Sahn, the Most Desired God of Darkness and Sleep
According to the ancient order that originated with the creation of the worlds, every ten thousand years, the ruling clan of Darkness and the ruling clan of Light must unite their energies in an eternal marriage to prevent hostility and keep the universe from chaos. Now, it was the turn of Sahn, the heir of the Dark Realms, whose reputation and otherworldly beauty preceded his name.
His father, Lord Wei, arrived in the Light Realm to negotiate the marriage with Ro Woon's daughter, No Eul. Sahn, a freedom-loving God, did not welcome unions based on calculation.
"Balance holds the world. If you destroy the equilibrium, the cosmos will fall. You are not just a god. You are part of a great mechanism," Wei insisted.
"I am not a tool, Father, and I never will be. If the cosmos arranged it this way, it will find a suitable candidate for this girl," Sahn replied.
"Gods have a duty!"
"Who said that? Why must we accept everything as truth, just because we are Gods?"
Wei sighed heavily. "Look at your bride first, and then draw conclusions."
"If I find nothing special in her, I will not stand at the altar as a sacrifice in the name of saving the universe."
The Arrival of God Sahn in the Realm of Light
Sahn's arrival in the Light Realm caused a real stir, becoming a momentous event that overshadowed all others in the last millennia. When the golden-and-black chariot, pulled by shadows, touched the ground in front of the White Palace, the crowd of gods and goddesses, who had flocked from all corners of the realm, gasped.
From the chariot stepped the most desired and beautiful God of Darkness in all the worlds—Sahn. He was the embodiment of perfect, captivating beauty. Not gloomy and frightening, as one might expect from a lord of darkness, but deep and alluring, like a starry night sky. His skin seemed to be sculpted from marble, and his anthracite-colored hair framed a face with perfectly defined features. His eyes... distant fires flickered in them, harboring incredible power. He was not merely beautiful; he was beauty possessing power, a God in whose hands lay all the dark worlds, and this power streamed from him in an almost palpable current.
Among the onlookers, hidden behind a pillar of light jade, stood No Eul, the Goddess of Beauty. As the bride, she had been ordered to wait in the inner chambers, but her burning curiosity and untamable spirit compelled her to secretly sneak out of the Cold Palace. She wanted to see her future husband. And when she saw Him, her heart seemed to stop.
"Is that him?!..." the thought raced through her mind.
Such stunning energy radiated from Sahn that No Eul felt the ground literally falling out from under her feet. It was not a frightening sensation, but an intoxicating one. She, a goddess accustomed to everyone admiring her, suddenly wanted to fall to her knees before Him and bow to this unearthly authority and beauty. She fell in love with him at first sight. A victorious smile touched her lips. Sahn, the God of Sleep and Darkness, and she, No Eul, the Goddess of Beauty. He holds all the realms of darkness in his hands, and he is so... desirable. Now he will belong only to her.
"We will be the most beautiful couple. The most powerful in all the realms! Better than even my arrogant brother Chan Min and his upstart bride Ha Eun!" No Eul proudly thought.
The Fateful Attraction of Sahn and Ha Eun in the Garden
Sahn hated this marriage. He was a tool, a concession to the Light, which his proud nature as a God of Darkness rejected. He had arrived to end it as quickly as possible. He found the first servant he saw to ask about his bride—No Eul, the daughter of Ro Woon. The servant turned out to be someone who served in Ha Eun's court.
"Where can I find Ro Woon's daughter?" Sahn asked coldly.
"Her Highness usually strolls in the Bright Garden, my Lord," the servant replied, certain he was speaking of Ha Eun.
Sahn nodded. He was unaware of the existence of two daughters and headed there, expecting to see No Eul to put a final end to their relationship.
When he entered the Bright Garden, the reality he knew exploded. Among the bright scarlet flowers, under the gentle radiance of the Realm, stoodHa Eun. A light wind ruffled her golden strands. There was no pretense in her, only a pure, incredibly powerful, living, pulsating energy. Sahn, always cold, felt his chest constrict with a suffocating, first-ever-felt desire. The world stood still. His Darkness had found its perfect Light. Sahn felt all his power, his entire essence of Darkness, straining toward her, to engulf, to merge. This was a first for him. He wanted to marry her right now, in this very place, regardless of ceremonies and alliances.
Ha Eun, upon seeing the stranger, experienced the exact same fiery jolt. It was a first for her, and the feeling was so strong that her heart hammered wildly. It was a craving, a fire that completely contradicted her tender gratitude towards her fiancé, Chan Min. Something within her responded to his presence, as if he were awakening her to a true, previously unknown life.
