The night breeze brushed gently as Areum and Yu Jin stepped slowly into the secluded area hidden at the forest's edge. The Temple of the Moon Plains — that was the name engraved on the ancient stone slab at the entrance. Moss clung to its walls, yet the delicate carvings on the stones remained visible, like whispers of a long-buried story.
Areum swallowed hard. Something within her stirred oddly. With each step, they were accompanied by the rustle of leaves and the soft echo of their footsteps on stone. No one else was around — just the two of them — and a silence so thick it felt alive.
"This place… it's like it's welcoming you," Yu Jin whispered, his voice low and cautious.
Areum didn't reply. Her eyes were drawn to a large wall displaying a faded mural — a woman in white robes standing tall before her people. Surrounding the woman were symbols: crescent moons, peony flowers, and a golden crane. Areum raised her hand, touching the wall gently.
"Seol Hwa…" she whispered, as if the name pulsed through her veins.
Suddenly, her vision blurred. A sharp throb hit her head and her body felt weightless. Yu Jin reached to catch her, but in an instant, Areum had fallen into another realm — not of time, but of soul.
In this illusionary world, Areum stood in an open field beneath the full moon. A woman with a face strikingly similar to hers appeared, dressed in pure white with long hair flowing down her back.
"I've been waiting for you," said the woman.
"Who… who are you?" Areum's voice trembled.
"I am Seol Hwa. My blood flows in your veins, Areum. You didn't come to the past by chance. This is a calling from history — one you can't escape."
Areum lowered her gaze, her chest heaving. "I'm just a cook. I have no power… I failed…"
"No," Seol Hwa lifted her chin. "You are the long-lost hope. They erased our names from history, but not from blood. You must seek the truth. A truth that will reshape this kingdom's fate."
Lightning tore across the sky. In a flash, Areum saw the palace in flames, the screams of the people, and the royal emblem drowned in blood flooding her vision.
Areum jolted back to reality. Her breath came in gasps. Yu Jin gripped her shoulders, panicked.
"You… you fainted. What did you see?" he asked.
Areum didn't answer. Her eyes locked onto a stone altar at the corner of the temple. Slowly, she walked toward it. Nestled within the stone carvings, she found something — an old locket tucked neatly away. Her hand trembled as she pulled it out. The locket was exactly like the one from her dreams — a crescent moon with a tiny crane engraved in the center.
She opened it carefully. Inside was a small, faded note:
"To my descendants. Do not let this blood be silenced. The blood of great women should never be forgotten."
Beneath the note was an emblem stamped with a secret symbol — a moon, a crane, and a peony.
Yu Jin stood frozen. "Areum… this is proof."
Tears streamed down Areum's cheeks. Her heart didn't know whether to rejoice or fear.
"Why me? Why now?"
Yu Jin took her hand in his.
"Because only you can restore what was lost. And I… I'll always be with you."
Areum gave a faint smile, though her heart roiled within. Unseen in the shadows, between the trees of the forest, a pair of eyes watched them — the loyal whisperer of Lord Baek, who had followed Areum all the way here.