Chapter 76: Purgatory (5)
In the room after Shiheon left.
Cheondo sat down, lowering her heavy eyelids.
The growing mistletoe was slowly strangling her neck, clinging like midwinter frost.
-Clink.
As she closed her eyelids, she also set down the teacup. A bizarre sensation of her life being stolen. It hurt, but she did not shudder.
Always proudly, with a mountain-like heart, she endured the trials ahead. She believed in her disciple. Cheondo sat and waited for hours. In those moments of waiting, only silence lingered, with no conversation between them.
Nevertheless, Cheondo, known as the Celestial Demon, was just another tree in the forest.
In the intervals when death approached, she inadvertently reminisced about the past.
Celestial Demon (天魔).
A name born with an unfortunate destiny, revered by all but not truly respected.
And her disciple, Little Celestial Demon Cheondo.
The weight of that name was always too much for me, just a mere Peach Tree.
“Cheondo.”
“A true Celestial Demon must always be cold and see through the world.”
Father.
No… The master always kept me close to broaden my narrow experiences, sparing no effort.
Because of that, I was forced to expand my Danjeon or sometimes had to kill someone. I even hovered between life and death on occasion.
The harsh experiences certainly elevated me, but I despised them.
‘I hate being a Celestial Demon.’
I hated the effort, feared blood, and loathed pain even more.
I never wanted to see my sisters’ tears again.
But the master ignored our feelings, silently following his own will. Yet, I didn’t stop trying because my reason lay elsewhere.
Spring Peach Blossom.
The utopia our master sought.
“I have a dream.”
The man murmured like a habit.
“Someday, you’ll say the same to your disciple.”
I didn’t understand what he meant.
“It’s okay not to know.”
The master’s hand stroked my hair. The kind smile on the old man’s wrinkled face was what I had always wished for as a child.
When he picked peach blossoms to make a ring and offered it with a wide smile.
What dream made such a father so cold? The arduous training was tough, but I trained harder, intrigued by these questions.
To know what the master desired.
By fifteen, I had grown into a full-fledged warrior, shedding my youthful appearance.
“Cheondo! Look at this, hehe.”
“Cheondo, isn’t this pretty?”
My sisters were still like girls of their age, but I was fine with that. Baekdo and Hwangdo were also trained by the master, but not as cruelly as me. It was enough that I alone continued the name of the Celestial Demon.
The master wanted me to become the Little Celestial Demon.
On such a day, the master asked me.
“What do you think being a Celestial Demon means?”
Well, I was not sure. I had been running blindly, never giving it much thought.
“To rule over heaven and earth… Isn’t that what it means?”
The master just smiled.
“Many think so. But it’s different. The ‘Cheon(天)’ means heaven, and ‘Ma(魔)’ means demon. The name you bear can never be good (善), nor can it rule anything.”
“I understand the weight of that name.”
Bitterly tapping his pipe, the now-declining master rubbed the bandage around his neck with his calloused thumb.
“Won’t you refuse to become a demon?”
“Are we… demons?”
“If everyone calls us that.”
Chasing dreams.
Even the beautiful acts of the Celestial Demon were treated as the perverse path of a demon (悖道).
The power to distort the world was so impactful that everyone guarded against such a figure.
The master did not shy away from becoming a demon.
“If you have power, even a good man can become evil.”
The master said.
“I really hate such a world.”
Humans of the world were too violent to be called good (善), and yet a few hinder calling them evil (惡).
“It’s rare these days to find a fool who shows their own justice. It’s like revealing the sly snake hidden inside.”
The master sitting on a rock, telling stories.
I sometimes missed the bitter smell of his burning cigarette, which made me cough just being near.
“But there are still good people. Fools who give up their lives for the suffering wicked.”
My father said,
“But such people will ultimately be eliminated.”
Spring Peach Blossom existed for such people.
“For that dream, isn’t it right to disrupt even the heavens?”
Father’s thoughts were too complexly intertwined. I couldn’t understand them well. Even as the Little Celestial Demon, I couldn’t fully grasp his thoughts.
So, inheriting that dream.
Honestly, I didn’t think it was possible.
But father, understanding me, just smiled and patted my head.
“I won’t force you. But-”
“When time passes, and I die, I hope you’ll look back on it at least once.”
There was no grand meaning in the two characters of Celestial Demon.
It was just a nickname given by others.
“Just follow your dream. Your…”
My Spring Peach Blossom.
Looking up at the ripe peach-like full moon, I mulled over that word countless times.
A phrase I’d heard over a hundred times, but with time, I realized the dream hadn’t changed much.
I would achieve my dream, no matter what.
The fact that my father’s back seemed broad was true, and I respected the master.
But even he, who I thought would never pass away, eventually died.
-Whoosh.
It was the night when flames soared under the nine heavens.
Dead brothers and sisters.
Mother was impaled on a spear, and uncle was slain by a sword.
Father, who tried to turn the sky upside down, becoming a black sun to comfort the souls of the good, went to war alone.
