Requiem Of A Failed Hero



The day was draped in sorrow as if the heavens themselves had cast a shroud upon the land. For some reason, today was the first appearance of snow yet no one seemed to be concerned, particularly happy about it, the vibrant hues of spring had faded into a somber palette, a reflection of collective grief that gripped the hearts of people.

It was a day when the nation of South Korea stood united in the mourning of a fallen S rank.

An average of 300 to 700 hunters worldwide daily, so the death of hunters in a way had become not much of a big deal... except if it is an S rank and above.

If a nation (that has a five S rank)'s power was to be represented numerically. It'd be 1000, depending on the kind of S rank, looking at an S rank can make that number drop to a whooping 600 at the very least 800. In the case of a strong hunter like Sung Min, probably more. Whereas C ranks, D ranks, or even B ranks would die and people would barely know about it.

S ranks were powerful, it was a sad thing for the country itself to lose people like that, especially when it was during a gate raid. A man that died protecting his comrades, a definition of a hero. It was a given that he was going to be mourned nationwide.

The Rain Guild's first team led the procession with Solemn grace with Sung Min having no parents or relatives.

They were all cladded in black suits, the female black hanboks that whispered loss and reverence. The melancholic melody of Amazing Grace floated on the air, played by musicians whose strings wept notes of sorrow, touching the deepest recesses of every soul present. The sound mingled with the sighs of the wind, carrying the weight of an entire nation's grief.

The procession wound its way through streets lined with onlookers, their faces etched with a mixture of admiration and anguish. Old and young, rich and poor, they stood shoulder to shoulder, united in their shared reverence for a fallen hunter.

Sung Min had made that much impact as a hunter, even though he was a guild member of the Rain guild, he was known to often gather rogue hunters and raid gates that emerge in unreached and unknown rural neighborhoods, to a lot of people he was not just a hunter, but a symbol of resilience, courage, and selflessness, he was a hero.

At the burial site, a serene haven nestled amidst verdant hills, the crowd gathered, their hearts heavy with unspoken words, in the center of the stood a monument, a testament to Sung Min's heroic and indomitable spirit, mainly erected by the people who were privileged to be saved by him.

Even until now, the Rain guild never knew Sung Min had made so much impact, Yujin could not hold herself and kept sobbing as she saw the turn up for his burial, she wasn't when expecting half this much.

Flowers, symbols of both beauty and ephemeral existence, adorned the base of the monument, their fragrant petals mingling with the hushed whispers of the breeze.

Despite being shaken and in the full embrace of sorrow, Yujin pleased herself to step up to the center of the crowd, in front of the monument, being the person closest to him, his girlfriend she was given the honor of the first eulogy.

"..." She paused and looked at the blackness that extended out of the burial site and extended into the streets. She was overwhelmed and her hand shook as she lower her head.

She tightened her fist and began.

"Sung Min... my oppa was..." With every word uttered as her shaky voice trailed off, tears flowed freely, mingling with the rain that gently began to fall. Instead of people leaving, black umbrellas rose into the air and the whole place from the vantage point of the clouds was adorned with a black canopy.

After a lot of people had given their speech, more hunters and civilians walked forward to drop flowers at the base of the monument and pay their respects to him.

Raith was donned in a black suit and black coat, his hair and shoulder were wet from the rain but his normal black unkempt hair was styled to a two-block haircut, with an undercut on both sides giving him a gentlemanly look.

He bowed and dropped a white lily. Hunter Mok Jae-Hwa was standing right beside him with other team members, facing the crowds as his relatives.

Raith walked closer to him and patted his shoulder. He had no words to say, that was the best he could offer, and more than anything he just wanted to leave this place so he turned away and walked back amidst the crowd of people that walked forward to drop their flowers.

He had reached the site demarcation, onto the road, and awaited Min-ho to bring the car when a red limousine stopped in front of him.

Raith's eyes narrowed and glinted with a soft glow of red hue–

'...the chairman and someone else... someone strong.'

He could already tell that much from being with the same presence and didn't need to take a peak inside and by his unbothered composure, he wasn't intimidated or felt the need to be alerted, it was because he was sure that he was strong enough to deal with whoever it was, without dying once.

The front door of the car opened and agent Jong-Su came out of it whispering something into his ear and opening the door. Raith slowly bent and entered into the car‐ immediately it drove off, leaving splashes of water in its wake.

***

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Tae Dong-Hyun was endlessly panting on his knees, his sweat mixed with blood and a shining black sword before him.

He had lost count of how long it has been since he started with the sword, he had not taken water, not sleep not even a one-minute rest. Being in a trance indeed helped him but now that he is out of it, he felt like he could die any moment.

Despite all the pain crawling on his skin and inside his guts, Tae Dong-Hyun was smiling joyfully.