Dawn of a New World - Akatsuki no Yona

Chapter 5

A sudden gust of wind brought me out of my trance and I quickly opened my eyes to see Hak standing in front of the both of us protectively. I sighed in relief, we were saved. I really thought that we were going to die right now. The sound of Hak's voice catches my attention so I raise my head enough to listen properly. "I knew Lord Soo-Won was here tonight, so I was trying to stay out of your way. The guards who were supposed to be on watch are all gathered here. There are people I don't recognize, too. What's going on here? Huh, Lord Soo-Won?" He says in a deep and menacing tone with a murderous glare. I feel a gentle tug on the material of my yukata and glanced over to see Yona staring up at Hak. "H-Hak?" she questions in a soft and fragile voice. Hak turns towards us and looks down at her, noticing the despair in her eyes.

He slowly crouches down in front of us before speaking, "I'm sorry for leaving your side, Princess Yona, Princess Amaya." Yona and I look down towards the ground and speak simultaneously in hushed voices "Hak..." Yona then looks up at Hak and leans towards him. "Hak, are you on our side?" she asks desperately, yet, softly. Hak gasps softly in shock at her question before smirking at us. "The kind told me to protect the two of you. No matter what happens, I will obey his orders!" He then stands up, swinging his Hsu Quandao around confidently before slamming it into an upright position. He was currently facing Soo-Won and his followers once again. Kye-sook the took this opportunity to speak up, "Withdraw, servant." He spoke as if he was someone of greater power to Hak. "You are standing before King Soo-Won, the new master of Hiryuu Castle."

"Who's the master of what now?" If we were in any other situation, I would've laughed at what Hak had just said. However, given the circumstances, I chose to keep my mouth shut. Hak started to speak again, "I have a bad feeling about this, but I must ask. Lord Soo-Won, where is King Il?" Soo-Won answered him with no hesitation "I just sent him to hell." Hak's weapon suddenly slams into the ground, breaking the bricks and leaving a hole in the ground. A murderous look washed over his face at Soo-Won's statement. "Are you drunk? That's going too far, even for a joke." Soo-Won kept a neutral expression on his face. "Ask the princess's. They both confirmed the king's death with their own eyes."

That was all it took for Hak to snap.

He broke into a sprint straight for Soo-Won letting out a battle cry as he did so. Soo-Won was able to deflect his attack however, by blocking it with his sword. "Tell the truth!" Hak demanded. How Soo-Won was staying calm during all of this, I will never know. "I'm not lying." "Soo-Won! You're telling me you killed the king?" Hak was able to push Soo-Won back enough to break through. "You killed our kind king?!" Hak swung violently towards Soo-Won, landing a strike on his abdomen. Kye-sook visibly panicked, "Lord Soo-Won..." "Stay back." Soo-Won commanded. "If you come any closer, you'll lose your head." He then gestured towards Hak as he spoke once more "The man standing before you is Son Hak." Kye-sook slightly tilted his head downwards "This man is..." "Yes. He is the heart of Castle Hiryuu, and one of the five generals... The Thunder Beast of Kouka." Soo-Won confirmed.

"Soo-Won, why? Are you trying to usurp the throne? No, you're not the type to fixate on that kind of thing. Did you turn your sword on our kind king, who detested weapons? Your pride allowed that?!" Hak declared. Soo-Won looked off to the side, "Kindness? This kingdom has no need for a weak king!" He exclaimed as he ran towards Hak, sword in a striking position. The two began to fight violently. Both of them dodging the others attacks swiftly whilst looking for an opening to strike. Hak suddenly yelled out and forced Soo-Won back a few feet. "Son Hak...The grandson of Son Mundok, former head of the Wind tribe, he rose to lead the tribe at a young age." Kye-sook began mumbling to himself "A single blow from his blade is like lightning, earning him the nickname of the "Thunder Beast of Kouka." It was obvious who was strongest in power, going by the amount of times Hak sent Soo-Won back a few feet. However, the two continued with their battle. Hak finally landing another blow by slicing the top of Soo-Won's shoulder. Soo-Won having to bring his other arm to hold the wound tightly.