LS Chapter 1 (part 2)

Life among the Mounted Tribe was grueling. From the moment he opened his eyes to when he closed them, there wasn’t a single moment of real rest. Tasks like moving soaking-wet animal hides or tanning leather were physically exhausting and never got easier. His body rarely went a day without pain.

Even worse, if they didn’t work fast enough, they were beaten. If they still couldn’t keep up, they were denied meals. Weak from hunger, they would fall further behind, only to be punished again—a vicious cycle.

The bruises on Yujin’s face were from one of these beatings. He had been struck so hard for working too slowly that he coughed up blood and couldn’t even get up the next day. That brief period of rest coincided with a food shortage caused by widespread stomach illness in the commoner quarters, which Yujin avoided only because he hadn’t been able to eat.

Yujin touched his stiff jaw as he continued chewing the tough meat. It felt like chewing leather—flavorless and dry. Slowly, his gaze drifted upward to the crimson moon hanging in the sky.

“It’s another red moon,” he murmured.

The black river, the crimson moon, and Bart. Lowering his gaze, Yujin looked at Bart, seated far away.

That day, the day Bart saved him—standing naked under the moonlight, looking down at Yujin—he had resembled the river god, Kesha. A divine figure who protected the river, carried its waters between heaven and earth, and safeguarded humanity.

[His body, they said, was as solid as the rocks at the riverbed, and his hair gleamed like the ripples on the water. His red eyes, like the sun, commanded awe and respect from anyone who met his gaze. Towering and immense, large enough to block out the moonlight, he was known as Kesha.]

For some reason, that image of Bart had reminded Yujin of his grandmother’s stories.

[I just wanted a little peace.]

That’s what Bart had said. He had been resting in the river, yet he chose to save Yujin. Why? Yujin wondered but didn’t dare ask. Bart was a warrior, and Yujin was just a lowly laborer.

Besides, they were on their way to Riazai Hamlet to collect tribute. Normally, the villagers would bring the goods to the Mounted Tribe, but this time, it was the other way around. The narrow and rugged path to Riazai Hamlet made it impossible to ride horses, which had put the warriors in a foul mood.

“What are you saying now?”

The middle-aged man’s grumbling, barely concealed in a lowered voice, drew Yujin’s attention.

“Sorry, but no one told me until just now,” someone replied nervously.

“Nothing’s missing, right?”

“Well… one of the meat pouches is gone.”

“What?!”

The sharp tone turned heads, even among the warriors. Bart glanced over, prompting the older man to sigh and approach him.

“Bart, sir. We have a problem.”

“What kind of problem?”

“One of the commoners has escaped, and it seems they took some supplies with them.”

So, someone had run away.

Yujin lay down, closing his eyes. It wasn’t uncommon for people to flee. Most of the time, they were captives from other villages, forced to live in the Mounted Tribe’s settlement. Even for those born into the tribe, life here was harsh.

For those whose homes had been destroyed, who were dragged here like hostages, it must have been unbearable. Yujin had once considered escaping too, but he had no place to go back to. Instead, he had resolved to die.

Escape was a privilege for those who had somewhere to return to.

Exhausted, Yujin drifted off to sleep almost instantly, his last thought a fleeting wish for the runaway.

‘Don’t get caught.’

* * *

As soon as the sun rose, they resumed their journey. When it set, they stopped to rest. The cycle repeated until, after four days of walking, they reached a spot midway up the mountain.

“We’ll set up camp here for the day. Light the fires,” Bart commanded, his sharp eyes scanning the surrounding terrain.

Namta, chewing on a piece of dried meat, responded with irritation. “The sun hasn’t even set yet. Who do you think you are to decide when we stop?”

Puffing out his chest and squaring his shoulders as if to assert his authority as the leader’s son, Namta glared at Bart. But Bart ignored him completely and directed another command to the group.

“Light more fires than usual. Make them visible from a distance.”

“You bastard! Can’t you hear me?”

Namta yelled, throwing his half-eaten dried meat at Bart.

For a moment, a glint of icy light flickered in Bart’s otherwise impassive eyes.

“We could still travel for hours. Who are you to tell us to stop?” Namta continued, voice rising.

Bart remained silent.

“Are you listening to me? If my father gets angry because we’re late, are you going to take responsibility? You’re supposed to ask for my permission before stopping!”

Bart’s reply was curt. “If you’re so upset, take your group and cross the mountain on your own.”

“What?! You arrogant bastard!”

