The Strings Of Fate

Baek Mu-Jin's blade trembled. Not from exhaustion. Not from hesitation. But from something far worse—realization.

All these years, he had believed his path was his own. That his revenge, his survival, his very existence were carved by his own hands. But now, staring into the cold eyes of Jin Tae-Hyun, he felt something crack within him.

This man… he knew too much.

And if he knew too much, that meant…

Someone else had always known.

---

Five Years Ago.

Mu-Jin had been hunting the truth like a rabid beast, his vengeance driving him forward without rest.

After burning the Shrouded Moon Fortress to the ground, he had expected resistance—expected the real enemy to reveal themselves.

But what did he find?

Silence.

No one came for him. No assassins, no retaliation.

As if his existence meant nothing.

As if someone had already expected this outcome.

But he refused to accept that.

So he kept searching, cutting his way through the underworld, following whispers and dying words, until he reached the heart of the martial world's power—the Council of Eight.

They were the silent rulers, the unseen hands behind every major event.

And they were waiting for him.

---

"We've been expecting you."

Mu-Jin still remembered those words. The way the Grand Minister had spoken them so casually, as if Mu-Jin's entire existence had been predicted long ago.

They told him what he wanted to hear.

Yes, his village was wiped out by the Shrouded Moon Fortress. But the true orchestrator?

The Council.

A decision made to erase an anomaly.

An outlier.

Someone who was never supposed to exist in the first place.

Him.

---

Present Day.

Mu-Jin's grip tightened on his sword. His body screamed for him to attack, to silence the storm raging in his mind.

But he didn't move.

Because now, looking at Jin Tae-Hyun, that same feeling crawled up his spine.

That same expectation.

As if Jin had known this meeting was inevitable.

As if this fight…

Had already been written.

---

"You look shaken," Jin said, his voice calm, almost amused.

Mu-Jin gritted his teeth. "Who the hell are you?"

Jin smiled.

And for the first time, Mu-Jin felt fear.

Not because of Jin's strength. Not because of his knowledge.

But because, deep down, he knew—

He wasn't the one in control.