SFNFS Ch 1
by berryChapter 1
It had been two years since Bipa last set foot on the soil of Seogyeong.
Disembarking at the port of Gwangnyangjin and riding on horseback for half a day, he crossed mountains and rivers to finally reach the city. As he entered the familiar landscape of Seogyeong, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.
“I want to go somewhere he isn’t.”
Those were the words he’d said when he left—exactly two years ago, around this time of year.
The same season, the same place.
Back then, Bipa had boarded a ship bound for a foreign land, sobbing as though his entire world had collapsed.
He had vowed never to return to this land, carrying with him a steely, bitter resolve.
And yet, no matter how determined he was, he couldn’t stop his eyes from wandering back, heavy with regret. Unable to control himself, he had locked himself in his cabin and wept all the way to his destination.
…He had never imagined he’d return so soon.
In the two years since, little had changed in Seogyeong.
Aside from the crowds gathered to celebrate the Great Festival, the scenery of the streets remained just as he remembered.
Well, it had only been two years, after all.
Not a particularly long time for great changes to occur.
“Hurry up! It’s about to start!”
“We’re already late. What’s the point? At this rate, we can see it from anywhere in Seogyeong, just like last year.”
As people shouted and bustled around, Bipa stood still, momentarily lost in the memories buried in every corner of the alleys.
Then suddenly, the roar of the present jolted him back to reality.
“Waaaah! It’s finally starting!”
The cheer erupted from the crowd as a brilliant light rose from the Ilwol Pillar located in the center of Seogyeong Palace.
Startled by the sudden shout, Bipa instinctively reached up and lifted the veil that had been covering his face, looking up like everyone else.
The nameless light, rising from the base of the pillar, had already filled half of its height with spiritual energy. And yet, as if it still had far to go, the light surged rapidly upward.
The miracle of Ilwol Jimeong.
The light of salvation, shot into the heavens by mortals through celestial power.
It was a ritual that re-enacted the first act of divine salvation, when celestial beings descended to save the world after the sun fell and the world plunged into chaos. The most important and grand of all the rituals held during the Great Festival.
Though it was held every year, the people still revered the miraculous light rising high above, illuminating the world. Having once endured harrowing turmoil, they had come to cherish the peace that light represented.
And this year’s light was especially extraordinary.
In all his life, Bipa had never seen such a magnificent Ilwol Jimeong. It wasn’t just about its height.
The spiritual energy filling the pillar all the way to its peak was so pure that just looking at it from afar brought a sense of salvation.
“…Who in the world could have produced such light?”
Someone nearby murmured in awe, and Bipa too found himself thinking of the remarkable person responsible for the radiant pillar.
He stood there, gazing at the light with his eyes while his heart drifted to thoughts of someone else.
Then, after a long silence, the captain of his security escort leaned in and whispered into his ear.
“We must go now. If we hurry, we can still catch the procession of the officiant heading to the National Blood Altar after the Ilwol Jimeong ends.”
“Ah.”
The words brought Bipa back to his senses. Turning his head, he saw the captain add knowingly, as if he understood Bipa’s heart better than he did.
“You’ll want to see him from as close as possible, won’t you?”
“…Yes.”
Suddenly realizing the depth of his own feelings, Bipa took a deep breath and nodded resolutely.
“I want to meet him as close as I can.”
He had never spoken so honestly to anyone before…
But that was why he had come all the way to Seogyeong.
The Great Festival ritual held in Seogyeong, the ancient capital, was traditionally performed a full thirty days ahead of the one in Gaegyeong, the current imperial capital.
Long ago, Seogyeong had been—
The first city to restore order after the great calamity in which the Sun of the Solar Emperor fell and the Moon of the Lunar Emperor disappeared. It was the proud capital of their ancestors.
Even as the massive fragments of the sun crashed on either side of the land, destroying the continent and surrounding islands, the people of Seogyeong never let go of their bonds or hopes.
The heavenly sovereign, moved by their resilience, had bestowed salvation first upon the descendants of Habaek.
And so, Seogyeong’s Ilwol Pillar became the first pillar of light to shine in a world lost in darkness after the loss of the sun and moon.
Before the celestial sphere was raised to replace the fallen sun, Seogyeong’s Ilwol Pillar had briefly been the world’s only light. And once the sphere was placed in the sky, the pillar became the first conduit to channel spiritual energy toward it.
Though new Ilwol Pillars had since been built throughout the world—diminishing Seogyeong’s uniqueness, and even the value of being first had faded with time—
Seogyeong’s pillar still remained a symbol of salvation and miracles.
That was why the Ilwol Jimeong ritual of Seogyeong held such deep meaning.
A national festival of the people, worshiping the twelve heavenly deities, the dragon god of Taeguk, the mountain and river spirits of the land, and the ancestral gods Dongmyeong and Yuhwa.
It was a ceremony that repelled evil energy with a sacred pillar of light and demonstrated the prestige of the great nation to the world. Thus, the role of officiant could not be anything less than vital.