Namta had disliked Bart from the start. Bart acted as if he were the leader, barking orders and ignoring Namta completely. If anyone should lead, it was Namta, the son of the tribe’s leader, not Bart. The disdain Bart showed him throughout the journey, coupled with his dismissive tone just now, pushed Namta past his breaking point.

Clenching his fists, Namta stepped forward, ready to lunge at Bart, but a distant wolf’s howl froze him in place. Soon, the single howl was joined by others, echoing from all directions. The warriors instinctively reached for their weapons, while the commoners shrank back, glancing nervously at the darkening woods.

Bart surveyed the area, his expression unreadable. Once the howling subsided, he addressed the warriors. “Check the area for wolf dens. We’ll split into two groups. Get ready.”

Namta muttered curses under his breath, glancing around anxiously. Bart shot him a sharp, disdainful look.

“Namta, if you’re so eager to cross the mountain, leave now. Let me know how many people you’re taking so I can divide the group.”

Namta remained silent.

“Well? Are you going? How many are you taking?”

When Namta didn’t respond, Bart added coldly, “If not, stop wasting my time and get out of my sight.”

Namta’s physique was impressive, befitting the son of the tribe’s leader. However, compared to Bart, he seemed lacking—not just in stature but in presence. Bart exuded a quiet, icy intensity that overwhelmed anyone near him. Even Yujin, who had no direct involvement, felt his shoulders tense whenever Bart was around.

Yujin watched in silence as Namta glared at Bart, who stared back with calm authority.

When warriors fought, it often didn’t end until one of them was too injured to continue. Occasionally, someone even died, though Yujin had never witnessed it himself. He didn’t care about their conflict, but for some reason, he found himself hoping Bart would win if it came to a fight.

“Everyone, look at what I caught!”

The tension broke as a warrior emerged from the forest, dragging a person behind him. Namta’s face briefly showed relief before returning to its usual scowl.

“Please, spare me! I was wrong!” the captive cried out, voice trembling.

“This bastard couldn’t even run away properly?”

“I-I was wrong! Please spare my life… Ugh!”

The man who had been dragged back by the warrior was tossed onto the ground like a ragdoll. Whether his leg was broken from his escape attempt or from being caught and beaten was unclear, but he couldn’t stand properly. His face was swollen and scabbed with dried blood.

Yujin took a step back, frowning slightly as he realized the man was the one who had escaped a few days ago. He knew what happened to those who were caught trying to flee. Their fates were beyond words—brutal to the point where the term “tragic” seemed inadequate.

“Damn it, as if walking these mountain trails without horses wasn’t exhausting enough. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve caused me, wandering around this forest looking for you?”

“I’m sorry! If you forgive me just this once, I swear I’ll never—”

“Do you think an apology will fix this? And stealing food on top of everything else? Damn it!” The warrior’s kick landed squarely in the man’s stomach, cutting off his plea.

Laughter erupted from the other warriors who were unpacking nearby. They mocked the man writhing in pain on the ground. The Mounted Tribe warriors were indifferent to the suffering of others. To them, even death was a form of amusement.

“Did you really think you could escape?”

Namta, still seething from his earlier argument with Bart, exploded in anger. He stomped over, grabbed the man by the collar, and dragged him off somewhere. It was obvious Namta was going to vent his frustration on the man, but no one stepped in to stop him.

“If you’re going to run away, at least don’t get caught,” the middle-aged man standing behind Yujin muttered quietly.

‘Exactly. If you’re going to do it, don’t get caught,’ Yujin thought as he silently agreed, tidying up supplies and helping others light fires. After preparing the meal and ensuring the sleeping arrangements were in order, Yujin headed toward the mountain’s peak as darkness fell.

The Mounted Tribe lived on plains. Although there were small hills nearby, their camps, centered around horses as their primary resource, were set on flatlands. For Yujin, being in such high mountains was rare. From experience, he knew that mountains like these often had steep cliffs.

Walking until his clothes were damp with sweat, Yujin finally reached the summit and stood at the edge of a high, sharp cliff. The breathtaking view of the valley below meant nothing to him.

Slowly, he stepped closer to the edge. The yellow flowers of the Riazai grass greeted him, nodding in the breeze. Someone had mentioned that crossing this mountain would lead to Riazai Hamlet, and it seemed they were right.

