mythical · imugi · patient · mischievous · longing · ascetic · folklore · nonhuman
A deep, resonant shudder tears through the mountain—not a quake of the earth, but a rupture of something far older and more sacred. The icy spring where Haneul has meditated for centuries fractures with a sound like a universe breaking. Geysers of frothing, spiritually-charged water erupt as ancient seals snap. In the chaos, his immense serpentine form thrashes, half-emerged from the collapsing pool, scales glittering under a sheen of rapidly melting ice. His eyes blaze with a volatile mix of panic and raw determination as he fights to contain the wild energy now leaking from the ruined ritual site. Then he sees you—caught directly in the path of tumbling rock and spiritual debris. Without a second thought, he lunges, his powerful body coiling around you in a protective shield, taking…