A chubby-cheeked little girl came dashing down the dirt path.

The mountain wasn’t particularly steep, but there were jagged rocks jutting out from the ground, which made it easy to trip up.

Patter, patter, patter.

Footsteps thundered behind her.

Thinking that someone was just playing a game, the little girl grinned, her plump cheeks lifting with delight.

But the person pursuing her had other ideas.

“I’ve told you over and over—we’re not here to play.”

Her older brother caught up and grabbed her by the arm, his voice unusually stern.

“I’m bored!”

She jutted out her stubborn little lips in protest.

Barely tall enough to reach an adult’s waist, the child had no way of understanding what was really happening. She could only smile as innocently as ever.

“This place is so boring. It’s nothing but scary houses.”

The shrine, draped with strips of colorful cloth that fluttered in the breeze, frightened the little girl.

The whole area felt strangely gloomy, and the blank, expressionless faces of passers-by made it feel even more unsettling.

“I don’t like it here. I want to go home.”

“Hayeon.”

Her brother called her name sharply.

Realizing it was his final warning, the little girl’s cheeks puffed out even more.

“Hmph.”

She shot him a sulky glare, but he remained expressionless.

Perhaps he was restraining a sigh at the sight of his childish little sister.

But what could anyone expect?

She had no way of knowing that their homeland had fallen.

Or that their family had lost almost all their possessions and now had to start again in a foreign country.

Just then, their father walked up behind them.

“Hayeon, Hyun. Why the long faces?”

“Brother keeps scolding only me!”

Their father turned to his son with a gentle smile.

His eyes clearly said, Don’t. Let’s not do this.

Her brother’s lips pressed into a thin line.

A quiet sorrow lingered on the face of the boy, who was far too young to bear such a burden.

Their father led the two children to a small shrine nearby.

It was time for them to get used to their new everyday life.

“Come now, Hayeon. Make a wish too. Put your hands together like this. That’s right, just like that.”

Perhaps because her father had taken her side, the little girl’s mood quickly brightened, and she eagerly copied his gesture.

“What do I do next?”

“Close your eyes and make a wish in your heart.”

“A wish?”

Hayeon tilted her head and stared blankly ahead.

Inside the damp-looking wooden shrine was a large stone wrapped tightly in colorful cloth. To her, it looked downright frightening.

‘The people here really worship something like that as a god?’

‘Then… does that mean the god is always all alone in there?’

The childish train of thought was interrupted by her father’s gentle reminder.

“Hayeon, you have to close your eyes too.”

She glanced up at her father once before squeezing her eyes shut with all her might, so tightly that little wrinkles formed around them.

Then she began to think.

‘Is the god here really okay?’

‘With so many people coming every day to make wishes… wouldn’t it get exhausting?’

‘Even running errands for Brother feels like such a hassle.’

‘If strangers I’ve never even met kept asking me for favors all day… I’d be so tired.’

And that was why…

She made a wish unlike anyone else’s.

‘I hope you’re happy too, Mr. God.’

With that, she turned away.

Just then, a butterfly fluttered down and landed lightly on the bridge of her nose before taking flight again.

Hayeon laughed and chased after it, quickly forgetting her wish.

Had her words reached the god?

Or had they vanished into thin air?

To the child, it was never something worth dwelling on.

***

The Kingdom of Heonyeok was a nation that believed in a mysterious divine power which watched over and protected its people.

In the eastern part of the kingdom, where the unseen spirits believed to dwell in mountains, ancient trees and streams were worshipped and feared, a peculiar custom existed.

Once every ten years…

An offering was made to the god.

The eldest shaman would have a dream in which the god would reveal the identity of the next sacrifice.

The chosen one might be an old man or a child.

A man or a woman.

A king…or a commoner.

Even someone who served the gods could be chosen.

In some years, the offering was not human, but merely an animal.

Regardless of what was offered, however, every sacrifice met the same fate.

They were all reduced to bleached white bones at the entrance to the sacred cave where the ritual took place.

Their flesh was stripped clean from their bodies until nothing remained — no skin, no organs, no trace of life. Only a stark white skeleton remained, silent testimony to an unimaginably agonizing death.

How could such a thing not inspire despair?

On that day, the god revered by all the people of Heonyeok was no different to an evil, ravenous deity.

But what choice did they have?

Offering a sacrifice was part of their covenant with the god.

Breaking that covenant would invite disaster.

It was an ancient law that no one dared to defy.

Whenever a sacrifice escaped…

The land would suffer a drought.

Plagues would sweep across the kingdom.

Only when another sacrifice was offered would these terrible calamities finally cease.

Thus, it was agreed that a sacrifice would be required on the day that humanity proved its devotion.

The real problem was that…

Nobody wanted to stand before the cave.

Although people claimed that it was a glorious honor to be offered to the god, no one wanted to earn glory at the cost of their own life.

However, no one wanted to earn glory at the cost of their own life.

This is why everyone prayed that this year’s offering would be an animal.

— anything but a human.

And if the sacrifice had to be human…

They prayed that it would not be themselves.