Yujin paused to look at the flowers. He had always thought it odd how unassuming they were for something so toxic. Unlike most poisonous plants, which were large and vibrant, Riazai flowers were small and yellow, resembling ordinary wildflowers. Perhaps it was because their effects weren’t immediate.

Shifting his gaze from the flowers, Yujin looked out into the open sky. The clouds obscured the moonlight, leaving him enveloped in pitch-black darkness.

“Haaa…”

He took a deep breath and stepped forward, but before he could take another step, someone yanked his hair. Sharp pain tore at his scalp, forcing a choked gasp from his lips.

“Ugh!”

“Tsk.”

The sound of an annoyed tongue click reached his ears as he was lifted off the ground and thrown back down. The impact left him no time to process the sudden change before he was hauled back up by his hair.

“Annoying,” came a cold voice.

“Wh-who… Bart?”

His eyes locked with Bart’s icy gaze. The pain from his scalp, where Bart’s grip tightened, made him scrunch his face in discomfort as he instinctively reached up to grab Bart’s hand.

‘It hurts. Let go already…’

As the wind chased away the clouds, the full moon emerged, illuminating Bart’s face. Under the cold white moonlight, his expression was frigid enough to make Yujin’s knees weak. The pale light only heightened the annoyance tangled in Bart’s steely gaze, which reflected Yujin’s terrified face like a mirror.

“Let go. Please, just let go,” Yujin begged, his voice trembling.

“Are you following me?”

“No! It’s not like that. Please, it hurts…”

“Then why do you keep showing up in front of me?”

Bart’s grip tightened, forcing Yujin to stand on his toes as he whimpered in pain. If Bart pulled any harder, the skin on Yujin’s scalp would surely tear.

“I-it’s not like that!”

“If you’re going to die, do it where I can’t see you.”

Without waiting for a response, Bart flung him backward. Yujin hit the ground hard, scraping his knees and frantically rubbing his head where Bart had gripped it.

He glanced up, his wary eyes fixed on Bart’s imposing figure.

It hurts, but why is Bart here?

From the riverbank to this cliff, every time Yujin tried to die, Bart appeared and saved him. Yujin didn’t understand why Bart kept showing up wherever he went. It seemed like an awful coincidence that they ended up in the same place, but even so, there was no reason for Bart to save him.

When the clouds cleared, and the full moon revealed itself, a large shadow cast over Yujin’s head. Bart hadn’t directly threatened him, but just the fact that he was a warrior made Yujin uneasy. The current situation was uncomfortable, and the weight of Bart’s gaze, staring down at him, only made it worse.

Yujin felt the urge to move away, but as he was trying to come up with an excuse to leave, his stomach growled loudly.

Growl.

The sound, completely out of place in the tense moment, made Bart’s gaze shift from Yujin’s face to his stomach.

The longer the journey, the less food Yujin was allotted. Since yesterday, he had to beg and plead just to get a few crumbs of dried meat. Most of the food was given to the warriors first, and whatever was left was given to the older commoners in the group. Yujin, as a newcomer, was last in line for anything.

He didn’t want to beg for food anymore. He was already planning to die, so he didn’t want to keep asking for scraps. After packing his things, he’d climbed the mountain to escape for a while. But now, unexpectedly, his stomach was demanding food. Yujin grabbed his stomach with both hands, trying to quiet the growl.

“What the…?”

Growl, growl.

“…”

“…”

“I haven’t gotten any food since yesterday…”

The excuse slipped out of Yujin’s mouth before he could stop it. The embarrassment of admitting his hunger made him quickly bite down on his lip. He was a person who couldn’t fight, couldn’t get food, and kept trying to die. To the warriors of the Mounted Tribe, Yujin was worthless. He wasn’t denying this fact, but he felt ashamed that Bart had noticed.

But he couldn’t run away in front of a warrior, so Yujin stood still, only looking down at his feet. He expected Bart to disappear as he had before, but Bart stood there, still facing him.

Why wasn’t he leaving?

A distant wolf’s howl echoed through the mountain, making Yujin flinch. The situation was growing more uncomfortable. Bart didn’t move, standing like a rock, and Yujin had nothing to say to him. Finally, Yujin broke the silence, raising his head timidly to speak.

“Bart…”

“…”

Bart’s lips twitched slightly, his eyes narrowing as he tilted his head slightly.

Standing with the moon behind him, Bart looked larger than life, almost like a beautifully carved demon statue. His features were perfectly shaped, glowing under the moonlight, and Yujin couldn’t help but stare, mesmerized by his face.