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Stepping out of the station was tough.

I had to battle the fear of encountering the evil spirits that had tormented us in the dead of night again.

With every step I took, a dread loomed that an evil spirit would suddenly leap out from the shadows or the underbrush, tearing at us with its claws.

Yet, in spite of such fear, I managed to move forward; that was true courage.

The emotion that allows one to keep going, even when fearing what lies ahead.

The determination that compels one to risk life and limb in search of a ‘companion.’

That right there is what we call courage.

Thus, the Koreans and Japanese moved forward.

To find their missing companions who had vanished after stepping outside the station in the dead of night.

So, they slowly but surely advanced, searching the island.

Fortunately, Dokdo wasn’t so big, and circling the area posed no issue.

However, oddly enough, even after taking a complete round, the two had not been found.

How could they not appear despite turning the island inside out?

Surely there should be some traces left behind.

If they had been torn to shreds, there should have been bloodstains or remnants of flesh.

If they had fled, there should at least be some sign of escape.

But there was none.

No traces at all.

As if they had vanished into thin air.

Could this really happen?

They questioned this bizarre situation.

Yet, even amidst the strangeness, they did not give up.

There had to be somewhere they overlooked.

Thinking that they must have missed a spot, they scrutinized the island more thoroughly.

“Here! There’s something strange!”

Then their efforts bore fruit.

They discovered a small seaside cave that seemed to have been crafted by the two individuals.

A gash on the island.

A hole eroded by the waves.

That small evidence, which would likely be submerged and hard to find with even a slight rise in water level, held clear traces of magic.

If you asked how they could recognize it at first glance….

What else could it be other than magic, with flames burning fiercely atop the seawater?

Fwoosh.

Flames.

Actual flames.

Without firewood or oil.

The fire was blazing on the seawater.

The flames twisted and danced like a mirage, darting upwards while distorting the air with the rhythm of the waves, as if proclaiming their existence as if they were beings of illusion.

The colors blended hues of red flames, blue sea, and the fresh green laid upon the ground.

Truly a beautiful form of flame.

The fire expanded wide and continued to spread, thinly blocking the entrance of the cave.

As if it were a curtain.

Or perhaps like the station that had protected the base camp that night.

The fire had firmly established itself at the cave entrance like an insurmountable wall.

Transforming its shape with the waves, it nonetheless flowed endlessly, perfectly occupying the space and burning and burning.

A flame fueled by seawater!

“Isn’t that magic?”

“Yes, it seems to be flame magic… It looks quite advanced… Who used it?”

“Hmmm. Who knows? It could have been a Korean shaman or a Saigo Shinto Priest.”

If one were to gather the embers of the dawn and ignite them, perhaps they’d look like that.

The flames erupting at the cave entrance possessed a primitive beauty that could quell the fear of an oncoming attack from evil spirits.

“Let’s approach.”

Yet, it wasn’t only beautiful to behold.

“Ugh, isn’t this heat too intense?”

“Hmmm… It’ll be dangerous if someone without martial arts cultivated in yang energy or fire energy gets too close.”

“If we could use magic to shield ourselves from the heat, we might be able to approach, but if it’s magic, we don’t know what kind of effect it might have… I’d rather not get too near.”

“Magic can certainly be unpredictable. Would the Onmyoji from Japan know something about this spell?”

“…I’m not sure. It seems to be flame magic, but spells from that domain often have similar traits yet yield strange effects… Hmm.”

Even a slight approach brought an overwhelming amount of heat.

Just getting a bit closer felt like suffocating in an oven.

If this much heat spread even from a significant distance, touching that wall would instantly reduce one to ashes. Or worse, getting close might turn someone into a chunk of meat bobbing on the seawater.

It was a powerful spell.

And ironically, its strength provided a sense of security to the people.

“It seems like they went in there to escape from the evil spirits, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. They likely managed to hide well and blocked the entrance with fire magic…”

“With such power, the spirits probably couldn’t approach at all.”

“That’s right. No matter how powerful they are, the weaknesses of ghosts lie in yang energy and fire energy, especially since they’re derived from water spirits. So, the person inside should be safe.”

“Yes, surely… However…”

That intense fire was speaking.

As long as it burned, evil spirits would not be able to invade this place.

No matter how rampant the evil spirits were, they wouldn’t throw themselves into those blazing flames.

If they did, the spirits would turn to ashes, the very remains reduced to cinders.

And the people understood and accepted the fearsome nature of the flames.

That the one within was likely safe.

But… the issue was.

“…We don’t know if there’s one person inside or two…”

How many people could it be inside?

One.

Or perhaps two.

If it’s two, that would be nothing but wonderful.

But if it’s one… tragically, that would mean a casualty.

The people moved about, filled with hope and anxiety.

They wanted to announce to those inside the flames, ‘The day has broken and the evil spirits have retreated!’

Yet, to penetrate that fierce fire and relay the message seemed nearly impossible.

The food familiars used by Onmyoji were often paper-based, making it obvious that getting too close would lead to them being incinerated, while entrusting it to spiritual capable persons could risk strong spiritual backlash given that the flames possessed power over destruction and exorcism.

Moreover, warriors and wizards couldn’t approach either due to the fear of whatever magical effect was embedded within the flames.

What if they charged forward, only to be snuffed out or induced into a fit of blindness which would send them reeling?

Thus, it was clear that stepping forward was ill-advised.

Yet there was no equipment for machines…

Therefore, the only way they had left was one.

“Hey—! It’s over! The sun is up! The evil spirits have disappeared—!”

With booming voices that cut through the crashing sound of waves, the warriors shouted to reach the sorcerer within the cave.

And that role fell to the warriors.

This was partly because their lung capacity and vocal power surpassed that of others, but also because they could utilize the warrior’s shout, ‘Shishi Okai’ (Lion Roar).

The warriors gathered their energy and belted out a deafening cry.

Even as other capable persons plugged their ears or covered them, they still felt as if they could hear what was almost too loud to handle.

And perhaps because of their cries reaching the cave?

The flames that had been roaring at the cave entrance began to slowly subside.

As the flames steadily died down, the heat that filled the area quickly cooled, replaced by the chilly sea breeze, bringing with it the salty scent of the ocean.

And when all the flames had finally extinguished…

Shadows emerged from within the cave.

The number was…

One.

And then, another.

“Phew…”

“Both of them are safe…”

A youthful face that appeared somewhat innocent.

And the man in the fox mask.

Those two emerged from the cave.

The crowd cheered at the sight of them, rushing forward to lift the two onto their shoulders.

They were filled with joy at confirming their survival, but also because the manner in which they emerged from the cave suggested something was off.

“Oh, I’m fine. The one maintaining the magic was that Park Jinseong sorcerer…”

The man in the fox mask seemed a bit tired but appeared okay.

But Park Jinseong was a different story.

Perhaps due to the side effects of the magic, his body was flushed red in places, visibly resembling burn wounds. Although there were no blisters or oozing wounds evident, if left untreated, the risk of infection or worsening seemed high.

Additionally, there were dry salt marks on his body as if he had fallen into the sea multiple times while fleeing, and his weary expression and half-closed eyes made it clear just how fatigued the sorcerer was.

“Oh dear. This person isn’t in good shape at all… Let’s hurry to the ship. We need to get out of this godforsaken island and get Park Jinseong to a hospital.”

The people moved busily at the sight of Park Jinseong.

Thus, carrying Park Jinseong on the back of one of the warriors, they moved comfortably to the ship.

Thud.

The man in the fox mask followed behind.

As if he had no lingering attachments to Dokdo.

Staggering, but strangely appearing at ease.

 

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