Nor anyone they loved.

Anyone but someone they knew.

And so…

The one standing before the cave today…

Was a single young woman.

“You must not raise your head. Just keep walking… forward. Only forward.”

Dressed in ceremonial robes, the shrine maiden spoke with icy detachment.

The woman chosen for sacrifice stared blankly at the ground.

Her lips were dry and cracked.

There was nothing in her vacant eyes.

The elderly shrine maiden let out a quiet sigh before stepping back.

She had heard that the young woman’s father and older brother had been captured and executed while trying to help her escape.

‘It’s no wonder she can barely hold on to her sanity.’

The shrine maiden stole one last glance at the sacrificial maiden.

She was strikingly beautiful.

Pure and graceful, she was like untouched jade.

Such beauty deserved far more than such a brief life.

Beneath her sheer veil, her skin was soft and translucent.

She had a smooth, rounded forehead.

She had large, luminous eyes.

Full, delicate lips.

Anyone who looked at her would not have found a single flaw.

Had they not known that she was merely the daughter of an ordinary farming family, they would have believed her to be the cherished daughter of a noble household.

Despite the pity in her eyes, the shrine maiden stood behind the young woman and encouraged her.

No one could overturn the god’s choice.

Not even the deaths of her father and older brother could change that, as they had failed in their duty to perform the sacrifice.

The two women stopped before a magnificent altar deep within the cave.

Wearing deep blue ceremonial robes, the sacrificial maiden stepped forward.

Then another.

Soon, the lavish array of rare delicacies on the altar came into view.

And at the very front… sat a cup of poison.

“Drink.”

The shrine maiden’s clear voice echoed softly through the cave.

The young woman did not move.

“You must drink.”

The sacrifice had to choose death of her own free will.

It was a vow that she willingly offered herself to the god.

But everyone knew the true reason behind the ritual.

It was to ensure the sacrifice could not flee.

“If you fail to fulfill your duty as the offering, the price you pay will be twice as great. Such is the covenant with the god.”

No answer came.

This time, the shrine maiden softened her voice.

“Your suffering will be brief. You’ll cross beyond the cave before you know it. The one who dwells beyond the cave… is surely merciful to those offered as sacrifices.”

“Hic… h-hic…”

The sound of quiet sobbing gradually filled the cavern.

The jade ring on the young woman’s slender left ring finger trembled faintly.

The shrine maiden drew her brows together and sighed quietly.

It was heartbreaking.

But the ritual could not wait any longer.

Just as she bit her lip and stepped forward, the young woman slowly reached out towards the altar, where the poisoned cup rested.

‘Thank goodness.’

‘It seems she’s finally accepted her fate.’

Beneath her white ceremonial headdress, the shrine maiden sighed quietly with relief.

The wrinkles on her aged cheeks twitched ever so slightly.

This happened the moment she let her guard down.

Whoosh!

The tall brass candlestick beside the poisoned cup fell onto the shrine maiden’s head.

For someone standing on the threshold between life and death, the impact was incredible.

Drops of blood arced through the air and splattered across the long sleeves of her ceremonial robes.

“Ahhh!”

Caught completely off guard, the shrine maiden stumbled around helplessly.

The young woman could only gasp for breath, her lips barely parting.

Blood sprayed…

Then it dripped onto the stone floor.

Her white ceremonial headdress was knocked free and rolled across the ground as her fragile body collapsed onto the cold stone.

Tears streamed down Hayeon’s face.

Hesitation.

Fear.

Guilt.

Countless emotions flickered through her trembling eyes.

The candlestick, now without its candle, ended in a sharp metal spike.

It tempted her.

If she drove it into the shrine maiden’s throat and escaped…

She might buy herself a little more time.

But after only a moment’s hesitation…

She threw the candlestick aside and ran.

She couldn’t abandon the compassion and righteousness that her father and brother had instilled in her.

The white ceremonial robe, adorned with crimson embroidery, billowed behind her.

Beyond its fluttering sleeves…

The young woman fled as fast as her legs could carry her.

The richly embroidered ceremonial overrobe fluttered wildly in the air, its dark blue patterns blending together like scattered flowers in a field.

The sacrifice had escaped.

***

‘She… she didn’t die, did she?’

‘She can’t have… Please don’t let her have died…’

Hayeon ran, sobbing uncontrollably.

Suddenly, her legs gave way and she crashed down onto the freezing stone floor of the cave.

As she pushed herself back up, she could feel blood streaming from her grazed knees.

Still, she ran again.

She ran again.

She had hurt someone because she wanted to survive.

So she had to keep running.

She had to survive.

No matter what.

Her heart was pounding so violently that it felt as though it might burst.

She couldn’t tell if this was because of the frantic sprint.

Or was it because of the shock of what she had done?

Still…

Hayeon forced herself to forget every sensation.

It was the only way she could keep running.

She had to go further into the cave.

She had to find another way out.

Anything.

Other than the entrance guarded by soldiers.

The lotus-patterned veil slipped from her head and fell to the ground.

‘Yes…’

‘Let it all fall away.’