The Black Wave (黑波) engulfing the house and the sinking moon, that dreadful scene was still unforgettable.
It was a fierce battle, but in the end, the master did not achieve his dream.
But that wasn’t the end.
The pale dream he clung to and the sins of the master continued to haunt our family.
The karma of the Peach Tree, intent on swallowing the world, essentially ended there.
The inevitable result was the downfall of the family.
Most of the Peach Tree family were executed, and the remaining heirs were cursed with the mark of the World Tree.
Unable to adapt to the curse, most went mad or died. Only one survived.
Baekdo, Hwangdo, and me.
Originally, the three of us became one.
Was it more accurate to say our souls were collected and settled in a body? Maybe the body itself was different. What was certain was that only one of the three bodies could manifest at any time. Regardless of interpretation, nothing would change.
That was the karma of the Peach Tree.
The one who survived we had to become the Celestial Demon, following in the footsteps of our teacher and father.
But even so, I couldn’t become a Celestial Demon.
Lacking talent, lacking skills.
The power of the Celestial Demon required three elements to align: martial talent, the amount of magical power, and the nature of the magic. Baekdo was born with martial talent, Hwangdo possessed the quantity of magic, and I had the black nature of magic.
In the end, none of us three could properly wield the power of the Celestial Demon.
‘But.’
Not being able to become a Celestial Demon wasn’t the only reason. In fact, there was a bigger reason. A fact I tried to ignore and didn’t want to acknowledge.
‘…I was afraid of the time coming.’
Afraid of how much blood I had to pour into a cup to achieve Spring Peach Blossom.
The weight of the name Celestial Demon was heavy.
The expectations of Baekdo and Hwangdo were too much for me.
Even that father failed. Despite being a father who dominated the world, he was defeated.
“Pass the power to someone more talented. Let them inherit the dream.”
I wanted to run away like that.
It was a shameful thing.
But-
-Whirr!
“Master… where are you?”
As a teacher, seeing you with a teacher’s eyes. I finally understand the saying that it didn’t hurt to put you in my eyes.
“I’m here. Since you left, I haven’t moved a single step.”
“Is that so… I’m sorry. But I can’t see well right now.”
“It seems so. Your pupils are pure white. Did you get poisoned?”
Running away was laughable. As a teacher, I must be honorable. That was what I thought.
When I first met this guy in the mountains, I confirmed his intentions during our conversation. Seeing the bitter smile when looking at a child who lost his father. In life-threatening situations, not giving up. I made a promise.
“How clumsy to be affected by such poison.”
His pale face felt colder over my cold hand.
“Master, the results are…”
He went through hardships but didn’t blame me at all. I couldn’t express how proud I was of such a disciple.
“No need to speak.”
Sincerely.
“Just your return makes me happy.”
I stroked the disciple’s head, which entered my chest, with my rough hand. As I lifted my hand from the disciple’s head, which lowered its eyelids, it was covered in blood. I looked at it bitterly.
“You did well. Growth is achieved like that.”
It was okay to fail.
Even if things were wrong in the future… I had no intention of blaming him.
“…….”
Watching Shiheon asleep, Cheondo muttered.
“Thank you.”
For allowing me to inherit the name of the Celestial Demon. For giving me the confidence to encompass the heavens.
“Thank you.”
In the white room. Only the fresh echo from Cheondo’s voice subtly spread.
“Lee Shiheon.”
A frightening voice rang in my ears.
The nightmare I thought I had escaped returns again.
“Remember whose son you are.”
“Stand tall.”
“Watch carefully.”
The pentagonal badge in front of my eyes. The character’ ?’ (Country) written on it was repulsive just looking at it. The voice of a man from my past, slowly strangling a young neck, echoed in my head.
“Don’t think of putting anyone above you.”
The nausea rose, and disgust surged. The feeling of helplessness I felt then slowly crept back.
Father.
‘Damn it.’
Swearing, I bit my tongue in the dream. Forcing myself to wake up, I tried to smile mockingly at him.
“Father.”
“What is it?”
“How’s life in prison?”
“…What?”
“Thanks to you, I had a hard time being called a politician’s son.”
A forced defiance. I escape from that filthy dream.
…
…
…
-Startled!
My breath cut off, and cold sweat poured down like rain.
My blurry vision gradually cleared, and a familiar face came into view.
Cheondo’s face, with a hand on my hot forehead.
Her cool palm lowering the fever felt good.
“Master?”
“What is it?”
Cheondo’s expressionless face. I playfully rubbed my cheek against the hand, stroking my forehead.
-Slap!
I got flicked on the forehead.
“Ouch!”
“You should wake up more gracefully.”
I held my forehead, stood up, and shed a tear.
It hurt more than a joke.
Glancing back and glaring at Cheondo, she smirked at me.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Cheondo, turning her head quickly, rummaged through some food and then softly curled her lips and spoke as if suddenly remembering something.
“Lee Shiheon.”
“Yes?”
“I have a dream.”
I didn’t understand what she meant.
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Cheondo laughed.
Has this person finally lost it? With such trivial thoughts, I got up.
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