Sahn stepped forward, his eyes burning like two frantic fires. He was absolutely sure that the person standing before him was his bride—No Eul.
"You..." he began, and the words turned into a rasp. He closed the distance between them in a single stride and placed his hands on her shoulders. The fire of his Darkness met her Light. Ha Eun, breathless from the force of the touch, exhaled:
"Who are you?"
Sahn leaned in. He gently yet imperiously lifted her chin, forcing her to look into the abyss of his eyes.
"I am Sahn," he whispered, his breath scalding her lips.
The name sobered her. She knew that Sahn was her sister No Eul's fiancé, and she herself was betrothed to another. The realization swirled in her head. Sahn's lips were already a millimeter from hers, and at that moment, when their souls were about to merge, instinct screamed danger. What was she doing?! She was Chan Min's bride! In a panic, she pushed him away.
"I... I have to go!" Ha Eun fearfully whispered, and, without looking back, she fled, escaping this fire that was burning her from the inside.
Sahn watched her go, mesmerized. He felt his inner Darkness cry out from the loss. He was absolutely certain she had fled out of embarrassment.
"Well, No Eul..." he whispered, his voice full of triumph and dangerous resolve. "You are flustered, but only you can be my wife."
The Engagement Announcement: The Wrong Bride
Sahn returned to his father, Lord Wei, with a completely different expression. The cold resistance to the marriage had given way to fiery, impatient resolve. He, who had just despised the very idea of marriage, was now burning with the desire to seal the union.
"I agree, Father," Sahn's voice was confident and authoritative. "I will marry her. And I want it to happen as soon as possible."
Lord Wei looked pleased.
"Finally, reason has overcome your stubbornness, my son," Wei said.
Sahn stood tall and confident. He believed that the energetic fusion he had felt was an unbreakable sign of destiny. He was certain that the one whose energy perfectly connected with his Darkness was his lawful bride, No Eul.
On the day of the official announcement of No Eul and Sahn's engagement, the main hall of the Light Realm was overflowing with gods from all realms. Sahn arrived before the bride. He entered, and his presence instantly filled the hall with a dark, magnetic power.
His gaze swept to the dais where Ro Woon was seated. Next to him, on thrones, were already Chan Min and Ha Eun. At that moment, his eyes stopped. He saw her. The very energy that had robbed him of his peace in the garden. Sahn instantly recognized the one who had set his soul on fire. He fixed her with his gaze, and a slow, predatory smile slid across his lips. It was the smile of an absolute sovereign who had found his main trophy. He was sure she was No Eul, his bride. He thought she was sitting there, next to Ro Woon, because she was the daughter of that Lord and Chan Min's sister, and, obviously, was waiting for his appearance.
Ha Eun, feeling that scorching, authoritative gaze, gasped. In his presence, her inner energy trembled and strained to break free. She instinctively squeezed Chan Min's hand for support. Chan Min instantly sensed the energetic storm that had erupted between his beloved Ha Eun and Sahn. Sahn looked only at Ha Eun, never taking his eyes off her, anticipating the moment he would finally declare her his.
The tense anticipation was interrupted by the solemn voice of the master of ceremonies:
"Presenting the Princess of the Light Realm, the Bride of the God of Darkness—No Eul!"
At that moment, as another Goddess, No Eul, entered the hall, Sahn's smile instantly died, and his confidence shattered. No Eul was magnificent, radiant with pride and joy. Sahn looked at her. And nothing—absolutely nothing—responded in his chest. Coldness. Silence. The absence of that life-giving resonance. She was beautiful, but her energy was just light, bright but empty to him. He felt neither fire, nor craving, nor destiny.
"Who... is that?" Sahn exhaled, his voice low and dangerous, causing Lord Wei to frown.
"That is your bride, my son," Lord Wei stated.
The world tilted. Sahn realized his fatal mistake. He took a step back.
"Then who is she?!" Sahn angrily pointed at Ha Eun.
"She is my adopted daughter, Ha Eun," replied the bewildered Ro Woon.
"And my future wife!" Chan Min added imperiously, pulling Ha Eun closer to him.
"What?! How is this possible?!" Sahn's rage, mixed with terrible realization, erupted. He hadn't just made a mistake; he had chosen the wrong destiny. The energetic fusion he had taken for a sign of fate had occurred with another, with the one sitting next to Chan Min.
The paradise of Chan Min and Ha Eun had just received its harbinger of destruction in the person of Sahn, and that harbinger had found himself trapped in a marriage with the unwanted No Eul.