Nosferatu

Tang Seong, a hapless soul caught in a catastrophe far exceeding his capacity, was unjustly sacrificed for the sake of the Tang Clan.

His story starts the day he was baptized as a poison martial artist of the Tang Clan. While nothing like the great talents of the family such as the Poison Phoenix, Tang Hye, he had his own charms as a righteous young man and a good candidate for the clan's shadow squad.

That was until the Blood Proof incident befell him. At first, he was just like those around him, shocked beyond words and baffled in disbelief.

The moment he saw the sickly glow of that silver needle, his whole being wasn't alright. The entirety of those who were researching the blood transfusion methodology were all focused on this absurd new discovery.

"It has come to our knowledge that if a silver needle coated with the blood of two subjects that were subjected to the Yang Mystic Circulation Technique, the blood would either come together on the same tip of the said needle or would go in separate ways. In the former case, the blood transfusion would be a success and in the latter one, it would fail. When the drops of blood join together on their own or by force, they start to be agitated and emit an iron-like burning smell. In that process, a bright energy will be emitted from the blood whose intensity would depend on how close the two subjects are in familial relations. The brightest it can get is that between first-degree relatives and it becomes as faintest with the fourth-degree relatives." Jegal Seokjo reported the machinations of the Blood Proof technique to the closed family council of the Tang Clan.

He, who was invited as a witness, was known to be one of the most important archivists of the Jagal noble clan and the Orthodox Murim. His job was to record and memorize all the martial arts of the Unorthodox and the Demonic factions, as well as some Orthodox factions off-record and would be dispatched to analyze the techniques that needed to be investigated in Murim.

Just now, he was giving his testimony about the research he participated in by the Elders of the Tang Clan and their Family Head.

"I see." Tang Maeng, Patriarch of the Tang Clan, responded with solid expressions, "Then I guess it is what it is. Such an incident is indeed troublesome and it needs to be wrapped up quietly."

He looked at the elders sitting around the meeting table.

"I guess no one is stupid enough to come forward and cause discord in the family." He continued, "Elder Tang Songki is a valuable asset to our family and a dear cousin of mine so I wouldn't take any action without his consent even though he asked me personally to punish all the parties involved. So… in regards to the unfaithful wife of Elder Songki, what is the proper punishment for her crime?"

The Elders seemed at a loss and no one wanted to step into this shithole of a situation. Their expressions conveyed it clearly and so Tang Maeng turned towards Jegal Seokjo again.

"I am ashamed that none of my family elders have any notion of how to execute justice. Elder Jegal, as an archivist, you must know what punishments should be inflicted in such situations. Would you enlighten us, please?"

To Tang Maeng's question, Jegal Seokjo sighed heavily and nodded.

"The punishment of adulterers varied in time. If the family head wants to show mercy, he can imprison the adulterer for the amount of time seen fit. Adulterers are subjected to the whip for up to a hundred lashes. However, if mercy was not intended, then death is the best way to set an example. The quietest way possible is drowning the adulterer." Jegal Seokjo said.

"And the adultery child?" Tang Maeng asked.

"They are innocent as far as guilt goes." Jagal Seokjo fought an urge in him to say anything harsh but under the pressure of the intense gaze of the Tang Clan Leader, he spoke what they wanted to hear, "Obviously they would be stripped from the family name and all that comes with it. Their fate would be owned by the man who raised them. In other words, Elder Tang Sungki should be the owner of Seong."

"A wise judgment, Elder Seokjo. As expected from the Jegal clan." Tang Maeng spoke in glee, "The wife of Elder Tang Sungki will be executed by drowning in the river and her bastard child will be a slave to Elder Sungki. The child's martial arts shall be taken away, his surname will be taken away, and his name shall be purged from the family records. His fate will belong to Elder Sungki."

It weighed heavily on Elder Jegal Seokjo to see what would befall Tang Seong. The elders of the Tang Clan only heard what they wanted to hear despite the obvious evidence that Tang Seong's unknown father is a member of their clan and clearly one of the people in this room at the moment. However, he could understand their fears in case a discord was to befall their family.

The one who wouldn't understand, however, is Jegal Seokjo's son, Jegal Jongnam. He argued with his father this morning to help save the life of his friend, Tang Seong but…

"The Tang clan's business is the Tang clan's business." That's what Jegal Seokji told his child.

Turning around, Jegal Seokjo saw the other witness in this secret trial and the third participant in the Blood Proof research, Elder Moyong Wonsik. He seemed to be carrying the same expression Jegal Seokjo had on his face as if he just had the same argument with his daughter that he had with his son.

