Chapter 12: Escape – Part 1
Rumble, crash!
The tomb shook like a huge earthquake.
It felt as if they were just grains of rice being tossed in a winnowing basket.
The underground tomb was collapsing so violently that even taking a single step was frightening.
“Brother, this path is blocked! We have to go that way instead!”
But the entrance to the treasure vault was also sealed with massive boulders.
“Damn it. This way is blocked too. What now?”
Dan hugged the trembling mermaid child tightly and looked up at Heon, worried.
There seemed to be no way out.
Clang, clang.
The soldiers drew their swords and struck the rocks desperately.
But the blades only broke—without leaving even a crack.
“Is this really how I die…?”
Just as despair filled Dan’s eyes, Heon suddenly shouted:
“Everyone! Fall back fifty steps and lie flat on the ground!”
The well-trained soldiers obeyed instantly.
Dan and the mermaid child hesitated in confusion.
Heon gave Ma General a signal. He pulled the child from Dan’s arms.
“No! Put me down!”
The mermaid boy struggled and kicked in fear, pitiful to see.
Dan pleaded, “Please, let me hold him!”
But Ma General ignored her and ran, following orders. Dan had no choice but to chase closely.
“Hah… hah… I think this is far enough.”
Out of breath, Dan grabbed Ma General’s sleeve.
He dropped to the floor with the child, and Dan lay beside them.
Even so, she couldn’t help but worry about Heon.
“No… I’m not worried about him. It’s just… he shielded me earlier. That’s all. But… where is he?”
Through the falling rubble, she finally spotted Heon.
He was holding something.
“Wait… that’s the handmade bomb he stole from me! No! If he sets it off here, we’ll all die!”
The bomb’s power was far beyond imagination.
“We’ll be roasted like chicken skewers…”
Before she could shout, Heon hurled the bomb.
It flew in an arc and struck the boulders blocking the exit.
“No—!”
KABOOM!
Flames shot up like a dragon, a red column of fire blasting to the ceiling.
Heat waves slammed into them, burning their eyes.
Cough, cough.
Dan’s mind went blank. Smoke stung her nose and throat.
Then Heon’s roar thundered in her ears:
“The exit is open! Run!”
The soldiers immediately began their escape.
But Dan was frozen, unable to even lift her head.
“Where is she?”
Heon scanned the darkness, frowning. The girl was gone.
He was about to rush back when Ma General grabbed his arm.
“My lord, you must escape at once!”
“Which way?”
Ma General suddenly realized—in his panic to protect the prince, he had abandoned Dan and the child.
He pointed back the way he’d come.
“That way. The mermaid child isn’t important now. Please, my lord, you must leave!”
But Heon ignored him and ran in the opposite direction.
Ma General had no choice but to follow.
“I-I’m scared.”
“It’s alright. Just trust me.”
Dan soothed the mermaid boy as she stumbled forward, trying to find the exit.
It was pitch black—she couldn’t even tell if she was moving the right way.
Fear crept up from the depths of her heart.
Then, a rough male voice came from nearby.
“Dan.”
“Eek! You scared me!”
“It’s me.”
“Ah… Brother! I thought you were a ghost.”
“Hmph. If you can still joke, you’re fine. Which way do we go?”
Dan puffed her cheeks in annoyance.
“He doesn’t even ask if I’m hurt… and I’m guiding him for free. How unfair.”
“Do you remember the way we came earlier?”
“I do.”
“Then let’s go that way.”
But the tunnels were blocked with rock after rock.
They circled around many times, searching for a path.
Meanwhile, water rose quickly—up to an adult’s waist.
Just when things looked hopeless, a cool breeze brushed their faces.
“Brother! I think wind is coming from above. Can you check? It’s too dark for me to see.”
Heon glanced up.
“There’s a hole. Just big enough for one person.”
“Then we must climb. Otherwise we’ll all drown.”
“Yes.”
Heon lifted Dan onto his shoulder and pushed her upward.
She clung and pulled herself into the opening, then stretched out her thin arms.
“I’ll hold you! Grab on!”
“Step aside. You’re in the way.”
Dan pouted as he ignored her effort.
“Hmph. He’s looking down on me just because I’m a woman.”
Still, she moved aside.
In one leap, Heon sprang up like a spring-loaded cat.
The soldiers followed, climbing quickly.
Ma General lifted the mermaid boy, but as he looked back at the flooding water, he frowned.
“My lord, it seems a huge underground water vein has burst from the explosion.”
“…I see.”
Worry spread across everyone’s faces.
Then the mermaid child whimpered.
“It hurts… it hurts…”
Dan crawled over and saw him clutching his legs.
In the dark, she could feel strands of his soft hair. She stroked his head gently.
“Are you okay?”
“It hurts…”
Heon came closer.
“What’s wrong?”
“The fresh water stings his wounds. He needs medicine… but…”
“A healing salve?”
Dan shook her head.
“No. The whole tomb will soon flood with fresh water. For sea merfolk, fresh water is poison. A little ointment won’t help.”
Her mind raced—then she remembered the Honglu (Red Tears) she carried.
“Yes… humans use it to regain youth, but it’s also a powerful healer. Maybe it can help him.”
Without hesitation, Dan pulled a red pearl from her pocket and slipped it into the boy’s mouth.
“Quick, swallow.”
Heon narrowed his eyes.
“What did you just do?”
“Oh… this? I hid one fruit from the Human Shape Ginseng earlier. It’s rare and valuable. I thought it might help.”
The soldiers glared at her sharply, but Heon raised his hand. Instantly, the killing intent in the air vanished.
Dan pouted.
“Hmph. You’d kill me with just a glare? That ginseng was mine in the first place. Anyway… hey, feeling better now?”
The boy nodded weakly. “Yes… thank you.”
Somehow, he seemed to recognize that Dan was also of the merfolk.
She couldn’t explain why, but among the same race, there was always a connection.
“It’s so cold here…”
The boy burrowed into Dan’s arms, seeking warmth and comfort.
Dan held him close.
But Heon’s voice cut through harshly:
“Let go of him.”
“Why, Brother?”
“General Ma. Take care of the child.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“No! I don’t want to!”
The boy struggled, but Ma General’s strong arms held him tight.
Dan protested:
“He’s scared! Let me stay with him.”
Heon’s eyes were icy.
“Do you really see that as a child?”
“Of course. He is a child.”
“…You… Forget it. Just lead the way.”
“What? Lead the way? You were about to say something!”
“Lead. The. Way.”
His growl made her flinch.
Dan glared at him, then turned sharply.
“Hmph! Fine. The wind blows from that direction. There must be a path. Follow me if you want.”
Heon narrowed his eyes.
Her swaying hips as she crawled ahead made his nerves prickle strangely.
“General Ma. Follow ten steps behind.”
“Yes, my lord.”
