of someone speaking was heard, without being able to detect the words of the person it was clear that it was a male.
Touching Seo Yul's shoulder she shook her head in the opposite direction as if saying you go from ahead I'll go from the back. Answering her with a curt nod he strode forth leaving her to circle about to the aisle to her right. Strolling ahead, the ray of the small light through the threshold was just adequate for her to see the distinctly shadowed figures of two individuals on the fabric scraps dangling from above, adding to her advantage of catching them.
Gripping the sheath with her left hand and the handle from her right she took out her sword and ripped the hanging fabric, pointing it straight at the person's back, mere centimetres away from his heart, unbeknownst to her at the exact moment as Seo Yul pointed his sword reaching the gaze of the petite person hidden in the embrace of the other one.
Immediately recognizing the face of his friend Seo Yul lowered his sword with a bewildered expression, "Jang-Uk?"
Releasing a relieved sigh, Jang Uk looked at him, "Oh, yeah it is me." and then turned around to find a sword directly pointing between his eyes. Raising his hand he carefully moved the sword aside with his fingers, causing Sujin to lower it. "Hey! are you trying to kill me?!"
"Why are you here?" Seo Yul asked still bewildered seeing him in Songrim at this time.
Putting her sword back, Sujin stepped forward circling Jang-Uk to see the girl clutched in his arms.
Observing with her fierce eyes, from her clothes to her hair and accessories she was decent, meaning that they weren't doing what she assumed they were doing. She looked like a commoner, but her eyes, there was something familiar about them but she couldn't get a grasp of that. Something close and yet so far.
"I am fine, young master."
Her voice brought Sujin back to the ongoing conversation she was Jang-Uk's maid, Mu-Deok.
"Your accent-" Sujin inquired going near Mu-deok in small steps, "-it's different. You are not from here." It wasn't a question, and she made it clear in her voice.
Holding the gaze of her former partner Mu-deok answered, "Yes. You are right-" without breaking their eye contact as if instigating each other, "-I am not." It wasn't a question either.
"Ya! Sujin-ah! you are scaring my maid." Jang-Uk chimed in as he saw the typical investigating look in her eyes.
Before she could ask any other question the voice of a frantic Dang-gu reached her causing her to sigh and step back from Mu-deok.
"Jang-Uk? Hold on, why are you here?" Dang-gu asked putting his hand on Uk's shoulder as if consoling him in some sort of brotherly way.
"I came to visit the leader. We took refuge here after hearing a fight." Jang-Uk answered casually causing Dangu to hit his arm hard.
"There were intruders. You cannot even fight." Dangu scolded causing a sort of smile to twitch on Sujin's face, gone unseen by all but one. "Jeez. Thank goodness they didn't spot you. No... no... it was wise of you to hide here."
"My maid ran away, so I just followed her, but what's the point of hiding I almost got killed by this woman here..." He said pointing towards Sujin causing her to hit the same arm as Dangu, "...Gosh, that hurts." he said rubbing at the spot.
Dismissing their usual quarrel Sujin slipped out, stepping out from the back entrance, the midnight breeze hitting her face, thoughts spiralling in her mind. With Naksu's body gone it bought a huge amount of pressure on Songrim's prestige and knowing her father he would not let this opportunity go anyhow. She had to do something before it came to that, as the cruelty her father held would bond to end him someday, and she'll be damned if she lost the last of her family.
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"They must have broken the pine forest and gone out." Sang ho stated as the group of Songrim soldiers reached the clearing led by their leader, Park Jin.
Summoning a lightning orb in his hand he trusted it forward towards the clearing. The light produced by the orb made it clear to see the climbing silhouettes of the intruders escaping through the cliffs. Realising it was too late to follow them he dismissed Sang Ho's idea to go after them.
"Only those of songrim can break the barrier." Park jin said as he realised that someone would have helped the person behind this undertaking. "There is a spy among us," or maybe there was a soul shifter gaming them who has been deceiving them and to catch that person they needed help.
"We must ask the Jin family to help," and there was only one person who could sweet talk their way through the head of the Jin family with the right amount of wordplay without beginning any baseless rumours, after all, only blood can deceive blood.
"Send Jin Su-jin."
Away from their line of sight but in their hearing range, her eyes widened just slightly, palm scraping on the rough branch, legs balancing her upper body on the slanted surface of the tree trunk. The height of the branch was enough for someone to walk under it without being noticed, and with her dark clothes blended with the night it was merely tough to see her.
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The young lady entered the beautiful court of the Jin clan, Jinyowon. The walls should have been familiar, yet there was no resemblance to any of the stoned paths or bouquet house or the cherry blossoms planted throughout the grounds in her blurred memories. The place which should have been her home was the most foreign and unfamiliar.
Her father, being a birth righted member of the Jin clan was banished from Jinyowon as he was the result of a prurient affair. He was stripped of his authority as a potential heir and was never accepted as a part of the Jin family, which furthermore involved his children. They were treated as outsiders, without acquiring the honour they deserve, after all, they were as much part of the jin family as the leader and their heirs due to the same lineage blood coursing through their veins.
After marrying her mother, her father started working for the royal family. Being the teacher of the crown prince and an advisor to the king he ascended to the top, securing his position close to the royals as the Vice-minister of Cheonbugwan.
Breaking her train of thought she approached the lady soldiers guarding the halls of Jinyowon.
"I want to speak to the leader," Sujin spoke in an authoritative manner causing the soldier to glance at her intriguingly.
"What is it that you need? The head lady has more important matters in her hands." The soldier answered with a stiff voice.
"I am sent by the leader of Songrim about an important matter." the young lady stated with her hands folded behind her back and eyes looking around, trying to capture the beauty of the court.
The soldier looked at each other and then back at her considering that it was an important matter they needed to report the leader. One on the right stepped forward, "Please follow me." gesturing her to follow her which she did.
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