The Moonlight Sonata

Second Prologue: The curse under the moonlight

From left to right: Shaman Shim Ha Neul, Prince Jun Seong, Heo Eun Kyung, Hwang Dae Jung

Prince Jeong Eun stretched his body before he left the study hall. For him, the lessons with his adviser are always interesting, but sometimes it gets boring.

"Aish... I'm already tired... But I want to play a ball game with my brother. Where is Tae Guk?" Prince Jeong Eun asked one of his Court Ladies.

"I think he is back at the Jade Palace, Your Highness."

Prince Jeong Eun smiled and walked to where his brother is.

For the royal family, it was a very peaceful day. The two prince played their usual game, while Princess Min Seo spent her time with embroidery with her mother, Queen Myeong Gi

But on the other side, Prince Jun Seong is now completing his plan. After three days of secretly getting all the things he needed, he quickly headed off to the mountains to meet the shaman Shim Ha Neul. It was nighttime so nobody saw them.

"Here it is. I expect you to do what I want you to do if you want to go back to the Celestial Hall."

Shim Ha Neul bowed and took the belongings from Prince Jun Seong's hands. they walked in the middle of the forest in the mountains. There was an old wooden house within the forest and both Prince Jun Seong and Shim Ha Neul entered it. Prince Jun Seong was surprised to see that inside of the old house were scribbles of shamanic letters. Signs and symbols that he is not aware of. Shim Ha Neul, then, placed the belongings into the altar in the middle of the wooden house and opened the book of the curse that she will cast.

"I will cast a spell that a foreign shaman had taught me. It is a spell that no one in the celestial hall has ever known. The foreign shaman called it as "The Vampyr Curse". It will give them the urge for human blood, they will never be able to step out of their house while the sun is out, for they will get burned, and they will be cursed for the rest of their lives."

Prince Jun Seong smiled and nodded.

"Very well, now, carry on."

Shim Ha Neun lighted some black incense and black candles at the altar. She closed her eyes and mumbled words that Prince Jun Seong couldn't understand. To his surprise, the candles around them lighted up without anyone touching it. Shim Ha Neul then, opened her eyes and took a dead chicken under the altar. She sliced the abdomen and let the blood drip on the belongings of the royal family as she continued to cast the curse. Then little by little, as the blood dropped on the belongings, smoke erupts from where the blood fell. The candles around them started to emit stronger light. As Shim Ha Neul's chant intensified, the light from the candles around them also got strong, and the belongings are now being engulfed with fire.

Then, a black smoke emitted from the candles and from the ashened belongings and went out of the wooden house through the window. Shim Ha Neul, with drained strength, knelt on the floor and felt blood coming out of her nose.

"The... The curse is stronger.. Than I thought...." She said as she gasped for air.

Prince Jun Seong, with widened eyes, looked at a weak Shim Ha Neul

"So, is it finished?"

"Yes."

"Good, I shall talk to our mother, the Queen Dowager, to get you back to the Shaman Hall."

Prince Jun Seong, then, hurried outside, leaving Shim Ha Neul in the house.

But little did he know that Shim Ha Neul had something left to do.