The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

24 | Water City - I

Taeyong and Dal-ae stood outside the Night Mansion on that cold wintery night. Ahead of them was the forest sleeping in its foggy calm, allowing nothing to penetrate it. Taeyong took Dal-ae's hand and walked the first step towards it followed by another. The two soon crossed the sign that read, 'Illusion at play, tread carefully,' and into the forest they walked. The fog wasn't cold or damp; it was heavy almost looming over their heads like it could pierce them any moment but the two felt nothing. The mist thickened the deeper they walked and soon they could see nothing ahead, not even their own feet. The only way of knowing that the other was still there was through their tightly clasped hands. It seemed like hours what were only minutes before they finally reached the end, coming out on the other side. But what lay ahead was equally terrifying yet the most extraordinarily beautiful thing Dal-ae had ever seen.

It was a dock, long and narrow, resting silently in the expanse of the cold lake shimmering like diamonds under the moonlight. It was as though they had reached the edge of the world.

'Where are we going?' Dal-ae asked quietly.

'We are going to Water City,' Taeyong replied.

'How will we get there?'

He smiled. 'Patience.' And just then, a boat, broad enough for only the of them rose from the water right beside them. Despite living in the water, the boat had no sign of decay. In fact, it looked well-tended with its wood seemingly newly polished.

'What is this place?' she asked in awe.

Taeyong sighed, 'It's not as beautiful as it seems.'

The two stepped into the boat, Dal-ae settled in front and Taeyong in the back. And then, they waited. The boat needed no oar nor any motor; it moved on its own when Taeyong muttered an incantation without the need to steer for direction. Silently, they crossed the lake and while Dal-ae's eyes were fixed on the mist that lay ahead, Taeyong watched only her.

She looked back at him once, just as they were about to enter the mist and Taeyong answered her question, 'That's the Water City we are entering.'

But when their boat penetrated the mist, what Dal-ae saw was not a city but a snowy swamp, quiet and undisturbed. The stream had narrowed and thick mist lay dense over the water. On either side of them, lifeless trees, grey in the moonlight, rose high to the sky, twisting their snow-covered branches above like a web of spider. There was silence and stillness but this expanse of cold, dark and white seemed anything but peaceful.

'Are you sure this is a city?' Dal-ae whispered but her voice boomed in the quiet.

Taeyong whipped his hand over the boat, covering the two of them in a Silencing Charm, then spoke, 'Mhm. What you are seeing are not trees, but a veil concealing the true form. Behind them stay inhabitants who do not want to be disturbed, who do not want to be noticed at all.'

An owl hooted in the distance, the first sound they had heard except each other. But it did not last long; in mere seconds, the sound of flesh tearing rippled through the air and the hoot of the owl was heard no more.

'You are right to question it. There is no life here,' Taeyong said gravely.

'What work do you have here?'

'Behind one of these trees, these veils, is a group of humans. They have been kept trapped as slaves and feeding banks,' Taeyong told her. 'We are here to take them away.'

Dal-ae was silent for a while before asking softly, 'What will you do with those humans?'

'What do you mean?'