Chapter 7 The real way home
As I sit on the ground, I try to think. But the sound of all the commotion outside is too much. I can feel my heart pounding. The room begins to spin as I gasp for air. Am I dying?
One of the doors bursts open, slamming shut with a resounding thud. My pulse spikes as I press myself against the base of the wooden bed. A blur of white flashes across the room and I squeeze my eyes shut to brace for whatever comes next.
Nothing happens.
Instead, I feel a small weight settle on my lap. I open my eyes. A little fluffy white dog sits in my lap. I blink. Have I gone mad?
For a moment, I forget about all the chaos around me. This little dog looks just like the white version of my dog back home. It's fur is impossibly soft and I choke back tears as I hug it.
Another boom goes off, this time sounding much closer than the last one. The little dog gives me a reassuring look as if it's used to this type of commotion. I can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all.
"It's okay," I whisper to the little dog even though we both know I'm the one who needs comforting.
Another boom sounds, closer this time, and I jump in response. My heart rate increases again when I hear another door slam open and slam shut. I squeeze my eyes shut again.
"Bao bao?" A man's voice, deep, rich, and surprisingly casual, cuts through all the chaos. "I appreciate you protecting her, but I need you out there."
The little dog shifts in my arms, turning towards the man.
Curiosity gets the best of me and I open my eyes just enough to catch a glimpse of the figure in the doorway.
From under my veil, I notice he's wearing robes the color of midnight covered with silver armor that's etched with intricate patterns.
A long, blue cap flutters behind him, but what's most shocking is that I can see what appears to be his aura, even from under my veil.
It's as if a soft white glow shimmers around him.
The little white dog, apparently named Bao Bao, leaps out of my arms. What happens next is shocking. His form shimmers and he transforms into a beastly dog with armor that matches the man's. My hands tremble where the little dog has been moments before. What the heck?
"Apologies for the interruption," the man says as he turns to leave the room. "Stay quiet and stay down."
And then he's gone, with Bao Bao following close behind.
I slump against the bedframe, my red veil shifting as I rub my temples. My mind spins with racing thoughts, but one word rises above the rest: demigod.
The aura, the strength, the impossibly handsome features.
It all fits the tales I'd read of him. The forbidden son of a goddess of love and a mortal scholar who rebelled against the Heavens to show filial piety in saving his Mother from her confinement.
He's someone who lost his father and brother who spent his life protecting his Mother and secretly protecting his Sister and her children.
Heaven's most revered warrior, a man whose only companion is his loyal dog.
The author of the Webtoon must have been a fan of the Monkey King stories to add this demigod in as a character. But someone of this caliber shouldn't be the second lead. Is he the way home that the voice referred to? Technically, we are in the Imperial Palace.
Everything freezes, and then I hear it again. The faint, melodic ringing of bells.
"Congratulations," the voice says in a celebratory tone I've never heard it use before. "You have found your way back home."
"What do you mean?" I ask the voice. "Are you talking about the..."
I trail off, unsure of what to call him.
"The Legendary General," the voice confirms. "Precisely. Get him to give you the lotus pendant tied to his waist and then you can go home. He must give it to you willfully. Stealing it won't count."
I resist the urge to bury my face in my hands.
Of all the impossible tasks... His past alone makes this a futile effort.
When his sister fell in love with a mortal, the same pattern of rebellion repeated itself.
Though he couldn't save her the same way he saved their mother, he secretly gave his nephew everything he needed to save her.
But I'm not family. I'm not even Lady Sora. I'm just... me.
Hopelessness blooms in my chest, cold and unrelenting. If the voice is teaching me what it feels like to be completely powerless, it's working. None of this makes sense.
There's no way I can gain the Legendary General's trust. His abilities allow him to discern truth from lies. Plus, no beauty has ever been able to capture his trust.
"Please," I beg the voice. "All I want is to go home. Doesn't my family miss me?"
The voice laughs in response.
Everything unfreezes and I'm left all alone. I clutch my handkerchief, shaking with anger. Wasn't the lesson to not be a workaholic? If so, mission accomplished. I haven't worked in days and I realize what I've been missing out on.
What else is there to learn?