In the middle of city traffic, a luxurious car made its way toward the famous Mountain of the Fallen Flame. Inside sat Joon-Hak, staring blankly out the window, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened.
He had just been appointed as the successor to the Murim leader, destined to become the new Grand Master of Murim in ten years on his 30th birthday. But before the applause from the announcement had even faded, the current leader of Murim, Baek-Mun, turned to him and said, "Come. There's someone you must meet."
Someone more important than the current leader of Murim? Who could that possibly be?
As Joon-Hak drifted deeper into his thoughts, he was jolted back to reality by Baek-Mun's voice.
"Trying to guess who we're going to meet?" Baek-Mun chuckled. "Unless you were alive a thousand years ago, there's no way you'd know."
What? A thousand years?What does he mean? No one can live that long… right?
The car continued up a private road winding around the Fallen Flame Mountain, leading to the summit , a route known only to a select few. For the first time in his life, Joon-Hak was finally about to enter the massive building that crowned the mountain's peak , a structure visible from every corner of the city, yet forbidden to all but the most elite.
When the car stopped and Joon-Hak stepped out, he was stunned. The building was even more magnificent up close ,a towering monument of ancient stone and high technology — but what shocked him more was the level of security. Guards. Barriers. Seals. Mystical inscriptions. This wasn't just protection ,it was containment.
Joon-Hak followed Baek-Mun inside, ascending to the top floor. There, they entered a massive, dimly lit hall.
"You can sit here. We'll have to wait a while," Baek-Mun said, settling into a chair.
After about thirty minutes, Joon-Hak heard a deep voice behind him:
"So this young man will be the leader one day?"
He turned around and saw an old man with a long white beard. Despite his age, there was something… immense about him. Joon-Hak could feel the man's power ancient, boundless. Even Baek-Mun, the Murim Grand Master, looked insignificant in his presence.
"Congratulations, young man," the old man said, taking a seat. Then he turned to Baek-Mun."Did you tell him anything?""No, my lord," Baek-Mun replied, bowing respectfully. "I wouldn't dare speak without your permission."
Who is this old man…?
"I know you're wondering who I am," the elder said. "But this isn't the time for you to know. You're here for something else."
He turned to Joon-Hak.
"Tell me, do you think Murim is the strongest martial order in the world?"
"Yes, of course," Joon-Hak replied, without hesitation.
The old man laughed, not mockingly, but deeply, as if hearing a child claim to know all the answers.
"Do you know why this mountain is called The Fallen Flame?"
Joon-Hak blinked. He hadn't thought about that. The name had always been there — powerful, ominous but he never questioned it. Why would Murim, the greatest martial order in the East, name their most sacred place after something… fallen?
The old man's expression darkened. He spoke slowly, carefully:
"A thousand years ago, Murim began working in the shadows to unify the Eastern nations. That effort gave birth to the Eastern Spirit Federation, or ESF.It took us ninety years. We believed we were invincible. We forgot the world was bigger than us."
He paused, voice heavy with memory.
"Nine hundred years ago, we were reminded. Ma'at reminded us on this very mountain. Three of their warriors wiped out Murim's elite in a single night. Our flame… fell."
Joon-Hak sat frozen. Ma'at? That name only existed in ancient myths, whispered in half-lost scrolls.
"Ma'at?" he asked, stunned. "Aren't they just a legend?"
"No," the old man said gravely. "They are real."
"Then why haven't I ever heard of them?"
The old man exhaled slowly, pain seeping into his words.
"Because we buried them.Not with swords.We corrupted their memory.Disrupted their legacy.Pushed their bloodlines into hiding.We bought their artifacts.We rewrote the scrolls.Buried their philosophy beneath pyramids of distraction."
He let the words hang in the air before continuing:
"But not all of them were lost. Some vanished before we could reach them. And now… they're waking up."
The old man stood, walking toward the massive window that overlooked the entire mountain.
"Something is changing," he said quietly. "I can feel it in my bones. You will face trials, Joon-Hak. And when the time comes, you must choose to uphold Murim's dominion or face the weight of truth."
While Joon-Hak sat frozen in shock, trying to process the old man's words, halfway across the world, a young man stood silently before the ancient pyramids.He couldn't explain it, the pull he felt. As if the stone itself was whispering, urging him to remember something buried deep within his soul.He didn't know it yet, but the memory calling out to him wouldn't just reshape his life…
It would change the world.