🪷《Bound Hearts Beyond the Mist》 (心之所向)
The Legend That History Remembered
Long before the kingdoms of today, before the temples were built and the Three Realms found peace, an endless darkness threatened to consume all existence.
It was known only as the
Celestial
**Primordial Abyss**
It devoured souls, corrupted spirits, and turned even gods into monsters.
When Heaven itself stood on the brink of collapse, two divine guardians answered its call.
Celestial
One was **His Divine Grace, Lord Hyeonryeong**, the revered Guardian of the Shadow-Ferry Crossing, who guided every soul between life and death and watched over the eternal cycle of reincarnation.
Celestial
The other was **His Divine Grace, Lord Hwanseong**, the Guardian of the Celestial Stars, commander of Heaven's armies and protector of the heavenly constellations.
One guarded the path of the dead.
The other protected the light of the living.
Together, they became legends.
Together...
They saved the Three Realms.
Yet every legend has an ending.
Celestial
On the day the war came to an end, beneath Heaven's sacred altar and before countless gods, the impossible happened.
Lord Hwanseong reached into Lord Hyeonryeong's chest...
...and tore out his Divine Heart.
No explanation.
No mercy.
No farewell.
Then he disappeared.
From that day onward, Heaven recorded only one truth.
Celestial
"Lord Hwanseong, Guardian of the Celestial Stars, betrayed Lord Hyeonryeong, stole his Divine Heart, and vanished from the Three Realms."
Five hundred years have passed since that day.
The story has been told so many times that no one dares question it anymore.
Temples still worship Lord Hyeonryeong.
Children still grow up fearing the name of Lord Hwanseong.
History has already decided who was the hero...
And who became the traitor.
But history does not always remember the whole truth.
Celestial
For somewhere between forgotten souls, wandering spirits, impossible cases, and a promise left unfulfilled...
The past has been waiting.
Patiently.
For someone to uncover it.
PROLOGUE — The Betrayal
Celestial
Five hundred years ago...
The Three Realms stood on the brink of destruction.
A darkness older than Heaven itself awakened.
*The Primordial Abyss.*
Celestial
It devoured souls.
It corrupted spirits.
Even gods were powerless before it.
The Heavenly Battlefield.
Flames engulf the sky.
Countless heavenly soldiers fight desperately.
Soldiers
Don't let the darkness spread!
A deafening roar shakes the heavens.
Suddenly...
A blinding pillar of golden and silver light erupts across the battlefield.
Soldiers
Their Divine Graces!
Two figures descend from the heavens.
One dressed in flowing white robes, surrounded by white butterflies.
The other clad in midnight-blue robes, constellations shimmering beneath his feet
Soldiers
His Divine Grace...
Soldiers
Lord Hyeonryeong!
Soldiers
His Divine Grace...
The heavenly army kneels.
Soldiers
We greet Their Divine Graces!
The two guardians stand side by side.
Without a word...
They face the endless darkness.
A fierce battle begins.
The heavens tremble.
Mountains collapse.
Stars fall from the sky.
Together...
The two guardians force the Primordial Abyss back into the ancient seal.
A brilliant light covers the Three Realms.
The darkness disappears.
Silence.
Then...
Cheers erupt across Heaven.
Soldiers
The Three Realms are saved!
Soldiers
Long live Their Divine Graces!
Heaven's Sacred Altar.
Thousands gather to celebrate the victory.
Lord Hyeonryeong smiles faintly.
He turns toward the person who has fought beside him for centuries.
Lord Hyeonryeong/Lord Tae
It's finally over.
Lord Hwanseong says nothing.
He slowly walks forward.
His expression cannot be read.
Lord Hyeonryeong/Lord Tae
...Hwanseong?
Everything happens in an instant.
A hand pierces through white robes.
Blood splashes across the sacred altar.
Gasps echo throughout Heaven.
Lord Hwanseong withdraws his hand.
Within it...
A radiant golden heart continues to beat.
Immortals
The Divine Heart...
Soldiers
He took Lord Hyeonryeong's Divine Heart!
Lord Hyeonryeong stumbles backward.
His eyes fill with disbelief.
Lord Hyeonryeong/Lord Tae
...
Lord Hyeonryeong/Lord Tae
Why...?
For a brief moment...
Lord Hwanseong's hand trembles.
His eyes glisten.
But he does not answer.
Instead...
He speaks coldly.
Lord Hwanseong/Lord Ye-jun
Power belongs...
Lord Hwanseong/Lord Ye-jun
...to the one strong enough to claim it.
The entire Heavenly Court freezes.
Soldiers
He betrayed His Divine Grace...
Lord Hyeonryeong looks at him in silence.
Pain.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Lord Hyeonryeong/Lord Tae
...
Lord Hwanseong closes his fingers around the Divine Heart.
Then turns away.
Without looking back.
He disappears into the endless sky.
From that day onward...
Every temple.
Every kingdom.
Every heavenly record.
Told the same story.
...
"Lord Hwanseong, Guardian of the Celestial Stars, betrayed Lord Hyeonryeong, stole his Divine Heart, and vanished from the Three Realms."
No one ever questioned it.
Not the gods.
Not the mortals.
Not even...
Lord Hyeonryeong himself.
Five hundred years later...
History has already chosen its hero.
And its traitor.
But history...
Does not always tell the truth.
The Crying Bride-1
Celestial
There are countless roads beneath Heaven...
Some lead to prosperous cities.
Some lead to forgotten villages.
And one...
Leads to the Shadow-Ferry Crossing.
It is said that when the mist rises...
The living and the dead walk the same road.
Those who enter after midnight...
May never find their way back.
[Willow Bridge – Midnight]
A bridal sedan slowly crosses an ancient stone bridge.
Soft wedding music echoes through the night.
Eight bearers carry the sedan in complete silence.
Bride nervously peeks through the curtain.
Bride
Where are the musicians?
No one answers.
The bearers continue walking.
A cold wind blows across the bridge.
The red lanterns suddenly go out.
A child's laughter echoes across the river.
Spirits
Are you getting married?
She slowly lifts the curtain.
No one.
Only thick white mist.
Then...
Tiny wet footprints appear on the bridge.
One after another.
As if invisible children are walking toward her.
A small voice whispers beside her ear.
Spirits
She won't let you...
The sedan suddenly stops.
The bearers lower it to the ground.
Without a word...
They all disappear into the mist.
Bride
W-Where did everyone go?!
She stumbles out of the sedan.
The bridge is empty.
Then...
A woman dressed in an old crimson wedding gown stands at the opposite end of the bridge.
Her face is hidden beneath a veil.
Dark liquid drips from her sleeves.
The woman slowly raises one hand.
A cracked wedding bracelet falls onto the stone bridge.
Her scream echoes through the valley.
Download NovelToon APP on App Store and Google Play