‘Every ounce of misfortune clinging to me… let it all fall away like that.’

‘Please…!’

“Hah… hah…”

She ran.

And ran.

She had to survive for her father, who had lost his life because of her.

She ran for her older brother, who had risked everything to save her.

She ran for the man who had slipped the jade ring onto her finger.

And for her nieces and nephews, who were waiting for her to come home.

Before she knew it, she had left her shoes behind somewhere.

She had reached the deepest part of the cave.

It was the end.

There was nowhere else to go.

“N-No…”

There was no hidden passageway at the end of the cave.

Instead, an enormous lake lay ahead.

And nestled beneath towering stone cliffs was a solitary shrine.

Frantically, Hayeon looked around.

Then something caught her eye.

At that moment, she was struck by a violent wave of nausea.

“Ugh…!”

She clamped both hands over her mouth.

The sight before her was horrifying.

In front of the shrine…

Human bones had been piled high.

This was the final resting place of all the sacrifices ever offered to the god.

The sound of people rushing towards her echoed through the cave.

The angry shouts of the men echoed like thunder against the stone walls.

If death itself had messengers…

Surely they were the ones chasing her?

Hayeon’s cheeks trembled uncontrollably.

She had refused to become the sacrifice.

She had wounded a shrine maiden.

The thought of the death that now awaited her was unbearable.

She could see it all too clearly: being dragged away to appease their anger.

Being tortured until she begged for death.

In the end, she would be forced to drink the poisoned cup.

And afterwards…

Nothing would remain but a few scattered bones, to be added to the countless others at the shrine.

She would never see her nieces and nephews again.

She would never raise the children left fatherless.

She would die having served no purpose other than as a sacrifice.

“Hic… sob…”

‘I don’t want to die.’

Her gaze slowly shifted toward the lake.

“We found her! She’s over here!”

Her gaze, filled with despair, slowly lifted.

It felt as though invisible hands were tearing her heart out.

Military officers in ceremonial armor surrounded her.

The men who had come to drag her to her death stood before her.

Behind her lay the black lake.

“Accept the fate the god has decreed for you!”

The stern command hit her like a blade.

Hayeon’s breathing became increasingly ragged.

Death…

Or worse — a slow, agonizing death — was only steps away.

“Come here!”

Another harsh shout rang out.

The men advanced one step at a time, steadily closing in.

Instinctively, Hayeon retreated.

One step back…

Then another.

“Seize her!”

The command echoed through the cave.

Hayeon stumbled backwards.

She took one final step, but there was no ground beneath her.

“Ah…!”

Splash!

A loud crash echoed through the cavern.

Bright ribbons in five colors floated briefly on the surface.

Then came the ceremonial robe, embroidered with golden thread.

But Hayeon herself continued to sink.

Bubbles escaped from her nose and mouth one after another.

They drifted upwards.

While she continued to fall deeper.

And deeper.

The crushing weight of the water pressed down on her.

‘So…’

‘This is how I die.’

‘In the end…’

Her father and older brother had sacrificed themselves for her.

Yet she met such a meaningless end.

Her tears dissolved into the surrounding water.

“Cough…!”

She couldn’t breathe.

If things continued as they were, she would surely die.

She would never take in children who had lost their parents.

She would never protect them.

Instead, she would die here.

‘I don’t want to die.’

‘If there is a God.’

‘If you exist, please save me.’

‘Please.’

‘Please save me.’

No answer came.

The agony of suffocation twisted Hayeon’s body.

She clawed desperately at her throat and kicked her legs, but nothing changed.

‘This is really the end.’

The moment that thought crossed her mind…

A deep, unfamiliar voice began to whisper in her ear.

[Then…]

[…Give it to me.]

‘What…?’

Her fading consciousness could not comprehend the words.

She could only silently ask the question in her mind.

Once again, she heard the gentle voice of a man whispering to her.

If she gave him that…

He would rescue her from the lake that sought to devour her.

He would save her.

‘Then…’

‘I’ll give it to you.’

‘Nothing I possess is more precious than my life.’

That was the thought that had just crossed her mind.

At that instant…

She felt a warm sensation brushing against the ring finger of her left hand.

It was the finger on which she wore the jade ring that her fiancé, Lord Ukgyeong, had given her.

The feeling vanished almost as quickly as it had come.

She no longer had the strength to notice it.

She had reached her limit.

“…Mm…”

Her eyelids slowly drifted shut.

Everything felt like a dream.

The voice she had heard only moments ago…

Was gone.

‘Idiot.’

‘Stupid Hayeon.’

‘It was all just a hallucination after all.’

As she reproached herself, she drifted ever closer to death.

A slender beam of light suddenly burst forth from the depths of the lake.

Almost instinctively, Hayeon reached towards it.

‘Just… maybe.’

However hopeless it seemed, she clung to that fragile sliver of hope.

She surrendered herself to the light.

When dawn broke the next day…

There was no bleached skeleton lying before the cave.

Only one thing remained: A single, cleanly severed woman’s finger.

And upon it…

The jade ring that had adorned her finger.