Traditionally, the emperor would officiate the Great Festival in Gaegyeong, while the crown prince would do so in Seogyeong. But the current emperor, crowned two years ago, had yet to name a crown prince.
Still, he had one child by blood—a son born of a deeply beloved, though never wedded, partner from his youth.
His name was Hwa Geonryeon.
A man who, without ever revealing his royal blood, had earned the position of Supreme General of Eungyang by merit alone.
He was said to be the strongest Yang-in(Alpha) of the era—one who wielded the spiritual energy of the Solar Lineage. Though he bore no royal surname, he had already officiated the Seogyeong festival three times, and none had raised objection.
“Seems like the number of people attending the festival grows with each passing year. Just look at this crowd! It’s like the whole country gathered here!”
“I heard someone even came from Gaegyeong. Even those who’ve lived their lives beneath the emperor’s Ilwol Pillar must find this one remarkable.”
“Of course it’s remarkable. No doubt about it… And if they came all this way, it wouldn’t be just to see the light. They’d surely want to get a good look at the officiant’s face too. Human nature is all the same in the end…”
At that moment, the streets outside the palace were overflowing with people. The crowd was even larger than when the Ilwol Jimeong ritual was underway.
They had all gathered to witness the procession of the officiant, returning the sacred objects to their rightful place after the ceremony.
The procession would pass through the palace’s southern gate and follow the royal road to the National Blood Altar—at least ten ri of streets beyond Seogyeong’s outer palace lined with spectators.
Unlike the towering Ilwol Jimeong visible from anywhere in Seogyeong, the general’s face could only be seen up close.
The crowd was so dense that those on either side of the road had to press shoulder to shoulder without moving an inch.
“Hoo…”
Naturally, Bipa was wedged into that chaos as well.
Thanks to Baek Bong, the captain of the escort, they had moved early and secured a front-row spot—barely.
It was exactly what Bipa had hoped for: a chance to see the officiant’s procession up close. But that didn’t make waiting any easier.
His heart was pounding with nerves.
His breathing quickened, chest rising and falling. His palms were sweaty, and his lips dry.
With his black hat and the veil draped down to his chin, no one could see the anxious expression on his face, but Bipa did everything he could to suppress his feelings.
The tension coiled so tightly inside him, he thought he might be better off just vomiting to get it out.
He hadn’t eaten anything since arriving, so there wasn’t much to throw up anyway…
He tried closing his eyes to relax, but even that was impossible. Instead, he lifted his tired eyes once more toward his brows, stirred by a voice carried from the distance.
“Supreme Commander Hwa Geonryeon approaches!”
With his pale face snapping up at the sound, Bipa turned his gaze toward the voice. The long-awaited officiant’s procession was finally about to begin. The palace gates were swinging wide open.
Characters
- 비파 (Bipa) – The protagonist of this passage; returns to Seogyeong after two years.
- 화건련 (Hwa Geonryeon) – Also referred to with the formal title “화건련공 (Lord Hwa Geonryeon)”; an unrecognized son of the emperor, current High General of Eungyang, and the officiant (祭主) of the Daemyeongjeol ritual.
- 백봉 (Baek Bong) – The captain of Bipa’s guard unit.
Titles, Terms, and Institutions
- 서경 (Seogyeong) – The old capital of the nation, where the Daemyeongjeol (Grand Festival) is held.
- 개경 (Gaegyeong) – The current imperial capital.
- 광량진 포구 (Gwangnyangjin Port) – The port where Bipa disembarks before entering Seogyeong.
- 일월주 (Ilwolju / Sun and Moon Pillar) – A spiritual pillar in the center of Seogyeong; the focal point of the ritual.
- 일월지명 (Ilwol Jimyeong / Radiance of the Sun and Moon) – The ceremonial light or miracle pillar sent upward from Ilwolju during the Daemyeongjeol.
- 국동대혈 (Gukdong Daehyeol) – The final destination of the ritual procession; a sacred site.
- 상제 (Sangje) – The celestial emperor or heavenly deity.
- 일천자 (Ilcheonja / Solar Emperor) – The Sun Emperor, referenced in myth.
- 월천자 (Wolcheonja / Lunar Emperor) – The Moon Emperor, also referenced in myth.
- 천구 (Cheongu / Celestial Sphere) – A divine object replacing the fallen sun.
- 열두 하늘의 천신 (Twelve Heavenly Deities) – The twelve celestial gods.
- 태극의 용신 (Dragon Gods of the Taeguk) – Mystical dragon gods tied to cosmic order.
- 지상의 산천 제신 (Mountain and River Deities of the Land) – Earthly deities of natural features.
- 시조신 동명과 유화 (Ancestral Deities Dongmyeong and Yuhwa) – Founding mythological ancestors.
- 제주 (Jeju / Ritual Officiant) – The person who leads the ceremony; in this case, Hwa Geonryeon.
- 상장군 (Sangjanggun / High General) – Hwa Geonryeon’s military title.
- 근장상장군 (Geunjang Sangjanggun / High General of the Imperial Guard) – Full formal title announced during the procession.