"For it to work... someone has to be seen bleeding," I said, facing the group of fighters before me. "The enemy needs proof. Something to make the illusion real."
Silence.
No one volunteered. But no one stepped back.
Then Jaegal Rin, one of the few who remembered me before the exile, stepped forward.
"If it's to save the clan... let it be me."
"Rin..." I began.
"I've fought worse wars. And never for something I believed in. This time, it's worth it."
A tightness struck my chest. But I nodded. He knew what he was doing.
The next morning, Rin appeared on the enemy's trail. Alone. Torn clothes, stained with both fake and real blood, dotting the snow.
He did what needed to be done: fought fiercely, then fell. Allowing himself to be captured.
To the Ryong clan's eyes, a Jaegal had been left behind. A living proof of their imminent defeat.
Then the Ryong scouts spotted the other groups fleeing along the high trails, "desperately" heading toward the valleys.
To perfect the lie... three of ours — real, flesh and blood — were sent with clear orders: resist until death.
They fought. They died. And with their blood, they stained the ground and sealed the stage.
The trap was set.
And the bait... taken.
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On the other side of the hill, Commander Ryong Hwa watched the valley with a satisfied smile.
Before him, scouts confirmed what he had hoped for days: the Jaegal were in retreat.
"Weak," he muttered. "Arrogant, and now, broken."
He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
"Captain Jin!" he shouted.
A younger man approached.
"Sir?"
"How many did you spot?"
"Three groups. One of them left a wounded man behind. We captured him. He says the Jaegal fled south, toward the Misty Ravines."
"And the bodies?"
"Three dead. Two looked like guards, the other carried a banner. They fought with all they had. But they didn't last long."
Ryong Hwa nodded. That was all he needed to believe.
"They're weak, disorganized... and panicked," he declared. "This is the moment."
He turned to his army. Three thousand men ready. Hungry for victory.
"Don't let even the dust from their boots escape!" he roared. "Today, we bury the Jaegal name beneath our feet!"
The sound of marching troops echoed through the mountains.
But he did not see what lay hidden beneath that mist.
Nor did he notice that Jaegal Rin's eyes — captured and bloodied — still gleamed with purpose.