It was truly an ugly mess.

***

Cold!

So is the grim hand of death—chilling, cold, and outright bitter. This wasn't a death an innocent would die. Surely in his past life, Tang Seong was some sort of a menace or a demon to deserve what he's been through.

He crawled to his death, he crawled away from the river to a cave littered with bones of snakes, rats, and all sorts of vermin. If he was even conscious, the stench of the cave would drive him away just by its own right yet he crawled in there thinking he would find a beast that would end his suffering.

Why did he survive?

Was it due to the multitude of curses he invoked, the numerous oaths he swore, and the extensive vengeance he vowed to inflict?

Not in any waking moment of those torturous days would he stop cursing his own father, his own mother, his own clan, Jagal Seokjo, and Moyong Wonsik. Hell! He cursed the slaves, the horses, the dogs, the whips, the sticks, the stones, and above all, he cursed himself most of all.

Is that why he is not dying?

No way!

He'll just die soon anyway. There shouldn't be much life left in him. If he were to get a second life after this, he would use it for vengeance and nothing else.

And so… he died.

No more drama, he just died right then and there lying on his front in the cave he crawled into.

End of his life.

He won't be alive again after that. No Samsara, no reincarnation, nothing of the sort.

He went off the hard way and then… departed, expired, flatlined.

« Well well well, that wouldn't make for a proper closure, would it now? »

The inquiry originated from an unseen source within the cavern, echoing the thoughts of any observer who might bear witness to this entire ordeal.

But what was that voice anyway? A menacing beast in its den? A hermit taking residence in the cave? A sealed demonic figure? A mysterious cursed item lost to the ages?

This is the point when the story twists away from the expected and defies all the given options but hey, let's do all the cliches at the same time. Somehow, the answer to the previous question is all of the given guesses combined.

New, right?

So let's describe the scene.

Tang Seong's corpse was lying face down, having crawled into the cave. His face was rigid, his eyes open but vacant. The cave's floor was etched with concentric circles, adorned with unfamiliar characters, numbers, and drawings. Surrounding this engraved area was a collection of small bones and other remnants. The cave itself was not expansive; its only object of interest was a discarded mirror crafted from dark metal, its frame bearing a design unseen in the Central Plains.

The reflection of Tang Seong appeared in the mirror. While it would be expected for anything situated in front of the mirror to be reflected in it, Tang Seong's reflection, unlike his current state, appeared to be very much alive.

So… where does this leave the whole situation? Wondered the figure of Tang Seong reflected in the mirror.

He looked rather dismissive and cold unlike what he usually is and kept watching as the blood dripped from Tang Seong's wounds on the engraved formation down on the cave floor. For that figure, that was by far the first human it has seen in ages, and for it to be this dead.

Still warm though… So would it still work?

The figure in the mirror paced back and forth, aware that it had only a few minutes before the corpse fully expired. While it seemed like a poor trade, considering this was the only human to encounter it in years, the figure in the mirror couldn't easily decide on its next course of action. Ultimately, it resolved to take a chance on this opportunity.

It turned to face the corpse outside its scope of reach and still extended its arm to touch what seemed like a barrier between the mirror's world and the outside reality.

« Claim the Blood! »

The Figure spoke slowly in a tongue that is not native to the Central Plains.

These words caused a stir in the carved formation beneath Tang Seong's corpse and the blood in the formation's groves started to radiate with a red glow.

« Curse the Blood! »

The Figure spoke yet again and the blood reacted this time almost like a sorcery.

It floated from the formation above the curse and started to come together in a sphere of blood that gave off a sinister and ominous feeling to whoever saw it.

« Bind the Blood! »

And the Figure in the Mirror waved his arm sideways for the blood sphere to dissipate into thin needles and in rapid movement, the needles were aimed at Tang Seong's corpse and attacked it like bullets.

The corpse was now poked with holes from various spots, all aimed at his organs and major blood vessels.

The Mirror Figure just claimed Tang Seong's blood, cursed it, and bound it back to him. There was no more it could do than what it had already done.

Now, it was Fate's turn.

Slowly and gradually, the Mirror Figure's appearance started to shift. It once looked like Tang Seong but now, its appearance has become somewhat monstrous.

The hair on its head was gone, its teeth gradually elongated into fangs, its fingernails became long curved claws, and its facial features became bone and hard. Its ears were most notable with their tips turning long and pointy.

"At last!" The Mirror Figure was ecstatic by the transformation and spoke to the corpse, "Rise, Nosferatu!"